Tornado Alley (PROG)

[StephanieVanbryce]

Wikileaks and State Department correspondence

28 Nov 2010

Index on Censorship has obtained copies of correspondence between whistleblowing website Wikileaks and the US embassy in the United Kingdom, which took place between Friday and Sunday. They reveal Wikileaks editor in chief’s last-minute attempt to seek the cooperation of the United States government in redacting information from the latest controversial release of documents.

26 November 2010

Dear Ambassador Susman,

I refer to recent public statements by United States Government officials expressing concern
about the possible publication by WikiLeaks and other media organisations of information
allegedly derived from United States Government records. I understand that the United States
Government has recently devoted substantial resources to examination of these records over
many months.

Subject to the general objective of ensuring maximum disclosure of information in the public
interest, WikiLeaks would be grateful for the United States Government to privately nominate
any specific instances (record numbers or names) where it considers the publication of
information would put individual persons at significant risk of harm that has not already been
addressed.

WikiLeaks will respect the confidentiality of advice provided by the United States Government
and is prepared to consider any such submissions made without delay. [ http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Letter-to-US-Ambassador-from-Julian-Assange-26-November-2010.pdf ]

Yours sincerely,

Julian Assange


our reply


......27 November

Harold Hongju Koh, Legal Adviser, United States Department of State [ http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/US-Department-of-State-to-Assange-27-Nov.pdf ]

28 November

I understand that the United States government would prefer not to have the information that will be published in the public domain and is not in favour of openness. That said, either there is a risk or there is not. You have chosen to respond in a manner which leads me to conclude that the supposed risks are entirely fanciful and you are instead concerned to suppress evidence of human rights abuse and other criminal behaviour. [ http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Letter-to-US-Ambassador-from-Julian-Assange-28-Nov-2010.pdf ]

http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/11/wikileaks-and-state-department-correspondence/