On This Day — The Crash of PAK-1 (August 17 1988) [2020]

Posted on August 17, 2020 by L

“Of all the violent political deaths in the twentieth century, none with such great interest to the U.S. has been more clouded than the mysterious air crash that killed president (and Army Chief General) Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan in (August) 1988, a tragedy that also claimed the life of the serving American ambassador and most of Zia’s top commanders”.

Barbara Crossette — New York Times South Asia bureau chief from 1988 to 1991

“As a general rule, complex international cases are hard to solve, and nothing about the process of investigating them ever seemed to be straightforward. This was especially true in this crash investigation, where a confluence of suspects and a dearth of information made an already challenging job that much more difficult.”

Fred Burton — Former deputy chief of counterterrorism at the Diplomatic Security Service

“It was the steering mechanism, is the way he described it to me. (…) I had always thought C130s were the workhorses of the air. I was quite surprised when the Air Force described to me what they had discovered.”

Mrs Ely-Raphel — Wife of US States Ambassador to Pakistan, Arnold Lewis Raphel 

August 17 2020 — On 17 August 1988, General Zia-ul-Haq, the President of Pakistan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS), died in a mysterious C-130 Hercules plane crash. The case — it seems — was never solved. Really? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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CIA Dr Richards J. Heuer: “Information Collection vs Analytical Methods” [Quick Update]

Posted on August 16, 2020 by L

“Do You Really Need More Information? The US Intelligence Community invests heavily in improved intelligence collection systems while managers of analysis lament the comparatively small sums devoted to enhancing analytical resources, improving analytical methods, or gaining better understanding of the cognitive processes involved in making analytical judgments.”

Psychology of Intelligence Analysis — Richards J. Heuer

“We all tend to overlook evidence that contradicts our views. When confronted with new data, our pre-existing ideas can cause us to see structure that isn’t there. This is a form of confirmation bias, whereby we look for and recall information that fits with what we already think. It can be adaptive: humans need to be able to separate out important information and act quickly to get out of danger. But this filtering can lead to scientific error.”

How scientists can stop fooling themselves over statistics — Dorothy Bishop (Nature August 3 2020)

Heuer

Richards J. Heuer

August 21 2017 — Accurate intelligence judgments do not solely rely on the abundance and accuracy of the information. Indeed it has long been known that rigorous analysis of the information is at least as important as the gathered material in order to reach accurate intelligence estimates. Follow us on Twitter:@INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Matarife — An Unnameable Genocide [Álvaro Uribe Vélez — Season 1 – Episode 1: Matarife, Asesino, Mafioso & Paraco]

Posted on August 15, 2020 by L

“The investigation involving Álvaro Uribe has serious implications for the independence of Colombia’s justice institutions, as well as the ongoing efforts to uncover the full truth about the powerful political networks that backed paramilitary death squads during Colombia’s decades-long conflict.”

Open Democracy (October 21 2019)

August 15 2020 – Matarifeː An unnameable genocide, known simply as Matarife, is a web series by Colombian journalist Daniel Mendoza Leal. The documentary-type series narrates findings that relate the life of former Colombia president Álvaro Uribe Vélez with drug traffickers, paramilitaries, and corrupt politicians in Colombia. This is the real thing. If you liked Narcos [Netflix], you will love Matarife. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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40 Years Ago — Remembering Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 (USTICA – June 27 1980) [UPDATE — A Lesson to the Lockerbie Families]

Posted on August 14, 2020 by L

“81 slowly pulsating lights hang from the ceiling, representing 81 souls oscillating between being forgotten and remembered.”

Ustica Museum

“We still hope the truth will come out. We know that very probably the plane was struck down by a missile. Too many people have been keeping this secret for too long but we will not give up until we know everything that happened.”

Daria Bonfietti

“What actually happened? Judge Protopisani concluded that the plane was certainly shot down by a missile and that it was certainly an act of war. This was the conclusion of an extremely complicated judicial process, which eventually gave us the factual truth. Now we know everything but the names.”

Daniele Osnato –Attorney who has represented several relatives of the victims (December 20 2017)

In 2013, the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation confirmed the verdict of a civil court, forcing the Italian government to compensate the relatives of the victims with 100 million euros ($112 million), for “failing to properly protect their citizens from external dangers,” stating that “there is an abundance of evidence that a missile brought down the aircraft.”

The ‘Ustica Massacre:’ The 40-Year-Old Aviation Mystery — VANNI GIBERTINI (JUNE 28, 2020)

flight870

The remains of Itavia Airlines flight 870

June 27 2019 — For decades, the government claimed that terrorists had planted a bomb onboard Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870. And then, the truth came out. The plane was brought down by a missile. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — CIA : The Top 10 Myths

Posted on August 14, 2020 by L

“Hollywood has produced some incredibly entertaining portrayals of the lives of CIA officers. The veil of secrecy surrounding the work of real-life intelligence officers lends itself to speculation, and the gaps created are quickly filled in with fiction. These fictional depictions often lead to the solidification of the inaccurate perspectives that most people have of the CIA.

It may surprise some to discover that we are not the gun-toting, globetrotting, martini-drinking spies frequently portrayed on the silver screen.”

CIA Website (August 14 2018)

“I think it has become necessary to take another look at the purpose and operations of our Central Intelligence Agency. At least, I would like to submit here the original reason why I thought it necessary to organize this Agency during my Administration, what I expected it to do and how it was to operate as an arm of the President. (…)

We have grown up as a nation, respected for our free institutions and for our ability to maintain a free and open society. There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shadow over our historic position and I feel that we need to correct it.”

Harry Truman (December 22, 1963)

August 14 2018 — In an effort to remain as transparent as possible, the CIA is debunking 10 of the most common misconceptions people have about the Agency. The reader should take these explanations with a pinch of salt. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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CIA MEMO : “How to Infiltrate an Organisation and Make it Dysfunctional”

Posted on August 13, 2020 by L

The purpose of this paper is to characterize simple sabotage, to outline its possible effects, and to present suggestions for inciting and executing it.

Simple Sabotage Field Manual — OSS (January 17 1944)

This 1944 CIA memo, on how to infiltrate an organisation and make it dysfunctional, is amazing. Worth framing in the coffee room of every company.

Lionel Page — Professor and Author of forthcoming ‘Optimally Irrational’

August 13 2020 — If you wish to infiltrate an organisation and make it dysfunctional, this 1944 OSS MEMO — precursor of the CIA — will be really handy. The advises are clearly connected to what we call today fake news and group-thinking. Any similarities with your last meeting at work? Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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Buenos Aires AMIA Bombing — New Revelations Exonerate Tehran

Posted on August 12, 2020 by L

“In 2014, the public learned that a former spy who had infiltrated the Jewish community in Buenos Aires on behalf of Argentina’s Federal Police had revealed to two investigative journalists that he had been ordered to turn over blueprints of the AMIA building to his Federal Police case officer. The spy was convinced the building plans were used by the real culprits behind the bombing. His stunning revelation prompted a series of articles in the Argentine press.

The former infiltrator’s account provided the first clear indication that anti-Semitic veterans of Argentina’s “Dirty War” and their allies in the Argentine police and intelligence service orchestrated the explosion. But Argentina’s legal system — still heavily influenced by the intelligence agency that influenced the official investigation to blame Iran and a prosecutor whose career had been based on that premise — stubbornly refused to investigate the former police spy’s account.”

How a police spy’s stunning testimony threatens the official US -Israeli AMIA bombing narrative — Gareth Porter (July 26 2020)

August 12 2020 — After years of research, independent investigative journalist Gareth Porter has concluded  that revelations by a former police spy upend the official story blaming Iran for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The evidence suggests a cover-up by dirty war elements may have let the real culprits off the hook.

Gareth Porter believes that the main witness — Iranian defector Abolghasem Mesbahi — has fabricated false information incriminating Iran for the bombing. Mesbahi is the same person who fabricated the evidence blaming Tehran for the tragedy of Pan Am Flight 103.

As the readers of this blog know, I have come to the conclusion that Iran has no responsibility whatsoever in the Lockerbie Affair. In both cases, impunity for the real culprits continues, but the truth is slowing emerging. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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Matarife — An Unnameable Genocide [Álvaro Uribe Vélez]

Posted on August 11, 2020 by L

“The investigation involving Álvaro Uribe has serious implications for the independence of Colombia’s justice institutions, as well as the ongoing efforts to uncover the full truth about the powerful political networks that backed paramilitary death squads during Colombia’s decades-long conflict.”

Open Democracy (October 21 2019)

August 11 2020 – Matarifeː An unnameable genocide, known simply as Matarife, is a web series by Colombian journalist Daniel Mendoza Leal. The documentary-type series narrates findings that relate the life of former Colombia president Álvaro Uribe Vélez with drug traffickers, paramilitaries, and corrupt politicians in Colombia. This is the real thing. If you liked Narcos [Netflix], you will love Matarife. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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2020 Beirut Explosion — Negligence or Missile? [Quick Analysis of the Main Blast]

Posted on August 10, 2020 by L

“It is possible that it (the explosion) was caused by negligence or by external action, with a missile or a bomb.”

Lebanese president Michel Aoun (Friday August 7 2020)

“This is negligence from the ruling elite. An atomic bomb was there for years, and not a single leader or ruler did anything about it.”

Beirut resident

On August 4 2020, a devastating explosion in the Port of Beirut killed about 150 people and injured more than 1500. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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International Cat Day (August 8) — Remembering CIA Operation Acoustic Kitty

Posted on August 9, 2020 by L

“They slit the cat open, put batteries in him, wired him up. The tail was used as an antenna. They made a monstrosity. They tested him, and tested him. They found he would walk off the job when he got hungry, so they put another wire in to override that. Finally, they are ready. They took it out to a park bench and said: ‘Listen to those two guys. Don’t listen to anything else – not the birds, no cat or dog – just those two guys!’ (…) They put him out of the van, and a taxi comes and runs him over. There they were, sitting in the van with all those dials, and the cat was dead.”

Victor Marchetti — Special assistant to the Deputy Director of the CIA

“The environmental and security factors in using this technique in a real foreign situation force us to conclude that for our (intelligence) purposes, it would not be practical.”

CIA Project Acoustic Kitty — Final Report

August 8 2020 — Next to the wolf, the cat is one of humanity’s oldest pets. On International Cat Day, the world celebrates the most popular pet on the planet. Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s blue-eyed Persian is probably the most famous kitty in spy history. Less known is the true story of the CIA cyborg acoustic kitty. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_TODAY Continue reading →

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