President Bill Clinton
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. President,
On behalf of the National Zionist Organization of America, of which I am National President, I am writing to urge to reconsider your decision to deny clemency to Jonathan Jay Pollard.
Mr. Pollard's sentence of life imprisonment, for having passed U.S. intelligence information to a friendly country (Israel), was far more severe than that given to individuals convicted of similar crimes involving enemy countries.
Furthermore, the sentencing judge may have been unfairly influenced by a letter from then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, that used the term "treason," even though Mr. Pollard was neither indicted not convicted of treason, nor damaging the security of the United States.
A commutation of Mr. Pollard's sentence on humanitarian grounds is not a condoning of his breaking of the law, but a recognition that the time he has already served is enough punishment in view of the circumstances surrounding his crime.
I therefore respectfully urge you to commute Mr. Pollard's sentence to time served.
Sincerely,
Morton A. Klein
National President
National Zionist Organization of America