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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Government Accidentally Posts Confidential Nuclear Information

A 266-page document that gives detailed information about civilian nuclear sites and programs -- marked "highly confidential" -- was accidentally made public by the federal government, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

The document's publication was revealed Monday by online newsletter about federal secrecy issues. The Times described the document as including maps that identify where nuclear weapons fuel is stockpiled, though it contained no information about military nuclear operations.

It was removed from the Government Printing Office Web site on Tuesday after inquiries from the Times.

Some nuclear experts told the Times that the release was not a security threat, as many of the details revealed were already available to the public. Former Director of Central Intelligence and Deputy Secretary of Defense John Deutch even dismissed concerns by saying, "These screw-ups happen."

But David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a group that tracks nuclear proliferation, told the Times that releasing information on nuclear fuels "can provide thieves or terrorists inside information that can help them seize the material."

President Obama sent the document to Congress for review on May 5. The printing office then published it online. - FOX News

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