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Israel
Lekem
Until officially disbanded in 1986, the Bureau of Scientific
Relations (Leshkat Kesher Madao--Lekem) collected scientific and
technical intelligence abroad from both open and covert sources.
Lekem was dismantled following the scandal aroused in the United
States by the arrest of Jonathan Jay Pollard for espionage on
behalf of Israel. Pollard, a United States naval intelligence
employee in Washington, received considerable sums for delivering
vast quantities of classified documents to the scientific officers
(Lekem agents) at the Israeli embassy. Pollard was sentenced to
life imprisonment. Although the Israeli government asserted that
the operation was an unauthorized deviation from its policy of
not conducting espionage against the United States, statements
by the Israeli participants and by Pollard himself cast doubt
on these claims.
Data as of December 1988
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