News

DATE=1/11/99 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-244048 TITLE=POLLARD CASE (L-ONLY) BYLINE=JIM RANDLE DATELINE=PENTAGON CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: SOME TOP U-S OFFICIALS SAY A CONVICTED ISRAELI SPY SHOULD STAY IN A U-S PRISON. ISRAEL'S GOVERNMENT DEMANDED JONATHAN POLLARD'S RELEASE DURING THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATIONS AT WYE RIVER PLANTATION LAST OCTOBER. PRESIDENT CLINTON PROMISED TO REVIEW THE CASE, AND ORDERED TOP NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS TO GIVE HIM THEIR GUIDANCE BY MONDAY. V-O-A'S JIM RANDLE REPORTS FROM THE PENTAGON. TEXT: WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS SAY IT IS NOT YET CLEAR HOW SOON THE PRESIDENT WILL MAKE A DECISION ON THE POLLARD CASE, OR WHAT HE WILL CONCLUDE. OFFICIALS FROM THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, THE PENTAGON AND THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION HAVE STRONGLY OPPOSED RELEASING JONATHAN POLLARD IN THE PAST. THEY WON'T SAY EXACTLY WHAT GUIDANCE THEY ARE GIVING THE PRESIDENT NOW, BUT SPOKESMEN TELL V-O-A THEY KNOW OF NO CHANGE IN POSITION. // OPT // ONE NEWS STORY (BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) SAYS OFFICIALS AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT SEES NO COMPELLING FOREIGN-POLICY REASON TO RELEASE POLLARD. // END OPT // JONATHAN POLLARD WAS ONCE A TRUSTED U-S INTELLIGENCE ANALYST, WITH ACCESS TO MANY AMERICAN SECRETS. HE WAS ARRESTED IN 1985 AND IS NOW SERVING A LIFE TERM IN PRISON. POLLARD IS JEWISH, AND SOME AMERICAN JEWISH GROUPS HAVE ECHOED THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT'S REQUEST TO FREE POLLARD. THEY ARGUE THAT HIS SPYING FOR A FRIENDLY GOVERNMENT DID NO REAL HARM TO THE UNITED STATES. THEY ALSO SAY HE HAS SERVED LONGER IN PRISON THAN OTHERS CONVICTED IN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. HOWEVER, NEWS ARTICLES THIS WEEK, QUOTING UN-NAMED INTELLIGENCE SOURCES, SAY POLLARD'S SPYING DID MORE DAMAGE TO U-S SECURITY THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY ACKNOWLEDGED. THE ARTICLES (IN THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE AND THE NEW YORK TIMES) SAY POLLARD SOLD U-S SECRETS ABOUT TRACKING SOVIET SUBMARINES AND KEY INFORMATION ABOUT U-S ELECTRONIC EAVESDROPPING TECHNIQUES, AND GAVE CLUES TO THE IDENTITIES OF SOME U-S AGENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE ARTICLES SAY OFFICIALS SUSPECT THE INFORMATION FOUND ITS WAY INTO SOVIET HANDS AND SERIOUSLY HURT U-S NATIONAL SECURITY. POLLARD WAS PAID 50-THOUSAND DOLLARS BY ISRAEL AND PROMISED 540-THOUSAND MORE FOR HIS EFFORTS. (SIGNED). NEB/JR/WDC/WTW 11-Jan-99 5:59 PM EST (2259 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .