US soldier Bradley Manning has been charged with disclosing classified material to whistleblower site Wikileaks.

But it's what he hasn't been charged with that's interesting.

Since the news of Manning's arrest broke there has been much speculation about the fate of 150,000 diplomatic cables the young soldier is alleged to have stolen.

However, according to the charge sheet, only 50 diplomatic cables were disclosed to an unnamed third party.

In the charge document the US government alleges Manning did "willfully communicate, deliver and transmit the cables, or cause the cables to be communicated, delivered, and transmitted, to a person not entitled to receive them".

While the charges allege Manning also stole 150,000 diplomatic cables, there's no mention of him leaking them to a "person not entitled to receive them".

This doesn't actually tell us whether or not Manning has leaked the 150,000 cables. What it does tell us is the US Military does not possess enough evidence to charge Manning with leaking that material.

Could it be that Wikileaks is sitting on those cables, withholding their publication until Manning's legal problems are over with? Or could it be that Manning was arrested before he could leak the 150,000 cables he allegedly stole?

It's impossible to say. But the omission of a charge involving the leaking of that information is certainly interesting.