“Democracy begins where citizens deliberate about matters of common concern.”
Jürgen Habermas (18 June 1929 – 14 March 2026)
March 16, 2026 — Jürgen Habermas was one of the most influential contemporary political philosophers, especially for thinking about communication, rationality, legitimacy and democracy. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“The President’s rapid disenchantment with the project was not lost on Richard Bissell. Fearing for the U-2 program’s survival, he met with the Land committee in early August 1956 to urge them to help make the U-2 less vulnerable to radar pulses. His goal was to reduce the aircraft’s radar cross section so that it would be less susceptible to detection. Edward Purcell had some ideas on this and suggested that he supervise a new project in the Boston area to explore them.”
The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance The U-2 and OXCART Programs (1954-1974) History Staff Central Intelligence Agency, 1992
Purcell was the author of the innovative introductory text Electricity and Magnetism. The book, a Sputnik-era project funded by an NSF grant, was influential for its use of relativity in the presentation of the subject at this level. The 1965 edition, freely available due to a condition of the federal grant, was originally published as a volume of the Berkeley Physics Course
March 7, 2026 — In 1960 the CIA found itself in trouble with the Lockheed U-2. A physicist—Edward Mills Purcell—helped find a solution. Half a century later the Agency confronted a different puzzle: Havana Syndrome. This time, no physicist came to the rescue. Why not? When the Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, it triggered panic in Washington. The U.S. Congress responded with the National Defense Education Act (1958), funding science education, expanding fellowships, and strengthening physics and engineering programs. Today the Sputnik effect is long gone, and the golden age of physics feels like a distant dream. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“I don’t know what possessed him to go and do this. He was a bit of an eccentric.” — Anonymous colleague
February 19, 2026 — A Norwegian researcher, long known as a leading skeptic of the Havana Syndrome theory, decided to prove his point in the most extreme way: he built a directed-energy device — essentially a pulsed microwave weapon — and tested it on himself. The results were catastrophic. He now reportedly suffers severe neurological damage. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“All but one of the DNA components which make up that profile are present in [RARDE Forensic Expert] Allen Feraday’s DNA profile. (…) This component is unsuitable for interpretation purposes since a large number of individuals from any population might be expected to match it.”
SCCRC Report on Lockerbie
Lockerbie evidence: PI/449 and PK/206
July 1, 2025 — Some so-called “Lockerbie experts” — including former FBI officials — have hailed the recent DNA evidence as a major forensic breakthrough. In reality, it is nothing of the sort. In CIA parlance, this case has just gone from SNAFU to full-blown FUBAR — and fast. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.
“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
Intel Today 