WikiLeaks 3: New Docs May 'Wreak Havoc,' Pentagon Warns Congress

(Nov. 24) -- Will it be any worse this time?

On Tuesday, officials at the Pentagon briefed members of Congress on the imminent release of a new trove of classified U.S. government documents set to be made public by WikiLeaks, the European-based watchdog group. The potentially dangerous intelligence information could be made public through The New York Times, Der Spiegel (Germany), Al-Jazeera and The Guardian (U.K.) as soon as Friday.

The number of documents that Julian Assange's group plans to expose to public view is said to dwarf the 400,000 pages released in October that dealt with the war in Iraq, and the 75,000 pages that concerned the war in Afghanistan that were made public in July.

In all, the new document dump will contain more than seven times the amount of information found in the group's Iraq war release, WikiLeaks said. It will also feature U.S. security analyst opinions on the nation's enemies and allies alike, Bloomberg reported.

"State Department cables by their nature contain everyday analysis and candid assessments that any government engages in as part of effective foreign relations," Elizabeth King, the assistant secretary for legislative affairs, told members of Congress in an e-mail. "The publication of this classified information by WikiLeaks is an irresponsible attempt to wreak havoc and destabilize global security. It potentially jeopardizes lives."

With each WikiLeaks release of classified material, the Pentagon has issued similar dire warnings.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a Swedish court ruled that an international arrest warrant for Assange on rape charges is valid. Assange is accused by two WikiLeaks volunteers of sexual assault and rape during a meeting that occurred late this summer.

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