In State of War, author and intelligence correspondent for The New York Times James Risen relates that the CIA chose a defected Russian nuclear scientist to provide deliberately flawed nuclear warhead blueprints to Iranian officials in February 2000.[79] Risen wrote in his book that President Clinton had approved operation Merlin and that the Bush administration later endorsed the plan.[79][80] Risen later refused to testify about the leaked information about operation Merlin. Earlier publication of details on Operation Merlin by the New York Times in 2003 was prevented by the intervention of National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice with the NYT's Executive Editor Howell Raines.[81]