SOURCES IN ISRAEL CLAIM MIDDLEMAN IS KNOWN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302440018-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 31, 2012
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: November 26, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approve
ARTTLE APPEARED ?
.A la. .
Sources in Israel
Government Censors Ban Identi
d For Release 2012/11/01 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000302440018-3
WASHINGTON POST
26 November 1985
Claim Middleman is Known
fication in Pollard Espionage Case
By John M. Goshko
Washington Post Staff Wnler
Unofficial Israeli sources have
named a man who once worked for
then-Prime Minister Menchem Be-
gin as the Israeli intermediary who
received secret U.S. documents
from Jonathan J. Pollard, a civilian
U.S. Navy intelligence analyst who
was arrested by the FBI Thursday.
The name of the man has circu-
lated in Israel since the weekend,
and at least two major Israeli news-
papers have tried to publish his
name, but Israeli censorship re-
fused to allow them to do so, ac-
cording to informed sources.
The Washington Post has decided
not to use the man's name, since no
reliable source has tied him directly
to Pollard. U.S. officials involved in
the investigation into the Pollard
case said yesterday that the name
of the Israeli allegedly involved was
not familiar to them and indicated
that an Israeli official whom Pollard
reportedly telephoned last week
was someone other than the man
being named by Israeli sources..
U.S. sources told The Post Sun-
day that after Pollard learned last
week that the Federal Bureau of
Investigation was investigating him,
he contacted an Israeli official in
Washington and said "the FBI is on
to me." According to these sources,
the response from the Israeli offi-
cial was to the effect, "if you shake
your surveillance, we'll see what we
can do."
The man named as Pollard's con-
tact in the stories circulating in Is-
rael was not in Washington last
week and never served in the Is-
raeli Embassy here.
The Israeli government has said
only that it is investigating the mat-
ter and has not made any state-
ments about which officials, if any,
might be involved.
The man identified as Pollard's
contact worked for Begin and his
Senior Israeli
officials said the
political leadership
had no knowledge
of a spying
operation.
successor, Yitzhak Shamir, on se-
curity matters. According to the
story circulating in Israel, his al-
leged relationship with Pollard be-
gan several years ago when the
American visited Israel. U.S. offi-
cials stressed that it is unclear
whether top officials of the Israeli
government knew about any espi-
onage activities in the United
States or whether it was an unau-
thorized operation conducted at
lower levels.
The Israeli government Sunday
expressed "shock and consterna-
tion" about the incident. Prime Min-
ister Shimon Peres also sent a mes-
sage to Secretary of State George
P. Shultz promising that the matter
would be investigated fully and that
any Israelis found to have engaged
? in spying against the United States
would be punished.
In Jerusalem, senior Israeli offi-
cials told Washington Post corre-
spondent William Claiborne that the
country's political leadership had no
knowledge of a spying operation.
They said that if secret U.S. doc-
uments were accepted or pur-
chased, it was done by persons act-
ing contrary to longstanding, official
Israeli government policy.
These statements came against a
background of growing concern
that the incident could have serious
adverse consequences for U.S.-
Israeli relations. The sources here
said the State Department had told
the Peres government that the
United States expects an explana-
tion of what happened before the
end of this week.
In addition, leaders of American-
Jewish organizations are known to
have called Peres over the weekend
and warned him that the matter
must be clarified fully before Con-
gress returns next week from sits
Thanksgiving recess. The Jewish
leaders asked not to be identified.
But one said he had told Peres that
anything short of full disclosure of
Israel's role could be "a blow to the
solar plexus" of the strong support
that the Jewish state enjoys on Cap-
itol Hill.
The Jewish leaders said that their
soundings in the aftermath of Pol-
lard's arrest revealed considerable
concern among members of Con-
gress about whether Israel had
breached the trust given it by the
United States. However, the lead-
ers added, all of the congressional
figures contacted also said that they
were reserving judgment until
more is known.
White House spokesman Larry
Speakes said he did not expect the
incident to damage U.S.-Israeli re-
lations. "The United States has had
a long and close relationship with
Israel, and I would expect that re-
lationship to continue," Speakes
said.
Yesterday, Pollard's wife, Anne
Henderson-Pollard, made a brief
court appearance in which U.S.
Magistrate Patrick J. Attridge or-
dered that she continue in custody
without bond pending a hearing on
Wednesday. She was arrested Fri-
day and charged with unauthorized
possession of classified documents.
Attridge ordered D.C. Jail offi-
cials to have a physician examine
Henderson-Pollard after her attor-
ney said she had been unable since
her arrest to receive prescription
drugs. Her father has said that she
suffers from a stomach disorder.
Staff writer Joe Pichirallo
contributed to this report.
MOP
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/01 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000302440018-3