U.S. CAUTIOUS ON DELAY BY ISRAELIS OVER POLLARD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000605070033-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: December 6, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

._ Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/04 :CIA-RDP90-009658000605070033-1
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WASHINGTON POST
6 December 1985
V. S~ Cautious on Dela
y
B Israelis Over Pollard
Team waiting to Interview Diplomats
~ By John M. Goshko
~fj and-Joe Pichirailo~ -
- W~ahington~Po'st Staff Writers
U.S. officials reacted cautiously
yesterday to Israel's delay in per-
mitting adelegation of State and
Justice Department officials to visit
Israel to interview Israelis impli-
cated in the activities of alleged spy
Jonathan Jay Pollard.
Despite indications that some
Justice Department officials are
irritated at the delay, officials from
both departments declined to dis-
cuss publicly the status of Pntense
negotiations that have followed
Sunday's telephone conversation
between Secretary of State George
P, Shultz and Israeli Prime Minister
Shiinon Peres.
Shultz and Peres agreed in prin-
ciple that any classified documents
Israel allegedly obtained from Pol-
lard, acivilian Navy counterterror-
ism analyst, would be returned to
the United States and U.5, officials
would be permitted to interview
Israeli diplomats said to be involved
with Pollard.
U.S. officials have privately noted
that despite a flurry of disclosures
from Israel over the last week- the
Israelis have still not agreed to a
formal framework that will allow
the United States to learn the ex-
tent of Pollard's alleged spying and
the possible damage.
"We've had plenty of discus-
lions," said one official.
"We continue to ask fora re-
sponse," said another U.S. official
familiar with the case. But it ap-
pears the Israelis are "still trying to
decide how to handle the thing."
The official said that U.S. and
Israeli officials are in constant com-
munication and the State Depart-
ment has given Israel a tentative
list of officials that would go there.
The list is said to include State De-
partment legal adviser Abraham D.
Some U.S. officials
appear irritated at
the delay.
Sofaer and representatives from
the Justice Department and FBI.
Top State and Justice Depart-
ment officials met to discuss the
situation yesterday afternoon; one
official said afterward the United
States hopes -for an agreement
within a day or so.
State Department spokesman
Bernard Kalb replied to questions
about the delays by saying, "I will
reiterate what [Shultz] said over
the. weekend, that the Israelis have
assured us that they will work co-
operatively with our law enforce-
ment officials, and we have full con-
fidence in those assurances.?
Other department officials said
privately that they knew of no rea-
son to contradict that public posi-
tion, and they stressed that internal
department discussions this week
have given no hint that Shultz or
other senior department officials
are growing impatient at Israel's
delay in inviting the U.S. team.
Officials said Shult2 regards
Peres as a genuine friend of the
United States whose word can be
trusted; and, they said, there has
been no sign that the secretary may
revise that attitude.
? The Israeli Embassy is under-
stood to be concerned about per-
sistent reports that some U.S. of-
ficials are dissatisfied, and the em-
bassy is believed to have advised
Jerusalem that further delays could
exacerbate the potential for trouble
with these agencies.
Israeli sources here, while declur
ing to discuss the matter publicly,
said Israel fully intends to comply
with Peres' promises to Shultz.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/04 :CIA-RDP90-009658000605070033-1