On This Day — Former DCI Admiral Stansfield Turner Dies (January 18 2018)

Posted on January 18, 2019 by L

“Turner’s most disturbing discovery was the harsh questioning and illegal imprisonment that the Agency’s Counterintelligence Staff had imposed for several years on Soviet defector Yuri Nosenko. This convinced him that CIA could be a dangerous organization if not kept closely accountable to the DCI, the President, and the Congress.”

CIA History Staff

“I think Mike Hayden is extremely well qualified for the job, but there is this big question mark over the legality of the wiretapping that was done under his supervision. I happen to think it was illegal.”

Former DCI Admiral Stansfield Turner — (On the nomination of  General Michael Hayden as head of the CIA )

Former DCI Stansfield Turner died on January 18 2018 at home in Seattle, Washington.  Turner was sworn in as 12th DCI on 9 March 1977 and remained at the helm of the Agency until January 20, 1981. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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Boris Hagelin — The Swiss Businessman Who Sold The World Out

Posted on January 17, 2019 by L

“I am the 20th century’s greatest spy.”

Boris Hagelin — Private discussion with his brother-in-law Sixten Svensson

“Further evidence suggesting that the Crypto AG machines were compromised was revealed after the assassination of former Iranian Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar in 1991.”

Intel Today (December 29 2007)

“The different versions of the report make clear Friedman – described as special assistant to the director, NSA – went with a proposal agreed not just by US, but also British intelligence. Friedman offered Hagelin time to think his proposal over, but Hagelin accepted on the spot.”

BBC Gordon Corera (July 28 2015)

CX 52 Hagelin Machine recovered from the Ndola crash site

A decade ago, I suggested that Crypto AG had been actively working with the British and US Intelligence Agencies. Specifically, I argued that Crypto AG had rigged the equipment used by diplomats around the world to allow the NSA and GCHQ to decode in real-time their messages. These claims were vindicated by US government documents declassified in 2015. End of the story? Not quite. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — PUTIN : “Trump Dossier Is Utter Nonsense”

Posted on January 17, 2019 by L

“I find it hard to imagine he [Mr Trump] ran to a hotel to meet our girls of ‘low social responsibility’… though they are of course also the best in the world. But I doubt Trump took that bait.”

Russia President Vladimir Putin

“That [Steele dossier] is a garbage document. It never should have been presented in — as part of an intelligence briefing.”

US journalist Bob Woodward

“When spies get angry, they call reporters and arrange discreet chats in parking garages. The last president who entered the Oval Office with this much dislike and distrust of the IC was Richard Nixon—and we know how that worked out for him.”

John R. Schindler — Former NSA and professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College

“I can tell you right now Brennan is an asshole. I have known all these people for years. Clapper is — sort of — a better guy but not a rocket scientist. The NSA guys are fucking morons. You know the trouble with all of those guys is that the only way they are going to make it to a board, or two, and get hired (…) to deliver some fat cat contracts is if Hillary stayed in.”

Seymour Hersh [Phone interview]

putinseagal

January 17 2017 — Russian President Vladimir Putin describes allegations his country holds compromising material on US President-elect Donald Trump as “utter nonsense”. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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On This Day — Reagan Approves Covert Arms Sales to Iran (January 17, 1986)

Posted on January 17, 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)

“I have known Mehdi Hashemi inside out since our childhood. He is a devout Muslim, a militant revolutionary, and a great admirer of the Imam.”

Ayatollah Montazeri (September 1987)

libya_bombing_reagan_meeting_14_march_1986

Under the January 17 1986 Presidential Finding — which CIA director William Casey and CIA General Counsel Stanley Sporkin helped Colonel Oliver North put together — the U.S. Army sold the TOW missiles to the CIA, who in turn passed them on to general Secord, who then delivered them to Iranian agents. Crazy enough? The Reagan administration then used the proceeds of the arms sale to fund terrorists in Central America. This is not Fake News. This is History. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Can US Intelligence officials legally disclose classified information to members of the press?

Posted on January 16, 2019 by L

“Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you. So even for a practical, supposedly hard-nosed businessman, Trump is being really dumb to do this.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer

“The CIA is spectacularly terrible at responding to FOIA requests. It’s so bad it’s highly possible the perceived ineptness is deliberate. The CIA simply does not want to release documents. If it can’t find enough FOIA exemptions to throw at the requester, it gets creative.”

Tim Cushing — TechDirt (Legal Issues)

“If the CIA loses in this case, the unsavory practice of providing classified information only to sources willing to do the agency’s bidding will be dealt a setback.”

Paul Mirengoff — Powerline

“I suppose it is possible that the Government does not consider members of the press to be part of the public. I do.”

Chief Judge Colleen McMahon — Initial ruling

“A limited disclosure of information to three journalists does not constitute a disclosure to the public.”

Chief Judge Colleen McMahon — Final ruling

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James R. Clapper — United States Director of National Intelligence aka the Leaker-in-Chief

January 16 2019 — Can Intelligence officials ‘legally’ disclose classified information to members of the press? From a legal point of view, the answer is a bit tricky, but the office of the DNI believes that it is legal in some circumstances. What is certain is that they are doing it quite often!  Whenever it suits them… Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

Posted in Fake News, FBI, Freedom of Information Act, James R. Clapper, Journalism, Media, ODNI, Spooks & Media, Trump, Trump Dossier | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Year Ago — Breaking News : Former CIA Jeffrey Sterling Released to a Halfway House

Posted on January 16, 2019 by L

“We welcome the forthcoming release of Jeffrey Sterling into a halfway house, but hope that he can be reunited with his family soon. His conviction was a breach of First Amendment protections. Simply being in contact with a journalist does not amount to espionage and should not incur imprisonment.”

Margaux Ewen — RSF North America Director  (Reporters Without Borders)

“Just like the CIA primary mission is to protect the Agency, the New York Time primary mission is to protect the Time. And so when this hit the fan — so to speak — Jeffrey was on his own.”

Former CIA John Kiriakou

“Sterling’s case drew nationwide attention because the Obama-era Department of Justice unsuccessfully tried to force the reporter, James Risen, to divulge the identity of his sources for ‘State of War’, a book in which he revealed the CIA had botched a covert operation against Iran’s nuclear program. Risen reported that instead of undermining the Iranians, the CIA had provided them with useful information on how to build a nuclear bomb.”

The Intercept — Peter Maass (January 2018)

January 16 2018 — On Christmas eve, I told you that former CIA Jeffrey Sterling could be released from jail early this year. I am happy to report that this prediction came true. Today, Jeffrey Sterling was released from prison to a halfway house, ahead of the original end date of his 3.5 year prison sentence on June 14, 2018.  Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — Ex-CIA Sabrina De Sousa to be Extradited to Italy in 24 Hours

Posted on January 16, 2019 by L

“I would really like to reach out to the Trump administration. I can’t see General Mike Flynn allowing the prosecution of a senior military officer by a foreign nation.”

Former CIA Sabrina de Sousa (January 2017)

desousa

Portugal – Monday 16 January 2017 — Tomorrow, Portugal will extradite to Italy a former CIA Officer convicted over the 2003 abduction of radical Egyptian imam Abu Omar, a case that highlighted the controversial US secret rendition program. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

Continue reading →

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On This Day — The Zimmermann Telegram Is Intercepted (January 16 1917)

Posted on January 16, 2019 by L

“No account of the stirring episodes leading up to our entry into the World War can be considered complete without at least a reference to the one in which the Zimmermann telegram played the leading role.”

  War Department Office of the Chief Signal Officer (1938 study)

On January 16 1917, British code breakers intercepted an encrypted message from  German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann intended for Heinrich von Eckardt, the German ambassador to Mexico. The decryption of the Zimmermann Telegram is widely described as the most significant intelligence triumph for Britain during World War I. The story demonstrates that SIGINT can influence the course of History. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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On This Day — Wikipedia Is Born. And The Spooks Love It! (January 15 2001)

Posted on January 15, 2019 by L

“People that I would say are trolls sort of took over Wikipedia. The inmates started running the asylum.”

Larry Sanger — Wikipedia co-founder

On January 15 2001, Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia. According to Alexa Internet, Wikipedia is the world’s fifth-most-popular website in terms of overall visitor traffic, with a worldwide monthly readership of approximately 495 million. And, for obvious reasons, the spooks love Wikipedia. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Think On These Things — Is MEDINT Real Science or Junk Science?

Posted on January 15, 2019 by L

“They (CIA Medical and Psychiatric Analysis Center) have been monitoring the health of world leaders for decades. It’s an essential element of biographical profiles.”

 Intelligence Historian Jeffrey T. Richelson — Author of “The Wizards of Langley”

“As an intelligence officer working with a team of physicians, psychiatrists and psychologists, you will assess the physical health of foreign leaders and terrorists..”

CIA advertisement published in ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’

“A CIA report concluded that based on the medical information, Ayatollah Khomeini will ‘probably die within the next few months’. That was nearly 10 months ago…”

Washington Post (March 19 1989)

January 15 2019 — The Medical and Psychiatric Analysis Center (MPAC) is one of the more intriguing parts of the CIA. The unit that has operated out of the public view for half a century, MPAC tries to gauge — from both public and classified sources — the health  of world leaders. Here is a simple but important question. Is Medical Intelligence serious science or junk science? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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