GERMAN QUERY CONCERNING POTENTIAL EXPORT OF

S E C R E T BERLIN 001453

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN, EUR/AGS, AND EAP/CM
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2017
TAGS: MNUC ETTC MTCRE PARM TNGD GM CH
SUBJECT: GERMAN QUERY CONCERNING POTENTIAL EXPORT OF
HIGH-PERFORMANCE IMAGER TO CHINA

Classified By: Acting Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs Douglas B
. Neumann, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) This is an action item -- please see paragraph 4.


2. (S) German MFA Export Control Division Desk Officer Volker
Herzog met Global Affairs officer July 23 and passed the
following German-language non-paper. Herzog explained that
German export control authorities sought USG input for an
application from a German exporter to ship a system for
measuring laser-induced incandescence (LII) and planar
laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) to the Thermal Engineering
Department of Tsinghua University in China. As Herzog noted,
German authorities are concerned about the possibility of
this item being diverted to support nuclear weapons research.
The German authorities observed that the Wisconsin Project
on Nuclear Arms Control cited Tsinghua University for its
nuclear and ballistic missile research in its publication,
the Risk Report. Nevertheless, despite these reservations,
the German authorities understand that Tsinghua University
received a high-performance camera from the U.S. firm Roper
Scientific, Inc., in early 2007, prompting them to query the
USG about the advisability of allowing the export of the LII-
and PLIF-measurement system, Herzog said. The German
authorities would welcome a USG response no later than August

7.


3. (S) Begin unofficial Embassy translation of the text of
the German-language non-paper:

Allow us to bring the following information to the attention
of U.S. authorities:

-- German export control authorities are currently evaluating
the export application for an LII- and PLIF-measurement
system, which is intended for the Thermal Engineering
Department of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

-- Tsinghua University was named in Volume 6, Number 4 and
Number 5, of the Risk Report for basic research in the
nuclear field as well as research for rocket booster research.

-- Supposedly the Thermal Engineering Department of Tsinghua
University has an image intensifying high-performance
PI-Max2:1003 camera from Roper Princeton. The delivery
supposedly took place about six months ago.

-- For the further evaluation of this pending application, we
would be very grateful if the U.S. authorities could check
and inform us whether such a high-performance camera should
be approved for export to this end user and what the
estimation is of the risk of misuse of such an item by the
recipient.

We look forward to our continuing outstanding cooperation in
the area of export controls.

End text.


4. (U) Post requests response to the German query by the
requested deadline.
TIMKEN JR