Chalabigate
"Weapons of Mass Deception"
2004-08-28
FBI fears Israel has Pentagon spy
Gary Younge in New YorkSaturday August 28, 2004
The GuardianThe following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Wednesday September 1 2004. In the article below we said that the Israeli embassy in Washington had "refuted" an espionnage allegation when we meant, as the embassy statement made clear, that it had been denied. To refute is to provide proof that something is incorrect. The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes an Israeli spy has infiltrated the highest level of the Pentagon and may have tried to influence United States policy towards Iran and Iraq, it emerged last night.
The FBI has launched a wide-ranging investigation into a suspected mole with ties to top Pentagon officials who is thought to have supplied Israel with classified material that included secret White House deliberations on Iran, the CBS News network reported.
The Israeli embassy in Washington immediately refuted the report. "We categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous."
But CBS News said the FBI believed it had solid evidence that the mole leaked sensitive information to Israel. It said the operative had ties to top Pentagon officials Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith.
An FBI official confirmed an investigation had been set up, telling the Associated Press that no arrests had yet been made.
"The FBI has a full-fledged espionage investigation under way and is about to ... roll up someone agents believe has been spying, not for an enemy, but for Israel, from within the office of the secretary of defence [Donald Rumsfeld]," the network reported.
The network described the spy as "a trusted analyst" assigned to a unit within the defence department which helps develop the Pentagon's Iraq policy.
CBS said the spy was thought to have been passing secrets to Israel through intermediaries at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobby.
AIPAC said it was cooperating with the government and had hired outside counsel. It denies any wrongdoing by the organisation or any of its employees.
"Our sources tell us that last year the suspected spy ... turned over a presidential directive on US policy toward Iran while it was 'in the draft phase'," the network said.
"This put the Israelis - according to one of our sources - 'inside the decision-making loop' so they could 'try to influence the outcome'," CBS reported.
It is not the first time the issue of Israel and espionage has surfaced, creating tension with America's closest ally.
In 1985 Jonathan Pollard, who worked in a special US Navy intelligence unit, was arrested at the gates of the Israeli embassy in Washington. Mr Pollard was tried, convicted and handed a life sentence. Israel later apologised and disbanded the intelligence cell that he operated under.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1292806,00.html
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
The GuardianThe following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Wednesday September 1 2004. In the article below we said that the Israeli embassy in Washington had "refuted" an espionnage allegation when we meant, as the embassy statement made clear, that it had been denied. To refute is to provide proof that something is incorrect. The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes an Israeli spy has infiltrated the highest level of the Pentagon and may have tried to influence United States policy towards Iran and Iraq, it emerged last night.
The FBI has launched a wide-ranging investigation into a suspected mole with ties to top Pentagon officials who is thought to have supplied Israel with classified material that included secret White House deliberations on Iran, the CBS News network reported.
The Israeli embassy in Washington immediately refuted the report. "We categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous."
But CBS News said the FBI believed it had solid evidence that the mole leaked sensitive information to Israel. It said the operative had ties to top Pentagon officials Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith.
An FBI official confirmed an investigation had been set up, telling the Associated Press that no arrests had yet been made.
"The FBI has a full-fledged espionage investigation under way and is about to ... roll up someone agents believe has been spying, not for an enemy, but for Israel, from within the office of the secretary of defence [Donald Rumsfeld]," the network reported.
The network described the spy as "a trusted analyst" assigned to a unit within the defence department which helps develop the Pentagon's Iraq policy.
CBS said the spy was thought to have been passing secrets to Israel through intermediaries at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobby.
AIPAC said it was cooperating with the government and had hired outside counsel. It denies any wrongdoing by the organisation or any of its employees.
"Our sources tell us that last year the suspected spy ... turned over a presidential directive on US policy toward Iran while it was 'in the draft phase'," the network said.
"This put the Israelis - according to one of our sources - 'inside the decision-making loop' so they could 'try to influence the outcome'," CBS reported.
It is not the first time the issue of Israel and espionage has surfaced, creating tension with America's closest ally.
In 1985 Jonathan Pollard, who worked in a special US Navy intelligence unit, was arrested at the gates of the Israeli embassy in Washington. Mr Pollard was tried, convicted and handed a life sentence. Israel later apologised and disbanded the intelligence cell that he operated under.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1292806,00.html
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Milton Frihetsson, 14:34
