The Washington Post revealed the name of the spy working for Israel in the pentagon.
The name of the person under investigation was not officially released, but two sources identified him as Larry Franklin. He was described as a desk officer in the Pentagon’s Near East and South Asia Bureau, one of six regional policy sections.
Franklin worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency before moving to the Pentagon’s policy branch three years ago and is nearing retirement, the officials said. Franklin could not be located for comment last night.
According to the Washington Post report, the investigation has been underway for some months. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and top Pentagon lawyers were informed of it some time ago, officials said. But many other senior Pentagon officials expressed surprise at the news when it was first reported last night on CBS.
One government official familiar with the investigation said it is not yet clear whether the case will rise to the level of espionage or end up involving lesser charges such as improper disclosure or mishandling of classified information.
Some Pentagon officials said, Frankline is not effective in U.S. foreign policy.
Israeli Spy in the Pentagon
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The American TV network CBS reported Friday that the FBI is convinced an Israeli spy is operating inside the Pentagon.
According to the report, the FBI is convinced the spy has conveyed highly sensitive information to the Israeli government via two representatives of the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC.
The suspect was described as a senior analyst who works in the bureau of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and is closely associated with two senior Pentagon officials who are Jewish, Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith.
The network said that the suspect had last year passed on to Israel secret White House deliberation on Iran.
CBS also reported that FBI investigators are concerned that Israel may have used the suspect to influence U.S. policy on the war in Iraq.
The FBI has asked AIPAC to provide it with information about the two representatives in the organization who are suspected of involvement.
The Israeli embassy in Washington denied the allegations as completely false and outrageous.
In November of 1985, Jonathan Pollard was arrested at the gates of the Israeli embassy in Washington, on espionage charges. He was tried, convicted and handed a life sentence for spying for Israel.
