The Holy Grail — The CIA Memorial Wall, the KRYPTOS Sculpture, & the Lockerbie Tragedy | Part IV — The End of an Era: The Memorial Wall at 50

Posted on July 21, 2026 by L

“Inscribed on its pages were the 70 stars, arranged by year of death. But only 29 stars had names beside them. (…) The rest of the stars in the Book of Honor, 41 in all, were nameless. For years, their identities have been among Washington’s most poignant and intriguing mysteries.”

Star Agents – Ted Gup
Washington Post
7 September, 1997

July 21, 2026 — A Very Special Post to Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary — Over the last three decades, I have devoted much time to several distinct stories: the CIA Memorial Wall (and the associated Book of Honor), the KRYPTOS sculpture, and the Lockerbie tragedy. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that these stories would one day converge.Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Mandela Lives in Every Protest for Justice | The Unfinished Story of Lockerbie

Posted on July 20, 2026 by L

“In his demand of solidarity from himself and from each of us, Mandela becomes more than a man, more than a messiah: he becomes a mirror. When we hear his refusal to abandon those with whom he shared common cause, do we recognize ourselves?”

Zohran Mamdani
Mayor of New York City
July 15, 2026

July 20, 2026 — Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered a thoughtful speech about the achievements of Nelson Mandela, his legacy, and, most importantly, what he can still teach us today. I encourage everyone to read the speech, but I would like to emphasize a few points that lie at the very core of my own beliefs. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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CIA Memorial Wall — Remembering Barry S. Castiglione (El Salvador – July 19, 1992)

Posted on July 19, 2026 by L

“His story is a reminder of the sheer sweep of our global mission, and his experiences exemplify the risks inherent to intelligence work, as well as the bravery and integrity of those like Barry who heed the call to serve their country.”

CIA Website

July 19, 2026 — Barry S. Castiglione died in El Salvador in July 1992, while rescuing a fellow employee from drowning. Like Ranya Abdelsayed, who died by suicide, his star on the CIA Memorial Wall has sparked questions and remains a point of controversy among some intelligence experts. Should a CIA officer receive a star for dying during a Sunday barbecue? What do you think? Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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Mandela International Day 2026 | The Quest for Lockerbie Truth Must Continue

Posted on July 18, 2026 by L


“No one nation should be complainant, prosecutor and judge.”

Nelson Mandela

On Justice and Lockerbie
Edinburgh, Scotland
October 1997

Mandela visiting Megrahi — aka the ‘Lockerbie bomber’ — in prison. Many thanks to my friend John Ashton who took the picture. Do you seriously think Mandela would have visited Megrahi in prison if he had believed that Megrahi was a terrorist, responsible for the death of 270 innocents?

July 18, 2026 — Today, we celebrate Mandela International Day. Arrested following information provided by the CIA to the South African authorities, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for nearly three decades. On February 11, 1990, he walked out of prison and embarked on a decade of historic endeavour.

President of South Africa from May 10, 1994, to June 14, 1999, Mandela was still on the U.S. terrorism watch list when he met President Bill Clinton at the White House during an official visit on October 4, 1994.

There are countless reasons to admire this great statesman. Mandela stood for love, truth, and justice. His determination to challenge the official Lockerbie narrative is, in my view, a remarkable example of intellectual courage. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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30 Years Ago — Remembering the crash of TWA 800 (July 17, 1996) [The Striking Similarities of Pan Am 103 and TWA 800]

Posted on July 17, 2026 by L

“The FBI didn’t want to hear about anything but a missile or a bomb, because otherwise there was no FBI case. Their conduct was disturbing from the very beginning.”

Senator Chuck Grassley
Chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee
on administrative oversight

Washington Post
May 9 1999

July 17, 2026 — Trans World Airlines Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996. On November 17 1997, the FBI formally ended its 16-month investigation. The Bureau concluded there was no evidence it was a criminal act. Despite clear scientific evidence, many people still believe to this day that the plane was brought down by a terrorist bombing or a missile strike. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_Today

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On This Day — US Detonates First Nuclear Weapon (Trinity Test, July 16, 1945) | The Magical World of Dimensional Analysis

Posted on July 16, 2026 by L

“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”

J. Robert Oppenheimer

The Trinity Test, July 16, 1945. Captured 25 milliseconds after detonation, this image shows the expanding fireball, which had reached a diameter of approximately 140 metres. (Photograph published by Life magazine.)

July 15, 2026 — On July 16, 1945, the US detonated the world’s first nuclear weapon, a plutonium-based device, near Alamogordo, New Mexico. Trinity, as the test was known, was successful. Three weeks later, the United States used an atomic bomb against the Japanese city of Hiroshima, marking the first wartime use of a nuclear weapon. The world would never be the same. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Intel Today at 10 Years: Introducing Intel Today Press and The CIA Memorial Wall Compendium Book Series

Posted on July 15, 2026 by L

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”

Carl Sagan

July 15, 2026 — Blogging has been a wonderful adventure, and I am deeply grateful to the WordPress family for providing the environment and tools that allowed Intel Today to begin its journey ten years ago. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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The Holy Grail — The CIA Memorial Wall, the KRYPTOS Sculpture, & the Lockerbie Tragedy — Part III: Hitting the Jackpot — NSA MEMO to Crypto Amateurs

Posted on July 14, 2026 by L

“The fifth paragraph seems to be a yet-undefined system that may require an unusual plain-text key. This part may be unbreakable.”

CIA KRYPTOS
Sculpture Study Group
NSA Memorandum
18 November 1991

July 14, 2026 — A Very Special Post for Our 10th Anniversary — Over the last three decades, I have devoted much time to several distinct stories: the CIA Memorial Wall (and the associated Book of Honor), the KRYPTOS sculpture, and the Lockerbie tragedy. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that these stories would one day converge. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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CIA Memorial Wall — Three Stars, No Answers: Revisiting the CIA Plane Crash in Candor, North Carolina (13 July 1978)

Posted on July 13, 2026 by L

“I have become so jaded about our government since all this happened. I have become very skeptical. They tell you what they want you to know whether there’s a grain of truth or not. A lot of times, they don’t tell you anything.”

Velma Waymire
(Sister of Berl King)

July 13, 2026 — On July 13, 1978, at approximately 9:30 PM, a de Havilland Canada DHC‑6 Twin Otter (tail number N‑76214) crashed near Candor, a remote area of North Carolina. The aircraft, officially registered to Coastal Air Services, was reportedly conducting a CIA mission of undisclosed nature. Nearly five decades later, the circumstances surrounding the flight remain classified. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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On This Day — French Spooks Sink the Rainbow Warrior (July 10 1985)

Posted on July 10, 2026 by L

“The truth is cruel. Agents of the French secret service sank this boat. They were acting on orders.”

Laurent Fabius
Prime Minister
September 22 1985

Fernando Pereira died aboard the Rainbow Warrior.

July 10, 2026 — The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior — codenamed Opération Satanique — was a bombing operation by the Action branch of the French foreign intelligence services — La Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE) — carried out on July 10 1985. In 2005, two decades after the bombing and nine years after Mitterrand’s death, French newspaper Le Monde published a leaked document revealing that the late president had personally approved the sinking of the ship. The newspaper obtained a handwritten account of the operation, written in 1986 by Pierre Lacoste, who was sacked as head of the secret services. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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