>>511090262'Accepted it': De Niro says Milchan told him he was an Israeli and that 'of course' he would spy for his country. The actor says he did not judge him for it
De Niro was asked if he knew what was going on at the time, and he said he did.
'I did ask him once, we spoke about something, he told me that he was an Israeli and that he of course would do these things for his country.
'I remember at some point, I had asked Arnon about that, being friends I was curious, but not in an accusatory way, I just wanted to know.
'He gave me that answer and I accepted it,' said De Niro.
Closed down: Jonathan Pollard sits in the back of a US government vehicle in 1985 after being accused of spying. The incident closed down Israel's Bureau of Scientific Relations, which Milchan was involved with
If people knew how many times I risked my life, back and forth, again and again, for my country. And suddenly, [I have to] defend myself โ "I'm not an arms dealer, I don't sell guns, I don't sell rockets". I should have been aware of that, of what I'll go through, and said, "F*** you". You know what, I did it for my country and I'm proud of it.โ
This isnโt the first time Milchan's role in Israeli arms dealings and intelligence has surfaced.
Two years ago, a book titled Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan, was published by authors Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman.
The book alleged that Milchan was an operative for Israel's Bureau of Scientific Relations, which gathered information for Israel's alleged nuclear program.
The bureau was closed after Jonathan Pollard was arrested for spying on behalf of Israel in 1986.
Milchan is still making movies, and his company, New Regency films, is working on four films slated for release in 2013-14.