US embassy cable - 05PARIS5566

S E C R E T PARIS 005566 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
FOR NP/RA AND EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2020 
TAGS: PREL, KNNP, PARM, MNUC, ETTC, FR, CH 
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR FRANCE TO STOP A SHIPMENT OF 
PROLIFERATION CONCERN:  FRENCH INVESTIGATION 
RESULTS/FURTHER QUESTIONS 
 
REF: STATE 060756 
 
Classified By: EST Counselor Robert W. Dry for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (S/NF)  On 16 August, ESTH Nonproliferation Officer met 
French MFA desk officer for Nuclear Nonproliferation, 
Sebastian Jaunet, to discuss the Proliferation Security 
Initiative (PSI) investigation regarding the transfer of 
vibration/centrifuge systems involving the U.S. company Data 
Physics, the French company Actidyn Systemes, and a Chinese 
nuclear weapons design and manufacturing laboratory (believed 
by U.S. authorities to be the "904th Institute").  As 
promised, at this meeting Jaunet provided EST officer with a 
voluminous document, the result of an investigation 
undertaken by the French Ministry of Interior, the French 
inter-agency group, and French intelligence services.  Jaunet 
told ESTH officer that the several hundred page document 
included most of the findings of the investigation into the 
French nexus of this transfer.  Embassy pouched it on 18 
August (Registry Number 931432) to Renee Pan in NP/RA. 
 
2.   (S/NF)  In addition to providing the document, Jaunet 
requested an update on the status of the U.S. government 
investigations into the transfer.  Specifically, Jaunet asked 
ESTH officer to seek an update from Washington on the 
conclusions reached regarding the case against Dataphysics, 
and the results of the technical assessment of the equipment 
undertaken by the U.S. Department of Energy.  Jaunet also 
highlighted the portion of the document with the names and 
photos of the members of the Chinese delegation that had 
visited Actidyn in France in early 2005, and asked ESTH 
officer for an exchange of information on the members of this 
delegation.   ESTH officer promised to convey French requests 
to Washington agencies.  Jaunet noted that the French 
government had concluded that Actidyn had not directly broken 
French law.   ESTH officer thanked Jaunet for his 
government's continued cooperation in this case. 
Hofmann