Former US Navy Cryptologist & Damage Assessor Joins US Officials Calling for Pollard's Release

J4JPnews Release - January 4, 2011

Former US Navy Cryptologist who participated in the damage assessment of Pollard's espionage reveals: [T]here was nothing to indicate that Pollard gave information to any country but Israel. Further, the information consisted primarily of daily operational intelligence summaries, information that is extremely perishable. It did not appear that the information he gave Israel should have resulted in a life sentence.

View or print PDF of original letter.


Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC, 20500

December 20, 2010

Dear Mr. President,

I am writing to you to add my voice to those requesting commutation of Jonathan Jay Pollard's sentence to time served.

I was serving on active duty in the U.S. Navy and working as a Cryptologist at the time Pollard was arrested. Working at the time for the G6 organization of the National Security Agency, the Middle East-North Africa section, I was chosen to participate on the team assessing the damage potentially caused by Pollard's disclosures. My recollection matches those of Senator Dennis DeConcini, Dr. Lawrence Korb and Mr. R. James Woolsey, all of whom have suggested Secretary of Defense Weinberger seriously inflated the assessment of the damage done by Pollard in his report to Judge Aubrey Eugene Robinson, who presided over Pollard's case. My own recollection is that there was nothing that we came across to indicate that Pollard gave information to any country but Israel. Further, the information he probably disclosed consisted primarily of daily operational intelligence summaries, information that is extremely perishable. It did not appear to me at the time that the information he gave Israel should have resulted in a life sentence.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this matter, and may you and your family enjoy a blessed Christmas holiday.

Donald A. Levy
Rabbi, Temple Beit Torah
Chaplain, Major, USAF (retired)


Original copy of Letter


  • See Also: Pollard Said To Have Worked Only For Israel: MENL