On This Day — U2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers Exchanged in Spy Swap for KGB Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (February 10 1962)

Posted on February 10, 2026 by L

“Francis Gary Powers performed his duty in a very dangerous mission and he performed it well, and I think I know more about that than some of his detractors and critics know, and I am glad to say that to him tonight.”
 
CIA Director Allen Dulles
(March 1964)

 

Glienicke Bridge prisoner exchange depicted in the Bridge of Spies movie, where Soviet spy Rudolf Abel was exchanged for American pilot Francis Gary Powers

February 10 2025 — At 8:52 am on February 10 1962, American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was exchanged in a spy swap for Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, a senior KGB spy at the now famous Glienicke Bridge. American student Frederic Pryor was also released at the same time. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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Havana Syndrome: New Findings from U.S. Intel

Posted on February 9, 2026 by L

“If the facts are confirmed and if the effects are indeed caused by a physical device, I find the microwave explanation far more likely than a sonic attack.”

US Spies & the Havana Syndrome
INTEL TODAY
October 3 2017​

February 9, 2026 — Michael Beck, the first U.S. intelligence officer to report symptoms later associated with what became known as Havana Syndrome, passed away on January 29, 2026, at the age of 65. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 45. In 2014, Beck filed a workers’ compensation claim citing hazardous working conditions. The claim was denied by the NSA. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — The CIA exfiltrates 6 diplomats from Iran (January 28 1980) [Operation “Canadian Caper”]

Posted on January 28, 2026 by L

“Mehrabad is like many Middle Eastern or South Asian airports. Although of fairly modern construction, the people who pass through as travelers or hang around to greet or see travelers off make an orderly transit impossible. This was another reason for choosing the 7:30 a.m. Swissair flight. If we arrived at the airport at 5 a.m., the chances were the airport would be less chaotic. Also, the officials manning the controls might still be sleepy, and most of the Revolutionary Guards would still be in their beds. This was the case that Monday morning, 28 January 1980.”

Tony Mendez
Former CIA Officer

CIA posted this pic on Facebook today. (Jan. 28, 2026)

January 28 2025 — The “Canadian Caper” was the popular name given to the joint covert rescue by the Canadian government and the CIA of six American diplomats who had evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran, on November 4, 1979, after the Iranian Revolution, when Islamist students took most of the American embassy personnel hostage, demanding the return of the US-backed Shah for trial. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — And thus a new syndrome was born… (Havana Syndrome – October 3 2017) [UPDATE : IntelToday Decade-Old Prediction Now Under Official Review]

Posted on January 14, 2026 by L

“If the facts are confirmed and if the effects are indeed caused by a physical device, I find the microwave explanation far more likely than a sonic attack.”

US Spies & the Havana Syndrome

INTEL TODAY
(October 3 2017)

October 3 2025 — On October 3rd 2017, INTEL TODAY coined the expression “Havana Syndrome” which is now universally used, both by mainstream media and the research community. In the same piece, I suggested for the very first time that microwave attacks, conducted for espionage, were the most likely explanation. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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CIA Memorial Wall — Star 31 : John W. Kearns (Laos – December 15, 1972)

Posted on December 15, 2025 by L

“As a paramilitary operations officer, John’s role was to work behind enemy lines, supporting local pro-government forces and engaging in special missions to disrupt the activities of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Vietcong.”

CIA website

Earliest known photo of the Book of Honor (33 stars)

December 15, 2024 — John Wesley Kearns III was a CIA officer who served as a paramilitary operations officer on contract in Laos during the Vietnam War. He was killed in action on December 15, 1972, at the age of 30. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY.

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On This Day — Pan Am Flight 214 Crashes (December 8 1963) Lesson Learned? [Update : Was the story of Air India Flight 301 used to write the Lockerbie script?]

Posted on December 8, 2025 by L

“Aviation investigations are replete with accident scenarios that couldn’t happen. And given the lack of bomb evidence so far, neither scenario has been ruled out, officials said. First is the possibility that the doomed plane’s front section, which has a history of structural fatigue cracks and must undergo regular inspections, simply unzipped from the rest of the plane as weakened structural frames gave way.”

TWA 800
Washington Post
(August 1 1996)

December 8 2025 — Pan Am Flight 214 was a scheduled flight of Pan American World Airways from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On December 8, 1963, the Boeing 707 serving the flight crashed near Elkton, Maryland, while en route from Baltimore to Philadelphia, after being hit by lightning, killing all 81 on board. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Western Union Cable Announces Armistice to North Americans [UPDATE : The Sound of Silence : November 11, 1918 – 11 a.m.]

Posted on November 11, 2025 by L

“There had never been a known leak from the Western Union telegraph office on Court Street before that day, but this news was simply too good to keep quiet. As you might guess, they were overjoyed, so that word very quickly leaked into the community and the party was on.”

Richard Rose — Chair of the November 10 commemoration committee with the North Sydney Historical Society

 

The North Sydney Historical Museum houses the telegraph machine that received the oversea message announcing an armistice would be signed on November 11, 1918.

November 11 2025 — On November 10 1918, the Western Union Cable Office in North Sydney, Nova Scotia received a Morse coded message from Europe stating that all fighting — on land, sea and in the air — would cease the next day. On November 11, 1918 — at precisely 11 a.m. — the guns fell silent, marking the end of the war. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Remembering Actress and Inventor Hedy Lamarr (November 9, 1914 – January 19, 2000) [UPDATE : From Ecstasy to Havana Syndrome]

Posted on November 9, 2025 by L

“We began talking about the war, which, in the late summer of 1940, was looking most extremely black. Hedy said that she did not feel very comfortable, sitting there in Hollywood and making lots of money when things were in such a state. She said that she knew a good deal about munitions and various secret weapons … and that she was thinking seriously of quitting MGM and going to Washington, DC, to offer her services to the newly established Inventors’ Council.”
 
George Antheil
Composer, pianist, inventor

Hedy Lamarr, ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’ (ca 1940)

November 9 2025 — Today is the 111th anniversary of Hedy Lamarr’s birth! Often called “The Most Beautiful Woman in Films,” Hedy Lamarr’s beauty and screen presence made her one of the most popular actresses of her time. However, it is less well-known that Lamarr was also an inventor. Along with composer George Antheil, she patented a frequency-hopping system during World War II that later paved the way for technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_Today

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Revisiting Havana Syndrome: Moscow Death Ray vs. CIA Hoax [UPDATE — Brennan and Ex-FBI Officials Subpoenaed]

Posted on November 8, 2025 by L

“Agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy.”

CIA Director John Ratcliffe
(July 2, 2025)

July 6, 2025 — This week, the CIA concluded a critical internal review casting serious doubts on the integrity of past intelligence narratives—highlighting strong circumstantial evidence that former CIA Director John Brennan played a central role in shaping, and possibly fabricating, key political allegations. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Able Archer 1983 : The Brink of Apocalypse (November 7-11, 1983) [UPDATE : “NATO is a leftover Cold War relic doing more harm than good.”]

Posted on November 7, 2025 by L

“The US intelligence had failed to grasp the true extent of their anxiety.”

Robert Gates
CIA Deputy Director
for Intelligence
during Able Archer 83

November 7 2025 — Able Archer 83 is the codename for a command post exercise carried out in November 1983 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Coordinated from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Casteau, Belgium, it involved NATO forces throughout Western Europe. This exercise began on November 7, 1983 and ended on November 11, 1983. Today, many historians believe that the world almost came to a nuclear war on that week. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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