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Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed With Dr. Lee
Review: First of all, I am also Chinese American and have encountered blatant racism throughout my life in America. Like Dr. Lee, I have also worked in the defense industry so I'm familiar with guidelines pertaining to top secret security clearances. My Country Versus Me is an important literary work. Wen Ho and Helen Zia succeed in retaining Dr. Lee's voice as they detail the abuses he endured. I'm sure many minorities in this country can relate to his experiences. Unfortunately, after finishing the book, I didn't have much empathy for Dr. Lee. First of all, there are strict regulations that holders of top secret clearance must comply with. Although other individuals may have been breaching security at his lab, it doesn't excuse Dr. Lee's actions. Individuals cleared for security are instructed and reminded about their vulnerability. Omitting reports regarding the contact with Chinese scientists at the conference and not documenting his duplication of tapes invited trouble. Dr. Lee was so naive and careless that I'm relieved his security clearance has been revoked. Dr. Lee described himself as someone who didn't get involved in other people's problems. As such, he was amazed at all the support he received from strangers during the crisis. But in the end, he doesn't mention any plans to give back and help others. As a convicted felon, Dr. Lee can no longer vote. Then again, he admitted that he never voted in his 24 years as a citizen. That bothered me. Overall, Wen Ho came across as self-centered and pompous. The repeated references to his diet of fresh fish, organic fruits and vegetables got old.
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Summary: A must read for every one - literally
Review: First of all, this is a great book. Reading this book is like chating with an old uncle talking about his life. He is not a hero by any means, but an ordinary hard-working family man, who is politically naive like most of us. Yet his two-year ordeal involve extraordinary heros (e.g Judge Parker) and shameless villains. The Wen Ho Lee case is a classical example of power-abuse by those individuals who work in the government. The government prosecuted Dr Lee in the name of "national security". However, the national security was badly damaged during this long and painful trial, by those people with power. Millions of dollars of tax-payers money was wasted. Credibility of FBI and the counter-intelligence officers was damaged. Real spies like Robert Hanson escaped or have been overlooked for 20+ years. And most of all, the terrorists had successfully launched their deadly attack against the nation on Sept 11th right under FBI's nose. To me, it's those government officials that we need to be careful for the potential damage of our national security, as well as the civil rights of each individual citizen.
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Summary: Shocking story, engagingly told
Review: I loved this book and could not put it down. Helen Zia does a marvelous job relaying Wen Ho Lee's shocking story with an engaging clarity that underscores the horror of this ordinary man's ordeal: from the several lie detector tests Dr. Lee voluntarily took for the FBI and PASSED; the truth about the so-called 'crown jewels'; the intricate lies and threats by the FBI and government; the shameful role of ugly politics; the manipulating media; the inhumane treatment Dr. Lee endured in "pre-trial detention"; to the amazing public apology issued by a Federal judge to Dr. Lee when he was released. It's a scary eye-opener showing how easy it is to target and racially profile loyal Americans, soley because of their ethnicity. It's happened to Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, and now Arab Americans. Who's next?
Rating:
Summary: Horror non-fiction
Review: The story told in this book is as scary as a horror fiction, except it really happened ! Dr Lee's advice at the end of the book was absolutely correct - if the FBI comes knocking, call the lawyer before you talk.
Rating:
Summary: A security witch-hunt and morally bankrupt administration.
Review: This is an excellent book. Anyone that complains the FBI and DOE were unable to convict Dr. Lee because they botched the investigation never worked in the military defense industry. This was clearly a witch-hunt based upon the FBI's and DOE's need to scapegoat someone for leaks to Mainland China. Who better than a CHINESE American. Never mind he was from Taiwan.
Often, engineers and scientists that work in secure facilities are found to have copied secret documents or downloaded secret or confidential information for the sole purpose of trying to get their work done quickly and efficiently. Is it right? No. Is it misguided? Yes. Should they get in trouble? Yes. Does it usually result in jail time and charges of treason? No.
The Clinton administration needed to plug the security breach to the Chinese. They were embarrassed by the disclosure China had our secrets. Once they knew they had the wrong guy did they intervene? No, they couldn't. Politically they had been hurt by previous links of campaign funding from China. They couldn't be seen attempting to protect a Chinese "traitor" or even appear to go soft on him.
By allowing the witch-hunt to go on, the administration permitted an innocent man to go to jail. This is not unusual for the Clinton White House. They didn't just slaughter sacrificial lambs during their tenure; they dined on them with relish and the occasional fava bean.
What makes it worse is - I helped vote them in.
This is one situation where George Bush Senior would not have allowed the travesty to continue. As an ex-CIA man, he would have known this was bull____ at the outset and would have concentrated on finding the real source of the leaks.
Read this book and you will question governmental authority and news reporting. For this reason alone, it should be required reading in high school history curriculum.
Rating:
Summary: It couldn't happen here.
Review: This was the first book I've read in a long time that I couldn't put down. I completed it in two sittings. It is very disturbing to me that an ordinary American citizen can be incarcerated for 278 days and never have committed a crime. This book decribes Dr. Lee's view of what happened and how. The local FBI had determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Dr. Lee might be a spy, but the DOE persisted. His description of solitary confinement is upsetting and frightening. It's enlightening and terrifying, but at the same time, it creates respect for the American legal system and the lawyers who fight for justice.
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