WikiLeaks Files Said to Show NSA Spied on French Leaders

WikiLeaks published documents that it says shows the United States National Security Agency eavesdropped on the last three French presidents. There was no immediate confirmation of the accuracy of the documents released in collaboration with Libération, a left-leaning French newspaper, and the investigative website Mediapart. A WikiLeaks spokesman, Kristinn Hrafnsson, said he was confident the documents were authentic, saying that WikiLeaks’ previous mass disclosures have proved to be accurate.

Claudine Ripert-Landler, a senior spokeswoman for President François Hollande of France, said that President Hollande would convene “the Defense Council to evaluate the nature of the information reported in the media and draw the necessary conclusions.” The council, which is similar to the United States National Security Council, was expected to meet June 24. There was no immediate comment from the White House or from former President Jacques Chirac. An aide to President Hollande’s predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, said the former president considered these methods unacceptable, generally speaking and especially from an ally. The aide was not authorized to be publicly identified.