▁It ▁raised ▁issues ▁similar ▁to ▁those ▁in ▁the ▁Val erie ▁Pl ame ▁affair , ▁of ▁whether ▁journal ists ▁should ▁have ▁to ▁reve al ▁their ▁anonymous ▁sources ▁in ▁a ▁court ▁of ▁law . ▁Lee ' s ▁law suit ▁was ▁settled ▁by ▁the ▁federal ▁government ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 6 ▁just ▁before ▁the ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁was ▁set ▁to ▁decide ▁whether ▁to ▁hear ▁the ▁case . ▁The ▁federal ▁judge ▁who ▁heard ▁the ▁case ▁during ▁an ▁earlier ▁appeal ▁said ▁that ▁" top ▁decision ▁mak ers ▁in ▁the ▁executive ▁branch ... have ▁embar rass ed ▁our ▁entire ▁nation ▁and ▁each ▁of ▁us ▁who ▁is ▁a ▁citiz en ." ▁ ▁Operation ▁Kind red ▁Spirit ▁After ▁an ▁intelligence ▁agent ▁from ▁the ▁People ' s ▁Republic ▁of ▁China ▁( P RC ) ▁gave ▁U . S . ▁agents ▁papers ▁which ▁indicated ▁that ▁they ▁knew ▁the ▁design ▁of ▁a ▁particularly ▁modern ▁U . S . ▁nuclear ▁war head ▁( the ▁W - 8 8 ), ▁the ▁Federal ▁Bureau ▁of ▁Investig ation ▁( F BI ) ▁started ▁an ▁investigation ▁c oden amed ▁" Operation ▁Kind red ▁Spirit " ▁to ▁look ▁into ▁how ▁China ▁could ▁have ▁obtained ▁that ▁design . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 2 , ▁Lee ▁was ▁recorded ▁on ▁a ▁wire t ap ▁speaking ▁with ▁another ▁Taiwan ese - American ▁scient ist ▁who ▁had ▁been ▁accused ▁of ▁esp ion age . ▁Lee ▁offered ▁to ▁the ▁scient ist ▁to ▁find ▁out ▁who ▁had ▁turned ▁him ▁in . ▁When ▁confront ed ▁by ▁the ▁F BI ▁about ▁this ▁incident , ▁Lee ▁said ▁he