Ben-Ami Kadish Espionage Case, Spy for Israeli Intelligence

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Counterintelligence - Espionage - Spy Case

Name	KADISH, Ben-Ami
Employer	Retired US Army, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, NJ From their website: "Situated on a 6,500-acre military installation located in the northwest corner of New Jersey, Picatinny plays a unique role in the United States' ability to wage war. There is no other comprehensive armaments facility like it in the country; it is a one-of-a-kind facility that provides virtually all of the lethal mechanisms used in Army weapon systems and those of the other military services. Picatinny indeed is a joint service armament research and development center."
Dates of Employment	October 1963 to January 1990
Employee Type
Job Title/Duties	Mechanical Engineer; supervisory engineer in the installations Fuze Division
Military Rank
Clearance Level	Secret clearance from 22 October 1963-1990

Spying For	Israel
Codename
Spying Dates	1979 to 1985 1985: Kadish went underground when Jonathan Pollard was arrested 1985 to 20 March 2008: Kadish kept in contact with his Israeli handler Yosef Yagur via telephone and email; Kadish visited his handler in Israel in 2004
Co-conspirators	Yosef Yagur, Kadish's Israeli handler (and one of Jonathan Pollard's handlers) called "Co-Conspirator 1" or "CC-1" in the affidavit. Late 1970s: Employed at the Israeli Aerospace Industries (then known as Israeli Aircraft Industries), a defense contractor for the Israeli government. July 1980 to November 1985: Employed by the Israeli government as Consul for Science Affairs at the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan, NY. Worked for a scientific intelligence-gathering unit of the Israeli Defense Ministry known as LAKAM. "LAKAM was established to assist Israel in obtaining technology for the construction of the nuclear reactor in Dimona. It basically worked to "steal" defense technology throughout the world on behalf of Israel's defense industries. And its agents were basically disguised as consulate workers. Rafi Eitan, a former top Mossad official, was head of LAKAM at the time." (Jerusalem Post) November 1985: Left the US when Jonathan Pollard was arrested in Washington, DC for spying for Israel
Methodology	Yagur provided Kadish with a "shopping list" of classified documents related to US national defense for Kadish to obtain from the US Army library where he worked (Kadish did not choose which documents to take). Kadish put the documents in his briefcase and brought them home. Yagur then visited Kadish at Kadish's home to photograph the classified documents in the basement of Kadish's home. The next morning, Kadish would bring the documents back to the Army library. From 23 August 1979 to 15 July 1985, Kadish provided Yagur with 50-100 classified documents from the library at the US Army, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal. The documents contained: Information concerning nuclear weaponry and atomic-related information (labeled Restricted Data Document) Information regarding a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet the US sold to another country (labeled NOFORN--"Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals" Information regarding the US Patriot missile air defense system (classified Secret)
Possible Motivations, Problems	Kadish first met Yagur in New York City in the 1970s via Kadish's brother, who worked with Yagur at Israeli Aircraft Industries. Kadish told investigators that he was motivated by helping Israel. Did not receive any money from Israel for spying.
Finances
Identified/ Investigation	On 20 March 2008, after the first FBI interview with Kadish, Yagur instructed Kadish on the phone to lie to law enforcement officials who interviewed Kadish again on 21 March 2008. According to Newsweek: "A senior U.S. intelligence official told NEWSWEEK that Kadish's alleged activities were first discovered within the last few years—more than 20 years after they occurred. The official said the information that identified Kadish came from supersecret intelligence monitoring related to ongoing inquiries about the Pollard case."
Arrest Date/Location	Tuesday, 22 April 2008, New Jersey
Charges	Count One: Title 18, USC, Section 794(c) -- conspiring to disclose documents related to the national defense of the United States to the Government of Israel Count Two: Title 18, USC, Section 951 -- conspiring to act as an agent of the Government of Israel Count Three: Title 18, USC, Section 1001(a) (2) -- conspiring to hinder a communication to a law enforcement officer Count Four: Title 18, USC, Section 1512 (b) (3) -- conspiring to make a materially false statement to a law enforcement officer
Court	Southern District of New York
Lawyers	Prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Iris Lan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Kathleen Kedian of the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Defense: Bruce Goldstein
Status

Date/Place of Birth	2 September 1923 in Norwich, Connecticut
Citizenship	US
Residences	Goldfinch Road, Monroe Township, New Jersey Previous: Riverdale section of Bronx, NY
Education
Family	Wife Doris; 2 sons, 1 daughter
Other Employment
Additional Bio	Kadish grew up in what was then Palestine and fought with the Haganah, the underground military organization that operated in Eretz Yisrael from 1920 to 1948. Served in both the British and American military during World War II and is an ex-commander of the Jewish War Veterans Post 609 in Monroe, NJ. During the 1970s, Kadish worked for the US Army and co-developed and patented a target-sensing device that helped zero-in warhead strikes on a target, according to a U.S. patent dated Dec. 20, 1977

Documents	US v Ben-Ami Kadish (Criminal Complaint) Man Arrested for Disclosing National Defense Information to Israel (DOJ News Release, 22 April 2008)
Quotes	"He's not a man of violence, he's not like a right-winger or a really radical left-winger. He was someplace toward the middle of the road....He was strident to a certain point, but you wouldn't expect to see a wild-eyed radical 'whatever.'....He's very patriotic. That's what the shock is -- that somebody is bringing something like [espionage charges] on him. It's shocking and very debilitating."--George Applebaum, a friend of Kadish's in New Jersey and commander of the Jewish War Veterans post they both belonged to
Case Links	Picatinny Arsenal CI Centre Course: 220: Israeli Intelligence: An Introduction to Israeli Intelligence and Counterintelligence Operations & Methodologies CI Centre Store: Israeli Intelligence Books: Israeli Intelligence-- Gideon's Spies, Third Edition: The Secret History of the Mossad by Gordon Thomas Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services by Ian Black and Benny Morris Every Spy a Prince: The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community by Dan Raviv False Flag: The Soviet Spy Who Penetrated the Israeli Secret Intelligence Service by Zeev Avni, introduction by CI Centre Professor Nigel West The Volunteer: A Canadian's Secret Life in the Mossad by Michael Ross By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer by Victor Ostrovsky Man in the Shadows: Inside the Middle East Crisis with a Man Who Led the Mossad by Efraim Halevy Pollard Case-- Capturing Jonathan Pollard: How One of the Most Notorious Spies in American History Was Brought to Justice by Ronald Olive Territory of Lies: The Exclusive Story of Jonathan Jay Pollard: The American Who Spied on His Country for Israel and How He Was Betrayed by Wolf Blitzer The Hunting Horse: The Truth Behind the Jonathan Pollard Spy Case by Elliot Goldenberg, Alan M. Dershowitz

A Spy’s Motivation: For Love of Another Country

........A new study by a Defense Department contractor shows that divided loyalty, usually on the part of naturalized Americans with roots in a foreign land, has become the dominant motive.

From 1947 to 1990, the study found, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans charged with spying were acting solely or primarily out of patriotic, as opposed to ideological, loyalty to a foreign country. Since 1990, according to the study’s author, Katherine L. Herbig, divided loyalty has been the sole or primary motive in about half of all cases.

“Dual loyalty is a problem we haven’t seen on such a scale since the Revolution,” when many colonists swore allegiance to the British king, said Joel F. Brenner, the top counterintelligence official in the office of the director of national intelligence.

.....But even as the government aggressively courts first-generation and second-generation Americans, the new statistics suggest, it must keep a wary eye out for those whose real loyalty is to their native country or to militant Islam.....(New York Times, 20 April 2008)

REPORT: Changes in Espionage by Americans: 1947-2007 (pdf)

Ben-Ami Kadish at Federal Court in New York City, 22 April 2008

News:

Israeli Spying on the United States

According to the MSNBC News Service for April 22, Ben-Ami Kadish, a former U.S. Army mechanical engineer, was arrested on charges that he had sneaked classified information about nuclear weapons to the Israeli Consulate in New York. Kadish’s Israeli handler, Josef Yagur, was also the handler of Jonathan Jay Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for spying against the United States. Yagur, under cover as a science attaché at the Israeli Consulate, fled the United States after Pollard was arrested in 1985 and has not returned. The fact that the 85-year-old Kadish and Yagur have recently been in touch with one another leaves the suspicion that Kadish may still be active, perhaps as a “spotter” of potential spies for Israel. “Ben-Ami Kadish faces four counts of conspiracy, including allegations that he conspired to disclose U.S. National Defense documents to Israel and that he acted as an agent of the Israeli government,” the FBI and U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said. Whether he will ever come to trial remains to be seen. The trial and conviction of Pollard would seem to indicate yes. But Pollard, pursued by the FBI, fled directly to the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC, and actually got inside the front gate. Not recognizing the spy for Israel, the Israeli guard released Pollard to the FBI. Steve Rosen, former foreign policy director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and Keith Weissman, AIPAC’s former Iran specialist, were indicted three years ago, on Aug. 4, 2005. Abbe Lowell, Rosen’s lawyer, and John Nassikas, attorney for Weissman, have filed one delaying motion after another which have been received favorably by AIPAC aficionado Judge T.S. Ellis. Lowell and Nassikas, whose legal fees AIPAC has promised to pay, have sought to so delay the case--or force the government to reveal national secrets--that the trial may not take place at all……(Media Monitors, 4 Oct 08)

Is the “Mega” Spy Case (Kadish) Headed for Hollywood?

“Spies are...a squalid procession of vain fools, traitors...sadists and drunkards.” - John le Carre, author.

In May, 2008, an ex-U.S. military engineer, Ben-Ami Kadish, age 84, was charged in Federal Court with four counts of conspiracy for passing classified, defense-related documents to the Israelis. The foul deeds supposedly happened over 20 years ago. The Feds contend that Kadish’s case has ties to the matter of the convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. (1) In 1986, Pollard got a life sentence for his treachery. The speculation is that the FBI is hot on the trail of yet another crafty Israeli spy--a mole-- buried deep inside the security state. One expert believes that it’s an individual “who held very high senior security positions in the [Bill] Clinton and [George W.] Bush White Houses.” (2) This Israeli spy is known to the Intel boy-ohs only as “Mega!” (3) I couldn’t help thinking after reading the above accounts of this latest Israeli penetration of our valuable, top military secrets, (Pollard really hurt us big time), what a great flick this all will make for Hollywood after, and if, “Mega” is exposed and brought to justice. Then, I wondered: What actor could pull off the role of the ultra slick Israeli spy--“Mega”?.. the alleged Israeli spy, Ben-Ami Kadish, who lives in New Jersey, was released on $300,000 bail! This raised some eyebrows……(People’s Voice, 15 Sep 08)

With alleged spy Ben-Ami Kadish among them, passions are at a fever pitch at retirement village

… Passions are high in Monroe Township about an hour from New York City, where Kadish, the 84-year-old retired mechanical engineer arrested last month on charges of spying for Israel, has lived for the last 12 years. He is charged with four counts of conspiracy for allegedly passing nuclear secrets to Israel between 1979 and 1985 — documents he secreted out
of an Army facility in Dover, N.J., where he worked. Since being arraigned April 22 in Manhattan Federal Court, Kadish’s life has been turned upside down. He and his wife, Doris, put up their home as collateral in order to post his $300,000 bail and they are now attempting to raise money to pay their legal bill. And some neighbors have complained about the inconvenience Kadish has caused them in the gated retirement community of The Ponds. For months their mail was regularly delivered very late in the day. Now the mailman has told them why: all mail to the Kadish home had to be inspected before he could make his rounds……(Jewish Week, 21 May 08)

Ex-U.S. Army engineer charged with spying for Israel

…Ben-ami Kadish was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where he was facing four counts of conspiracy, including allegations that he conspired to disclose U.S. national defense documents to Israel and that he acted as an agent of the Israeli government… According to the complaint, the Israeli government worker on numerous occasions between 1979 and 1985 provided Kadish with lists of U.S. national defense classified documents for Kadish to obtain. Prosecutors also brought conspiracy charges against Kadish alleging that he conspired to hinder a communication with a law enforcement officer and conspired to make a materially false statement to a law enforcement officer. Those charges stem from a March 20 conversation in which Kadish was told by the Israeli contact to lie to U.S. law enforcement agents, the complaint said. ….(AP, 5 May 08)

Lots of speculation regarding Kadish arrest rationale
Is it connected to the classified information case against two former AIPAC staffers? A bid to pressure Israel to concede more to the Palestinians ahead of a new round of peace talks? Connected to the murky circumstances of Israel's mysterious airstrike in Syria last September? For now, the main question surrounding the case of Ben- Ami Kadish, the octogenarian New Jersey man arrested this week for allegedly sharing classified information with Israel decades ago is: Why now? The charges against Kadish are serious. He is accused of having shared with his Israeli handler U.S. nuclear secrets, plans for combat aircraft improvements and missile defense information. But they should be way past their due date: The statute of limitations on the charges is 10 years, unless they incur the death penalty. Prosecutors have yet to say whether or not they intend to pursue the death penalty against Kadish, who has not been indicted……(JTA, 7 May 08)

Timing suspicious in spy case

…Ben-Ami Kadish, 84, and a Second World War veteran, is accused of copying classified U.S. military documents for six years for the same Israeli consular attache in New York who handled Jonathan Pollard, currently serving a life sentence handed down in 1986 for spying on the United States. Mr. Kadish's case is unusual in that the papers he allegedly copied about nuclear weaponry, fighter planes and air-defence missile systems for an official from the Israeli Defence Ministry's innocent-sounding Scientific Liaison Bureau stopped more than 20 years ago…..(National Post, 29 Apr 08)

Jewish War Veterans suspend alleged spy

The Jewish War Veterans of the USA reportedly has suspended suspected spy Ben-Ami Kadish.
he move was ordered by the group's national commander, Lawrence Schulman on Thursday, the New Jersey Jewish News reported. Kadish was arrested this week for allegedly passing U.S. military secrets to Israel from 1979 to 1985, while he was an employee at the Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, N.J. Kadish, 84 and a veteran of World War II who fought with both the Americans and the British and later in Israel's Haganah, is a former commander of the Jewish War Veteran's Post 609 in Monroe, N.J., where he lives…..(JRA, 28 APR 08)

ISRAEL: What is behind spy arrest?

A fascinating article in the Congressional Quarterly puts forth another possibility. Kadish wasn't fully retired from spying. The article said Kadish remained in contact with his former Mossad handler, a man identified here as Yossi Yagur, who also handled Pollard and fled the U.S. after Pollard's arrest. Kadish even apparently visited Yagur in Israel in 2004, a meeting that only makes sense if Kadish was still Yagur's agent, author Jeff Stein writes. "One role Kadish could play was as a 'spotter' who could size up possible recruits for Israeli intelligence even while living in retirement," the article says……(LA Times Blogs, 28 Apr 08)

Israel Might Have Many More Spies Here, Officials Say

The elderly New Jersey man arrested last week on charges of spying for Israel years ago was probably still working for the Jewish state’s espionage service in tandem with another, as yet unidentified spy, former American intelligence officials say...A former senior CIA counterintelligence operative believes the case “will never go to trial, because of all the ugly stuff that would come out” about Israeli activities in the United States. Indeed, Justice Department attorneys have fought to keep “ugly stuff” from emerging in the trial of two officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, charged with accepting classified documents from Pentagon official Larry Franklin.....(Congressional Quarterly, 25 Apr 08)

Jacob’s Jottings: Israeli Imbroglio

…Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel preemptively sought to douse the looming verbal conflagration by declaring, “Since 1985, there has been strict adherence to the prime minister's instructions against involvement in these kinds of activities. The relationship between Israel and United States has always been based upon true friendship, respect and a recognition of mutual interests.”

Not exactly…After Pollard came accusations of illegal spying by Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin and Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, formerly officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). All three were indicted in 2005 by a federal grand jury for violating the Espionage Act. Franklin has been sentenced to twelve years in prison. The trial of Rosen and Weissman has been indefinitely postponed—adding to the general murkiness. Is the U.S. government unfairly targeting Israel’s advocates or are there serious grounds for this case?....(National Interest, 24 Apr 08)

Critics see State Dept. behind timing of Israeli spy arrest

…Diplomatic sources and analysts said the circumstances of the arrest and prosecution of Ben-Ami Kadish, charged with relaying classified military and nuclear data to Israel from 1980 to 1985, were linked to Bush's visit to Israel for its 60th anniversary. They said the administration, particularly Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, would use the Kadish case to prepare for a major announcement of an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank by 2009…..(World Tribune, 24 Apr 08)

The Timing / Conspiracy theories abound

…The explanations can be divided into two categories. The first can be called the rational-bureaucratic camp. The FBI, the CIA and the Department of Defense believed after the Pollard affair that Israel had another agent in the U.S., even more senior than Pollard, whose identity was never revealed…According to the second, "conspiratorial" category, supporters believe that a hidden motive and not chance is behind the decision - 23 years after the fact - to investigate an 80-something man for crimes, some of which are beyond the statute of limitations. One possible motive, they suggest, is a desire to undermine President George Bush's planned visit to Israel next month.…Another theory is the upcoming trial of two AIPAC officials, also for espionage; while the most important hypothesis being floated is that it is an attempt to prevent Bush's possible pardoning of Pollard before the end of his presidential term……(Haaretz, 24 Apr 08)

New Jersey Neighbors Sift Memory for Evidence That a Spy Was Among Them

Some men retire to a life of anonymity. Not Ben-Ami Kadish… There seemed to be no end to Mr. Kadish’s public activity… Which is why the notion that he had engaged in espionage 25 years earlier was so hard to swallow for his white-haired neighbors in this gated community of 600 homes set among golf courses and nature trails an hour southwest of New York City…..(New York Times, 24 Apr 08)

Spy case poses questions on size of Israeli ring

The case of an 84-year-old New Jersey man charged with passing secrets to an Israeli agent a quarter-century ago has created speculation that more Americans may have been serving Israeli intelligence than previously thought. Jonathan Pollard, a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy, was arrested by FBI agents in Washington D.C. in 1985 and pleaded guilty to spying charges, receiving a life sentence. Now, retired U.S. military engineer Ben-ami Kadish faces similar charges. The link between Pollard and Kadish is a now-defunct Israeli intelligence agency enigmatically known as the Scientific Relations Office. The office was run by Rafi Eitan, a former officer of the Mossad spy agency who is now an octogenarian Israeli Cabinet minister in charge of pensioners' affairs….(AP, 24 Apr 08)

U.S. to demand Jerusalem acknowledge Kadish was an Israeli agent

The United States' demands of Israel following the arrest and subsequent indictment Tuesday in the U.S. of Ben-Ami Kadish on charges of spying for Israel recalled similar demands following the 1985 arrest of Jonathan Pollard, American sources familiar with the case have told Haaretz. At that time, Israel announced its full cooperation and handed over information to the American investigators, in effect greatly aiding the case against Pollard…Another interesting question, which remains to be answered, is the issue of who will pay for Kadish's legal fees. At the beginning of the Pollard affair, a public committee was founded that was supposedly composed of volunteers who collected money to pay for the defense of Pollard and his wife at the time, Anne Pollard. It later became clear that the public committee was actually a front for the Israeli government and intelligence community…..(Haaretz, 24 Apr 08)

Ex-prosecutor: New arrest shows reach of 1980s spy ring

…Ben-Ami Kadish, an 84-year-old from New Jersey, was arrested Tuesday and charged with four conspiracy counts. Prosecutors said he confessed to FBI agents that in order to help Israel, he gave his Israeli contact 50 to 100 classified documents between 1979 and 1985, including information about America's nuclear weapons, fighter jets and missiles…DiGenova, now in private practice in Washington, said he and other investigators in the 1980s were so convinced there were other Americans involved in the espionage that they nicknamed the phantom individuals "Mr. X." He noted that Yagur knew exactly what documents he was seeking from Pollard and Kadish…Leeper and diGenova agreed that it did not matter that classified materials were provided to a U.S. ally. Investigators in the Pollard case suspected his information was traded by the Israelis to South Africa, which then provided it to the Soviet Union in return for helping Israel get Jews out of the then-Communist superpower….(AP, 24 Apr 08)

Arrest of N.J. Retiree Rekindles Suspicions of Israeli Spy Ring

The arrest this past week of a retired Army engineer is refocusing attention on claims in Washington that Jonathan Pollard was not the only Israeli spy planted in the American military. Ben-Ami Kadish, 84, was released on bond April 22 and is back at his home in The Ponds retirement community in Monroe Township, N.J.

The indictment includes four counts of conspiracy relating to the passing of classified information to an Israeli official in New York between 1979 and 1985 and makes direct reference to the case of Pollard, a former naval intelligence analyst who was convicted of espionage in 1986. According to the indictment, Pollard and Kadish shared the same operator: an Israeli official referred to in the indictment as “co-conspirator-1 (CC-1)” and since named in the press as Yosef Yagur…..(Forward, 23 Apr 08)

Man, 84, Is Charged With Spying for Israel in 1980s

…Until yesterday, that is, when Kadish, 84, was arrested at his home, taken to a federal courthouse in Manhattan and charged with four counts of conspiracy allegedly for serving as an foreign agent and allegedly for lying to the FBI about a recent telephone conversation he had with his alleged Israeli handler. Kadish, a mechanical engineer, worked at the U.S. Army's research arsenal in Dover, N.J., in the early 1980s…said the espionage, which the charging documents indicate ceased in 1985, doubtless have come to the government's attention because of wiretap evidence obtained by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Manhattan. FBI agents first interviewed Kadish last month about his activities at the Army's Picatinny Arsenal, where he worked between 1963 and 1990, according to the filing. Kadish, a U.S. citizen who was born in Connecticut, told the agents that he "borrowed" classified documents at the urging of his handler….(Washington Post, 23 Apr 08)

Ex-Engineer for Army Is Accused of Spying for Israel in 1980s

…The engineer, Ben-Ami Kadish of Monroe Township, could face life in prison or possibly the death penalty if convicted on the most serious charge… According to the article, Mr. Kadish grew up in Palestine, fought for the creation of Israel and served in both the British and American military during World War II. Mr. Kadish, who was ordered on Tuesday to surrender his passport and not travel beyond New Jersey and New York, is due back in court on May 22…..(New York Times, 23 Apr 08)

'Kadish arrest might cloud Bush visit'

Senior government officials are worried that the arrest of a former US Army mechanical engineer on Tuesday on suspicion that he slipped classified documents about nuclear weapons to an employee of the Israeli Consulate may negatively affect US President George W. Bush's upcoming visit to Israel. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has therefore ordered his staff to investigate the details of the affair, and to determine if indeed Ben-Ami Kadish had any contact with an Israeli official…However, US officials said that at this point evidence suggested the classified material that Kadish allegedly supplied to Israel was far less important or voluminous than the boxes full of highly secret material supplied to the Israelis by Pollard, who worked at sensitive Navy intelligence bases in the Washington area. Pollard had clearances for top secret and even more highly classified material, including some of the most sensitive US counterterrorism information. According to the FBI complaint, Kadish was never cleared for information higher than the "secret" level….(Jerusalem Post, 23 Apr 08)

Feds allege Jersey man spied on U.S.

After serving as a mechanical engineer at Picatinny Arsenal for 27 years, Ben-Ami Kadish retired to a quiet senior citizens' community in Middlesex County. A World War II veteran, he hung a large U.S. flag from the porch of his tidy one-story home. He and his wife Doris often hosted friends for coffee, cake and meals. She baked and collected canned goods for a local charity; he served a stint as commander of Jewish War Veterans Post 609. But on March 20 of this year, Kadish knew his past was catching up to him as he accepted a phone call, federal law enforcement officials allege. ….(Star-Ledger, 23 Apr 08)

Nuclear secrets allegedly slipped

Ben-Ami Kadish, 85, was arrested Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Kadish was charged with four counts of conspiracy for allegedly disclosing documents related to the national defense of the United States to the Israeli government; acting as an agent for the Israeli government; hindering a communication to a law-enforcement officer; and making a materially false statement to a law-enforcement officer. Kadish, a U.S. citizen, was first employed at the arsenal in 1963 and retired in 1990 as a supervisory engineer in the installation's Fuze Division, according to the arsenal…..(Home News Tribune Online, 23 Apr 08)

FBI Claims a Confession in Israel Spy Case

…A criminal complaint filed yesterday against the man, Ben-Ami Kadish, offers no clues about when law enforcement officials first learned of the alleged spying or what prompted them to investigate the case at this late date. Yet FBI agents managed to get a confession out of Mr. Kadish last month, the complaint claims. A former Justice Department official who has investigated Israeli spying told The New York Sun that he believes the government's investigation of Mr. Kadish's arrest was likely triggered by a wiretap of a former Israeli consular official, Yosef Yagur, who allegedly served as Mr. Kadish's handler… The complaint indicates that law enforcement has intercepted phone conversations between Mr. Kadish and Mr. Yagur, although no information about a wiretap warrant was publicly available……(New York Sun, 23 Apr 08)

The Kadish-Pollard link

…According to the report, the US intelligence services intercepted a telephone conversation between Kadish and his handler, referred to in the investigation as CC1 – in which he instructs Kadish to "say nothing. Let them do all the talking. You haven't done anything. You can't remember something that happened 25 years ago." According to intelligence sources quoted in Newsweek, Kadish's arrest may indicate the long-term fallout from the Pollard case is not necessarily a thing of the past; since his alleged activities, which were only recently discovered – more than 20 years after they occurred – surfaced as part of secret intelligence monitoring related to ongoing inquiries about the Pollard case...Ironically, Kadish's arrest came just as federal prosecutors are preparing to begin the long-delayed trial of two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, which are accused of violating the US Espionage Act for allegedly sharing classified information they received from US officials, with both the media and the Israeli government. Both men entered a plea of not guilty …..(YNet, 23 Apr 08)

ANALYSIS: New espionage affair may be old story, but will greatly damage Israel

The new U.S.-Israel espionage affair revealed Tuesday is in fact an old story. Nothing in this fact, however, can reduce the gravity of damage it will cause Israel, nor lead to expectations that suspect Ben-Ami Kadish's punishment will be eased - if he is indeed to be convicted in a court of law. A number of conclusions can be drawn from the case, which points to a pattern that has characterized Israel's security and intelligence establishments for many years. First, the American judicial memory is very long, and the long arm of justice there does not withdraw, even after a quarter-century or more. Colonel (res.) Aviam Sela, who was involved in recruiting American Jonathan Pollard to spy for Israel, and Jackob Nimrodi, who was involved in Irangate, the sale of Israeli arms to Iran, with U.S. cooperation, both know this well. Since the 1980s, both have avoided the U.S. for fear of being arrested upon their arrival…..(Haaretz, 23 Apr 08)

There was no second Pollard, says Eitan Haber

(Video) Man who served as Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assistant at the time of first espionage affair believes revelation of 'new Israeli spy' aimed at thwarting any chances of seeing Pollard released. 'One would be a fool to believe that the timing is a coincidence,'…… (YNet, 23 Apr 08)

Ex-worker at arsenal faces spy charges

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Ben-Ami Kadish, 84, is accused of spying from 1979 to 1985, during which time he gave U.S. national defense information to an official from the Israeli Consulate in New York — identified by law-enforcement officials as the same Israeli handler who received documents from convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. The new information included restricted nuclear weapons data, classified jet fighter weapons system information and key data on the Patriot missile system, according to court records. Mr. Kadish, according to the records, admitted his spying activities during FBI interviews, saying he thought he was helping Israel… One of the classified documents that Kadish provided to [the co-conspirator] contained information concerning nuclear weaponry and was classified as 'restricted data,' a specific designation by the U.S. Department of Energy, because the document contained atomic-related information,"…..(Washington Times, 23 Apr 08)

Espionage Experts Say Israel Is a Major Collector of U.S. Intel

The arrest of a New Jersey engineer on charges of conspiracy to pass U.S. military secrets to Israel Tuesday shows a consistent, continued pattern of Israeli spying on its major benefactor, the United States, according to espionage experts. "The Israelis have always been active intelligence collectors in the U.S. It's just a matter of time in terms of when we have sufficient evidence to bring one of the cases," said John Martin, retired senior U.S. Department of Justice executive who oversaw the investigation and prosecution of espionage cases in the U.S. for more than 30 years, including that of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. Pollard is currently serving his 23rd year of a life sentence in federal prison in North Carolina for passing highly classified information to Israel.....(ABC News, 22 Apr 08)

Breaking The "Unwritten Rule" In Israeli Espionage

I’ve been covering Israel’s espionage agencies for almost 20 years, and suddenly this morning there was a blast from the past – an arrest in what FBI personnel for years had called “the hunt for Agent X.” American investigators refused to believe Israel’s official contention that the Jonathan Pollard affair – running an agent with U.S. Naval Intelligence, who delivered thousands of secret documents to the Israelis – was an isolated incident.....(CBS News/Correspondent Dan Raviv, 22 Apr 08)

A New Twist on an Old Spy Case

In a bizarre postscript to a two-decade-old spy scandal, the FBI on Tuesday arrested an 84-year-old former U.S. Army civilian engineer and charged him with providing classified defense documents to Israel......The arrest of Kadish indicates that the long-term fallout from the Pollard case may not be over. A senior U.S. intelligence official (who asked not to be identified talking about sensitive matters) told NEWSWEEK that Kadish's alleged activities were first discovered within the last few years—more than 20 years after they occurred. The official said the information that identified Kadish came from supersecret intelligence monitoring related to ongoing inquiries about the Pollard case.......Just what those continuing inquiries might be about is far from clear, given that Pollard was first arrested in 1985 and convicted (and sentenced to life) the next year. But former U.S. officials—including one who wrote a book on the Pollard case—noted that some investigators have believed for years that there was a high-level mole inside the U.S. government assisting the Israelis in identifying classified documents they wanted Pollard to obtain for them. The existence of an ongoing Pollard-related inquiry suggests that the FBI's counterintelligence agents are still trying to find this unidentified mole........(Newsweek, 22 Apr 08)

NJ man’s arrest carries echoes of Pollard scandal

The arrest this week of a retired Monroe man on charges of transmitting classified information to Israel two decades ago shows how the Jonathan Pollard spy case continues to haunt the U.S.-Israel relationship......(New Jersey Jewish News, 22 Apr 08)

Analysis: Old affair will cause new damage

The espionage case revealed Tuesday by the US Justice Department may be 20 years old, but it could cause Israel serious diplomatic damage today. With its publication, a number of questions arose that had Israeli officials troubled, foremost among them the timing of the revelation. Could there be an ulterior motive, possibly on the part of political elements in America who have an interest in souring US-Israel diplomatic relations?....(Jerusalem Post, 22 Apr 08)

'Espionage case could seriously damage relations with US'

Senior government official warns arrest of US citizen charged with spying on Israel's behalf in 1980s could impair diplomatic relationship with key ally despite decades that have passed since affair. 'This will overshadow Bush's visit and, primarily, decrease any chance of securing a pardon for Jonathan Pollard,' say State sources in Jerusalem......(YNET, 22 Apr 08)

'Kadish is an American patriot'

Good friend of US citizen accused of spying on Israel's behalf says Kadish a loyal American, adds he saw no change in his behavior over past weeks. A US army veteran himself, Kadish was active in charity fundraising for disabled former servicemen......(YNET, 22 Apr 08)

US to raise fresh espionage case with Israel

The United States will express concern to key ally Israel over a fresh espionage case involving an American accused of passing secret nuclear weapons information to the Jewish state, the State Department said Tuesday....(AFP, 22 Apr 08)

American Accused of Spying for Israel

A former civilian employee of a military arsenal in New Jersey has been indicted by the federal government for allegedly conspiring to pass U.S. military secrets to the Israeli government more than 20 years ago. According to court documents, Ben-Ami Kadish allegedly spied for Israel from 1979-1985 and provided an official from the Israeli consulate in New York with U.S. national defense information, including restricted nuclear weapons data, classified jet fighter weapons system data and key information on the Patriot missile system. Government sources say Kadish's Israeli handler is also the same man who handled convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. Pollard and his wife pleaded guilty in 1986 to charges of passing information to Israel and China. According to the FBI, Pollard had provided Israel with about 800 classified documents and more than 1000 cables while he was working as an analyst at the Navy's Anti-Terrorist Alert Center. After Pollard was exposed, his handler left the United States and Kadish went underground. Pollard is serving a life sentence at a federal prison in North Carolina. Kadish allegedly kept in contact with his Israeli handler until last month, when the handler, who is only identified as "Co-conspirator 1" in court documents, allegedly instructed Kadish to lie to U.S. investigators in the case. The Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey released a statement confirming that Kadish, whom an Army official described as an elderly widower in failing health, worked at the facility "more than 18 years ago.".....(ABC News, 22 Apr 08)

ANALYSIS: New espionage affair may be old story, but will greatly damage Israel

The new espionage affair revealed Tuesday is in fact an old story. Nothing in this fact, however, can reduce the gravity of damage it will cause Israel, nor lead to expectations that suspect Ben-Ami Kadish's punishment will be eased - if he is indeed to be convicted in a court of law. One can draw a number of conclusions from this affair: To begin with, the memory of American law and justice is very long and will not leave alone a violation even if a quarter of a century has passed.......(Haaretz, 22 April 08)

American charged with giving secrets to Israel

VIDEO: American charged with giving secrets to Israel

N.J. man accused of spying for Israel

The arrest this week of a retired a New Jersey man on charges of transmitting classified information to Israel two decades ago shows how the Jonathan Pollard spy case continues to haunt the U.S.-Israel relationship. Ben-Ami Kadish, a former U.S. Army engineer, had a court appearance in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday, facing four charges of conspiracy to share classified information with Israel.....(JTA, 22 Apr 08)

Feds Say Vet Gave Secrets to Israel

An Army veteran of World War II who helped invent a target sensing device while working for the service in the 1970s has been arrested for passing secrets to Israel, including information on the Patriot missile system......(Military.com, 22 Apr 08)

Army engineer charged with passing secrets to Israel in '80s

A former U.S. Army mechanical engineer was arrested Tuesday on charges he slipped classified documents about nuclear weapons to an employee of the Israeli Consulate who also received information from convicted Pentagon spy Jonathan Pollard, authorities announced. Ben-ami Kadish faces four counts of conspiracy, including allegations that he conspired to disclose U.S. national defense documents to Israel and that he acted as an agent of the Israeli government, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia and FBI officials said......(AP, 22 Apr 08)

US Army engineer arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel

A US Army veteran has been charged with slipping classified documents about nuclear weapons to an Israeli Consulate worker in New York. The US attorney in Manhattan and FBI officials Tuesday described the arrest of Ben-ami Kadish......(Jerusalem Post, 22 Apr 08)

'Jonathan doesn't know accused spy'

Esther Pollard says US Justice Department wrong to link her husband with American charged Tuesday with spying for Israel in 1980s. 'Neither I nor Jonathan know this man,' she tells Ynet.....(YNet, 22 Apr 08)

American accused of giving nuclear secrets to Israel

United States authorities arrested an American engineer on Tuesday on suspicion of giving military secrets involving nuclear weapons, fighter jets and air defense missiles to Israel during the 1980s, the Justice Department said.The suspect was employed at the time at a US army facility in New Jersey and had access to a large volume of sensitive information regarding weapons systems, including the sale of F-15 fighter planes which were sold to a Middle East country other than Israel. The information provided by the agent included the various modifications that had been made to those jets. The man's name has been reported as Ben-Ami Kadish, a Connecticut-born US citizen who worked at an Army engineering center in New Jersey…..(YNet, 22 Apr 08)

US man charged with disclosing nuclear information to Israel

US authorities have arrested an American man on charges that he disclosed classified US defense information, including on nuclear weapons, to Israel....(AFP, 22 Apr 08)

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