The father of Edward J. Snowden has offered federal authorities a deal that he says would likely lead the accused leaker to return voluntarily to the United States to face espionage charges.

The proposal was laid out in a letter, dated Thursday and obtained Friday by CNN's "Amanpour," addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder and written by Bruce Fein, a Washington-based lawyer for Snowden's father, Lonnie G. Snowden.

It demands that the former National Security Agency computer contractor who exposed details about U.S. surveillance programs remain free prior to trial; not be subject to a gag order; and be tried in a place of his choosing.

It further demands that, if any of those promises is broken, the prosecution would be dismissed.

"With these written representations and guarantee, Mr. Snowden is reasonably confident that his son could be persuaded to surrender voluntarily to the jurisdiction of the United States to face trial," Fein wrote.

The Justice Department has no immediate comment.

In comments Friday to NBC News' "Today," the elder Snowden said he had not spoken with his son since April.

"I love him, I would like to have the opportunity to communicate with him. I don't want to put him in peril, but I am concerned about those who surround him," he said.

Though the 30-year-old man may have betrayed his government, "I don't believe he has betrayed the people of the United States," he said.

He expressed concern that his son might be being manipulated by WikiLeaks. "Their focus isn't necessarily the Constitution of the United States," he said. "It's simply to release as much information as possible."

Snowden has been at Moscow's international airport since Sunday, when he arrived from Hong Kong.

CNN's Carol Cratty contributed to this report