On This Day — The Chilean Coup (September 11 1973) [2019]

Posted on September 11, 2019 by L

“I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves.”

Henry Kissinger — Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under Richard Nixon

“It is firm and continuing policy that Allende be overthrown by a coup. It would be much preferable to have this transpire prior to Oct. 24 but efforts in this regard will continue vigorously beyond this date. We are to continue to generate maximum pressure toward this end, utilizing every appropriate resource. It is imperative that these actions be implemented clandestinely and securely so that the USG and American hand be well hidden…”

CIA cable — October 16 1970

“With respect to your earlier comments about Chile in the 1970s and what happened with Mr. Allende, it is not a part of American history that we’re proud of.”

General Colin Powell — US Secretary of State (2003)

Salvador Allende gives his inaugural address as president of Chile in 1970. (No Photoshop back then…)

September 11 2019 — Before the coup, Chile had been hailed as a beacon of democracy and political stability for decades; whilst the rest of South America had been plagued by military juntas and Caudillismo. The collapse of Chilean democracy ended a streak of democratic governments in Chile, which had held democratic elections since 1932. Historian Peter Winn characterised the 1973 coup as one of the most violent events in the history of Chile. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — Former CIA Boss John McLaughlin : “So, that’s it.” (September 11 2001) [2019]

Posted on September 11, 2019 by L

“I typed a single sentence, a memo to myself: Nothing will ever be the same.”

John McLaughlin — Former CIA Deputy Director & Acting Director (2000 to 2004)

john-mclaughlin

John McLaughlin — Former CIA Deputy Director & Acting Director (2000 to 2004)

“The hijacked planes hit the twin towers at 8:46 and 9:03 a.m. and the Pentagon at 9:37. Around 10 a.m., we moved out of our headquarters, in Langley, Virginia, to an adjacent structure; we assumed that our building was also a target.” Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — 1,000 Boeing 747 Jumbo Plane Produced (September 10 1993) [2019]

Posted on September 10, 2019 by L

“Aviation investigations are replete with accident scenarios that couldn’t happen. And given the lack of bomb evidence so far, neither scenario has been ruled out, officials said. First is the possibility that the doomed plane’s front section, which has a history of structural fatigue cracks and must undergo regular inspections, simply unzipped from the rest of the plane as weakened structural frames gave way.”

TWA 800 — Washington Post August 1 1996

“There was a single primary return received (…) 16 seconds before SSR returns were lost. […] No explanation can be offered for its presence.”

Pan AM 103 AAIB

Kalitta Air (25th May, 2008)

September 10 2019 — Boeing has delivered more than 1,500 of these jets since 1970. The 747 has been involved in 60 hull losses, resulting in 3,722 fatalities. The destruction in flight of three Boeing-747 remains the subject of intense debates to this day: AIR INDIA 182, PAN AM 103, and TWA 800. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — CIA Goes to War with WikiLeaks [POLL]

Posted on September 9, 2019 by L

“It is the sense of Congress that WikiLeaks and the senior leadership of WikiLeaks resemble a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors and should be treated as such a service by the United States.”

2018 US Intelligence Authorization Bill

September 8 2017 — The Senate Intelligence Committee has approved a bill classifying WikiLeaks as a “non-state hostile intelligence service.” Phillip Giraldi, former CIA officer and counter-terrorism specialist, explains how this is “like going to war” and that he “would not rule out assassinations.” Follow us on Twitter:  @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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One Year Ago — Havana Syndrome : Havana, Beijing… And Where Else?

Posted on September 8, 2019 by L

“There’s been some other locations [where] we’ve had similar situations. We’re still working on it. I think if it was an intelligence-based operation, it’ll be hard to attribute.”

William Evanina  — Director of the US National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center

September 8 2019 — In 2016, two dozen of US diplomats — most of them actually spies — based in Havana suffered a range of symptoms including hearing loss, tinnitus, headaches and dizziness. Later, US diplomats in Beijing experienced the same symptoms. US experts now consider “microwave weapons” as the prime suspect.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — Golda Meir Orders Operation Wrath of God (September 7 1972) [2019]

Posted on September 7, 2019 by L

“There’s no difference between one’s killing and making decisions that will send others to kill. It’s exactly the same thing, or even worse.”

Golda Meir

“Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values.”

Movie Quote from Munich (2005) – Golda Meir

September 7 1972 — Two days after the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Israel retaliated by bombing ten PLO bases in Syria and Lebanon. Prime Minister Golda Meir also created Committee X — a small group of government officials tasked with formulating an Israeli response — with herself and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan at the head.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Wormwood : Why Did The CIA Murder US Army Scientist Frank Olson? [UPDATE]

Posted on September 7, 2019 by L

“In all my years in the hotel business, I never encountered a case where someone got up in the middle of the night, ran across a dark room in his underwear, avoiding two beds, and dove through a closed window with the shade and curtains drawn.”

Statler Hotel night manager

“The most efficient accident, in simple assassination, is a fall of 75 feet or more onto a hard surface.”

CIA assassination manual (1953)

“What Wormwood tries to do is tell a story about how we know what we know and how reliable is that knowledge.”

Errol Morris — Documentary Director

“You think that finding the answer to this is gonna restore the path of your own life. But how can it possibly do that if you’ve lost yourself along the way?”

Eric Olson (Wormwood)

“Frank (Olson) was viewed as a dissident. You understand that in 1953 if you thought somebody was detrimental to the war against the Russians, you have no problem dealing with them. It wouldn’t be a question of saying you just have to leave the agency (laughs…) tell me about that, think about that somebody who has secrets, I mean are you kidding me.  Frank was, was out there. He was letting them know that he was marching to a different drummer and you couldn’t do it back then. He was a man who was profoundly, profoundly distressed about what he was learning……..and he was dangerous, that I can tell you. I can’t tell you more.”

US Journalist Seymour Hersh

 

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, Seymour Hersh states that he believes the CIA murdered Frank Olson. Although, he 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 Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — NORTH KOREA H-Bomb : First Yield Estimate

Posted on September 6, 2019 by L

“The institute recently succeeded in making a more developed nuke. Kim Jong-un watched an H-bomb to be loaded into a new ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile).”

KCNA — North Korea State News Agency (September 3 2017)

“Based on the similarity of the seismic data between 3 September 2017 event and North Korea’s previous nuclear tests, we confirm that 3 September 2017 event is a nuclear test in nature. We have determined that North Korea’s 3 September 2017 nuclear test occurred at UTC 2017/09/03 03:30, (2017/09/03 12:00 local time), at the location of (41°17’53.52”N, 129°4’27.12”E), with an estimated yield of 108.3±48.1 kt.”

USTC  — Lianxing Wen’s Geogroup

September 4 2017 — North Korea said on Sunday (September 3 2017) it has developed a more advanced nuclear weapon that has “great destructive power” and leader Kim Jong Un inspected a hydrogen bomb that will be loaded on a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Considering the magnitude of the event as reported by the US Geological Survey,  I have estimated — in first approximation — the yield of the device at about 126.8 kilotons of TNT equivalent. A well-known Chinese research group has since provided a similar estimate. However the magnitudes reported by South Korea and NORSAR are much lower.

UPDATE (September 6 2017)  — At this point, there seems to be a consensus that the magnitude (Mb) of the event is at least 6.0 and possibly as high as 6.4. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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The CIA Book of Honor — Star 115 : Marcell Rene Gough (1965)

Posted on September 6, 2019 by L

“IN HONOR OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY”

Memorial at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia

“For anyone who wants to understand the essence of the CIA, one need look no further than this hallowed wall. These stars, and the memories they hold, will forever inspire and sustain us as we carry on the work to which those whose stars find lasting peace in this finely chiseled constellation devoted their lives.”

 Director John O. Brennan — CIA annual ceremony (May 23 2016)

September 6 2019 — Currently, there are 133 stars carved into the marble of the CIA Memorial Wall: 93 are unclassified. Who are those men and women? When did they die? Why are they honored by a star? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — Russian Defector Viktor Belenko Lands MiG-25 in Japan (September 6 1976) [2019]

Posted on September 6, 2019 by L

“Americans have tolerance regarding other people’s opinion. In certain cultures, if you do not accept the mainstream, you would be booted out or might disappear. Here we have people, you know, who hug trees, and people who want to cut them down — and they live side by side!”

Viktor Ivanovich Belenko — Informal Interview (2000)

Viktor Belenko — Soviet military identification photo

September 6 2019 — On 6 September 1976, Viktor Ivanovich Belenko defected to the West, flying his MiG-25 “Foxbat” jet fighter to Hakodate, Japan. George H. W. Bush, the Director of Central Intelligence at the time, called the opportunity to examine the plane up close an “intelligence bonanza” for the West. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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