WikiLeaks Diplomatic Document Dump

The more than 250,000 diplomatic cables and directives from the U.S. State Department leaked by the document-dumping website WikiLeaks on Nov. 28, 2010, included some unflattering descriptions and gossip about world leaders. Here are some of the tidbits of the information that captured much of the attention of media outlets.

The third large release of documents from the shadowy website WikiLeaks on Nov. 28, 2010, shared more than 250,000 sensitive diplomatic cables and directives from the U.S. State Department, and followed large dumps of documents from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The leak sparked furor among lawmakers and government officials, but can anything be done to punish WikiLeaks?

On Nov. 28, 2010, the document dumping website WikiLeaks followed earlier releases of classified Afghanistan and Iraq war documents with a release of scores more documents that included 251,287 cables and directives from the U.S. State Department. These included everything from personal opinions about world leaders to key nuggets on security issues. Here's how Washington responded.

Through the high-profile document dumps of U.S. files on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, Assange became known as the spokesman of the organization and says he is constantly on the run from governments investigating the site. “I am the heart and soul of this organization, its founder, philosopher, spokesperson, original coder, organizer, financier, and all the rest," he has been quoted as saying.

This much can be said of the latest WikiLeaks dump that began hitting the Internet tonight: Relations between the United States and Liechtenstein are still probably as they ever were, very much intact and harmonious.

Perhaps the most sensitive criticism was that directed at the Kremlin, as the White House has tried to press the "reset button" in relations with Russia and lobbied Moscow to support actions against ally Iran for its nuclear program.