'Declassified diplomatic cables from Australia’s embassy in Washington D.C., obtained through freedom of information requests filed by The Sydney Morning Herald, reveal that Australian officials have already begun laying the groundwork for the U.S. to pursue charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The cables show that diplomats in Assange’s home country anticipate receipt of an extradition request for Assange once a secret U.S. grand jury wraps up its investigation. They expect it so fully that embassy staff even reached out to U.S. officials for "early advice" on the potential indictment and extradition request.

The American response was redacted, the paper noted, "on the grounds that disclosure could ’cause damage to the international relations of the Commonwealth.’" Other material blacked out of the cables pertains to the prosecution of Pvt. Bradley Manning, who U.S. military prosecutors say participated in a conspiracy with WikiLeaks to steal and publish classified information.'

Read more: Diplomatic Cables Reveal Australia Expects U.S. to Charge Julian Assange