Washington, Dec 15 (DPA) US Air Force personnel who try to view leaked WikiLeaks diplomatic cables or stories about them are finding the websites blocked by management, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal reported late Tuesday that
Air Force users who try to view the websites of the New York Times, Britain's Guardian, Spain's El Pais, France's Le Monde or German magazine Der Spiegel get a page saying "ACCESS DENIED. Internet Usage is Logged & Monitored".

The five media organisations were given access to secret US diplomatic documents by the whistleblower organization WikiLeaks before they were posted on the internet. The leaks have generated weeks of news coverage and provoked an international legal wrangle over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The Air Force confirmed the blocking action, telling the Journal it had blocked more than 25 websites. The action was intended to keep classified material off unclassified computer systems, a spokeswoman for the Air Force said.

The Journal reported that the Army, Navy and Marines said they were not blocking such websites.