REQUEST FOR FRANCE TO STOP A SHIPMENT OF

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