Assuming he's telling the truth (which, for me, is no given)...
What you're describing is not happening in a vacuum. It's happening in a world in which (presumably) the U.S. is in a race, yet again, with China and Russia to learn, harness, develop, protect, and utilize these technologies for it's presumed survival, defense, and advancement.
Fear, greed, and lust for power have been entwined with the story of human existence from the beginning.