John Le Carré Dies Aged 89 — “And how would I like to be remembered?” [UPDATE — John le Carré died an Irishman]

Posted on April 2, 2021 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 family, brilliant scion of the best schools and the best cavalry regiment – to embrace from the outset of his career the cause of the exploited, the deprived, the undervalued and the unheard?”

 David Cornwell — Olof Palme Award acceptance speech (January 30 2020)

(October 19, 1931 – December 12, 2020)

October 27 2020 — David John Moore Cornwell — also known by the pen name John le Carré — won the 2019 Olof Palme Prize. Here is the text of his acceptance speech. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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April Fool — Beware: FBI has no sense of humor…

Posted on April 1, 2021 by L

“You would think those [FBI] idiots would understand that [April Fool] letter. They are really nuts.”

William M. Kunstler — US most famous civil‐rights attorney

William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was an American lawyer and civil rights activist, known for defending the Chicago Seven. The New York Times labeled him “the country’s most controversial and, perhaps, its best-known lawyer.”

April 1 2021 — In its 1970 April Fool’s issue, The Spectator — Columbia University’s newspaper — ran a few hilarious pranks, including a fake letter from William M. Kunstler. Almost a decade later, the legendary civil rights activist found that letter in his FBI file. And he was not amused… Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — UN Security Council Nominates Dag Hammarskjöld for Secretary-General (March 31 1953) [2021]

Posted on March 31, 2021 by L

“It will be necessary to find some way of pulling Hammarskjold up short.”

UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (September 13 1961)

“Hammarskjöld was at the point of getting something done when they killed him. Notice that I said ‘when they killed him’.”

US President Harry Truman (September 19 1961)

Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold (July 29, 1905, Jönköping, Sweden — September 18, 1961, Ndola, Zambia)

March 31 2021 — On 31 March 1953, the Security Council voted 10-0-1 to recommend Hammarskjöld to the General Assembly, with an abstention from Nationalist China. Shortly after midnight on 1 April 1953, Hammarskjöld was awakened by a telephone call from a Stockholm journalist with the news, which he dismissed as an April Fool’s Day joke. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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40 Years Ago — Reagan assassination attempt (March 30 1981) — [Sheer Luck & The Fifth Bullet]

Posted on March 30, 2021 by L

“I looked up at the presidential box above the stage where Abe Lincoln had been sitting the night he was shot and felt a curious sensation … I thought that even with all the Secret Service protection we now had, it was probably still possible for someone who had enough determination to get close enough to the president to shoot him.”

Ronald Reagan (March 21 1981)

Image

March 30 2021 — On this day 40 years ago, Ronald Reagan narrowly escaped becoming the fifth US president to be assassinated. It is only through sheer luck that Reagan was not killed. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Remembering CIA Barbara A. Robbins (July 26, 1943 – March 30, 1965) — The Enduring Mystery of the Anonymous 1965 Star [2021]

Posted on March 30, 2021 by L

“To this day, Barbara Robbins is the youngest officer memorialized on our Wall. She was the first American woman to die in Vietnam and the first woman in our Agency’s history to make the ultimate sacrifice.  Nine women since then have fallen in service to our mission. Today we remember them all, with great love and great admiration.”

CIA Director Leon Panetta — Memorial Ceremony (May 23 2011)

Barbara Robins – Nha Trang – 1964

March 30 2021 –Officially, the first female CIA officer to die in the line of duty and receive a star on the Memorial Wall was Barbara Robbins. On March 30 1965, two years after joining the Agency, she was killed in a car bombing of the US Embassy in South Vietnam. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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70 Years Ago — Julius And Ethel Rosenberg Are Convicted of Espionage (March 29 1951)

Posted on March 29, 2021 by L

“If the English want a king, it is their business. If the Russians want communism, it is their business. If the Americans want our form of government, it is our business.”

“This death sentence is not surprising. It had to be.”

Julius Rosenberg

A lithograph of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg made and signed by Pablo Piccaso in 1952.

March 29 2021 — On this day in 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of espionage for their role in passing atomic secrets to the Soviets during and after World War II. On Friday June 19, 1953 at 8 pm, Julius Rosenberg was strapped into the electric chair and died after the first jolt. Ethel proved a bit harder to kill. Her heart was still beating after three shocks.  Two more needed to be applied to finally end her life. At that point, witnesses saw a puff of smoke escape from her skull.

Ethel became the first woman executed by the U.S. government since Mary Surratt was hanged in 1865 for her alleged role in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Declassified documents cast doubt on whether Ethel was guilty as charged. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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False Flag Ops & International Humanitarian Law [The Saint Nazaire Raid – March 28 1942]

Posted on March 29, 2021 by L

“At 01:28, with the convoy 1 mile from the dock gates,  Lieutenant Commander Stephen Halden Beattie ordered the German flag lowered and the White Ensign raised.”

The St Nazaire Raid — March 28 1942

The Saint Nazaire Raid: Operation Chariot

March 29 2021 — The St Nazaire Raid — also known as  Operation Chariot — was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation — often called The Greatest Raid of All — was undertaken by the Royal Navy and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters on March 28, 1942. This operation ranks among the greatest false flag attacks of all time. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Sunday Jokes — The Differences Between the FBI and the CIA?

Posted on March 28, 2021 by L

“The competing messages, according to officials in attendance, also reflect cultural differences between the FBI and the CIA. The bureau, true to its law enforcement roots, wants facts and tangible evidence to prove something beyond all reasonable doubt. The CIA is more comfortable drawing inferences from behavior.”

The Washington Post — Russiagate (Dec. 10, 2016)

March 28 2021 — On February 4 2019, CIA Molly Hale went digital. A few days later, she answered a first question: What are the differences between the FBI and the CIA? Molly’s answer is fine but I thought a joke would explain a bit better the cultural differences between these two agencies!  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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GCHQ — Play the TURING Challenge! [Answer to Puzzle #1 & Clue to Puzzle #2]

Posted on March 27, 2021 by L

“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”

Alan Turing (23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954)

March 25 2021 — To celebrate Alan Turing featuring on the new £50 banknote, GCHQ has created their hardest puzzle ever in his honour. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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William Burns at the CIA… What to expect?

Posted on March 26, 2021 by L

“For the past 40 years, incoming presidents have typically made the choice of director of the Central Intelligence Agency their last selection.  These choices have been mediocre for the most part, which helps to explain the current crisis of credibility and integrity that confronts the CIA.”

Melvin Goodman — Former CIA analyst (1966-1990)

March 26 2021 — On March 18 2021, William J. Burns was confirmed by a unanimous vote in the Senate to become CIA director. According to MSM, Burns is the first former diplomat to hold the job. And many believe that he is a sterling choice. Really? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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