Will this Harvard Chemistry Department Head be remembered as the Aldrich Ames of the modern-day ‘Cold War’?
In a shocking revelation made Tuesday afternoon – a revelation that will almost certainly rattle the US-China relationship at an already fragile time – a federal court unsealed indictments against Harvard professor and Chemistry Department Head Charles Lieber, along with two Chinese nationals. One is a Boston University researcher who was once a lieutenant in the People’s Liberation Army, according to prosecutors, and the second was a cancer researcher who tried to smuggle 21 vials of biological materials in his sock – allegedly. Lieber has been arrested, though it’s not clear if he’s still in custody.
Though the official charge was lying to investigators, Lieber’s actions look like an unvarnished attempt at espionage, complete with an extremely seductive monetary reward.
Lieber was reportedly paid $50,000 a month by Wuhan University of Technology for participating in its “Thousand Talents” program, and was given more than $1.5 million to establish a lab and do research at Wuhan University of Technology, according to federal prosecutors in Boston, according to WSJ. – READ MORE