By Wolf Blitzer/CNN

WASHINGTON (November 11) -- CIA Director George Tenet made it clear to President Bill Clinton during last month's Wye River Mideast talks that he probably would resign if the president released convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Jay Pollard as part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, administration sources tell CNN.

The sources say Tenet made his position known to Clinton on October 23, the last day of the Wye River negotiations on the eastern shore of Maryland.

George Tenet

That morning, Clinton had been pressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release the former naval intelligence analyst as part of the peace agreement.

After consulting with his advisers, including Tenet, the president informed the prime minister that Pollard would not be released.

That last-minute snag nearly derailed the agreement. Israeli officials say Netanyahu had earlier received strong indications from the president that Pollard might be released, something U.S. officials strongly deny.

Tenet and other officials insisted that Pollard caused grave damage to U.S. national security interests when he handed over to the Israelis thousands of pages of highly-classified documents.

Clinton later publicly said that he would authorize another inter-agency review of the Pollard matter but refused to make any promises to Netanyahu.

Wednesday, November 11, 1998

• Republicans divided over impeachment inquiry
• Gingrich's likely successor makes Social Security his top priority
• Both sides rest in McDougal trial
• California anti-smoking measure apparently approved
• CIA chief threatened to resign if Clinton released Israeli spy
• Former House Speaker Wright comments on Gingrich
• Can Gingrich be contender for 2000?
• Defense companies big Livingston donors
• GOP moderate eyes Gingrich's seat
• Report: Lewinsky erupts in eatery
• Whitman resigns from Amtrak panel

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