On This Day — Robert Gates Becomes 15th CIA Director (November 6 1991) [Test your “Spy Knowledge” with our 2019 CIA Directors Quiz!]

Posted on November 6, 2019 by L

“If Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us anything in recent history, it is the unpredictability of war and that these things are easier to get into than to get out of.”

Former CIA Director Robert Gates

cia-logo-floor

November 6 2019 — Robert Gates was nominated to become the Director of Central Intelligence (head of the CIA) in early 1987. He withdrew his name after it became clear the Senate would reject the nomination due to controversy about his role in the Iran-Contra affair. Gates was nominated again for the position by President George H. W. Bush on May 14, 1991. This time, he was confirmed by the Senate on November 5, and sworn in on November 6 1991.

How much do you know about spy agencies? Take this quiz to find out your knowledge of the CIA Directors. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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KRYPTOS Week 2019 — The Solution of Section II

Posted on November 5, 2019 by L

“And having thus chosen our course, without guile, and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear, and with manly hearts.”

Abraham Lincoln — Address to congress (July 4th, 1861)

Kryptos is a sculpture by the American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia. Of the four parts of the message, the first three have been solved. The last part of the message remains as one of the most famous unsolved code in the world.

The ciphertext on the left-hand side of the sculpture (as seen from the courtyard) of the main sculpture contains 869 characters in total (865 letters and 4 question marks). The right-hand side of the sculpture comprises a keyed Vigenère encryption tableau, consisting of 867 letters. In our last post about KRYPTOS, we learned how to break a Vigenère code. In this post, we finish the job regarding the entire section II. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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40 Years Ago — Ayatollah Khomeini declares US “The Great Satan” (November 5 1979)

Posted on November 5, 2019 by L

“In this revolution, the Great Satan is America that gathers around other devils blatantly… If we see the US, this great Satan, raising chain and bringing the devils together around him, it is because the US grip over our country and our resources curtailed.”

Ayatollah Khomeini (November 5 1979)

In a speech delivered on November 5 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini used the term “Great satan” to describe the United States. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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KRYPTOS Week 2019 — How to Break a Vigenère Code

Posted on November 4, 2019 by L

“I genuinely enjoyed working on the Kryptos ciphers. Professional cryptographers almost certainly could have broken these codes much faster, and would have used superior methods. But I doubt that they would have derived as much satisfaction as I have. I didn’t use any computers to decrypt the Kryptos codes–just pencil and paper, some common sense, and a lot of perseverance. Using a computer would have cheated me out of the feeling of accomplishment that I obtained, because I have found that often in life the journey itself can be more gratifying than arriving at the final destination. Mountains are not climbed nor marathons run merely to reach a geographical location–there are much easier ways to accomplish these feats–but as personal and spiritual challenges to the participants.

When confronted with a puzzle or problem, we sometimes can lose sight of the fact that we have issued a challenge to ourselves–not to our tools. And before we automatically reach for our computers, we sometimes need to remember that we already possess the most essential and powerful problem solving tool within our own minds.”

David Stein — CIA Analyst (Directorate of Intelligence)

Kryptos is a sculpture by the American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia. Of the four parts of the message, the first three have been solved. The last part of the message remains as one of the most famous unsolved code in the world.

The ciphertext on the left-hand side of the sculpture (as seen from the courtyard) of the main sculpture contains 869 characters in total (865 letters and 4 question marks). The right-hand side of the sculpture comprises a keyed Vigenère encryption tableau, consisting of 867 letters. Today, we will learn how to break the so-called section II of this ciphertext. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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40 Years Ago — Iranian students storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran (November 4 1979)

Posted on November 4, 2019 by L

“It is now very clear that there were two separate agreements, one the official agreement with Carter in Algeria, the other, a secret agreement with another party, which, it is now apparent, was Reagan. They made a deal with Reagan that the hostages should not be released until after Reagan became president. So, then in return, Reagan would give them arms. We have published documents which show that US arms were shipped, via Israel, in March, about 2 months after Reagan became president.”

Former Iranian President Abolhassan Banisadr

“During my research, I spoke to several of the former hostages. I was deeply moved by the response of one in particular. After listening to the evidence, he said simply: ‘I don’t want to believe it. It’s too painful to think about it.’ Painful it is. But the rest of us are obliged to think about it. Hard.”

Gary Sick — Retired Naval Captain who served on Ford’s, Carter’s, and Reagan’s National Security Council

November 4 1979 — Iranian students storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran

On November 4 1979, a group of Iranian college students took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days. The hostages were released just minutes after American President Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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KRYPTOS Week 2019 — Introduction : Sculpture Dedication Ceremony at the CIA (November 3 1990)

Posted on November 3, 2019 by L

“Maybe you’re mistaken–maybe this first part of the Kryptos code is really not a polyalphabetic Vigenere Tableau after all–maybe it’s a different type of code entirely. Or maybe it is a Vigenere code, but it’s been double or triple encoded–or maybe it was encoded backwards or maybe …”

David Stein — CIA analyst (Directorate of Intelligence)

November 3 2019 — Kryptos is a sculpture by the American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia. Of the four parts of the message, the first three have been solved. The last part of the message remains as one of the most famous unsolved code in the world. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — The Iran – Contra Scandal (November 3, 1986) [2019]

Posted on November 3, 2019 by L

“My purpose was… to send a signal that the United States was prepared to replace the animosity between [the U.S. and Iran] with a new relationship… At the same time we undertook this initiative, we made clear that Iran must oppose all forms of international terrorism as a condition of progress in our relationship. The most significant step which Iran could take, we indicated, would be to use its influence in Lebanon to secure the release of all hostages held there.”

US President Ronald Reagan — November 13 1986

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On November 3 1986, the Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa exposed the Iran–Contra scandal. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. They hoped, thereby, to fund the Contras in Nicaragua while at the same time negotiating the release of several U.S. hostages. Under the Boland Amendment, further funding of the Contras by the government had been prohibited by Congress. This affair is usually regarded as one of the most important scandals in US modern history.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — “Dewey Defeats Truman” (November 2 1948) [2019]

Posted on November 2, 2019 by L

“Truman and his running mate, Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky, pulled off their shocking victory. Truman’s underdog ticket racked up 303 electoral votes and 49.6 percent of the popular vote to Dewey’s 189 electoral votes and 45.1 percent of the popular vote. Thurmond, the Dixiecrat, earned 39 electoral votes and 2.4 percent of the popular vote.”

Elizabeth Nix — This Day in History

Harry S. Truman’s unexpected election victory over Thomas Dewey was forever imprinted in history, thanks in part to this famous photo.

On November 2, 1948, incumbent United States President Harry S. Truman won an upset victory over Republican challenger and Governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey, in the presidential election.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — US Detonates First Thermonuclear Weapon (November 1, 1952) [2019]

Posted on November 1, 2019 by L

“It’s a boy.”

Telegram from Ed Teller to Dr. Elizabeth “Diz” Graves

“The island of Elugelab is missing.”

Gordon Dean — Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission summarizing the events to President Eisenhower

“I made one great mistake in my life when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made but there was some justification; the danger that the Germans would make them.”

Albert Einstein

Ivy Mike (yield 10.4 mt) – an atmospheric nuclear test conducted by the U.S. at Enewetak Atoll on 1 November 1952. It was the world’s first successful hydrogen bomb.

On November 1 1952, the United States detonated  the first full-scale thermonuclear device on the island of Elugelab in Enewetak Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean, as part of Operation Ivy. It was the first full test of the Teller–Ulam design, a staged fusion device. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Former CIA Sabrina De Sousa — My Time To Speak [UPDATE : De Sousa has fled from Italy to the United States]

Posted on October 31, 2019 by L

“Intuition and awareness are key survival traits when assigned abroad; they served me well given my current “hot potato” status in Portugal. As I walked in the direction of the waterfront where David was waiting for me, I sensed that my situation was about to change.”

Former CIA Officer Sabrina De Sousa

Former CIA Sabrina de Sousa

In her first open letter cleared by the US Government for publication since her conviction in 2009, former CIA officer Sabrina De Sousa tells her side of this very long extradition drama. Follow us on Twitter @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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