Petition for Commutation to President Clinton

December 8, 1995 - Larry Dub

Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of my client, Jonathan J. Pollard, enclosed please find his Petition for Commutation of Sentence for Jonathan Jay Pollard, currently serving a life sentence at the United States Correctional Institution at Butner, North Carolina.

Mr. Pollard's crime, and the surrounding circumstances are well known to you. Mr. Pollard was charged with one count of conspiracy to deliver national defense information to our ally the State of Israel in violation of 18 U.S.C. S 794(c).

Mr. Pollard fully cooperated with the government following his arrest and expressed sincere remorse for his action before his sentencing by Chief Judge Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr. His expressions of remorse have also been conveyed in several of his letters published in various periodicals over the years.

Mr. Pollard has now served more than ten years in prison, many of them under difficult circumstances. His physical condition is deteriorating and he suffers daily from Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Our research indicates that Mr. Pollard has served more time in prison than anyone else convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. S 794(c).

At the time of his crime, Israel was and still is, a major friend and ally of the United States. There was a signed agreement in force at that time to share intelligence information, and while any violation of intelligence law is a serious crime, to serve ten years in prison is also a serious punishment.

Jonathan Pollard is now 41 1/2 years old. He desperately wants to start a family with his wife Esther and intends to permanently reside in Israel and become a productive member of society. He seek neither notoriety nor fame, he merely wants to live in Israel and start his life over in a private and productive manner.

The Israeli people have shown great warmth and love for Mr. Pollard. There have been several motions passed by the Israeli Parliament asking you to release Jonathan Pollard. Even your late friend, the former Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzchok Rabin, asked for Jonathan's commutation on at least three occasions. How ironic is it that in one of his last conversations with you, Mr. Rabin raised the issue of Jonathan's release.

Would it not be a fitting tribute to a friend and great leader to honor his memory by granting his request and commuting Mr. Pollard's sentence now to time served. Such an act would not only honor Mr. Rabin's blessed memory but would also help to heal the deep wounds now affecting the people of Israel who are struggling with the aftershock of Mr. Rabin's assassination.

Finally, I would like to point out to you, that the vast majority of American Jewry clearly supports Mr. Pollard's commutation of sentence to time served. Most recently the Conference of Presidents of major Jewish organizations has supported the need for Mr. Pollard's commutation at this time for many of the reasons that I have set forth herein.

Accordingly, for these and other reasons known to you, I urge you to grant Mr. Pollard's request for Commutation to time served, as soon as possible.

Very truly yours,

Larry Dub,
Attorney for Jonathan J. Pollard