State Department braces for more WikiLeaks

Posted By Josh Rogin Wednesday, November 24, 2010 - 4:23 PM Share

The State Department is expecting the self-described whistleblower website WikiLeaks to release tens of thousands of internal documents this weekend, spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Wednesday.

"We are very mindful of the announcement that WikiLeaks made earlier this week, that there is a release of documents pending at some point in the future. If the past is prologue, that would mean that certain news organizations may well already be in possession of specific documents," Crowley told reporters. "So we continue to work through, as we have throughout this process, evaluating both the material that we think was previously leaked from government sources to WikiLeaks, and we continue to make clear that this is harmful to our national security. It does put lives at risk. It does put national interests at risk."

There was a great deal of consternation around the State Department on Wednesday, as various bureaus tried to gauge the potential damage of the leaks to their programs or relationships with foreign governments.

State Department officials have been reaching out to embassies and consulates around the world and those posts have been contacting host governments to notify them that the release of documents could be imminent. State officials are also talking with Capitol Hill offices to let them know what to prepare for.

So what's in the classified cables? Some of them likely involve discussions between State Department officials and foreign government officials or private citizens. Some contain analysis of other governments' political decision making. Some are the official record of day-to-day diplomatic activity around the world.

"Inherent in this day-to-day action is trust that we can convey our perspective to other governments in confidence and that they can convey their perspective on events to us," Crowley said. "And when this confidence is betrayed and ends up on the front pages of newspapers or lead stories on television and radio it has an impact."

"These revelations are harmful to the United States and our interests. They are going to create tension in our relationships between our diplomats and our friends around the world," he added.

The Pentagon is also involved in preparing for the latest document dump. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs Elizabeth King (formerly with Sen. Jack Reed's office) sent a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services committee warning that "several hundred thousand" classified State Department cables could be released as soon as Nov. 26, Bloomberg reported.

The documents "touch on an enormous range of very sensitive foreign policy issues," and "the release could negatively impact U.S. foreign relations," King wrote. She also wrote that advanced access had been granted to the New York Times, the U.K.'s Guardian and Der Spiegel of Germany, as Wikileaks has done with previous disclosures.

Wikileaks hasn't said when it will release the documents, but said on its official Twitter account on Wednesday, "The Pentagon is hyperventilating again over fears of being held to account."

EXPLORE:DIPLOMACY, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, STATE DEPARTMENT, U.S. CONGRESS, U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

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SAM FROM CALIFORNIA

12:41 AM ET

November 25, 2010

What's in it this time ?

... if it's anything scandalous (ie, torture, black sites, etc) we have a right to know.

CANADA

9:03 AM ET

November 26, 2010

fun for us

Its really neat to read through wiki leaks released reports but true diplomacy usually and rightly should go unreported the Cuban missile crisis was solved through back channels I truly hope these people burn in a special place just so they can prove their agenda (point) whatever your stance is on this they happily dont care if people are put in danger cuz of these releases.

HURRICANEWARNING

11:43 PM ET

November 27, 2010

well said

exactly. While the releases may be interesting, 99% of it is stuff we dont need to know at all...at all. If someone was really tortured, then yes, I want to know about what is being done in my name as an American, and I want it stopped if it is actually torture. However, diplomatic reports? Really? Does the world need to know about this? Wont this cause more harm then anythign else? I feel strongly that Assange has a personal gripe with the US gov, and America in General. He is doing this for his own gain. Anyone who was a hacker in another life is not someone who should be trusted/ respected/ given credibility etc...and if just one US/ Canadian/ Dutch/ German/ UK/ AUS/ Iraqi/ Afghani soldier is injured or killed because of these reports...then we should hunt this dude down and throw him in a pine box for eternity. My2c

GOEDEL

4:08 AM ET

November 28, 2010

US diplomacy should not be duplicity

My bet is the harm that may come from Wikileaks' release will be to the credibility of US diplomacy. That is always the consequence of lying: it is hard to regain the trust of others. The embarrassment will come to US officials, our Secretaries of State, our Presidents. If they are liars, they should be outed. The worst lies our leader tell are to the American people. Our presidents and their cabinet officers have lied repeatedly to the people and to congress. They take us into bloody, costly wars, either because they have no courage to face a rabid opposition (LBJ's case) or because they serve not their country but their corporate campaign supporters (oil, finance, armaments industries). Wikileaks, we need your exposés!