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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11858895
"The US government had written to Mr Assange, urging him not release the documents.
The letter from the US state department's legal adviser Harold Koh said the release of classified state department documents was against US law and would put "countless" lives at risk.
Mr Assange is said to have asked which individuals would be put at risk by the leak and offered to negotiate over limited redactions.
In response, Mr Koh demanded that Wikileaks return official documents to the US government.
"We will not engage in a negotiation regarding the further release or dissemination of illegally obtained US government classified materials," he said in the letter."
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I think all those who credit Assange and his operation with the endangerment of 'innocent' lives should really take a stand. Apparently the choice seems to be the choice between information redacted according to Assange's principles, or no information at all. Apparently the US government is pigheadedly devoted to its self-proclaimed right to operating in secret, no matter what the [purportedly horrific] loss of life may be. Surely, a body that does not fear the light of day would not take such a reckless position.
On the other hand, this whole loss of life thing isn't obviously much more than a cheap tactic to vilify those who dedicate themselves to forcing governments to become more open.
Planted stories in the NYTimes simply don't constitute quality investigative reporting. Personally, I don't see any other possible way to gradually break the cycle of misinformation/secrecy, but maybe I haven't thought it through. Is there a more respectable alternative that has any chance of changing the game?
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The US ambassador in Norway actually made some kind of statement, which he sent to atleast one of the major news agencies in Norway, to be published in the aftermaths of this. Seemed like they weren't allowed to post it until then so it only made references, but according to them it was "Affirming the friendly and good lasting relation" etc.
I can't wait to see the language usage, will help a lot to confirm certain mentality claims
( http://www.dagbladet.no/2010/11/26/nyheter/den_amerikanske_ambassaden/usa/innenriks/utenriks/14462663/ )
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The release has begun. From The Guardian,
The cables published today reveal how the US uses its embassies as part of a global espionage network, with diplomats tasked to obtain not just information from the people they meet, but personal details, such as frequent flyer numbers, credit card details and even DNA material.
Classified "human intelligence directives" issued in the name of Hillary Clinton or her predecessor, Condoleeza Rice, instruct officials to gather information on military installations, weapons markings, vehicle details of political leaders as well as iris scans, fingerprints and DNA.
The Guardian also has a graph showing the classifications of the cables as well as destinations:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/ZO97t.jpg)
Details can be found at:
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cable-leak-diplomacy-crisis
Der Spiegel (not quite ready yet it seems)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/
Le Monde (French)
http://www.lemonde.fr/
El País (Spanish)
http://www.elpais.com/global/
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Just reading this.
Damn, USA is so fucked, and the Russia-China-North Korea situation looks worst then ever :/
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Fenrax
United States5018 Posts
Wikileaks plays with fire. It might be the right thing, it might be giant catastrophe.
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Ho ho holy shit:
They include reports of some Arab leaders - including the Saudi king - urging the US to attack Iran and end its nuclear weapons programme.
- Corruption within the Afghan government, with concerns heightened when a senior official was found to be carrying more than $50m in cash on a foreign trip
- Bargaining to empty the Guantanamo Bay prison camp - including Slovenian diplomats being told to take in a freed prisoner if they wanted to secure a meeting with President Barack Obama
- The extraordinarily close relationship between Russian PM Vladimir Putin and his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi
- Alleged links between the Russian government and organised crime
- American and South Korean officials' discussions about the prospects for a unified Korea should North Korea collapse as a viable state
- Sharply critical accounts of UK military operations in Afghanistan
Source
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From the Times article:
A global computer hacking effort: China’s Politburo directed the intrusion into Google’s computer systems in that country, a Chinese contact told the American Embassy in Beijing in January, one cable reported. The Google hacking was part of a coordinated campaign of computer sabotage carried out by government operatives, private security experts and Internet outlaws recruited by the Chinese government. They have broken into American government computers and those of Western allies, the Dalai Lama and American businesses since 2002, cables said.
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Just dropping by to say that I support Julian Assange & wikileaks.
I'm sorry to hear that some people, including soldiers, will be endangered by the leaks but in my country we use to say "qui sème le vent récolte la tempête" (he who sows the wind reaps the storm) so in the end of the day I know who to hold responsible.
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Interesting stuff, not nothing really earth shattering so far. The kind of stuff that gets declassified anyway in a few decades and mostly stuff that has been already been suspected/known.
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On November 29 2010 04:49 syllogism wrote:
Interesting stuff, not nothing really earth shattering so far. The kind of stuff that gets declassified anyway in a few decades and mostly stuff that has been already been suspected/known.
Most of this is not "world shattering" but information about few arab leaders insisting to attack Iran is a fucking bomb! shit hits a fan indeed...
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On November 29 2010 04:49 syllogism wrote:
Interesting stuff, not nothing really earth shattering so far. The kind of stuff that gets declassified anyway in a few decades and mostly stuff that has been already been suspected/known.
The best bit which is about US talking about Canada is apparently going to be released on thursday. Can't wait.
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On November 29 2010 04:30 Zealotdriver wrote:The release has begun. From The Guardian, Show nested quote +The cables published today reveal how the US uses its embassies as part of a global espionage network, with diplomats tasked to obtain not just information from the people they meet, but personal details, such as frequent flyer numbers, credit card details and even DNA material.
Classified "human intelligence directives" issued in the name of Hillary Clinton or her predecessor, Condoleeza Rice, instruct officials to gather information on military installations, weapons markings, vehicle details of political leaders as well as iris scans, fingerprints and DNA. The Guardian also has a graph showing the classifications of the cables as well as destinations: Details can be found at: The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.htmlThe Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/28/us-embassy-cable-leak-diplomacy-crisisDer Spiegel (not quite ready yet it seems) http://www.spiegel.de/international/Le Monde (French) http://www.lemonde.fr/El País (Spanish) http://www.elpais.com/global/
Wtf where are our spies in Russia >:O
I'm actually more shocked we don't have more spies. This is kind of pitiful :/
Nothing earth-shattering like I was expecting, though. The US has spies? No way! So does every other nation. Russia connected with organized crime? Ok wow... SK and US planning for the NK collapse? Shocking... Reports critical of another countries military operations? Wowza...
Blech this is all so useless. I was hoping for something important that would be worth all the trouble this has caused.
Edit: Ah I see now, the graphic is a selection of wires sent from top places. My faith in the US spy network is restored  Keep us safe!
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This thread could use a new OP...
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Aside from the Arabian leaders thing, is any of this even surprising?
It's baisically a bunch of non-PC talk about other world leaders. Big deal.
Is it a big revelation that even allies spy on each other? Documents declassified from 30 years ago show this.
The U.S. is making plans for a unified Korea? News flash, they have been planning this since 1953.
Seriously, these pass for "leaks"? Sad. I was hoping there would be some real top secret stuff. All this is, is just "oops my fly is open" garbage.
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^ I agree. I was expecting some true "earth shattering" leaks. Maybe not all of it has been sifted through yet but none of what's currently released really surprises me. Hell, this guy is so anit-American I was expecting some serious shit to be released the first day.
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Not all the information has been released so far, correct? Perhaps they are saving the best for last.
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None of this is top-secret, it was information accessable to millions of people already. That's why basically none of it is new. The value is in seeing what was already suspected now confirmed.
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So apparently some of the documents have information about "misbehavior" on the royal family?
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Are you guys insane? Its not about "the world shattering", its all about the importance OF revealing information like that. Do you even relise what signal is this for (f.e.) Saudi authorities? Do you really think that after compromitation like that any other gouverment will trust the US diplomats enough to play the open cards? Thank fucking god that we are living in more civilised time, cuz in 19th century information like those from Saudies would certenly started a war. Damn, much less provoking depeche of minister Zimmermann was the coup de grace for any US pacifist sentiment in 1917...
Stuff like that can start the new era of fucking covert politics, secret diplomacy...
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I think he has released all of it at once and the different journalists probably read the top secret stuff first, so the will not be any big revelations anymore.
On the other hand, those were just stuff that the ambassadors told the ministry of state, so it is not like those are top secret files from secret agent spies, but more political banter.
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EPT
