LONDON — U.S. allies around the world have been briefed by American diplomats about an expected release of classified U.S. files by the WikiLeaks website that is likely to cause international embarrassment and could damage some nations’ relations with the United States.
The release of hundreds of thousands of State Department cables is expected this weekend, although WikiLeaks has not been specific about the timing. The cables are thought to include private, candid assessments of foreign leaders and governments and could erode trust in the U.S. as a diplomatic partner.
In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman, Steve Field, said Friday that the government had been told of “the likely content of these leaks” by U.S. Ambassador Louis Susman. Field declined to say what Britain had been warned about.
“I don’t want to speculate about precisely what is going to be leaked before it is leaked,” Field said.
In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said U.S. diplomats were continuing the process of warning governments around the world about what might be in the documents.
Many fear the cables will embarrass the United States and its allies, and reveal sensitive details of how the U.S. conducts relations with other countries.
“We are all bracing for what may be coming and condemn WikiLeaks for the release of classified material,” he said. “It will place lives and interests at risk. It is irresponsible.”
Italy’s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, said he spoke Friday with the U.S. State Department, which told him there would be documents regarding Italy in the leak, “but the content can’t be anticipated.”
“We’re talking about thousands and thousands of classified documents that the U.S. will not comment on, as is their custom,” Frattini said.
The governments of Canada and Norway also said they had been briefed by U.S. officials. Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on a report that it, too, had been informed.
In Iraq, U.S. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey told reporters that the leaks represent a serious obstacle to international diplomacy.
In Norway, U.S. officials released a statement from the ambassador to the newspaper Dagbladet with the understanding that it would not be published until after the WikiLeaks material came out, but the newspaper published the material ahead of time.
It quoted U.S. Ambassador to Norway Barry White saying that, while he could not vouch for the authenticity of the documents, he expected them to contain U.S. officials’ candid assessments of political leaders and political movements in other countries. He said diplomats had to be able to have private, honest discussions to do their jobs.
Diplomatic cables are internal documents that would include a range of secret communications between U.S. diplomatic outposts and State Department headquarters in Washington.
The U.S. says it has known for some time that WikiLeaks held the diplomatic cables.
A WikiLeaks primer
What it has leaked: In July, WikiLeaks released more than 70,000 military reports on the war in Afghanistan; in October, nearly 400,000 reports on the Iraq war. “Next release is 7 (times) the size of the Iraq War Logs,” WikiLeaks said on Twitter.
Where it comes from: WikiLeaks has not disclosed the source of its materials. But suspicion has centered on Pfc. Bradley Manning, 22, an Army intelligence analyst the military arrested this year, charging him with downloading and transferring classified material.
Who created it: WikiLeaks was founded in 2006 by former computer hacker Julian Assange. The organization has been under stress in recent months, with several members quitting. Assange is facing allegations in Sweden of rape and sexual harassment, which he has denied.
The Washington Post
