Meet The Prisoner John Crossman

Yediot Ahronot
November 24, 1999
By Michal Goldberg

· When Vanunu was first brought to the detention centre in Ashkelon, it was decided to register him under the false name 'John Crossman' - this being the name he was given when he was baptized in Australia, before his first encounter with the Sunday Times.

· A Shin Bet agent called 'Allon', who accompanied Vanunu from the moment he landed in Israel, testified that he and his colleagues wanted to avoid questions about an anonymous person being kept in the interrogation centre. 'Allon' testified: 'I said to Vanunu that I wanted to keep his presence in the gaol secret, and asked him what name he would like us to use.' He added that Vanunu suggested the name 'John Crossman': 'This was the name he was given when he was baptized a Christian.' That was the reason the false name was entered in the official documents and in the prison record.

· 'Allon' also testified that Vanunu agreed to speak English with the prison guards, to keep his identity from them. He also switched to English with the Shin Bet interrogators whenever a prison guard entered the room.