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DATE=1/18/99 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-42390 TITLE=THE POLLARD CASE BYLINE= ED WARNER DATELINE= WASHINGTON CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: PRESIDENT CLINTON HAS ORDERED A FORMAL REVIEW OF THE CASE OF JONATHAN POLLARD, THE FORMER U-S NAVAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICER WHO IN 1987 WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR SELLING TOP SECRET INFORMATION TO ISRAEL. HOWEVER, C-I-A DIRECTOR GEORGE TENET HAS THREATENED TO RESIGN IF POLLARD IS FREED, AND OTHER U-S OFFICIALS, PAST AND PRESENT, ALSO HAVE STRONGLY OBJECTED. WHILE, SOME AMERICAN JEWISH GROUPS, AS WELL AS THE LIKUD PARTY IN ISRAEL, HAVE ASKED FOR CLEMENCY -- MANY HAVE NOT TAKEN A POSITION. VOA'S ED WARNER REPORTS ON THE CONTROVERSY. TEXT: SPIES ARE AS OLD AS THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC AND HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY PLENTIFUL IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. EVEN SO, INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS SAY THE JONATHAN POLLARD CASE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL. THEY BELIEVE THE AMERICAN SPY FOR ISRAEL STOLE MORE VITAL DOCUMENTS THAN ANY OTHER AGENT IN U-S HISTORY. JOSEPH DIGENOVA IS A FORMER U-S ATTORNEY WHO PROSECUTED POLLARD: // DIGENOVA ACT // IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT WAS COMPROMISED AND THE LEVEL OF ITS SECURITY, THE POLLARD CASE IS, IN FACT, THE WORST BECAUSE HE COMPROMISED SOURCES AND METHODS INFORMATION OF AN ASTOUNDINGLY VAST ARRAY IN INCREDIBLE QUANTITIES. IT IS UNMATCHED IN TERMS OF THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF INFORMATION COMPROMISED IN AN ESPIONAGE CASE. // END ACT // POLLARD MANAGED TO DO THIS, SAYS MR. DIGENOVA, EVEN THOUGH HIS BEHAVIOR SHOULD HAVE AROUSED SUSPICION. HE WAS KNOWN AS A HEAVY DRUG USER WHO SPENT LAVISHLY AND WAS DEEPLY IN DEBT. HE BORROWED FROM COLLEAGUES TO MAKE ENDS MEET. ACCORDING TO AN ARTICLE BY SEYMOUR HERSH IN THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE, POLLARD QUITE OPENLY CARRIED OFF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS. ON ONE OCCASION, HE PILED SO MUCH INTO A HANDCART THAT SECURITY GUARDS HAD TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR HIM. AMONG HIS ACQUISITIONS WAS THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY'S TEN VOLUME MANUAL ON U-S COMMUNICATIONS AND SIGNALS LINKS. "IT IS THE BIBLE," AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TOLD MR. HERSH. "IT TELLS HOW WE COLLECT SIGNALS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD." INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS BELIEVE SOME OF THE MATERIAL GOT INTO SOVIET HANDS. IN THEIR OPINION, EITHER THE ISRAELIS TRADED THE INFORMATION FOR JEWS TRYING TO LEAVE THE SOVIET UNION OR KGB SPIES IN ISRAEL OBTAINED IT. A CLOSE READING OF THE DOCUMENTS WOULD HAVE REVEALED U-S SOURCES IN THE SOVIET UNION AND MAY WELL HAVE COST THEM THEIR LIVES. JOSEPH DIGENOVA SAYS POLLARD DID NOT DO ALL THIS ALONE. HE HAD SUBSTANTIAL HELP WITHIN THE BUREAUCRACY: // DIGENOVA ACT // THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN BELIEVED BECAUSE MR. POLLARD WAS GIVEN THE NUMBERS, THE HIGHLY CLASSIFIED INTELLIGENCE NUMBERS OF SPECIFIC DOCUMENTS TO GET. AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE KNOWN THOSE NUMBERS UNLESS THEY HAD INTITIAL ACCESS TO THEM. SO IT IS CLEAR THERE WAS ANOTHER PERSON IN THE ESPIONAGE RING WHO WAS HELPING MR. POLLARD'S ISRAELI HANDLERS. THAT WE ARE SURE OF. // END ACT // MR. DIGENOVA SAYS CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WERE UNDER SUSPICION, BUT NOTHING COULD BE PROVED. IT IS DIFFICULT TO REACH ANY DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS, SAYS MR DIGENOVA, SINCE ISRAEL HAS RETURNED VERY LITTLE OF THE STOLEN MATERIAL. SOME JEWISH GROUPS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE CALLED FOR POLLARD'S RELEASE ON THE GROUNDS HE WAS SPYING FOR A CLOSE ALLY AND HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH FOR WHAT COULD BE CONSIDERED A SELFLESS ACT. BUT OTHERS POINT OUT HE TOOK MONEY FOR SPYING AND OFFERED HIS SERVICES TO COUNTRIES BEYOND ISRAEL. BARRY JACOBS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AT THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE, SAYS HIS ORGANIZATION HAS NOT TAKEN A POSITION ON THE CASE: // JACOBS ACT // I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COME OUT PUBLICLY THAT THE PRESIDENT SHOULD EITHER GRANT THE PARDON OR HAVE URGED THAT A PARDON BE CONSIDERED, BUT I DO NOT THINK THAT IS THE POSITION OF MOST OF THE JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS. // END ACT // //OPT// MR. JACOBS SAYS JONATHAN POLLARD'S WIFE COMPLAINS THAT THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY HAS NOT DONE ENOUGH FOR HER HUSBAND, WHO SHE THINKS SHOULD BE PARDONED AND ALLOWED TO MOVE TO ISRAEL. //END OPT// ACCORDING TO MR. JACOBS, THE MEDIA HAVE EXAGGERATED JEWISH SUPPORT FOR POLLARD. BUT OPINION IS BY NO MEANS UNIFORM: // JACOBS ACT // WHEN THE POLLARD CASE CAME TO LIGHT, THERE WAS A GREAT SENSE OF SHAME IN GENERAL AMONG THE AMERICAN JEWISH COIMMUNITY, A GREAT SENSE OF ANGER, A GREAT SENSE OF ALMOST BETRAYAL TIME HAS PASSED, AND THERE IS DEBATE ABOUT THE PENALTY, BUT THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE ARGUING THIS MAN IS NOT GUILTY OF A VERY, VERY SERIOUS CRIME. // END ACT // MR. JACOBS DOUBTS JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS HAVE PUT PRESSURE ON PRESIDENT CLINTON TO FREE JONATHAN POLLARD. IN ANY EVENT, A NUMBER OF TOP OFFICIALS, INCLUDING SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT AND DEFENSE SECRETARY WILLIAM COHEN, HAVE URGED THE PRESIDENT TO KEEP HIM IN PRISON. THAT IS ALSO THE POSITION OF THE PENTAGON, THE C-I-A AND THE F-B-I. "JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE TO THIS POINT," SAID AN FBI SPOKESMAN. "TO RELEASE POLLARD NOW WOULD UNDO EVERYTHING THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PROSECUTORS WORKED TIRELESSLY TO ACCOMPLISH." (SIGNED) NEB/EW/WFR 18-Jan-99 3:59 PM EST (2059 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .