40 Years Ago — Gaddafi Target of U.S. Disinformation (October 2, 1986 — Bob Woodward) [Disinformation Goes Mainstream — and It Still Matters Today]

Posted on October 2, 2026 by L

“There is a wonderful book that you might read… And the title of it is from a quote from Winston Churchill: ‘In time of war, the truth is so precious, it must be attended by a bodyguard of lies.'”

George P. Shultz
Secretary of State
October 3 1986

libya_bombing_reagan_meeting_14_march_1986
14 March 1986 — Reagan Strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi

October 2, 2026 — On October 2 1986, the Washington Post published an extraordinary story written by legendary journalist Bob Woodward: “Gadhafi Target of Secret U.S. Deception Plan”. Under orders from the White House, the US Intelligence Community was planting false information in the US media. As a result of this scandal, the use of the word ‘disinformation’ became mainstream in the English language. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Intel Today — TEN YEARS. ONE MILLION VIEWERS. — AND STILL ASKING WHY

Posted on October 1, 2026 by L

“I am very curious. I like to know why things happen.”

— Enrico Fermi

October 1, 2026 — During the night of September 30, 2026, Intel Today passed the one-million-viewer mark. For the synchronicity-minded, the date is remarkable: exactly ten years after our very first post on Sarkozy and Libya. And it happened shortly after our post celebrating the 125th anniversary of Enrico Fermi’s birth. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Posted in Book, Havana Syndrome, Intel Today, Lockerbie | Leave a comment

Twenty Years Ago — CIA Memorial Wall — Star 87: Rachel A. Dean (September 30, 2006 — Kazakhstan)

Posted on September 30, 2026 by L

“Rachel was a warm and compassionate young woman, and an officer of unbounded potential. We miss her still and will remember her always. She is our 87th star.”

General Michael V. Hayden
CIA Director
May 21 2007

September 30, 2026 — Rachel Alexandra Dean joined CIA in January 2005. She died on September 30 2006 in a car accident while on temporary duty in Kazakhstan. She was 25. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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125 Years Ago — Remembering Enrico Fermi (September 29 1901 – November 28 1954) — Think like a Physicist! How many workers were necessary to build Khufu’s pyramid? [Fermi Problems]

Posted on September 29, 2026 by L

“For the making of the pyramid itself there passed a period of twenty years. They worked by a hundred thousand men at a time, for each three months continually.”

Herodotus
(484 – c. 425 BC)

Pyramids of Giza, soaring above the city of Cairo, Egypt 

September 29, 2026 — A ‘Fermi Question’ asks for a quick estimate of a quantity that seems difficult, or even impossible, to determine precisely. Fermi’s approach to such questions was to use common sense and rough estimates of quantities to piece together a ball-park value. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Stanislav Petrov Saves the World from Nuclear War (September 26 1983)

Posted on September 26, 2026 by L

“The siren howled. But I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word ‘LAUNCH’ on it.”

Colonel Stanislav Petrov

Stanislav Petrov, a former lieutenant colonel for the Soviet Air Defence Forces, is credited with correctly recognizing a false alarm while manning an early-warning missile defense system, thereby averting a Soviet retaliatory strike and nuclear war.

September 26 2026 — On September 26 1983 — just three weeks after the Soviet military had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 — Stanislav Petrov was the duty officer at the command center for the Oko nuclear early-warning system when the system reported that a missile had been launched from the United States, followed by up to five more.

Petrov judged the reports to be a false alarm and his decision is credited with having prevented an erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its NATO allies that could have resulted in large-scale nuclear war. Investigation later confirmed that the Soviet satellite warning system had indeed malfunctioned. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — The Lockerbie DIA Memo (September 24, 1989) [UPDATE – The Ghosts of Lockerbie]

Posted on September 24, 2026 by L

“The bombing of the Pan Am flight [103] was conceived, authorised and financed by Ali-Akbar Mohtashemi-Pur, Iran’s former interior minister. The execution of the operation was contracted to Ahmad [Jibril], Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command [PFLP-GC] leader, for a sum of $1million. $100,000 of this money was given to Jibril up front in Damascus by the Iranian ambassador to Sy [Syria], Muhammed Hussan [Akhari] for initial expenses. The remainder of the money was to be paid after successful completion of the mission.”

US Defense Intelligence Agency Memo
(September 24 1989)

September 24, 2019 — There has been a persistent “rumor” that Iran paid a large amount of money — possibly up to US$ 10 million — to the PFLP-GC terrorist organization of Ahmed Jibril in the immediate aftermath of the Lockerbie tragedy. This is simply a piece of disinformation. Although the CIA and the DIA have often claimed to have evidence of such ‘payment’, a quick look at the source document will easily convince you that this legend was built around a suspicious transaction that has nothing to do with the Lockerbie tragedy. The SCCRC came to the same conclusion. Although Richard Marquise (FBI) is not willing to discuss the issue (the information is still classified), I believe that he agrees with my findings. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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NEW BOOK FROM INTEL TODAY — The CIA Memorial Wall Compendium — Volume I: A Brief History of the Wall

Posted on September 23, 2026 by L

“Every star has a story.”

Tim Johnston
CIA Memorial Wall
stone carver

September 23, 2026 — The CIA Memorial Wall is one of the most recognizable and mysterious memorials in Washington. The Wall has grown from 31 stars in 1974 to 141 in 2026, each representing a CIA officer who died in the line of duty. Yet the history of the Wall itself — and the stories behind its stars — has never been brought together in a single, independent work. The CIA Memorial Wall Compendium is a six-volume series intended to reveal long-overdue stories and correct various misconceptions about this unique Memorial. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — The VELA Incident (September 22 1979) [Update — CIA Assessed Nuclear Test Probability at Over 90%]

Posted on September 22, 2026 by L

“Now, 40 years later, there is a scientific and historical consensus that it was a nuclear test and that it had to be Israeli.”

Avner Cohen

September 22, 2019

vela
U.S. Vela satellite

September 22, 2026 — A CIA-sponsored panel of well-respected scientists concluded that a mysterious flash detected by a U.S. Vela satellite over the South Atlantic on the night of September 22 1979 was likely a nuclear test. Four decades later, this mysterious double flash still matters, and the debate is not over. Where science, espionage, and global intrigue collide, fascination never fades. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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25 Years Ago — Ana Montes Is Arrested (September 21 2001)

Posted on September 21, 2026 by L

“I believe that the morality of espionage is relative. The activity always betrays someone, and some observers will think that it is justified and others not, in every case.”

Ana Montes 
Private letter to a friend

CIA Director George Tenet (left) awards Ana Montes a Certificate of Distinction, the third highest national-level intelligence award. (1997)

September 21 2026 — Ana Belén Montes (born February 28, 1957) is a former senior analyst at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and a convicted spy. On September 21, 2001, she was arrested and subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit espionage for the government of Cuba. Montes eventually pleaded guilty to spying and, in October 2002, was sentenced to a 25-year prison term followed by five years’ probation. Montes was incarcerated at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. She was released from prison in January 2023 after serving more than 20 years. She now lives in Puerto Rico, where she has returned to private life and has declined requests for media interviews. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Did Intel Today Trigger the Halt of the Lockerbie Trial? [UPDATE: Sealed Hearing, New Evidence Remains a Mystery]

Posted on September 20, 2026 by L


“If the defense challenges the provenance and chain of custody of PT/35(b), the fragment of bomb timer circuitry that became a central element in the case against Libya, the prosecution could face a potentially devastating evidentiary problem.”

Intel Today
August 20, 2026

Ahmed Khalifa Niasse and French President Nicolas Sarkozy

August 27, 2026 — Just 24 hours before jury selection, the Lockerbie trial was postponed because of evidence previously unknown to the parties. Nearly four decades after the tragedy, this development is baffling. But it may not be as coincidental as it seems. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Posted in Abu Agela Masud, Disinformation, Lockerbie, Pan Am 103, Togo | 2 Comments