TALKING POINTS FOR VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY ON CHINA'S KNOWLEDGE OF A. Q. KNAN'S TRANSFERS TO NORTH KOREA

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06983556
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: October 23, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 3, 2023
• Case Number: F-2019-00243
• Publication Date: April 5, 2004

Approved for Release: 2022/12/19 C06983556
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5 April 2004
Talking Points for Vice President Cheney on
China's Knowledge of A. Q. Khan's Transfers to North Korea
We are gravely concerned about recent
revelations that A. Q. Khan transferred uranium enrichment technology and
materiel to North Korea. A Pakistani official reported that Khan signed a
document that says he transferred centrifuges, drawings, technical data, and
uranium hexafluoride.
Given the relationship between Khan and
North Korea and Khan's involvement in providing Chinese designs for Libya's
nuclear program, Khan has likely transferred Chinese weapons technology to
North Korea, facilitating Pyongyang's efforts to construct deliverable nuclear
weapons.
� The uranium-based nuclear warhead design documents Khan
passed to Libya originated in China. The packet of documents that
Libya turned over to the IAEA included drawings and blueprints as
well as instructions on how to assemble a bomb and its essential
components.
� Some of these documents contained text in Chinese, and the
designs were found to closely resemble the warheads that China
tested in the late 1960s and that were later passed on to Pakistan
in the early 1980s.
� It has been reported that the deal to pardon Khan in exchange for a
public apology was in part aimed at preventing details of China's
nuclear weapons assistance to Pakistan from becoming public.
Wholesale transfer of sensitive nuclear
technoloav to another country is contrary to international proliferation controls.
We are also troubled by North Korea's
ballistic missile delivery system. It has been
reported in the press that North Korean technicians collaborated with Khan's
lahnratnni on MISMIFIR in 19AR
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