Dan Halpern

Dan Halpern (diplomat, spook)
Nationality	Israeli
Interests	AIPAC
Israeli diplomat who passed confidential US documents to AIPAC, to lobby for a trade agreement massively favorable to Israel.

Dan Halperin was minister for economic affairs at the Embassy of Israel in Washington. He was investigated by the FBI for passing confidential US information to AIPAC for lobbying purposes, but claimed diplomatic immunity.

1985 Free Trade Agreement

Source: U.S. Census Foreign Trade Data, Cumulative Trade Surplus (or Deficit) – $ Billion, compiled and inflation adjusted by IRmep.

AIPAC and Israel worked every angle to pass the 1985 U.S. Israel Free Trade Area Agreement (ILFTA). U.S. industry, upon first learning about a proposed Israel free trade deal in 1984, saw the deal as a political give-away orchestrated by Israel that would open the way for other politically motivated and distorting trade deals.

Along with favored economist Stanley Fischer, the group viewed unfettered Israeli exports to the U.S. as a means to stave off the results of severe Israeli economic mismanagement and isolation from the country’s neighbors.

Espionage

In 1984 US exporters were urged to submit business confidential data about their prices, market share, internal costs and market strategy to the International Trade Commission. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) guaranteed confidentiality and compiled the data into a classified report for use in negotiating the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement.

The Israeli government obtained the classified USTR report and passed it to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to use in lobbying and public relations. By stealing and using the report against U.S. industry, and leveraging a vast coordinated political campaign contribution system, the Israel lobby won passage of Free Trade Agreement in 1985.

Declassified FBI investigation files in the petition reveal AIPAC's legislative director made illicit duplications before returning the report by order of the USTR. The investigation uncovered three AIPAC officials reproducing and circulating the stolen report, and traced the theft back to Israeli Minister of Economics Dan Halpern. The FBI interviewed Halpern, who admitted obtaining the classified document and giving it to AIPAC.

The FBI investigation ended in early 1987 after the FBI predicted that Halpern would simply claim diplomatic immunity. The AIPAC officials continued their careers with no adverse consequences.

Later Career

Halperin was also an advisor to the finance minister and the Finance Ministry’s spokesman.

He also serves chairman of the Israel Festival Association and is a member of the board of trustees of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.