Nuclear Security
Accountability for Livermore's Secret Classified Documents Is Inadequate Gao ID: RCED-91-65 February 8, 1991Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's controls over weapons research documents, focusing on the: (1) extent of missing classified documents; and (2) adequacy of classified document accountability.
GAO found that: (1) a recent internal inventory identified 12,000 missing secret documents covering a wide range of subjects; (2) since the laboratory did not assess the missing documents' potential for compromising national security, neither the laboratory nor DOE could provide assurance that classified information had not been compromised; (3) an ongoing reconciliation effort located 2,000 missing documents; (4) laboratory accountability for secret documents was inadequate; (5) approximately 108 laboratory groups managed and controlled secret documents using a variety of classified document accountability systems; (6) due to varied accountability practices, the laboratory could not ensure effective document management; (7) laboratory management was implementing a centralized computer database to ensure effective document control; (8) the laboratory did not keep accurate records showing the location and disposition of all accountable classified documents due several recordkeeping weaknesses; and (9) DOE failed to provide adequate oversight of the laboratory's secret document control program.
RecommendationsOur recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.
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