Monthly Archives: December 2023

The Second-oldest profession [The Discovery of the Wheel]

Posted on December 31, 2023 by L

“Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. ‘Go, look over the land,’ he said, ‘especially Jericho.’ So, they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.”Book of Joshua [2:1 (NIV)] December … Continue reading →

Posted in linguistic, Spy Glossary | Leave a comment

On This Day — Benazir Bhutto Is Assassinated (December 27 2007) [If Intelligence Agencies cannot solve the murder of a prime minister, what is it they can do? ]

Posted on December 28, 2023 by L

“The people of Pakistan had rejected bigotry and prejudice in electing a woman Prime Minister. It was an enormous honor, and an equally enormous responsibility… I had not asked for this role; I had not asked for this mantle. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Pakistan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

If Words Could Talk. [The history and geopolitics of words]

Posted on December 27, 2023 by L

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Ludwig WittgensteinTractatus Logico-Philosophicus December 27 2023 — In most European countries, the education system is falling apart. This is not limited to STEM area. Classical languages (Greek and Latin) … Continue reading →

Posted in Geopolitics | Tagged | Leave a comment

On This Day — The Good Traitor — Remembering George Blake (November 11 1922 — December 26 2020)

Posted on December 26, 2023 by L

“Communism was an ideal which, if it could have been achieved, would have been well worth it. I thought it could be, and I did what I could to help it, to build such a society. It has not proved … Continue reading →

Posted in George Blake | Tagged | Leave a comment

On This Day — CIA COS Richard Welch Is Assassinated in Athens (December 23 1975) [UPDATE — Learning from Aristotle]

Posted on December 23, 2023 by L

“The CIA and the Ford White House quickly saw Welch’s murder as a political windfall. At a time when the CIA was under assault from Congress and Bush’s nomination was in peril in the Senate, there was now a dead … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, Richard Welch | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

On This Day — Pan Am Flight 103 disintegrates over Lockerbie (December 21 1988) [UPDATE — BBC : “Lockerbie bombing: The ultimate detective story?”]

Posted on December 21, 2023 by L

“Operation El Dorado Canyon (1986) turned out to be a more decisive blow against Libyan-sponsored terrorism than I could ever have imagined. There were revenge killings of British hostages organized by Libya, which I bitterly regretted. But the much-vaunted Libyan … Continue reading →

Posted in Lockerbie | Tagged | Leave a comment

35 Years Ago — US Staff in Moscow Warned to Avoid PAN AM 103 (December 13 1988) [History of passenger bookings for Pan Am 103]

Posted on December 13, 2023 by L

“There was a real push in the embassy community to make sure that everybody was aware that there had been a terrorist threat made, and that people flying Western carriers going through Frankfurt should change their tickets.” Karen Decker Consular … Continue reading →

Posted in Lockerbie | Tagged | Leave a comment

Remembering John Le Carré (October 19 1931 – December 12 2020) — [Who won the Cold War?]

Posted on December 12, 2023 by L

“Reading and thinking about Palme makes you wonder who you are. And who you might have been, but weren’t. And where your moral courage went when it was needed. You ask yourself what power drove him – golden boy, aristocratic … Continue reading →

Posted in John Le Carré, Olof Palme | Tagged , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Remembering Gary Webb “CIA & Cocaine DARK ALLIANCE” (August 31 1955 – December 10 2004)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by L

“I was you once. Gary, I started down this road. Though nowhere near as far as you are. When they saw I wasn’t gonna stop, they ‘controversialized’ me. Do you have any idea what I’m talking about? They make *you* … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, CIA Drug, IranContra | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Did the CIA Kill Father Louis Thomas Merton? (December 10 1968) [UPDATE : Is ChatGPT pro-establishment oriented?]

Posted on December 10, 2023 by L

“The very thoughts of a person like me are crimes against the state. All I have to do is think, and immediately I become guilty.” Father Louis Merton  A Signed Confession of Crimes against the State December 10 2023 — … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA | Tagged | Leave a comment