• Wikileaks  releases database of U.S. diplomatic records from 1973 to  1976
• Henry  Kissinger was U.S. Secretary of State and National Security  Adviser
• Julian  Assange worked on project inside Ecuadorian Embassy in London
• Australian  Wikileaks founder, 41, sought refuge at the embassy last  June

By  Mark Duell

PUBLISHED: 20:00 EST, 7  April 2013 |  UPDATED: 20:00 EST, 7 April 2013

Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks today published more than 1.7million U.S. records covering diplomatic or intelligence reports on every country in the world.

The data released today includes more than  1.7million U.S. diplomatic records from 1973 to 1976 – covering a traffic of  cables, intelligence reports and congressional correspondence.

WikiLeaks described the Public Library of US  Diplomacy (PlusD) as the world’s largest searchable collection of U.S.  confidential, or formerly confidential, diplomatic communications.

 

Collection: The data released today includes more than  1.7million US diplomatic records from 1973 to 1976

Much of the work was carried out by WikiLeaks  founder Julian Assange, 41, during his time in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London,  where he has been staying since last summer.

The Australian sought refuge at the embassy  last June over fears that he would be sent to the U.S. if he was extradited to  Sweden to face sexual offence claims by two women – charges he  denies.

The Ecuadorian Government has granted Mr  Assange political asylum and has repeatedly offered Swedish prosecutors the  chance to interview him at the embassy in Knightsbridge, central  London.

Mr Assange said the information showed the  ‘vast range and scope’ of U.S. diplomatic and intelligence activity around the  world.

 

On the inside: Much of the work was carried out by  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his time in the Ecuadorian Embassy in  London, where he has been staying since last summer

 

Records database: WikiLeaks described the Public Library  of US Diplomacy (PlusD) as the world’s largest searchable collection of U.S.  confidential, or formerly confidential, diplomatic communications

Henry Kissinger was U.S. Secretary of State  and National Security Adviser during the period covered by the collection, and  many of the reports were written by him or sent to him.

Thousands of the documents are marked NODIS  (no distribution) or Eyes Only, as well as cables originally classed as secret  or confidential.

Mr Assange said WikiLeaks had undertaken a  detailed analysis of the communications, adding that the information eclipsed  Cablegate, a set of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables published by  WikiLeaks from November 2010 and over the following year.

These documents were released after being  anonymously leaked, detailing U.S. foreign policy over the last  decade.

 

Across Africa: Henry Kissinger was U.S. Secretary of  State and National Security Adviser during the period covered by the collection,  and many of the reports were written by him or sent to him

The collection published today has not been  leaked, but Mr Assange said WikiLeaks had been working for the past year to  analyse and assess a vast amount of data held at the U.S. national archives  before releasing it in a searchable form.

Mr Assange said WikiLeaks had developed  sophisticated technical systems to deal with ‘complex and voluminous’  data.

Top secret documents were not available,  while some others were lost or irreversibly corrupted for periods including  December 1975 and March and June 1976, said Mr Assange.

He added that his mother, who lives in  Australia, had told him he was being kept at the embassy ‘with nothing to do but  work on WikiLeaks material’.

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