Larry Franklin

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Lawrence Anthony Franklin

Lawrence Anthony Franklin is a U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel who has pleaded guilty to passing information about U.S. policy towards Iran to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the foremost pro-Israel lobbying organization in the U.S, while he was working for the Defense Department in what he claims was an attempt to get the information passed on to the United States National Security Council, which he could not do through regular Pentagon channels. Two former employees of that organization are also facing charges that they assisted him in the AIPAC espionage scandal and passing classified information to an Israeli diplomat Naor Gilon. On January 20, 2006, Judge T.S. Ellis, III sentenced Franklin to 151 months (almost 13 years) in prison and fined him $10,000. [1] The case was heard in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Ultimately, Franklin was charged with unauthorized disclosure of classified information, not with espionage.[citation needed]

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[edit] Franklin at the Office of Special Plans

In 2002 and 2003, Franklin worked at the Office of Special Plans which was set up by Donald Rumsfeld. The office was led by prominent neoconservative Douglas Feith. Under Feith's authorization, Larry Franklin met with Iran-Contra figures; critics allege they discussed Iraq intelligence, while supporters say they discussed only the War on Terrorism.[2][3]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Johnston, David. "Pentagon Analyst Gets 12 Years for Disclosing Data", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2006-01-20. Retrieved on 2007-10-11. 
  2. ^ Royce, Knut; Timothy Phelps. "Arms dealer in talks with US officials about Iran", The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, 2003-08-09. Retrieved on 2007-10-11. 
  3. ^ Bender, Bryan. "2d probe at the Pentagon examines actions on Iraq", The Boston Globe, The New York Times Company, 2004-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-10-11. 

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