Posted on 01/26/2011 11:02:01 PM PST by dervish
Former US Secretary of State who served under Ronald Reagan joins list of senior security officials calling for Pollard's release.
Former US secretary of state George Shultz has joined a long list of former senior American and Israeli security officials calling upon US President Barack Obama to release Jonathan Pollard.
In a letter obtained by The Jerusalem Post Tuesday night, Shultz wrote that he was impressed that the people who are best informed about the classified material Pollard passed to Israel now favor his release. He cited former CIA director James Woolsey, former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Dennis DeConcini, and former attorney- general Michael Mukasey.
RELATED: Obama mentor asks him to release Pollard Netanyahu sends Obama letter urging Pollard's release
I am writing to join with many others in urging you to consider that Jonathan Pollard has now paid a huge price for his espionage on behalf of Israel and should be released from prison, Shultz wrote.
Shultz served as the US secretary of state from 1982-1989 under President Ronald Reagan and played a key role when then-defense secretary Caspar Weinberger took action to ensure that Pollard would be given a life sentence. Shultz is currently the Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
This is huge because he is the only one out of the Reagan- Weinberger-triumverate who were involved in the case who is still alive, and he is saying enough is enough, Pollards wife Esther said.
This is startling news that a man of his stature has gotten involved. It adds dramatically to the compelling nature of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahus call for Jonathans release.
Shultz is the first former US secretary to openly call for Pollards release and is a respected Republican figure. People involved in the effort to release Pollard said Shultzs endorsement would go a long way toward persuading other Republicans to join the campaign.
As secretary of state, Shultz handled some of the earliest high-level contacts with the Israelis when the case first broke. According to the 1987 Eban Report by the Knesset committee that investigated the Pollard affair, Shultz requested and secured from then prime minister Shimon Peres a commitment to return the documents that Pollard had provided to Israel.
These documents were then used by the Americans to indict Pollard, and served as the only evidence against him.
Israels cooperation in this matter with the US was virtually unprecedented. It was reportedly the only time in the history of modern espionage that any country had ever cooperated in the incrimination and prosecution of its own agent.
Related:
Former US Deputy A-G: Pollard didn’t harm US
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=205369
Anyone, anyone, anyone
As a matter of general principles, I do not forgive traitors. He should have been shot.
Having said that, since it’s too late to shoot him now and solely in the interest of more amenable relations with Israel, I would be not object to Pollard’s release as long as two conditions are applied:
1) He must renounce is US citizenship,
2) He must be forever banned from US territory.
Treason and Espionage are not the same.
Pollard was a spy not a traitor. George Schultz and many others have now confirmed this.
Have any of you heard about a "false flag" operation? How did he know for sure that his Israeli contact was legit?
Secondly, he wasn't just passing data to Israel.
No, let this guy rot.
So we release him, what 10 things do we get in return?
I ain’t for releasing that weasel unless we get more, a whole lot more, than the other side and they better be significant enough that it would be a scandal for them if it’s found out what they traded for a “boil” who by all rights should have been lanced long ago.
He is an American citizen who gave American secrets to a foreign power. That fits my definition of treason.
You may choose to disagree.
The guy should have been hung a long time ago.
I have to wonder what the payoff was for the elderly Schultz to betray every principle he ever (allegedley) stood for. You don’t release traitors - - you hang them. Let this little weasel Pollard, who sold US secrets to whoever would pay him - - Pakistan, Israel, South Africa, even Australia! - - rot in prison until he’s dead.
And yes, this scumbag is a traitor. He was born in Texas and raised in the United States.
“Spy” my ass.
“There is no evidence that Pollard intended to harm the United States or help its enemies.”
Officials active in the effort to bring about Pollard’s release noted that he was charged with one count of passing classified information to an ally “with no intent to harm the US.” They said that “no intent to harm the US” was legalese for there being no evidence that damage was done.
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=205369
Ok, in exchange for releasing Pollard, we jail BJ Clintoon, a few of Clinton era top Democrat Congress-critters and Senators, and the CEO's of Hughes Aerospace, and Loral Communications for the deal they made providing missile tech to the Red Chinese.
It could take a while to haggle out who exactly other than Clinton, and maybe Gore (ok, ok, we can jail Gore too, shut up about him already, huh?) and no doubt the list of those being put on trail would need to be much longer than merely "ten" to ensure that ten were actually jailed, but what the heck, Pollard has done his time compared to some people we know...
Do we have a "deal"?
That would be trial, not “trail”. But speaking of trails, some “frog-marching” of those going to trial could be thrown in for good measure...if you insist.
This guy is interesting.Along with spying for Israel ,he was spying for South Africa.Pollard also stole classified documents related to the People’s Republic of China on behalf of his wife, who used the information to advance her personal business interests and kept them around the house, where they were discovered by investigating authorities when Pollard’s espionage activity came to light.The full extent of the information he gave to Israel has still not been officially revealed.
The South Africans dismantled their program in 1989.The Vela Hotel 6911 incident was proof positive that Israel and the South Africans were working together on nuclear weapons.The “flash” was produced by an Israeli-South African test code-named Operation Phenix.
As long as Mordecai Vanunu stays quiet he can do what he wants.
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