David Albright
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David Albright,M.Sc., is an American physicist and aweapons expertwho is the founder of the non-governmentalInstitute for Science and International Security(ISIS), its current president, and author of several books on proliferation ofatomic weapons.
Early life
[edit]Albright holds aMaster of ScienceinphysicsfromIndiana Universityin 1980, Master of Science inmathematicsfromWright State Universityin 1977 and a bachelor of science from Wright State University in 1975. He has taught physics atGeorge Mason Universityin Virginia.
From 1990 to 2001, Albright was a member of theColorado StateHealth Advisory Panel, participating in its assessment of thetoxicologicalandradiologicaleffects on the population near theRocky Flatsatomic weapons production site.
Work with the IAEA
[edit]From 1992 to 1997, David Albright was associated with theInternational Atomic Energy Agency's Action Team. In June 1996, he was invited to be the first non-governmentalinspector of Iraq's nuclear programand questioned Iraqi officials about that country'suranium enrichmentprogram.
In 2001, Albright prepared an analysis, forCNN,of documents found in an abandonedAl Qaeda safe house in Kabulbelieved to have been used by Abu Khabbab, who they described as "Osama bin Laden's top chemical and biological weapons commander ".[1]Albright confirmed that the abandoned documents included plans for a nuclear bomb and extensive training notes on the handling of radiological material.
In September 2002, Albright and his organization ISIS were the first to publicly criticize the claims of the Bush administration and the CIA about the infamousIraqi aluminum tubes.In response toIraqi aluminum tubes,Albright said it was far from clear that the tubes were intended for a uranium centrifuge.[2]The August/September 2003American Journalism Reviewstates:
On December 8 [2002] Bob Simon reported on60 Minutesthat the aluminum tubes story was being challenged. He quoted British intelligence officials and David Albright, a weapons inspector in Iraq for the U.N. in the 1990s. Albright said, "People who understood gas centrifuges almost uniformly felt that these tubes were not specific to gas centrifuge use." Simon said to Albright: "It seems that what you're suggesting is that the administration's leak toThe New York Times,regarding aluminum tubes, was misleading? "Albright:" Oh, I think it was. I think—I think it was very misleading. ".[3]
Albright stated: "If the U.S. government puts out bad information it runs a risk of undermining the good information it possesses. In this case, I fear that the information was put out there for a short-term political goal: to convince people thatSaddam Husseinis close to acquiring nuclear weapons. "[4]
Albright subsequently exposed flaws in the Bush administration's other so-called nuclear evidence in the run-up to the Iraq war. Prior to the start of the war, he also became sceptical that Iraq had sizeable stocks of chemical and biological weapons.
ANational Journalprofile in 2004 called Albright a "go-to guy for media people seeking independent analysis on Iraq's [weapons of mass destruction] programs".[5]
In 2006, Albright received the prestigiousJoseph A. Burton Forum Awardfrom the American Physical Society, a professional society of American physicists. He was cited "For his tireless and productive efforts to slow the transfer of nuclear weapons technology. He brings a unique combination of deep understanding, objectivity, and effectiveness to this vexed area"[6]
A report by Albright was quoted in a June 15, 2008 article inThe Washington Post.[7]He stated in a leaked copy of a draft report (to be released in full the week of June 15, 2008) that a nuclear weapons smuggling ring—which sold bomb-related parts to Libya, North Korea, and Iran—possessed plans to an advanced nuclear device, compact enough to fit on a ballistic missile used by Iran and a dozen other developing countries. It was unknown if these plans had been shared with any regime; and the plans had recently been destroyed.[8]
Albright was a guest onThe Colbert ReportFebruary 2011[9]and spoke aboutStuxnet.
Later life
[edit]After retiring from the IAEA, Albright founded and is now President of the non-profit Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) in Washington, D.C. He directs the project work of ISIS, heads its fundraising efforts, and chairs its board of directors. In addition, he regularly publishes and conducts scientific research. He has written numerous assessments on secret nuclear weapons programs throughout the world.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"CNN Discovers al Qaeda's Blueprints for Bombs".CNN.10 June 2002.Retrieved26 August2009.
- ^Julian Borger in Washington (9 October 2002)."White House 'exaggerating Iraqi threat'".The Guardian.UK.Retrieved30 November2011.
- ^Charles Layton (August–September 2003)."Miller Brouhaha".American Journalism Review.Retrieved26 August2012.
- ^"U.S. Claim on Iraqi Nuclear Program Is Called Into Question".The Washington Post.24 January 2003.Retrieved30 November2011.
- ^Gregg Sangillo and Mark Kukis (25 May 2004)."The Experts: Weapons Threat Nuclear, and Other, Worries".National Journal.Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2013.Retrieved26 August2012.
- ^"2006 Joseph A. Burton Forum Award Recipient".American Physical Society.Archivedfrom the original on 27 June 2017.Retrieved12 August2021.
For his tireless and productive efforts to slow the transfer of nuclear weapons technology. He brings a unique combination of deep understanding, objectivity, and effectiveness to this vexed area.
- ^Warrick, Joby (15 June 2008)."Smugglers Had Design for Advanced Warhead".Washington Post.Retrieved15 June2008.
- ^"Fears over nuclear weapon plans".BBC News.15 June 2008.Retrieved15 June2008.
- ^"David Albright".IMDb.15 February 2011.
- ^"Biography of David Albright"(PDF).US House of Representatives.22 April 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 September 2016.
External links
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