Havana Syndrome — Pesticide may have caused diplomats’ illness. Really? [Comments from Dr James Giordano]

Posted on September 25, 2019 by L

“We report the clinical, imaging and biochemical evidence consistent with the hypothesis of over-exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors as the cause of brain injury.”

Canadian Study (September 2019)

“It took us many months to get to this conclusion, and there is lots of research to be done still, but this is the beginning of an answer to what happened, we think. There is a lot we don’t know about how much we can expose people to these chemicals and what are toxic levels, or if the damage in the brain is reversible. But it’s not called a neurotoxin for nothing. The hint is in the name.”

Dr. Alon Friedman — Professor of neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia

“Do the results known to me fully support that the signs / symptoms occurring in US embassy personnel were solely due to cholinergic neurotoxicity? No, not completely.”

James Giordano PhD — Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry Georgetown University — Email to Intel Today (September 20 2019)

September 25 2019 — According to a new study commissioned by the Canadian government, fumigation against mosquitoes may have caused Canadian diplomats — and family members — to fall ill. Neither the diplomats nor the federal government consider the just-released report from Dalhousie University’s Brain Repair Centre as a conclusive answer. I am sceptical. On one hand,  the Dalhousie report confirms that Canadian diplomats suffered brain injuries while posted in Havana. But in many ways, it brings more questions than answers. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in Havana Syndrome | Tagged | 1 Comment

30 Years Ago — The Lockerbie DIA Memo [September 24 1989]

Posted on September 24, 2019 by L

“The bombing of the Pan Am flight [103] was conceived, authorised and financed by Ali-Akbar Mohtashemi-Pur, Iran’s former interior minister. The execution of the operation was contracted to Ahmad [Jibril], Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command [PFLP-GC] leader, for a sum of $1million. $100,000 of this money was given to Jibril up front in Damascus by the Iranian ambassador to Sy [Syria], Muhammed Hussan [Akhari] for initial expenses. The remainder of the money was to be paid after successful completion of the mission.”

US Defense Intelligence Agency Memo (September 24 1989)

“I asked de Villiers about his next novel, and his eyes lighted up. ‘It goes back to an old story,’he said. Lockerbie. The book is based on the premise that it was Iran — not Libya — that carried out the notorious 1988 airliner bombing. The Iranians went to great lengths to persuade Muammar el-Qaddafi to take the fall for the attack, which was carried out in revenge for the downing of an Iranian passenger plane by American missiles six months earlier, de Villiers said. This has long been an unverified conspiracy theory, but when I returned to the United States, I learned that de Villiers was onto something. I spoke to a former C.I.A. operative who told me that ‘the best intelligence’ on the Lockerbie bombing points to an Iranian role. It is a subject of intense controversy at the C.I.A. and the F.B.I., he said, in part because the evidence against Iran is classified and cannot be used in court, but many at the agency believe Iran directed the bombing.”

The Spy Novelist Who Knows Too Much — Robert F. Worthjan

September 24 2019 — There has been a persistent “rumor” that Iran paid a large amount of money — possibly up to US$ 10 million — to the PFLP-GC terrorist organization of Ahmed Jibril in the immediate aftermath of the Lockerbie tragedy. This is simply disinformation. Although the CIA and the DIA have often claimed to have evidence of such ‘payment’, a quick look at the source document will easily convince you that this legend was built around a suspicious transaction that has nothing to do with the Lockerbie tragedy. The SCCRC came to the same conclusion. Although Richard Marquise (FBI) is not willing to discuss the issue (the information is still classified), I believe that he agrees with my findings. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in Lockerbie | Tagged , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Newspaper Heiress Patricia Hearst Sentenced to Seven Years (September 24 1976) [2019]

Posted on September 24, 2019 by L

“I frankly don’t think it’s going to be a successful war on terrorism until law enforcement agencies like the FBI are willing to share with other law enforcement agencies. If they can’t share information, there’s no way this war can be won.”

Patricia Campbell Hearst

On September 24 1976, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was sentenced to seven years in prison for her part in a 1974 bank robbery. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in On This Day | Tagged , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Puerto Rican Pro-Independence Movement Leader Assassinated by FBI Agents (September 23 2005) [Filiberto Ojeda Ríos]

Posted on September 23, 2019 by L

“Few times have we hated so, and so united in our hate.”

Julio Muriente — University professor and co-leader of the Hostosiano Movement

“We have every reason to believe the agents acted properly.”

FBI Spokesperson

Ojeda Ríos’ funeral was attended by the highest authority of the Roman Catholic Church in Puerto Rico, Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves, ex-Governor Rafael Hernández Colón, and numerous other dignitaries and personalities.

On September 23 2005, Filiberto Ojeda Ríos was shot and killed by FBI agents during his sleep, after they entered the house where he was living in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico. The FBI operation was questioned by local Puerto Rican authorities as well as international organizations.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in FBI | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

40 Years Ago — The VELA Incident (September 22 1979)

Posted on September 22, 2019 by L

“We had operational successes, most importantly regarding Pretoria’s nuclear capability. My sources collectively provided incontrovertible evidence that the apartheid government had in fact tested a nuclear bomb in the South Atlantic in 1979, and that they had developed a delivery system with assistance from the Israelis.”

CIA clandestine service officer Tyler Drumheller

“A panel of scientists carefully selected by the Carter White House produced a report in 1980 that did not rule out a test, but said the probability of its being something other than a test was more likely. That conclusion is now derided by nearly all independent observers who have studied and reported on the issue.”

 Leonard Weiss —  Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (August 3 2018)

vela

U.S. Vela satellite

September 22 2019 — A CIA-sponsored panel of well-respected scientists concluded that a mysterious flash detected by a U.S. Vela satellite over the South Atlantic on the night of September 22 1979 was likely a nuclear test.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, Nuclear, Nuke, VELA Incident | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Ana Montes Is Arrested (September 21 2001)

Posted on September 22, 2019 by L

“I believe that the morality of espionage is relative. The activity always betrays someone, and some observers will think that it is justified and others not, in every case.”

Ana Montes —  Private letter to a friend

“She felt the Cubans were treated unfairly by the U.S. government.”

Plato Cacheris (Lawyer)

CIA Director George Tenet (left) awards Ana Montes a Certificate of Distinction, the third highest national-level intelligence award. (1997)

Ana Belén Montes (born February 28, 1957) is a former American senior analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency in the United States and convicted spy. On September 21, 2001, she was arrested and subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit espionage for the government of Cuba. Montes eventually pleaded guilty to spying and in October 2002, was sentenced to a 25-year prison term followed by five years’ probation. Montes is incarcerated at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. Her tentative release date is listed as July 1, 2023. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Espionage | Tagged , | Leave a comment

On This Day — French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius : “DGSE Agents Sank the Rainbow Warrior” (September 22 1985) [2019]

Posted on September 22, 2019 by L

“The truth is cruel.. Agents of the DGSE sank this boat [Rainbow Warrior]. They acted on orders.”

French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius  (September 22 1985)

“Governments lie. They do it all the time. And, much as we’d like to believe otherwise, the US government is no exception. There were times when we may have believed otherwise. But after Vietnam and Watergate, we know better.”

Ted Koppel : “The USS Vincennes: Public War, Secret War.” —  ABC News (July 1, 1992)

On September 22 1985, French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius appeared on TV to confess that agents of the DGSE — French Foreign Intelligence Service — had sunk the Rainbow Warrior. They acted on orders. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in DGSE | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Two Years Ago — New York Times vs. CIA : “An Old Debate Wrapped in New Clothes”

Posted on September 20, 2019 by L

“Because it’s a military operation, I don’t think we can completely treat the people who run it purely as intelligence operatives. It moves into a different realm in the discussion as far as I’m concerned. It’s not like you’re exposing a wide undercover operation in Afghanistan. You’re writing about something that is generally done by the military, which I think means that the cloak of secrecy that usually we all allow for the CIA is a little more complicated.”

Dean Baquet — Executive Editor of the New York Times

“As the nation’s dominant news organization, The Times deserves, and gets, intensive scrutiny for how it has handled that story. The grades, clearly, are mixed. Its role in the run-up to the Iraq War has been rightly and harshly criticized. (…) But it’s certainly a healthy sign that The Times’s top editor and some of its key reporters are not only grappling with these issues, but are willing to do so publicly. In an era in which “trust us” — on the part of both the government and the media — hasn’t worked out too well, this discussion couldn’t be more important for American democracy and for We the People.”

Margaret Sullivan — Former Public Editor of The New York Times

“The Obama administration accidentally revealed the name of the CIA’s top official in Afghanistan [Greg Vogle] in an email to thousands of journalists during the president’s surprise weekend trip to Bagram Air Field.”

WASHINGTON (AP)

September 20 2017 — Amy Fiscus, the NYT national security editor, has just explained why The Times published the name of a C.I.A. official last month. The story is obviously reigniting an old debate. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, Mike Pompeo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

40 Years Ago — Who Killed Pierre Goldman? And Why? (June 22, 1944 – Assassinated September 20, 1979)

Posted on September 20, 2019 by L

“In my crib were hidden tracts and arms.”

Pierre Goldman — Dim memories of a Polish Jew Born in France

“Marseille boys members of GAL killed him [Pierre Goldman] with Maïone, who also talked about a commandant, a former member of the SDECE [French secret service], without revealing to me his identity.”

Libération (April 2006)

“Goldman combinait tous les traits de l’homme à abattre : juif, aimant les Noirs, révolutionnaire, taulard, écrivain, et surtout, pire que tout, l’homme qui avait échappé à la peine de mort pour un crime qu’il niait, une accusation terrible dont la justice l’avait acquitté. A sa manière Pierre Goldman avait le visage d’un portrait-robot. Il ressemblait à tout ce que haïssent les imbéciles.”

Serge July — French journalist

Pierre Goldman (June 22, 1944 – Assassinated September 20, 1979)

September 20 2019 — Who killed Goldman? Of course, I am not talking about the French singer — Jean-Jacques — who is one of the most loved personalities in France. I am talking about his brother Pierre, a French left-wing intellectual who was convicted of several robberies and mysteriously assassinated on September 20 1979. The case has never been solved. By the way, although Jean-Jacques never spoke about his brother, many believe that the song “Puisque tu pars” is about Pierre. I left a couple of messages for JJ Goldman knowing full well that he would not reply. I hope that he will speak about his brother one day… “But not too late.” Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in France | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Remembering UTA Flight 772 (September 19 1989) [2019]

Posted on September 19, 2019 by L

“It is striking to note the similarity of the ‘scientific’ evidence discovered by the FBI’s Tom Thurman in both the Lockerbie and UTA cases. Of the tens of thousands of pieces of debris collected at each disaster site, one lone piece of printed circuit was found and, miracle of miracles, in each case the fragment bore markings that allowed for positive identification: MEBO in the Lockerbie case and TY in the case of UTA Flight 772. Despite the common findings of the DCPJ, the DST and the Prefecture of Police crime laboratory, Judge Bruguière chose to believe Thurman, the expert in fabricating evidence.”

Pierre Péan — African Manipulations

“This is — of course — US/UK pure propaganda. Libya has nothing to do with Lockerbie whatsoever! Only an imbecile would buy this utter nonsense. Imbeciles… And US lawyers, of course! But I repeat myself.”

Intel Today (September 19 2017)

Rescuers stand near the wreckage of the French UTA DC-10 flight 772 in the Tenere desert, on September 22, 1989

September 19 2019 — It has been called the greatest murder investigation in French history. When a suitcase bomb destroyed French Airlines UTA Flight 772, killing all 170 passengers and crew on board, it triggered a decade long search for accountability. Where are the French journalists? Have you all given up on finding the truth? For God sake, wake up and do your job! Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation Disasters | Tagged , | Leave a comment