Jonathan Pollard

* Re “Keep This Spy Behind Bars,” editorial, Dec. 6: Jonathan Pollard’s spying pointed out the laxness of our security system, which enabled him to remove a ton of material. A life sentence because he laid bare the inadequacies of our system is not justified. In recent years other Americans caught spying for Russia were all given lesser sentences.

GENE SCHRIER

Rolling Hills

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In your editorial, you dismiss the significant fact that my son, Jonathan Pollard, was indicted and charged with passing classified information to a foreign country for the benefit of Israel, not for damage to the United States. According to the U.S. Court of Appeals he was not charged with treason.

Our government created new charges against Pollard based on secret testimony by Caspar Weinberger, whose record in Iran-Contra includes indictment on five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. That the court accepted the testimony of an indicted felon with the recorded comment by presiding Judge Aubrey Robinson that “it was not unbiased” is incredible.

Appeals Court Judge Stephan Williams decided that “because the government’s breach of the plea agreement, the case is a fundamental miscarriage of justice” (March 20, 1992). Judgments made on the basis of secret testimony, especially by a witness of questionable integrity, are unacceptable. I’d recommend that you read the records of the case to support your opinion, but the court refused such information even to defense attorneys who were cleared for top-secret information.

MORRIS POLLARD

Notre Dame, Ind.

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I cannot understand why Pollard and others who have committed espionage are not shot or hanged. The suggestion that the recipient of the stolen documents was a “friendly” nation is preposterous. Even if the recipient were the United Kingdom or Canada, such espionage would not be acceptable.

SIDNEY HATCHL

Santa Ana