“I think we should think of the CIA as a national asset that must be preserved as a vital part of our defense system. . . It is important that the American people understand the intricate job the CIA is doing in an increasingly complex world. It is essential we have the support of the American People.”
George H.W. Bush — Speech in San Antonio, Texas, 1978
November 30 2020 — George H.W. Bush’s tenure as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) marked a turning point for the Agency as it came out of a period of great controversy. He is credited with restoring focus and boosting morale, and he remains one of the most beloved directors in the Agency’s history. George Bush is the only former Director of Central Intelligence to become President. Follow us on TWITTER: @INTEL_TODAY
“We want to know every step he [US physicist John Archibald Wheeler] had taken, persons with whom he had talked, whether he had gone home after receiving the document, how he had gone to the train, whether he had called anyone, how long he had been at each place, what he did with the document at every step and, in fact, his actions should be traced minute by minute.”
FBI Files
John Archibald Wheeler in the early 1950s. This portrait was also Wheeler’s FBI file photo.
November 29 2020 — In January 1953, US physicist John Archibald Wheeler lost a document on an overnight train from Philadelphia to Washington, DC. Physics professors lose papers every day. But this one was highly secret. The six-pages document was the blueprint of the first US thermonuclear bomb. Despite a major investigation, it was never recovered. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“If this would have been a suicide, it would have been very difficult to accomplish. There was motive to kill him. He knew the deepest, darkest secrets of the cold war. Would the American government kill an American citizen who was a scientist, who was working for the CIA and the army, if they thought he was a security risk? There are people who say: ‘Definitely.’”
Stephen Saracco — Retired New York assistant district attorney(2019)
November 28 2020 — Wormwood is a 2017 American six-part docudrama miniseries directed by Errol Morris and released on Netflix on December 15, 2017. The series follows a scientist who participates in a secret government biological warfare program. In the final chapter, legendary American journalist Seymour Hersh states that he believes the CIA murdered Frank Olson.
Although, Hersh has a source that backs up this story, Hersh refuses to speak out because the story would expose how his source acquired the necessary information. Hersh claims he knows what Frank did that got him killed. But he does not reveal it. In this post, I suggest the most likely explanation. As always, your feedback is welcome! Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“No one acts alone without orders in the FBI. We had clear goals which were clearly given to us in every document we received from anyone. If a police organization wished for us to provide them ‘proof’ of guilt, then they told us in many ways of their absolute belief that the perpetrators were those individuals they had already arrested. If the president of the United States tells the country in the national news that Dandeny Munoz Mosquera is one of the most feared assassins in the history of the world, then every agent knows that he must provide information to support that statement. If leaders decide without concern for foundation of truth then most people will follow them.”
Fred Whitehurst — Former FBI Chemist (Email to Intel Today)
November 27 2020 — Avianca Airlines Flight 203 was a Colombian domestic passenger flight from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali. Avianca Flight 203 crashed over the municipality of Soacha on November 27, 1989. Allegedly, the plane was destroyed by a bomb. This explanation is however much disputed by experts today. Colombian journalists Pablo Correa, Sergio Silva and retired US Newton Center attorney Thomas Hoffman share the 2017 Simon Bolivar Prize (Category: Investigative journalism) for their outstanding work on the true story of AVIANCA Flight 203. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“The conviction was not just based on identification evidence. It is the preponderance of the evidence that led to the conviction.”
Richard Marquise — Chief of the FBI’s Lockerbie task force from 1988 to 1992
November 26 2020 — On November 24, a third appeal on behalf of the Libyan man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing began at the High Court in Edinburgh. The appeal was conducted via video link. The first day was utterly boring. Nothing happened whatsoever. The second day was even worse. On the third and final day, Advocate Depute Ronny Clancy QC argued against granting the appeal. The five judges will now retire in private and produce a written submission as soon as practicable. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality.”
“The only passion that guides me is for the truth… I look at everything from this point of view.”
Che Guevara (June 14, 1928 – October 9, 1967)
A 1960 photo taken by Alberto Korda of Guevara in a beret became iconic and has since appeared on countless posters and T-shirts.
October 9 2020 — On this day in 1967, socialist revolutionary and guerrilla leader Che Guevara was killed by the Bolivian army. He was 39. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“A couple of people at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence would have to go, absolutely. Probably Gina Haspel would have to go, too. Gina is a good woman, but she would have to go.”
Michael Hayden — Former CIA and NSA Director General
OCTOBER 26 2020 — According to rumors, CIA Director Gina Haspel (64) intends to step down and retire after the 2020 US election. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“Now you come to me and you say ‘Don Corleone, give me justice’, but you don’t even ask with respect. You don’t offer friendship. You don’t even think to call me Godfather.” The Godfather.
Aamer Anwar — Lawyer for the Megrahi’s family
November 25 2020 — A third appeal on behalf of the Libyan man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has started at the High Court in Edinburgh. The appeal is being conducted via video link and is expected to last several days with a decision to be delivered at a later date. The first day was utterly boring. Nothing happened whatsoever. The second day was even worse. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
Lockerbie — Three Decades of Lies: J’Accuse…!
QUICK NOTES — To make it easier for the readers to retrieve various chapters of my book, I have created a special page “Lockerbie” where all the links to the chapters will be listed with a brief description. You can access that page directly as it appears at the far right of the top bar of this blog.
On March 11 2020, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission [SCCRC] decided to refer the Lockerbie case back to the High Court of Justiciary for determination. As a result of the Commission’s decision, Mr. Megrahi’s family was therefore entitled to instruct an appeal against his conviction. The first procedural hearing took place on Friday August 21 2020. The Appeal date is set to November 24 2020.
“This trial is odder than usual, as it’s a totally virtual courtroom. The 5 judges are the in separate rooms from each other, the defence team are in a meeting room in Glasgow, and most of the reporters are following on an audio feed.“
Court reporter James Doleman — Tweeter(Nov 25 2020)
Day 2 (November 25 2020)
10.45 — Proceedings begin.
Claire Mitchell QC continues her submissions on behalf of the defence, as she is going through the details of various identification evidence.
Mitchell notes that the original Court ruled the identification evidence was “resemblance identification.”
“The circumstances in which that dock identification was made was highly prejudicial.
The identification was made shortly after he had seen a photograph which he had of course seen before, of an article suggesting that Mr Megrahi may have been the bomber and the court will know that the photograph itself,
I think the wording of it is who planted the Lockerbie bomb and underneath there is a photograph of the appellant (Megrahi).
So I would respectfully submit that in this case the dock identification is virtually of no value.“
Ms Mitchell said that evidence in relation to identification was of “poor quality” and said that photographs could not give an idea of someone’s build and height.
11.50 — The court takes a short break.
12.15 — Proceedings resume.
Claire Mitchell QC is ending her submission on the identification evidence against the appellant.
Mitchell concludes: “This evidence cannot support the weight of a conviction.”
She asks the court to set aside the previous verdict.
14.40 — The court takes a break.
15.00 — Gordon Jackson QC rises to present the next defence submissions in the case.
Jackson says his issue is one of disclosure, documents that, he says, should have been given to the defence before the first trial.
On occasions, the “Crown have missed that point entirely,” he says.
The first document Jackson’s raises quotes a witness against Al-Megrahi was “frustrated,” at not being financially compensated for his evidence.
The disclosure of this document, Jackson says, would have led to other documents in which the witness was said to have, ‘shown interest in getting money’.
According to another document:
‘The issue of financial remuneration has not been discussed with witnesses. They understood this could not be discussed while the case was live.”
However Jackson notes that:
“Everyone and their auntie knew there would be a reward from the Americans.”
Counsel says this shows an “expectation that the money was on the horizon.”
Jackson says that the Crown cannot decide in hindsight that a particular piece of evidence would have had no effect on a jury.
Jackson argues that possession of the document would have allowed the defence to challenge the credibility of the identification witness.
“I simply cannot understand the suggestion that if you had actual evidence of a financial interest defence counsel wouldn’t have used it.
It would have changed the dynamic of the situation… It would have been another world.”
16.00 — Jackson ends his submission.
Advocate Depute Ronny Clancy QC begins his response on behalf of the Crown.
“Appellant has not met the statutory tests required to quash the conviction,” Clancy tells the court.
16.15 — Court rises. Proceedings to resume at 10.30 tomorrow.
“After 6 years of work, in the virtual court today we closed our submissions in the posthumous appeal of Al-Megrahi for the Lockerbie bombing nearly 32 years ago.”Aamer Anwar (Nov. 25 2020)
Intel Today Analysis
Megrahi is clearly NOT the mysterious purchaser of the clothes ‘found’ in the primary suitcase. But does it matter to the case?
According to the 2020 SCCRC statement:
“A miscarriage of justice may have occurred because no reasonable trial court, relying on the evidence led at trial, could have held the case against Mr Megrahi was proved beyond reasonable doubt.”
Thirteen years after the first review, the SCCRC reached the same conclusion based on the same analysis of the very same irrefutable facts: the date of the purchase and the identity of the purchaser.
So, does it matter that Megrahi was, or not, the purchaser of the clothes in Malta?
“All there is left to decide is whether Megrahi bought the infamous clothes from Tony Gauci in Malta. This is about as relevant to the Lockerbie Case as knowing if Megrahi had tea or coffee for breakfast in the morning of December 21st 1988.” Intel Today (Nov 21 2020)
According to the SCCRC two reports (2007 & 2020), the identity of the purchaser is a critical part of the guilty verdict.
If the judges had not concluded that Megrahi bought the clothes in Gauci’s shop, he may not have been convicted.
However… Pay attention to the words of the SCCRC 2020 report: “relying on the evidence led at trial”.
It seems that the SCCRC has already been paving the way for the Crown to reveal new evidence against Megrahi that could not have been disclosed 20 years ago.
Did you ever wonder who decided to leak the CIA Minerva files [About CIA interception of Libyan diplomatic cables] earlier this year? And why?
I expect that the judges will unanimously uphold the guilty verdict. In the end, this appeal will do more harm than good.
“If some double agent told the KGB the Americans were alert to Line X and were interfering with their collection by subverting, if not sabotaging, the effort, I believed the United States still could not lose. The Soviets, being a suspicious lot, would be likely to question and reject everything Line X collected. If so, this would be a rarity in the world of espionage, an operation that would succeed even if compromised. Casey liked the proposal.”
Gus W. Weiss
November 25 2020 — Dr Gus W. Weiss was a White House policy adviser on technology, intelligence and economic affair and worked primarily on national security, intelligence and concerns on technology transfer to communist countries. Weiss died on November 25, 2003 under what the UK newspaper The Independent has characterized as “mysterious circumstances”. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
Intel Today 