Navy May Charge Officer with Giving Confidential Information to China

Over the last year the Navy has been weighing charges of espionage against an officer who is a naturalized American and has been under investigation for suspicions of providing confidential information to both China and Taiwan. Lt. Cmdr. Edward C. Lin was born in Taiwan and has been part of a secret espionage case where the officer is also being accused of visiting a prostitute. Although authorities cannot speak on the case because it is still ongoing, they do believe officer Lin provided information to his Chinese girlfriend. Although it is not known how this information was then passed on, it is believed that Lin did provide the information with the intention of it getting to both the Chinese and Taiwanese government.

The Navy is very disappointed in this case because they highly regarded Lin and his ability to come into this country as an immigrant and then become part of the U.S. Navy. The Navy even featured his personal story in December 2008 in a public affairs report of his naturalization ceremony.

I think something important that should be done relating to this case is a statement published by the U.S. Navy. Although not much can be said about what is going on because the case is still underway, I do think something should be said. I think some people may feel a great sense of insecurity with the U.S. Navy because confidential information about our government had been shared with other countries. It would be a good thing for the Navy to try to ease people’s nerves about the situation to ensure we are still safe and they are taking the proper precautions.