J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist known as father of the atomic bomb, was stripped of his U.S. government security clearance in 1954 after a process that was manifestly unfair. The Atomic Energy Commission did not even follow its own rules in revoking his clearance, a decision which was itself annulled 68 years later.
Secrecy in government raises vital questions: For those who need security clearances to work in government, how fair are the processes by which these are granted and reviewed? How do we balance a government’s need for secrecy with the public’s right to know what is done in its name and with its taxes?
Join the Global Policy Area for a public forum with Reuters correspondent Arshad Mohammed who will delve into the case of Oppenheimer to discuss the fairness of security clearance investigations and the risks of undue secrecy.
While Oppenheimer’s case took place at the height of McCarthyism, the early 1950s practice of using unfounded accusations and unfair investigations to target individuals, contemporary officials have seen their clearances suspended and their reputations stained by spurious allegations.
Join us as Mr. Mohammed explores the example of Oppenheimer and three other cases where individuals with security clearances faced similar challenges.
This event is open to all interested in the intersection of government, transparency, journalism and individual rights. Registration is required.
Biography:
Arshad Mohammed writes about U.S. foreign policy for Reuters as a diplomatic correspondent who splits his time between Washington, D.C. and Saint Paul. He joined Reuters in 1988 and has worked as a correspondent in New York, Paris, Algiers and Washington, where he covered the White House from 1996 to 2002 and the State Department from 2002 to 2005 and from 2006 to 2016.
His Washington assignments have entailed extensive travel with former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and with former Secretaries of State Powell, Rice, Clinton and Kerry. He was in the Florida classroom on Sept. 11, 2001 when George W. Bush learned of the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.
Born and mostly raised in Washington D.C., he graduated from Yale University in 1985 with a B.A. in History. He and his Minnesotan wife have five children and five grandchildren, four of whom – he is delighted to report - live in Saint Paul.