(New York Daily News) Lawrence Korb - A 1987 CIA damage assessment concerning Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. intelligence analyst who pleaded guilty in 1985 to forwarding classified material to the Israeli government and was sentenced to life in prison, was released in December. This document shows that CIA debriefers said Pollard cooperated with them fully and in good faith. Moreover, they acknowledge that Pollard did not divulge the most sensitive U.S. national security programs. Pollard provided intelligence only on the Soviet Union's activities in the Middle East, the Arab states and Pakistan. Pollard deserved to be prosecuted, but he does not deserve to be in prison 27 years later. These newly declassified documents make it clear that it is time to let him go. The writer is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was assistant secretary of defense from 1981 to 1985.
2013-02-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive