Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.org, speaks with The Washington Post's Rocci Fisch and answers reader questions on just released secret Afghan war documents published by the web site.
The U.S. military's top officer charged Thursday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in releasing tens of thousands of secret documents, had endangered the lives of American troops and Afghan informants who have assisted U.S. forces.
"Mr. Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he thinks he and his source are doing," Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. "But the truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family."
A Washington Post search of the 76,000 reports released by WikiLeaks turned up at least 100 instances dealing with Afghan informants. In some of the reports the informants' names and villages are listed along with the names of the insurgent commanders that they had discussed with U.S. and Afghan officials. The secret reports also include the name of at least one U.S. intelligence operative.
Founder's response
Assange has denied that the release of the classified reports endangered U.S. troops or Afghan civilians. "None of the information released by WikiLeaks has ever led to physical injury of any person as far as can be ascertained, and we try hard to ascertain that fact," Assange said in an online interview Wednesday in which he answered questions from readers of The Washington Post.
WikiLeaks is withholding 15,000 reports that it plans to release after they are reviewed by its staff.
Senior defense officials said the Pentagon only recently became aware of the size and scope of the classified trove that was given to WikiLeaks. "We don't know how many more there are out there," said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "It could be a substantial additional number of documents. And we have no idea what their content is, either."
He dismissed the idea of opening a dialogue with Assange to learn more about the information the group was planning to release. "I'm not sure why we would," he said. "Do you think he is going to tell us the truth?"
The U.S. military's top officer charged Thursday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in releasing tens of thousands of secret documents, had endangered the lives of American troops and Afghan informants who have assisted U.S. forces.
"Mr. Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he thinks he and his source are doing," Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. "But the truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family."
A Washington Post search of the 76,000 reports released by WikiLeaks turned up at least 100 instances dealing with Afghan informants. In some of the reports the informants' names and villages are listed along with the names of the insurgent commanders that they had discussed with U.S. and Afghan officials. The secret reports also include the name of at least one U.S. intelligence operative.
Founder's response
Assange has denied that the release of the classified reports endangered U.S. troops or Afghan civilians. "None of the information released by WikiLeaks has ever led to physical injury of any person as far as can be ascertained, and we try hard to ascertain that fact," Assange said in an online interview Wednesday in which he answered questions from readers of The Washington Post.
WikiLeaks is withholding 15,000 reports that it plans to release after they are reviewed by its staff.
Senior defense officials said the Pentagon only recently became aware of the size and scope of the classified trove that was given to WikiLeaks. "We don't know how many more there are out there," said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "It could be a substantial additional number of documents. And we have no idea what their content is, either."
He dismissed the idea of opening a dialogue with Assange to learn more about the information the group was planning to release. "I'm not sure why we would," he said. "Do you think he is going to tell us the truth?"
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