Aldric Saucier (April 29, 1936 – December 8, 2016) was an American scientist and whistleblower. Saucier lost his job and security clearance after he criticized the Strategic Defense Initiative in 1992.

Early life

Aldric Saucier was born on April 29, 1936 in Maine.

Career

Saucier started his career as a navigator with the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

. In 1969, he worked on

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

. He also worked on "the Ballistic Missile Defense Ground based

free electron laser A free-electron laser (FEL) is a (fourth generation) light source producing extremely brilliant and short pulses of radiation. An FEL functions and behaves in many ways like a laser, but instead of using stimulated emission from atomic or molecula ...

in 1983 and the Star Wars Program in 1991." In October 1986, while working on the Strategic Defense Initiative (also known as Star Wars), Saucier sent a letter of complaint to James A. Abrahamson, alleging a pattern of "mismanagement and abuse," as well as "wasteful spending on research and development." By 1987, he was demoted. In February 1992, he was dismissed on the grounds of poor performance. His mental health was also "question d by his detractors, and he was surveilled by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

. However, Democratic Congressman John Conyers believed it was done in retaliation, and he asked Army Secretary Michael P. W. Stone to overturn the dismissal, which he did. By March 1992, the allegations were reviewed by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, and Saucier was given whistleblower protection. By April 1992, his

security clearance A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

was revoked after the Army found an error on a form he had filled out in 1969, where it was claimed he had graduated from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

instead of simply attending classes there. Saucier was represented by the

Government Accountability Project The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a nonprofit whistleblower protection and advocacy organization in the United States. It was founded in 1977. Activities In 1992, GAP represented Aldric Saucier, who had lost his job and security c ...

. In 1996, Saucier ran for Congress in Maine's 2nd district as an independent. He came in third with 4.7% of the vote, in a race that was won by incumbent Democrat

John Baldacci John Elias Baldacci (born January 30, 1955) is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of Maine from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. During h ...

Personal life and death

Saucier resided in

Fort Fairfield, Maine Fort Fairfield is a town in Aroostook County, eastern Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Can ...

until he moved to

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

, where he died on December 8, 2016, at age 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saucier, Aldric 1936 births 2016 deaths People from Fort Fairfield, Maine People from Fairfax, Virginia American whistleblowers American scientists Strategic Defense Initiative