June
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Ohio.com - Pentagon wants Afghan files back
"STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Wednesday the Pentagon has expressed willingness to discuss the online whistleblower's request for help in reviewing classified documents from the Afghan war and removing information that could harm civilians.
''This week we received contact through our lawyers that the General Counsel'' of the Pentagon ''says now that they want to discuss the issue,'' Assange said by telephone.
The Pentagon denied it was willing to collaborate with the group, but acknowledged that it had arranged for a phone call last Sunday between its general counsel and a person claiming to be a lawyer for WikiLeaks.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the lawyer, Timothy Matusheski, was a ''no-show'' for the call.
The Pentagon followed up with a letter to Matusheski on Monday demanding that WikiLeaks return the war files."
''The Defense Department will not negotiate some 'minimized' or 'sanitized' version of the release by WikiLeaks of additional U.S. government classified documents,'' wrote Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon's top lawyer.
Whitman initially told reporters there had been no ''direct'' contact between the Defense Department and WikiLeaks. He said he still stands by that assessment, because the call between Johnson and Matusheski never took place.
In a brief phone call, Matusheski said Wednesday that he had received a fax from the Defense Department. He did not answer any other questions.
Assange said Wednesday that ''contact has been established'' but added it was not clear whether and how the U.S. military would assist WikiLeaks.
