Knowing that a decision to release Pollard from custody could be politically unpopular for a President, Pollard's supporters in Congress are hoping that the fact that Clinton will not again face the electorate will permit him to put such political considerations aside. One possibility is that Pollard could be exiled to Israel, which has acknowledged he was working in its behalf.

Democratic Reps. Anthony Weiner and Jerold Nadler, both of New York, and Janice D. Shakowsky of Illinois sent Clinton a letter on Nov. 27 setting out why they believe Pollard should be released.

"After Mr. Pollard had been sentenced to life in prison, his attorney failed to file a notice of appeal--a simple and straightforward task that any attorney would have routinely done," they wrote. "By that failure, Mr. Pollard's then-counsel appears to have deprived his client of direct appelate review of the sentence and doomed Mr. Pollard to an unreviewed sentence of life in prison.

"The papers that have been filed by a new counsel seek to have Mr. Pollard resentenced on the basis of a truthful record, untainted by government misconduct, and in a manner consistent with the government's commitments under the plea agreement. The papers seek a court hearing so that the truth can finally be uncovered.

"We respectfully urge you to consider this recent court submission as part of your pending executive review of this matter. In light of this apparent government misconduct, coupled with ineffective representation that allowed that misconduct to go unchecked, we believe that fundamental fairness warrants an immediate commutation of Mr. Pollard's sentence."

-- Donald H. Harrison