Larry Franklin Case

BEFORE Arrest

News Articles (most recent articles are LAST)

FBI Probe Targets Pentagon Official

The FBI is investigating a mid-level Pentagon official who specializes in Iranian affairs for allegedly passing classified information to Israel, and arrests in the case could come as early as next week, officials at the Pentagon and other government agencies said last night. The name of the person under investigation was not officially released, but two sources identified him as Larry Franklin. He was described as a desk officer in the Pentagon's Near East and South Asia Bureau, one of six regional policy sections. Franklin worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency before moving to the Pentagon's policy branch three years ago and is nearing retirement……..(Washington Post, 28 Aug 04)

Pentagon Official Suspected of Giving U.S. Secrets to Israel

The F.B.I. is investigating a Pentagon official on suspicion of passing secrets to Israel, government officials said Friday……(New York Times, 28 Aug 04)

Israel at Center of Spying Probe

The Justice Department has launched an espionage investigation into whether a top policy analyst working for the Pentagon's third-ranking official may have passed classified information to Israel through a powerful pro-Israeli lobbying group………..(Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug 04)

FBI looks at Pentagon worker in Israel spy probe

The FBI has evidence that a person who has been working at high levels in the Pentagon may be a spy for Israel……(CNN, 28 Aug 04)

FBI Probing Suspected Israeli Spy at Pentagon……(Reuters, 28, Aug 04)

FBI Probes if Official Spied for Israel…….(AP, 28 Aug 04)

Israel denies reports it has spy in the Pentagon

The FBI is investigating whether a mid-level Pentagon official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense passed classified material regarding internal policy deliberations on Iran to two staffers at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), who in turn provided the information to Israel….…(Jerusalem Post, 28 Aug 04)

Israel denies it has intelligence operations in United States

Israel denied Saturday that it has any agents operating on American soil, after it was reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched a probe into allegations that an official in the Pentagon has been passing intelligence information to Israel via AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group……(Haaretz, 28 Aug 04)

Israel Denies Spying on American Allies

Israel denied Saturday spying on its main ally, the United States, responding to suspicions a Pentagon analyst passed secret papers to the Jewish state about one of its most bitter enemies, Iran……(Reuters, 28, Aug 04)

Suspected Israeli Spy in Pentagon: First the Leak, Then the Fallout

…………The vigorous denials by Israel and AIPAC indicate that both expect the reported investigation to move into the detention stage. Within hours of the first disclosure, the name of Larry Franklin, a desk officer-analyst who works with two top Pentagon officials, Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith, turned up “unofficially” in the Washington Post as the suspected Israeli mole. So too did the name Dave Szady, as head of the FBI inquiry team.……….(DEBKA, 28 Aug 04)

Steinitz: Israel won't break post-Pollard pledge

Responding to reports that the FBI is investigating a Department of Defense official in a possible Israeli spy case, MK Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said Saturday that lessons from the Pollard affair have restrained Israel from spying against Washington for two decades……(Jerusalem Post, 28 Aug 04)

Analyst Who Is Target of Probe Went to Israel

The FBI investigation into whether classified information was passed to the Israeli government is focused on a Pentagon analyst who has served as an Air Force reservist in Israel, and the probe has been broadened in recent days to include interviews at the State and Defense departments and with Middle Eastern affairs specialists outside government………(Washington Post, 29 Aug 04)

F.B.I. Said to Reach Official Suspected of Passing Secrets

The F.B.I. is in communication with a Pentagon official suspected of passing secrets to Israel and is seeking to gain his cooperation in their espionage investigation……..(New York Times, 29 Aug 04)

Alleged Leak to Israel Probed for a Year

The FBI has spent more than a year covertly investigating, including with the use of electronic surveillance, whether a Pentagon analyst funneled highly classified material to Israel, officials said Saturday. Prosecutors were still weighing whether to bring the most serious charge of espionage...……(AP, 29 Aug 04)

Pentagon Spy Flap Isn't Open-and-Shut Case

Not just in espionage thrillers, but in real life as well, it can be difficult to tell trusted friend from double-crossing spy………..(Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug 04)

Report on Iran Key to Spying Inquiry

The man at the center of an FBI investigation into possible Israeli espionage in Washington is a career Pentagon employee, a colonel in the Air Force reserves and a national security analyst who at the end of the Cold War taught himself Farsi and refashioned himself as an expert on Iran………..(Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug 04)

Israeli Lobbyist Denounces Spy Allegations

Bernice Manocherian, president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, on Sunday denounced as "outrageous" allegations that members of her organization helped a Pentagon analyst spy on the United States for Israel..……(AP, 29 Aug 04)

Sneh: Pentagon 'mole' story is nonsense

Labor MK Ephraim Sneh, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said the entire story of the alleged Pentagon 'mole' is "nonsense," and was apparently initiated by someone who is aiming to damage AIPAC and Israel-US relations……(Jerusalem Post, 29 Aug 04)

Israelis Deny Pentagon Spy Allegations

Allegations of Israeli spying in the United States are false and may be the result of internal conflicts between the Pentagon and the CIA, an Israeli Cabinet minister said Sunday, but analysts admitted damage already has been done to crucial ties between the two countries..……(AP, 29 Aug 04)

Israel and its supporters flatly deny "dubious" claims of espionage

Israeli and American Jewish leaders categorically rejected the possibility that Israel was operating a spy in the United States………(Israeli Insider, 29 Aug 04)

Israelis Fear Fallout from Pentagon Spy Probe

Israel's image in the United States may be tarnished and relations with its main ally suffer even if suspicions a Pentagon analyst gave secrets to the Jewish state prove false…….(Reuters, 29 Aug 04)

Background: Not AIPAC's first controversy

…….Unfortunately for the influential pro-Israel lobbying group, this new affair is turning far too much of the media spotlight on an organization that prefers to work behind the scenes on Capitol Hill. But it is hardly the first time AIPAC has found itself at the center of public controversy, although never in such a serious matter as receiving classified security material. ……(Jerusalem Post, 29 Aug 04)

Controversy's No Stranger to AIPAC

AIPAC, the Jewish lobbying juggernaut, operates in such high-stakes politics that it inevitably has been unable to avoid occasional unpleasantness. But almost universally, the largest pro-Israel lobby has found all the friends its has needed in Congress..……(AP, 29 Aug 04)

Analysis: Affair won't harm strong US-Israel ties

By their very nature, allegations of espionage and abuse of classified material get huge headlines, although the evidence – if any – usually remains murky and hidden from public scrutiny. ……(Jerusalem Post, 29 Aug 04)

Mole-Man

Wow, it had such exciting potential: spies, Jews, the FBI wiretapping and photographing moles burrowing under the Pentagon in the service of Israel………(Israeli Insider, 29 Aug 04)

Allegations of Israeli Spying Usually Disappear – Eventually

…...But there is no doubt that in its coverage of the affair the media has forgotten two fundamental facts: There have been entirely similar charges in the past of alleged spying for Israel which ended up being dropped for lack of evidence or merit. Countries don't just spy on their enemies, they also spy on their friends……..(CAMERA, 29 Aug 04)

Israeli press mulls spy allegations

The Israeli press says Washington's disclosure that it is investigating a Pentagon analyst alleged to have passed classified information to Israel is potentially damaging to both sides………(BBC, 29 Aug 04)

Who is Larry Franklin……(Jerusalem Post, 29 Aug 04)

Israel denies spying reports, 'intelligence activities' in U.S. ……….(Washington Times, 29 Aug 04)

Alleged Israel Leak a Burden for Rumsfeld..……(AP, 29 Aug 04)

Officials Say Publicity Derailed Secrets Inquiry

The Pentagon official under suspicion of turning over classified information to Israel began cooperating with federal agents several weeks ago and was preparing to lead the authorities to contacts inside the Israeli government when the case became publicly known last week. The disclosure of the inquiry late on Friday by CBS News revealed what had been for nearly a year a covert national security investigation conducted by the F.B.I., according to the officials, who said that news reports about the inquiry compromised important investigative steps, like the effort to follow the trail back to the Israelis……..(New York Times, 30 Aug 04)

Analyst at center of spy flap called naive, ardently pro-Israel

….In conversations about Franklin with his colleagues, one of the words that comes up again and again is "naive." He is described as an ideologue who believes wholeheartedly in the neo-conservative approach. "Everything by him is black and white," said someone who has worked with Franklin in the Pentagon. "He is a very nice person, very conservative, not at all arrogant," said the colleague……..(Haaretz, 30 Aug 04)

And Now a Mole?

It was just a Washington lunch—one that the FBI happened to be monitoring. Nearly a year and a half ago, agents were monitoring a conversation between an Israeli Embassy official and a lobbyist for American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, as part of a probe into possible Israeli spying. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, in the description of one intelligence official, another American "walked in" to the lunch out of the blue……..(Newsweek, 30 Aug 04)

Top Officials Queried in Israel Probe

High-ranking officials at the Pentagon and State Department have been interviewed or briefed by FBI agents investigating a Defense Department analyst suspected of passing to Israel classified Bush administration materials on Iran……..(AP, 30 Aug 04)

Tenet Warned Of Israeli Spy

Before resigning as America's spy chief, former CIA Director George Tenet made several allegations that Israel had a mole in the U.S. government………(New York Post, 30 Aug 04)

U.S. sources: Spy charges unlikely in Pentagon mole affair

The U.S. administration believes that the Federal Bureau of Investigation will refrain from charging suspected Pentagon mole Larry Franklin with espionage……..(Haaretz, 30 Aug 04)

Israeli Held Meetings With U.S. Analyst

A senior Israeli diplomat in Washington has met with a Pentagon analyst being investigated by the FBI on suspicion he passed classified information to Israel, Israeli officials confirmed Monday……(AP, 30 Aug 04)

Shalom: Pentagon mole affair is 'media nonsense'

The Pentagon mole affair is nothing but "media nonsense" that has been manipulated and exaggerated by the press, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Monday. ……(Jerusalem Post, 30 Aug 04)

Israeli diplomat denies any improper behavior

Spy scandal sputtering out, looks like a surfeit of hype forced into bed with a paucity of fact……….(Maariv International, 30 Aug 04)

Show the proof

……..Numerous questions surround this affair. But the lack of clear-cut and open proof and the fact that the main suspect, the supposed mole, has not even been arrested do not prevent Israel's transformation, almost "naturally," into being blamed for spying in the heart of the defense establishment of its best friend, the United States……….(Haaretz editorial, 30 Aug 04)

Making a mountain into a molehill

The real problem threatening Israel-U.S. relations and the Jewish community does not reside in small-fry from the Pentagon and the classification grade of a leaked document, but rather in the suspicion of something fishy at the top. ……….(Haaretz op-ed, 30 Aug 04)

The AIPAC kerfuffle
Come what may, American and Israeli security demands that we not succumb to those who view our alliance as a conspiracy………(Jerusalem Post editorial, 30 Aug 04)

Officials worry about effects of spy accusations……….(Washington Times, 30 Aug 04)

A molehill without a mole

The spy scandal is rapidly proving to be all spin and no facts. This entire affair is about domestic US politics and inter-agency rivalries and turf wars……….(Maariv International op-ed, 31 Aug 04)

The scoops that followed `Scoop'

…….The story of the investigation of Franklin was broken in an exclusive report by CBS-TV, a real scoop, and there was implied praise in it for the head of the FBI's counter-intelligence unit, Dave Szady. Exactly one year earlier Szady had appeared on another CBS broadcast to defend the failures of his colleagues in a previous investigation of leaks - or rather, floods - of security secrets. Now a way was found to make both sides happy - the ambitious investigator and the voracious media………..(Haaretz op-ed, 31 Aug 04)

Espionage intrigue

…….The reported FBI investigation touched a nerve. It raised the specter of divided loyalties, Israel spying on its chief ally and benefactor, mudslinging at a pro-Israel president on the eve of his renomination………(Baltimore Sun editorial, 31 Aug 04)

New spy scandal comes as major blow to Israel, AIPAC

Washington was rocked late last week by allegations that a Pentagon policy analyst on Iran, Laurence A. Franklin, had passed classified information to Israel through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the leading pro-Israel lobby group in the US……..(Lebanon Daily Star, commentary, 31 Aug 04)

Did CBS Smear Israel and AIPAC?

Friday night, a breathless Leslie Stahl led off the CBS Evening News with her scoop that the FBI was hot on the trail of a spy working for Israel in the Defense Department…….(FrontPage op-ed, 31 Aug 04)

F.B.I. Is Said to Brief Pentagon Bosses on Spy Case; Charges Are Possible

F.B.I. agents met in recent days with two high-level Pentagon officials to discuss the case of a Defense Department analyst who is suspected of turning over a classified policy document to Israel……..(New York Times, 31 Aug 04)

FBI Questions Israeli Lobbyists in Spying Probe

The FBI has interviewed an influential foreign affairs specialist for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as part of its investigation into whether a Pentagon analyst improperly leaked classified information to Israel………(Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug 04)

Pentagon briefed on probe

Two senior Pentagon officials were briefed Sunday on the investigation of a midlevel analyst suspected of passing classified information to Israel……..(Washington Times, 31 Aug 04)

FBI Interviews Senior Defense Officials in Probe of Analyst

The FBI has interviewed several senior Pentagon officials in recent days in connection with an investigation of a Defense Department analyst who is suspected of providing classified documents to Israel but has been cooperating with investigators for several weeks………..(Washington Post, 31 Aug 04)

FBI seizes computer from AIPAC offices

FBI agents on Friday copied the computer hard drive of a senior staffer at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who has been questioned in relation to the case of a Pentagon official suspected of turning over a classified document either directly to Israel, or via the pro-Israel lobby group……….(Jerusalem Post, 1 Sept 04)

FBI suspect specialized in Iranian affairs

The Pentagon analyst at the center of an FBI investigation involving classified information being given to Israel is a career civil servant who specialized in Iranian affairs within the policy branch of the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Donald H. Rumsfeld.....(Washington Times, 1 Sept 04)

Pentagon spy suspect teaches at Shepherd

The man accused of spying for the Israeli government inside the Pentagon spent Tuesday evening teaching his class at Shepherd University in the state’s Eastern Panhandle…….(The Charleston Gazette, 1 Sept 04)

White House, Key Lawmakers Briefed on Israel Probe

FBI investigators briefed key White House and congressional officials in recent days on their investigation of a Defense Department analyst suspected of turning over classified policy documents to Israel……..(Reuters, 1 Sept 04)

Diplomat tied to alleged mole returns to US

Naor Gilon, the diplomat at Israel's embassy in Washington who reportedly had contact with alleged Pentagon "mole" Larry Franklin, returned to the US on Sunday after spending a vacation in Israel………(Jerusalem Post, 31 Aug 04)

A long history: Israeli espionage against the US

Here is a sampling of the public record of Israeli espionage and covert actions against the US:…….(HiPakistan, 1 Sept 04)

Jewish officials say investigation will cause only short-term damage

American Jewish officials say they don’t think an FBI investigation of a Pentagon staffer accused of passing classified U.S. government documents to the pro-Israel lobby will result in espionage charges — but they worry that the affair still may damper their efforts on behalf of Israel, at least in the short term………(JTA, 31 Aug 04)

Spy in Pentagon?: Possible Israeli agent is political dynamite

Is there an Israeli spy in the Pentagon? It wouldn't be surprising. Whether Middle East analyst Lawrence Franklin, now at the center of an FBI probe, is an Israeli agent is another question – one that must not be dodged or handled with quiet diplomacy……..(Dallas Morning News editorial, 1 Sept 04)

What is said and what is hinted at

The recent Pentagon spy affair that did or did not happen should be viewed within four contexts. The first is the factual context. Very soon, we will learn if the CBS report has any real factual basis, or whether the story has been blown entirely out of proportion. The second context is the long shadow of the Pollard affair. …….(Haaretz op-ed, 1 Sept 04)

F.B.I. Interviews 2 Suspected of Passing Secrets to Israel

Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted interviews with two officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who are suspected of passing classified information from a Pentagon analyst to Israeli intelligence………..(New York Times, 1 Sept 04

Pentagon Office in Spying Case Was Focus of Iran Debate

The Pentagon's policy office, where a lower-level analyst is under suspicion of passing secrets to Israel, was deeply involved in deliberations over how the United States should deal with Iran, its conservative Islamic government and its nuclear weapons ambitions - all issues of intense concern to Israel as well………(New York Times, 2 Sept 04)

U.S. Spy Probe Focuses on Two Lobbyists

Investigators are focusing on two employees of the main pro-Israel lobbying group in a probe into whether a Pentagon analyst provided them with secret U.S. material on Iran that they funneled to Israel……..(AP, 1 Sept 04)

Israel group in FBI probe wields influence in U.S.

The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is a focus of an FBI investigation about classified government information being given to Israel, has a mission of "stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, fighting terrorism and achieving peace."……….(Washington Times, 2 Sept 04)

AIPAC hires lawyers

The FBI has not contacted AIPAC employees or their lawyers to resume interviews since an initial visit to the pro-Israel lobby's office on Friday, when two staffers were questioned as part of an investigation into whether a Pentagon official passed a secret document on Iran policy to the group……..(Jerusalem Post, 2 Sept 04)

ADL calls for probe of Pentagon ‘mole’ leak

The Anti-Defamation League, one of the largest Jewish organizations in North America, has called on the Bush administration to immediately appoint a special counsel to investigate the circumstances of leaks to the American media regarding suspicions of an alleged Israeli "mole" in the Pentagon. ………(Haaretz, 2 Sept 04)

Espionage Ruled Out in Case of Bad Art

Is it espionage or — worse — bad art? While officials in the United States are busy grappling with the question of whether Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin passed sensitive information to Israel and compromised national security, authorities in our neighbor to the north are trying to tamp down speculation that a platoon of goateed and dreadlocked Israeli art students who infiltrated Canada may have been working as spies……..(Forward, 2 Sept 04)

Shepherd professor at center of probe by FBI

Investigators were focusing on two employees of the main pro-Israel lobbying group in a probe into whether a Pentagon analyst, who lives in Jefferson County, W.Va., and is a professor at Shepherd University, provided them with secret U.S. material on Iran that they funneled to Israel…….(Herald-Mail, 2 Sept 04)

Pentagon espionage investigation continues

U.S. government sources confirm to NBC News that the Israeli diplomat suspected of receiving U.S. secrets is Naor Gilon — political advisor to the Israeli embassy in Washington……..(NBC News, 2 Sept 04)

Questions Raised Over Aipac's Tactics

The FBI investigation of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has cast light on the fine line that the organization walks between advocating a strong American-Israeli alliance and acting as the representative of a foreign government…….(Forward, 2 Sept 04)

Groups Rally to Lobby's Side as FBI Intensifies Israeli Espionage Probe

As the FBI intensifies its investigation of Washington's pro-Israel lobby, Jewish organizations are charging elements of the government with orchestrating a borderline-antisemitic smear campaign against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. …….(Forward, 2 Sept 04)

Jews Fear Fallout On Fed Spy Probe

This week’s media sensation, centering on allegations that the primary pro-Israel lobby in Washington passed secret information to Jerusalem, has left Jewish leaders uncertain about the motives behind the reported federal spy probe and deeply concerned about its consequences — even if no charges are filed………(Jewish Week, 2 Sept 04)

The Evidence, Please

It used to be that the FBI enjoyed a fearsome reputation for ferreting out traitors and spies. But in recent years, its selective persecution of such figures as physicist Wen Ho Lee and Richard Jewell, the security guard wrongly accused in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, has exposed a bureau too often better at making headlines than convictions. ………(Los Angeles Times editorial, 2 Sept 04)

Spies and / or Victims

The case of Lawrence A. Franklin, the Pentagon’s official, recently accused of espionage for the account of Israel, necessarily brings to our minds the case of Jonathan Pollard, an American intelligence analyst, who in 1985 was arrested and convicted of spying for Israel too………(Media Monitor Network commentary, 2 Sept 04)

Ahmed Amr: Fixing the Son of Pollard

……Now, put aside Feith for a moment. Notice the coordinated media campaign to plea-bargain the charges down from an act of treason and espionage to a misdemeanor. It takes time to put together this kind of media blitz…….(Palestine Chronicle op-ed, 2 Sept 04)

Defending Israel's Defenders

Spy scandals, wrapped as they are in mystery and skullduggery, inevitably give rise to conspiratorial speculation. The espionage scandal that's currently roiling American-Israeli relations offers more mysteries than most, and the conspiracy theories are proliferating accordingly…….(Forward editorial, 2 Sept 04)

Leak Probe More Than 2 Years Old

For more than two years, the FBI has been investigating whether classified intelligence has been passed to Israel by the American Israel Political Action Committee, an influential U.S. lobbying group, in a probe that extends beyond the case of Pentagon employee Lawrence A. Franklin. The counterintelligence probe, which is different from a criminal investigation, focuses on a possible transfer of intelligence more extensive than whether Franklin passed on a draft presidential directive on U.S. policy toward Iran, the sources said. The FBI is examining whether highly classified material from the National Security Agency, which conducts electronic intercepts of communications, was also forwarded to Israel…….(Washington Post, 2 Sept 04)

Israel Has Long Spied on U.S., Say Officials

Despite its fervent denials, Israel secretly maintains a large and active intelligence-gathering operation in the United States that has long attempted to recruit U.S. officials as spies and to procure classified documents, U.S. government officials said………(Los Angeles Times, 3 Sept 04)

FBI Informed White House of AIPAC Probe Two Years Ago

President Bush's top national security advisers were told more than two years ago of an FBI investigation into whether classified information was passed to Israel by a powerful pro-Israeli lobbying group……..(Reuters, 2 Sept 04)

Wider FBI Probe Of Pentagon Leaks Includes Chalabi

FBI counterintelligence agents are investigating whether several Pentagon officials leaked classified information to Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee………..(Washington Post, 3 Sept 04)

Pro-Israel Lobby Said to Have Been Inquiry Target

…….In the course of the investigation, the F.B.I. secretly gathered detailed information about two employees of the group, known as Aipac, monitored their home telephones and trailed their movements after receiving information that the group was suspected of communicating secrets to Israel……..(New York Times, 3 Sept 04)

AIPAC defiant over FBI probe of alleged leak

AIPAC responded indignantly to a report saying it has been the subject of a two-year FBI probe………(Jerusalem Post, 3 Sept 04)

Another AIPAC Statement

AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) officials released the following statement yesterday regarding allegations of involvement in a spy affair……..(Israel National News, 3 Sept 04)

FBI probe of Pentagon extends to Iran stance

Pentagon civilians in the office in which analyst Larry Franklin worked lobbied for a hawkish policy toward Iran and tried to have those views inserted into a highly classified presidential document that's a focus of an FBI espionage investigation………(Knight-Ridder, 3 Sept 04)

LA Times: Israel has long spied on US, officials say…….(Haaretz, 3 Sept 04)

LA Times: Israel has intelligence operations in US………(Jerusalem Post, 3 Sept 04)

Anonymous U.S. officials escalate claims about alleged Israeli espionage…….(Israel Insider, 3 Sept 04)

Column One: Policy wars and real wars

From what has been reported over the past week on the FBI's spy probe into the activities of senior AIPAC lobbyists, Israeli diplomats, and a mid-level Iran analyst named Larry Franklin who hails from the neoconservative stronghold of Douglas Feith's policy shop in the Pentagon, it is hard to escape the impression that the story is more of a smear campaign than an espionage investigation………(Jerusalem Post op-ed, 3 Sept 04)

For those who believe AIPAC and Israel are at the root of propelling the United States into the misguided Iraq War and subsequent occupation, the Israel spy case involving classified information on Iran is serving as the proverbial string entwining the various conflicts in the Middle East. Once pulled, the garment comes unraveled providing a revealing glimpse into Zionist/Israeli espionage and influence in America and far beyond US borders.......(Al-Jazeerah.info op-ed, 3 Sept 04)

Leak Inquiry Includes Iran Experts in Administration

FBI counterintelligence investigators have in recent weeks questioned current and former U.S. officials about whether a small group of Iran specialists at the Pentagon and in Vice President Cheney's office may have been involved in passing classified information to an Iraqi politician or a U.S. lobbying group allied with Israel……..(Washington Post, 4 Sept 04)

Leak Inquiry Includes Iran Experts in Administration

FBI counterintelligence investigators have in recent weeks questioned current and former U.S. officials about whether a small group of Iran specialists at the Pentagon and in Vice President Cheney's office may have been involved in passing classified information to an Iraqi politician or a U.S. lobbying group allied with Israel………(Washington Post, 4 Sept 04)

Leaks derail FBI's Pentagon spy probe

Press leaks describing an FBI investigation into questions of whether a Pentagon analyst handed over classified Defense Department documents on Iran that were passed to Israel may have derailed the bureau probe……….(Washington Times, 4 Sept 04)

Inside the Israel espionage investigation

It was a hot, late August afternoon when the Iraqi exile got a call on his cell phone. Over the crackling line, the Iraqi says, the caller identified himself as Larry Franklin, an analyst for the Defense Department in Washington……..(Time, 5 Sept 04)

Policy Wonk in Spy Probe

Pentagon colleagues recall Larry Franklin, suspected of passing information to Israel, as a 'journeyman analyst' often buried in papers………(Los Angeles Times, 5 Sept 04)

Pro-Israel Lobby Has Strong Voice

……"What really is troubling is the issue of dual loyalties," said Rep. Robert T. Matsui (D-Calif.), one of many senior members of the House who have defended AIPAC………(Washington Post, 5 Sept 04)

FBI probes Jewish sway on Bush government

The FBI investigation into the Pentagon mole affair has expanded beyond data analyst Larry Franklin's immediate circle to encompass the entire issue of Jewish influence on the neoconservative part of the administration………(Haaretz, 5 Sept 04)

Is Franklin Idiot or Spy: Why Quibble About the Details?

Some Arab leaders have nerve, blaming “Zionists” for problems in the Middle East. “We can be certain Zionism is behind everything,” one of them averred last June. “I don’t say 100 percent, but 95 percent.”…….But last week, Zionism appeared indeed to be “behind” America’s Iraq war and strongly figuring in stern US policy statements promising belligerence toward Iran. The FBI’s investigation into whether Lawrence Franklin, the Pentagon’s top Iran policy analyst described by the LA Times as that ‘’go-to guy for Wolfowitz and Feith,” passed classified information to Israeli Intelligence agents………(Arab News op-ed, 5 Sept 04)

Secrets: Classified Info—Springing a Leak

One measure of how seriously the Feds are pursuing an investigation into whether a Pentagon analyst leaked secret information to a pro-Israel lobbying group is the fact that FBI agents showed up unannounced at the offices of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington late on the morning of Aug. 27 armed with a search warrant. The bureau could only have obtained the warrant by demonstrating probable cause that AIPAC's offices contained evidence of a crime……….(Newsweek, 6 Sept 04)

Spy Case Renews Debate Over Pro-Israel Lobby's Ties to Pentagon

It began like most national security investigations, with a squad of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents surreptitiously tailing two men, noting where they went and whom they met. What was different about this case was that the surveillance subjects were lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and one of their contacts turned out to be a policy analyst at the Pentagon………..(New York Times, 6 Sept 04)

Eye Pentagon in leak of spy secrets to Iran

The FBI is probing whether Pentagon officials shared secrets about Iran's weapons of mass destruction with Iraqi exiles, who then passed the intelligence back to Tehran………(New York Daily News, 6 Sept 04)

FBI inquiries may spotlight policy-making in disarray

An FBI investigation of the capital's biggest pro-Israel lobby marks the latest turn in a series of investigations encompassing intelligence, a divided Bush administration, and a group of hard-driving Pentagon officials and outside activists whose hawkish views on the Middle East often coincide with those of Israel's Sharon government………(Baltimore Sun, 6 Sept 04)

The scandal that isn't

Innuendos of a Jewish conspiracy are very much in the air in Washington. They come in the wake of leaks that the FBI is investigating whether Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin turned over classified information to AIPAC lobbyists.………(Jerusalem Post op-ed, 6 Sept 04)

The AIPAC Spy Affair

Steven Rosen, the longstanding head of the "research department" of the powerful AIPAC lobbying organization, prefers to operate in the shadows……..(Dar Al Hayat op-ed, 6 Sept 04)

Franklin met Israeli Intelligence attaché

Larry Franklin, the Pentagon analyst suspected of possible negligence and improper handling of classified materials met with several Israeli diplomats, including Col. “Y”, the Military Intelligence attaché. This has been confirmed to Maariv by senior diplomatic sources. ……..(Maariv International, 7 Sept 04)

Sharon to 'Post: Israel not spying on the United States

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the first time related to allegations that the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby group passed on intelligence information to Israel. "Israel is not conducting any espionage activity whatsoever in the United States, Sharon told the Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. "I am saying this in the most emphatic terms possible: Israel is not spying on the United States."………(Jerusalem Post, 7 Sept 04)

Behind the AIPAC Probe, Neocons Seen Battling Rivals

A high-level Washington power struggle over U.S. policy toward Iran is driving the espionage investigation of the powerful American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), according to international online observers……….(Washington Post, 7 Sept 04)

10 ways the Pentagon spy case may damage Israel

………And although from the start the reports have offered much smoke and little actual fire, the case surrounding Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin presented Israel and AIPAC with the diplomatic equivalent of an unexploded cluster bomb. …….(Haaretz, 7 Sept 04)

Are any U.S. spies sharing sensitive information with Israel?

…….If there has been a recurrence of Pollardism at the Pentagon, we need to know, and Bush needs to act, as Harry Truman did not with Alger Hiss and Harry Dexter White.…….(Op-ed by Patrick Buchanan, 8 Sept 04)

Witch hunt?

For weeks now, the FBI has carried out in the press a prosecution of individuals and organizations it has so far been unable or unwilling to pursue in court. Using innuendo and a steady stream of (often recycled) press leaks, the names and reputations of a number of people "including several who are senior officials in the United States government at the moment" have been sullied. .………(Washington Times op-ed, 8 Sept 04)

AIPAC Says U.S.-Israel Ties Are Under Attack

In a lengthy letter to supporters and allies, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee charged yesterday that the "very essence" of relations between the United States and Israel is under assault as a result of reports that the FBI is investigating whether AIPAC officials passed classified information to Israel………(Washington Post, 8 Sept 04)

AIPAC and the chill factor

Although it has been nearly two weeks since the story broke about a leak of secret information from the Pentagon that was passed to Israel, the American news organizations have yet to assign a name to the incident. It is not the "Franklin affair" or the "AIPAC affair" and most certainly not the "Israeli espionage affair." The most common term is the "mole affair." But it too is far from pervasive…….(Haaretz, 8 Sept 04)

Spy-scandal lobby blitz

Lobbyists for an influential pro-Israel group launched into congressional overdrive when trails of a Pentagon spy scandal led to their Washington office…..…Dozens of key lawmakers from both parties have been briefed by AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr, say numerous congressional aides. In addition, prominent Jewish community leaders across the country—many of whom are serious donors—have been phoning their friends on Capitol Hill, denouncing the allegation that a Pentagon mole slipped classified documents to AIPAC as the scurrilous work of an FBI zealot. ………(The Hill, 8 Sept 04)

Boundaries Blur for Communal Leaders, Israeli Officials

……After the presentation, an Israeli diplomat asked the Jewish communal officials in attendance to lobby Congress for an investigation into Iran's role in the bombing. Several of the Jewish activists in the room were taken aback by the request, and asked why Israeli officials didn't simply approach lawmakers themselves. Israeli officials, in response, hinted that the evidence was the product of secretly obtained intelligence — and, hence, they were unable to adopt such a direct approach toward Congress. …..(Forward, 9 Sept 04)

Watching AIPAC case, Jewish groups wonder if they also are being checked

….While they work to exonerate AIPAC in the public eye, Jewish leaders say they also must make sure the issue won’t affect the way they do business. Groups worry that they, too, could be targeted for investigation or left to deal with potentially changed perceptions of the organized American Jewish community…..(JTA, 8 Sept 04)

Neocons Blast Bush's Inaction On 'Spy' Affair

In an indication of their growing estrangement with the Bush administration, neoconservatives are slamming the White House for failing to stop what they describe as an antisemitic campaign to marginalize them being conducted by the CIA and the State Department. …..(Forward, 9 Sept 04)

AIPAC appeals for donations

The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC sent a letter to all its supporters on Tuesday asking for donations to help it combat the allegations leveled against it in the context of a counterespionage investigation at the Pentagon……(Haaretz, 9 Sept 04)

The FBI broke the rules

……As for the FBI, the Franklin affair is showing itself to be the product of interference by an enthusiastic investigator who was unaware of the rules of diplomatic dialogue……(Haaretz op-ed, 9 Sept 04)

Bush Can't Afford Inaction on Iran

Hyped reports about an Israeli "mole" in the Pentagon are falling apart faster than the Kerry campaign. It now seems likely that the analyst in question was, at worst, guilty of mishandling a classified document, not espionage. ………..(Los Angeles Times op-ed, 9 Sept 04)

American Mossad

……The Israeli government, through its Washington Mossad office – also known as AIPAC – was behind the war all along. At least, that's the impression one would get if they were to follow the media's coverage of the recent FBI investigation into AIPAC……(Jerusalem Post op-ed, 8 Sept 04)

White House Draws Fire From Congress, Officials Over Leak of FBI Probe

With America's pro-Israel lobby scrambling to combat media leaks from unnamed government officials, the White House is drawing criticism from congressmen and Jewish communal officials over the FBI investigation into allegations that officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee illegally transferred secret information to Israel. …..(Forward, 9 Sept 04)

Spy vs. Spy

Over the past few weeks, as the anniversar0y of Sept. 11 approached, the FBI and the Department of Justice, along with investigative reporters at CBS, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, have focused their resources on what they must figure is a real threat to American security: the folks at AIPAC……..(Jewish Journal editorial, 10 Sept 04)

The spies who aren't

The past couple of weeks have seen a swirl of anonymous allegations of supposed spying and espionage, including implications that the Pentagon civilian staff might be teeming with double agents for the Jewish state. Almost none of it is true…….(Washington Times op-ed, 10 Sept 04)

As Leaks Dry Up in FBI Investigation, Activists Still Fear Jury Probe

Even as a lull in government leaks appears to be short-circuiting the media frenzy over the FBI's investigation of the pro-Israel lobby, sources with access to the Justice Department say the probe is moving forward……….(Forward, 15 Sept 04)

Status of AIPAC probe unclear as no recent contact reported

Officials at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee remain baffled as to why federal investigators have been looking into their work for two years, and why they have not been contacted since the day the case made headlines……….(JTA, 22 Sept 04)

Official heading AIPAC probe linked to anti-Semitism case

David Szady, the senior FBI counterintelligence official currently heading the controversial investigation of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is well-known to senior Jewish communal officials, who assert he has targeted Jews in the past. Now, an investigation reveals that Szady was involved in a well-publicized case involving a Jewish former CIA staff attorney who sued the FBI, the CIA and its top officials for religious discrimination …………… According to exclusively obtained documents, Szady was directly involved in the Ciralsky case. He is identified in the documents as the chief of the CIA’s Counterespionage Group, known as CEG, which was later accused of targeting Ciralsky for being Jewish and a supporter of Israel…………… Although Szady’s name is blocked out, his bureaucratic initials, C/CEG/CIC, on two routing pages plus the hand-written acknowledgment next to his initials, show he received the “Spot Report” the day it was written, according to sources with personal knowledge of the case…………… (JTA, 21 Sept 04)

Growing suspicion AIPAC probe driven by inappropriate agenda