Isreal May Have Been Spying On U.S. Nuclear Tech

Sunday January 6, allegations were made by a former FBI translator that Israel has planted "moles" in United States institutions dealing with nuclear technology.^[1] According to a report in the British Sunday Times, Sibel Edmonds worked on translating "thousands of hours of conversations by Turkish diplomatic and political targets" that had been secretly taped by the FBI.^[2]

The report asserts that the recordings, which go back more than 10 years, were used in an FBI investigation "into links between the Turks and Pakistani, Israeli and U.S. targets."^[3] It is asserted that Edmonds had claimed there were "senior officials in the Pentagon" who had provided assistance to Israeli and Turkish agents.^[4]

The "moles," mainly PhD students, received assistance from a "high-ranking State Department official" who gave them security clearance to work in "sensitive nuclear research facilities."^[5] Among these institutions was the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory in New Mexico, which is a security risk we have previously blogged about, here.

The FBI investigation also stretches to the Pentagon; former Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin was jailed in 2006 for delivering U.S. defense information to lobbyists and sharing classified information with an Israeli diplomat.^[6] It is alleged that Franklin "was one of the top people providing information and packages during 2000 and 2001."^[7]

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^[1] Yossi Melman, Report: FBI translator says Israel planted nuclear 'moles' in U.S., Haaretz Service, January 6, 2008, available at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/942027.html (last visited January 7, 2008).
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.