Asian Americans have long been accused of spying for foreign countries and engaging in acts of treason. In 1949, for example, Iva Toguri D'Aquino was tried for treason in San Francisco—as the infamous "Tokyo Rose." Years later, she was pardoned.
Half a century later, Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, was accused of stealing U.S. nuclear secrets for China. Although he eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, the sentencing judge apologized to him on behalf of the United States.
And more recently, the U.S. Government's "China Initiative" targeted academics and scientists, bringing indictments with great fanfare, only to see many of the charges dropped, dismissed, or drastically reduced.
The Third Annual Fall Symposium of the Center on Asian Americans and the Law at Fordham Law School will explore issues presented by the Government's prosecution over the years of Asian Americans for espionage and treason. We will first examine several historic cases and follow with a panel discussion on the Government's more recent actions.
