The office of the Director of National Intelligence was informing foreign intelligence services that former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden obtained documents outlining their covert cooperation with the United States, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
Government officials told the Post that Snowden took documents containing sensitive material about intelligence collection programs against countries like Iran, Russia, and China, and that in some cases refer to operations involving countries that aren’t public allies of the United States.
The material does not deal with NSA surveillance, according to the Post, but mostly with standard intelligence about other countries’ military systems. Officials told the Post the ODNI was informing foreign intelligence services about the risk of disclosure.
The notifications coincide with the Obama administration’s effort to appease allies after documents leaked by Snowden showed the NSA tracked the phone conversations of 35 foreign leaders.
