CIA launches campaign to recruit ethnic Chinese spies
America's top spy agency has marked the Lunar New Year by launching a campaign to recruit people of Chinese ancestry as secret agents.
The CIA has placed advertisements targeting Chinese-Americans in Asian-oriented newspapers and magazines across the United States, the Washington Times said yesterday.
They will run all week in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco media.
The adverts feature a painting of a ram and the Chinese characters for happy new year.
'Just as the Year of the Ram is centred on a strong and clear motivation for peace, harmony and tranquillity during challenging times, we are equally intent on our mission to safeguard America and its people. You, too, can play a key role in this important responsibility,' the advert reads.
The CIA said Chinese-Americans could 'better serve' the US by working for it.
CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield said the spy organisation was seeking people to work in analysis and as case officers in the espionage sector.
According to the US Census Bureau, there were more than 2.7 million Americans with Chinese ancestry in 2000, making them the largest group of Asian-Americans.
Despite the figures, involvement by Chinese-Americans in sensitive work for the US government has been declining due to a fear of being accused of working as a double agent.
The apprehension follows the 1999 case against former nuclear scientist Lee Wen-ho, a Chinese-American born in Taiwan who worked at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico.
Dr Lee was charged with 59 counts, including providing nuclear missile secrets to Beijing. He was held in solitary confinement for nine months but was exonerated of espionage charges following a prolonged investigation after admitting one count of mishandling sensitive material.
