Frederic Whitehurst
Encyclopedia
Frederic Whitehurst was a Supervisory Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
from 1986 to 1998 where he went public as a whistleblower
to bring attention to procedural errors and misconduct.
, Vietnam
during the early seventies. He was tasked with reviewing seized documents and destroying any that had no military value. Working with translator Sergeant Nguyen Trung Hieu and following his advice, he saved two diaries written by Dr. Đặng Thùy Trâm, a civilian doctor working for North Vietnam. He kept them for 35 years, with the intention of eventually returning them to Trâm's family, if possible.
, a J.D. from Georgetown University
and joined the FBI in 1982 and served as a Supervisory Special Agent in the FBI crime lab from 1986-1998. Dr. Whitehurst practices criminal law in Bethel, North Carolina, and is a commissioner of the town of Bethel.
While employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
, the FBI officially rated Dr. Whitehurst as the leading national and international expert in the science of explosives and explosives residue. He investigated, uncovered and reported scientific misconduct which forced the FBI crime lab to agree to forty major reforms, including undergoing an accreditation process. During this period, Whitehurst was forced to defend himself from retaliation by the FBI by hiring Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto
, a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in defending whistleblowers.
Dr. Whitehurst currently serves as the Executive Director of the Forensic Justice Project (FJP). The FJP was formed in 1998 as a project of the National Whistleblower Center
, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The goal of the FJP is to lead a national effort to accomplish the following:
. There, they met photographer Ted Engelmann (also a Vietnam veteran), who offered to look for the family during his trip to Vietnam the next month. With the assistance of Do Xuan Anh, a staff member in the Hanoi Quaker
office, Engelmann was able to locate Trâm’s mother, Doan Ngoc Tram, and from then on obtained connections to the rest of her family.http://www.vir.com.vn/Client/TimeOut/index.asp?url=content.asp&doc=7080
In July 2005, Trâm’s diaries were published in Vietnamese under the title Nhật ký Đặng Thùy Trâm (Đặng Thùy Trâm’s Diary), which quickly became a bestseller. In less than a year, the volume sold more than 300,000 copies and comparisons were drawn between Trâm’s writings and that of Anne Frank
.http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=252470&rel_no=1http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article317801.ece
In August 2005, Fred and Robert Whitehurst traveled to Hanoi
, Vietnam, to meet Trâm’s family. In October of the same year, the family visited Lubbock
, Texas
, to view the diaries, which are archived at Texas Tech University's Vietnam Archive, then visited Fred Whitehurst and his family in his home state of North Carolina
.
The diaries have been translated into English and the English version was published in September 2007. It includes photographs of Dang during high school and with her family. Translations have been done and published in at least sixteen different languages.
In 2009 a film about Tram by Vietnamese director Đặng Nhật Minh, entitled Đừng Đốt (Do Not Burn It), was released.
's diaries which were first published in 2005 and are the basis for the 2009 film Đừng Đốt (Don't Burn It).
Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory generally enjoys the reputation as the premier crime lab in the United States. However, during the 1990s, its reputation and integrity came under withering criticism, primarily due to the revelations of Special Agent Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, the most...
from 1986 to 1998 where he went public as a whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
to bring attention to procedural errors and misconduct.
Vietnam
Whitehurst served as an intelligence specialist at the Americal base in Đức PhổDuc Pho
Đức Phổ is a rural district of Quang Ngai province in the South Central Coastal region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 150,566. The district covers an area of 372 km². The district capital lies at Duc Pho.-References:...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
during the early seventies. He was tasked with reviewing seized documents and destroying any that had no military value. Working with translator Sergeant Nguyen Trung Hieu and following his advice, he saved two diaries written by Dr. Đặng Thùy Trâm, a civilian doctor working for North Vietnam. He kept them for 35 years, with the intention of eventually returning them to Trâm's family, if possible.
FBI Career
Dr. Whitehurst received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, a J.D. from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and joined the FBI in 1982 and served as a Supervisory Special Agent in the FBI crime lab from 1986-1998. Dr. Whitehurst practices criminal law in Bethel, North Carolina, and is a commissioner of the town of Bethel.
While employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory generally enjoys the reputation as the premier crime lab in the United States. However, during the 1990s, its reputation and integrity came under withering criticism, primarily due to the revelations of Special Agent Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, the most...
, the FBI officially rated Dr. Whitehurst as the leading national and international expert in the science of explosives and explosives residue. He investigated, uncovered and reported scientific misconduct which forced the FBI crime lab to agree to forty major reforms, including undergoing an accreditation process. During this period, Whitehurst was forced to defend himself from retaliation by the FBI by hiring Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto
Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto
Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in employment law, represents whistleblowers in the United States. Washingtonian Magazine, in its December 2004 issue, named the firm the top whistleblower within the Beltway. The three partners are brothers Stephen M. Kohn, Michael...
, a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in defending whistleblowers.
Dr. Whitehurst currently serves as the Executive Director of the Forensic Justice Project (FJP). The FJP was formed in 1998 as a project of the National Whistleblower Center
National Whistleblower Center
The National Whistleblower Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax exempt, educational and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C....
, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The goal of the FJP is to lead a national effort to accomplish the following:
- Review cases to make sure that innocent people have not been wrongfully convicted through the misuse of forensic science;
- Provide expert testimony in cases in order to assure that forensic science is not misused in civil and criminal prosecutions impacting on the public interest or the rights of individuals;
- Offer objective scientific evaluations of forensic evidence;
- Publish and distribute information necessary for an objective analysis of the quality and objectivity of forensic science and crime laboratories nationwide.
The Diaries
In March 2005, he and his brother Robert (also a Vietnam War veteran) brought the diaries to a conference on the Vietnam War at Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
. There, they met photographer Ted Engelmann (also a Vietnam veteran), who offered to look for the family during his trip to Vietnam the next month. With the assistance of Do Xuan Anh, a staff member in the Hanoi Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
office, Engelmann was able to locate Trâm’s mother, Doan Ngoc Tram, and from then on obtained connections to the rest of her family.http://www.vir.com.vn/Client/TimeOut/index.asp?url=content.asp&doc=7080
In July 2005, Trâm’s diaries were published in Vietnamese under the title Nhật ký Đặng Thùy Trâm (Đặng Thùy Trâm’s Diary), which quickly became a bestseller. In less than a year, the volume sold more than 300,000 copies and comparisons were drawn between Trâm’s writings and that of Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
.http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=252470&rel_no=1http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article317801.ece
In August 2005, Fred and Robert Whitehurst traveled to Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, Vietnam, to meet Trâm’s family. In October of the same year, the family visited Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, to view the diaries, which are archived at Texas Tech University's Vietnam Archive, then visited Fred Whitehurst and his family in his home state of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
The diaries have been translated into English and the English version was published in September 2007. It includes photographs of Dang during high school and with her family. Translations have been done and published in at least sixteen different languages.
In 2009 a film about Tram by Vietnamese director Đặng Nhật Minh, entitled Đừng Đốt (Do Not Burn It), was released.
Legacy
During his military service in Vietnam, Whitehurst saved Dr. Đặng Thùy TrâmDang Thuy Tram
Đặng Thùy Trâm was a Vietnamese civilian doctor who worked as a battlefield surgeon for North Vietnam during the Vietnam War...
's diaries which were first published in 2005 and are the basis for the 2009 film Đừng Đốt (Don't Burn It).
Further reading
- Tainting Evidence: Inside the Scandals at the FBI Crime Lab, by John F. Kelly and Phillip K. Wearne
- Tainting Evidence: Inside the Scandals at the FBI Crime Lab Prologue, New York Times Web
External links
- National Whistleblower Center
- Forensic Justice Project
- Whitehurst' testimony at the World Trade Center Bombing Trial
- Science: When the F.B.I.'s crime lab makes a mistake, two journalists contend, it's a beaut", by David Johnston, New York Times review of Tainting Evidence (September 27, 1998)
- "Tainting Evidence: Inside the Scandals at the FBI Crime Lab, by John F. Kelly and Phillip K. Wearne", Crime Magazine review
- http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1997_hr/h970513w.htm Introduction about Whitehurst by National Whistleblower Center Chairman Stephen M. KohnStephen M. KohnStephen M. Kohn is an attorney for Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, a Washington, D.C., law firm specializing in employment law. The author of the first legal treatise on whistleblowing, Kohn is recognized as one of the top experts in whistleblower protection law...
, Esq. before the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, May 13, 2007]