Peace, Patriotism, And Pollard

Tom Rogan at National Review Online offers a piece on the possible release of traitor and convicted spy Jonathan Pollard.

Along with Ames and Hanssen, Jonathan Pollard is in his own very special category of treason.

Having sworn an oath to the United States, Pollard betrayed that trust with energetic glee. In return, Israel ensured that the American intelligence officer was handsomely rewarded for his crimes. Pollard’s efforts continued without hesitation, until the day he was finally caught, in 1985.  

Since then, pursuing Pollard’s release from prison has been a unifying cause for Israeli society. In tune with public sentiment, successive Israeli governments have spent many years petitioning successive American presidents to “do the right thing.” Those presidents have always said no. But now, it seems, that might change.

Yesterday, reports surfaced that suggest President Obama is considering releasing Pollard in exchange for Israeli concessions to the Palestinians. That must not happen.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/374685/peace-patriotism-and-pollard-tom-rogan

Note: I interviewed the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) special agent who investigated, arrested and interrogated Pollard. You can read my piece on Pollard via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/04/a-look-back-at-jonathan-pollard-spy-case.html

Note: The above photo was provided by the FBI.

Don't Do It, Mr. President: My Philadelphia Inquirer Piece on Not Pardoning Convicted Spy Jonathan Pollard

In my last post, in light of a rumor that Secretary of State Kerry is making a deal to release convicted spy Jonathan Pollard to the Israelis in exchange for their release of Palestinian prisoners, I offered a look back at the Pollard spy case with a link to my interview with Ronald J. Olive, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) special agent who investigated, arrested and interrogated Pollard - http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/04/a-look-back-at-jonathan-pollard-spy-case.html.

 

The negotiated release of Pollard, a former Navy analyst who spied for the Israelis, has come up before. When President Clinton was thinking of releasing Pollard in 1999, CIA Director George Tenet threatened to resign if Pollard was released. The threat killed the deal.

 

When rumors of Pollard's negotiated release floated in 1999, I wrote a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer stating that it was a bad idea.

 

You can read the piece via the piece via the below link:

 

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/PardonPollard.jpg 

 

It is still a bad idea.

 

Note: The above U.S. Navy photos show Pollard at his desk, gathering material to sell to the Israelis.  

A Look Back At The Jonathan Pollard Spy Case

With a rumor floating in news circles that Secretary of State Kerry is offering to release convicted spy Jonathan Pollard to the Israelis in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners - a truly bad idea in my view - I thought to offer a look back at Pollard's espionage case.

A while back I interviewed Ronald J. Olive, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agent who investigated, arrested and interrogated Pollard, for Counterterrorism magazine.

You can read the magazine piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/PollardSpyCase1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/PollardSpyCase2.jpg      

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/PollardSpyCase3.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/PollardSpyCase4.jpg