“You should be proud to know that in order to be memorialized in this fashion, the circumstances of an individual’s death must be of inspirational or heroic nature.”
CIA letter to Ginley’s brother
January 11, 2025 — Jerome Patrick Ginley was a CIA officer who died on January 11, 1951, when his plane crashed into the East China Sea near the Ryukyu Islands. The circumstances surrounding his death remain classified, and all FOIA requests for information have been denied in full. How can national security concerns justify such secrecy more than 70 years after his death? Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“I cannot rule out that Libya, in some way, is responsible for the ‘La Belle Disco’ bombing. But I must say that such hasty blame regarding Rome and Vienna, for which Libya had immediately been made responsible, did not prove to be correct.”
Christian Lochte Head of the Hamburg Branch of the BfV (April 1986)
On April 14th 1986, Ronald Reagan ordered a series of bombings directed against Libya under “Operation El Dorado Canyon”
January 7 2023 — On January 7 1986, President Ronald Reagan announced economic sanctions against Libya and called on the European allies to join with the U.S. in isolating Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi. This story is a good reminder that playing dirty didn’t start yesterday. After reading this post, you will probably understand that the recent kidnapping of Abu Agela MASUD has nothing to do with TRUTH and JUSTICE. It is merely about the CIA/FBI/DoJ tying up loose ends in the greatest cover-up of modern history… Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“Jane Burrell was never a candidate for a star on the CIA’s Memorial Wall because the Wall commemorates Agency employees who died in specific circumstances, and deaths from commercial plane crashes have generally not qualified.”
The Mystery of Jane Wallis Burrell: The First CIA Officer To Die in the Agency’s Service
CIA publication (July 13 2016)
Jane Burrell in Beuerberg, Germany. June 30, 1945.
January 6, 2025 — Jane Wallis Burrell died on January 6, 1948, an Air France DC-3 from Brussels crashed on approach to the Le Bourget airport near Paris, France. Burrell is the first CIA officer to die while employed by the Agency. Burrell worked in the SCU (Special Counterintelligence Unit) 105 alongside Charles Michaelis and Lord Victor Rothschild. As part of the team, she played a pivotal role in interrogating and later recruiting SS-Sturmbannführer Friedrich Paul Schwend, a key figure in Nazi financial operations.
During the interrogations, Schwend confessed to the location of the immense fortune in gold he had amassed during the war. Following his cooperation, he was employed as an informant for the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC). However, all documentation regarding his interviews has mysteriously disappeared. Ultimately, Schwend escaped to Peru via one of the notorious post-war ratlines, networks used by fleeing Nazi officials. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“During a routine A-12 training flight on 5 January 1967, a fuel gauge failed to function properly, and the aircraft ran out of fuel only minutes before landing. The pilot, Walter Ray, ejected but was killed when he was unable to separate from the ejection seat before impact. The aircraft was completely destroyed. Its wreckage was found on January 6, and Ray’s body was recovered a day later.”
CIA website
January 5, 2025 — Walter R. Ray was an experienced CIA test pilot renowned for his work with the A-12 Oxcart, a top-secret reconnaissance aircraft developed during the Cold War. Ray lost his life on January 5, 1967, when his A-12 experienced a fuel system failure during a test flight near Groom Lake, Nevada. Although he ejected successfully, his parachute malfunctioned, leading to his untimely death. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“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 counter attack did not and could not take place. There was a marked decline in Libyan-sponsored terrorism in succeeding years.”
Margaret Thatcher The Downing Street Years (Memoirs 1993, pp 448-9)
December 21 2021 — On December 21 1988, N739PA — the Boeing 747 aircraft operating the transatlantic leg of Pan Am Flight 103 — broke up in flight over Scotland. All 243 passengers and 16 crew died as well as 11 residents of Lockerbie. This horrific crime has been called the world’s biggest unsolved murder. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“We must never again keep secret the evolution of our nation’s intelligence agencies from the scrutiny of the Congress or the people.”
Jimmy Carter 1976 Presidential campaign
January 3, 2025 — In his Memoirs, Carter reflects on his presidency (1977–1981), including his perspectives on foreign policy and intelligence matters, and his concerns about the conduct of the CIA and the need for reform. Carter was deeply troubled by governmental deception in foreign policy and by the “CIA’s role in plotting murder and other crimes.” Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands. (…) Under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.”
Albert Einstein (USA, May 1949)
December 26, 2024 — Yesterday, without any explanation, Amazon banned my book on the CIA Memorial Wall. I am convinced that this decision was made at the request of the CIA. Banning books, especially those tackling sensitive or controversial topics, represents a serious threat to democratic values.
Critics have long argued that Amazon’s close ties with the CIA could lead to indirect influence over its operations, though no direct evidence has surfaced to confirm such claims. Now, this situation presents journalists and investigators with a compelling case to explore. Stay updated and join the conversation by following us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY.
“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”
John F. Kennedy
Speech at Amherst College Convocation in honor of poet Robert Frost (October 26, 1963)
(December 14, 2024) — I’m thrilled to announce that the first volume of my new book “Silent Stars: The Fallen Heroes of the CIA” is now live and available for purchase in the Kindle Store! Stay updated and join the conversation by following us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY.
“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 counter attack did not and could not take place. There was a marked decline in Libyan-sponsored terrorism in succeeding years.”
Margaret Thatcher The Downing Street Years (Memoirs 1993, pp 448-9)
December 21 2021 — On December 21 1988, N739PA — the Boeing 747 aircraft operating the transatlantic leg of Pan Am Flight 103 — broke up in flight over Scotland. All 243 passengers and 16 crew died as well as 11 residents of Lockerbie. This horrific crime has been called the world’s biggest unsolved murder. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“As a paramilitary operations officer, John’s role was to work behind enemy lines, supporting local pro-government forces and engaging in special missions to disrupt the activities of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Vietcong.”
CIA website
Earliest known photo of the Book of Honor (33 stars)
December 15, 2024 — John Wesley Kearns III was a CIA officer who served as a paramilitary operations officer on contract in Laos during the Vietnam War. He was killed in action on December 15, 1972, at the age of 30. Silent Stars is now available on Kindle. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY.
Intel Today 