U.S. Warns Allies of WikiLeaks Files

WikiLeaks is at it again. The U.S. felt compelled to brief a number of foreign governments about the possible release of a large cache of diplomatic files by whistleblowing site WikiLeaks. The U.K., Turkey, Israel, Denmark, and Norway have been warned by the U.S. to expect possible embarrassment, since the release—which WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange claims will be seven times larger than the almost 400,000 Pentagon documents dealing with the Iraq War the site published in October—is said to include candid assessments of foreign governments by its officials. The release could do serious damage to the U.S., weakening trust in the country as a diplomatic partner. “When this confidence is betrayed and ends up on the front pages of newspapers or lead stories on television or radio, it has an impact,” said State department spokesman P.J. Crowley. Officials are, so far, unaware of when the documents will be released.