FBI probes Pentagon Iran expert

WASHINGTON — The man at the center of an FBI investigation of possible Israeli espionage in Washington is a career Pentagon employee, a colonel in the Air Force reserves and a national security analyst who at the end of the Cold War taught himself Farsi and refashioned himself as an Iran expert, officials said Saturday.

The FBI is trying to determine whether he is also a spy.

U.S. officials confirmed Saturday that the target of the investigation is Larry Franklin, the Pentagon's top Iran policy analyst and a close confidant of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz and Douglas J. Feith, who as undersecretary for policy is the Pentagon's third-ranking official.

The FBI is investigating whether Franklin turned over a draft presidential directive on U.S. policy toward Iran last year to two people affiliated with the Washington-based American Israel Public Affairs Committee, who may in turn have given the information to Israel.

Officials are concerned because the directive that was transmitted was still being debated by U.S. policymakers at the time, possibly putting the Israeli government in a position to influence the final document, officials said. U.S. policy toward Iran is important for Israel, which is gravely concerned about the burgeoning nuclear capability of the country run by Shiite clerics.

The probe, which is being handled by the FBI's counterespionage division, might not result in espionage charges against Franklin. Instead, the Pentagon analyst could end up being charged with lesser offenses such as improper disclosure or mishandling of classified information. Or he could be exonerated entirely.

One U.S. official knowledgeable about the case cast doubt Saturday on whether Franklin's alleged acts rose to the level of espionage. Instead, he said it was more likely Franklin, who maintains close ties with Israeli officials, passed documents to Israel without knowing the gravity of his actions.

"From everything I've seen, the guy's not a spy," said this official. "The guy's an idiot."

According to this official, the close nature of the U.S. relationship with Israel means that top officials of the two nations often share sensitive information. Nevertheless, Franklin should have known what information was and was not permissible to be shared, the official said.

"We knew this guy had the relationship for a while, and he shared some stuff beyond what he should be sharing," he said.

Franklin did not respond to phone messages Saturday seeking comment.