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Friday April 16, 1999

Anti-Semitism in the CIA?

Is the CIA engaging in rank anti-Semitism against Jewish employees? In the wake of a news blitz bringing those accusations to the fore, many questions have yet to be answered.

In the meantime, the allegations are stunning, and the implications deeply disturbing.

Adam Ciralsky, a Jewish attorney on forced leave from the CIA, says the agency is running him out of a job because he is suspected to harbor dual loyalty to Israel.

Internal CIA memos appear to back up his story.

"From my experience with rich Jewish friends from college, I would fully expect Adam's wealthy daddy to support Israeli political/social causes in some form or another, perhaps through Jewish appeal" a senior official wrote.

Other CIA memos mention the young attorney's proficiency in Hebrew and trips to Israel, but not his Spanish ability and trips to China.

Furthermore, Ciralsky, who announced plans to file suit later this month, was subjected to a lengthy interrogation during which he was accused of being a spy. He was also ordered to take a polygraph, which he was told he flunked. Ciralsky's attorney maintains the test was rigged and that his client did nothing to break the law.

The CIA has vehemently denied the allegations, with former director John Deutch, who is Jewish, saying he never encountered a hint of anti-Semitism. That may well be the case; one would hope he is not protecting his former employer.

Current director George Tenet sent a letter to the Anti-Defamation League this week rebuking CIA employees for being insensitive and unprofessional in their memos about Ciralsky.

Tenet is right. Those who penned such ridiculous memos should be severely reprimanded, at the very least. It's astonishing to see such churlish sentiments circulated at a government agency.

Regardless, the CIA needs to initiate an immediate and broad inquiry into the alarming allegations to determine whether the agency is institutionally anti-Semitic or just harboring a few bad eggs. The agency's credibility is at stake.

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