Remembering Archbishop Oscar Romero (August 15, 1917 — Assassinated March 24, 1980) UPDATE : Canonisation on October 14 2018

Posted on October 11, 2018 by L

“Let my blood be a seed of freedom and the sign that hope will soon be reality.”

“Between the powerful and the wealthy, and the poor and vulnerable, who should a pastor side with? I have no doubts. A pastor should stay with his people.”

Archbishop Oscar Romero

“His ministry was distinguished by his particular attention to the most poor and marginalized.”

Pope Francis

“There are clear [evidential] threads on who gave the original order and who paid for the murder that any concerted investigation in El Salvador would absolutely be able to gather enough evidence to prosecute those involved.”

Matt Eisenbrandt — Assassination of a Saint

March 24 2018 — Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture. Romero was assassinated while offering Mass in the chapel of the Hospital of Divine Providence. No one was ever convicted for the crime. UPDATE (October 11 2018): Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador will be proclaimed Saint on October 14. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today Continue reading →

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On This Day — Einstein Letter to FDR (October 11 1939)

Posted on October 11, 2018 by L

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

“The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking…the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.”

“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

Einstein and Szilard re-enact discussion of letter to FDR for 1946 documentary Atomic Power

On October 11 1939, Alexander Sachs, Wall Street economist and longtime friend and unofficial advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, met with the President to discuss a letter written by Albert Einstein the previous August.  Einstein had written to inform Roosevelt that recent research on fission chain reactions utilizing uranium made it probable that large amounts of power could be produced by a chain reaction and that, by harnessing this power, the construction of “extremely powerful bombs” was conceivable.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — James Bond “From Russia With Love” Premiere in London (October 10 1963)

Posted on October 10, 2018 by L

 “… the film is highly immoral in every imaginable way; it is neither uplifting, instructive nor life-enhancing. Neither is it great film-making. But it sure is fun.”

Richard Roud — The Guardian  (October 11 1963)

“Fleming found he had a love for espionage, and combined with his support for all things British, provided purpose to his life. But after WWII ended, he found himself at loose ends, and took a job with a newspaper. He hated the drudgery that went with the position, and often found himself daydreaming while admiring a picture of Jamaica near his desk. After several vacations to the island, he decided to move there permanently and, drawing on his family’s income, built a home for himself. He called it ‘Goldeneye.’ Fleming told friends he had always wanted to write a spy novel…and now with time on his hands, he did exactly that.”

Ian Fleming: The Man Behind the Most Famous Spy — CIA Website (May 2018)

From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond film series produced by Eon Productions, as well as Sean Connery’s second role as MI6 agent James Bond. The film premiered on October 10 1963 at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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One Year Ago — CIA Director Pompeo Delivers Opening Keynote at 2017 Conference on Ethos and Profession of Intelligence

Posted on October 10, 2018 by L

“As a large government organization, eliminating barriers to action is a never-ending challenge for us, one that most of my predecessors faced as well. Porter Goss, who’s serving on one of our panels today, noted the problem during his tenure as CIA Director under President George W. Bush.”

Mike Pompeo — CIA Director

October 10 2017 — The following text is the transcript of the speech delivered by Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo at the Conference on the Ethos and Profession of Intelligence at George Washington University on October 4, 2017. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Lockerbie — Christine Grahame MSP : “Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied”

Posted on October 10, 2018 by L

“In the meantime, yet to be completed and sent to the Crown Office is the separate police-led Sandwood inquiry into the actions at the time of police, prosecutors and forensic officials. The inquiry, which is investigating claims of attempts to pervert the course of justice prior to the Camp Zeist trial, started in 2014. Pronouncements have been made on its imminent conclusion, which has been much postponed. Although the SCCRC could conclude its findings without that report, I have no doubt that it would be difficult for it to fully conclude without it. Sandwood’s—to be kind—slow progress is cause for concern, because 30 years on, justice delayed is justice denied for the people of Lockerbie, the Syracuse students, every other one of the 270 who died and their families and friends—and, perhaps, even the Megrahi family.”

Christine Grahame MSP (October 2 2018)

“I found it quite upsetting. The man is obviously very ill and he is desperate to see his family – absolutely desperate to see his family – so, whatever it takes, that’s the priority. He did tell me things I can’t discuss with you. But I am absolutely more convinced than ever that there has been a miscarriage of justice.”

Christine Grahame MSP (May 2009)

Christine Grahame has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament since its inception in 1999. Grahame has been outspoken in her view that the conviction of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing is unsafe and represents a miscarriage of justice. Grahame has lodged several questions and motions on this scandalous case in the Scottish Parliament and continues to be involved with campaign groups on the matter. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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One Year Ago — Germany Intelligence officials reject the idea of creating a European Intelligence Agency

Posted on October 9, 2018 by L

“We don’t need a European intelligence agency or any other additional European intelligence institution.”

Bruno Kahl — President of the BND [Germany’s foreign intelligence agency]

BND chief Bruno Kahl

October 9 2017 — In recent years, many European leaders have floated the idea of a “European CIA”. Not everyone is convinced. And obviously, the spooks don’t like it.

In a speech last month, French President Emmanuel Macron called for creating a European intelligence academy to strengthen links between EU countries. The European home affairs commissioner, Dimitris Avramopoulos, also suggested a united European intelligence system to help prevent terrorist attacks.

On October 5 2017, German intelligence officials rejected the idea of creating a European intelligence service. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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On This Day — Che Guevara Is Executed (October 9 1967)

Posted on October 9, 2018 by L

“The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality.”

“The only passion that guides me is for the truth… I look at everything from this point of view.”

“I had a project for my life which involved 10 years of wandering, then some years of medical studies and, if any time was left, the great adventure of physics.”

“I have a wish. It is a fear as well – that in my end will be my beginning.”

Che Guevara (June 14, 1928 – October 9, 1967)

A 1960 photo taken by Alberto Korda of Guevara in a beret became iconic and has since appeared on countless posters and T-shirts.

On this day in 1967, socialist revolutionary and guerilla leader Che Guevara (age 39) was killed by the Bolivian army. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Two Years Ago — 2016 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE JUAN MANUEL SANTOS — Does Anyone Remember “Los Falsos Positivos”?

Posted on October 8, 2018 by L

“Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel peace prize.”

Thomas Andrew Lehrer — American  satirist

“We can call them ‘false positives’ or ‘extrajudicial executions’, but really these were cold-blooded murders. They were meticulously planned and carried by all ranks.”

Omar Rojas Bolaños and Fabian Leonardo Benavides — Blind Obedience in Fictitious Battlefields

santos

October 8 2016 — The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Juan Manuel Santos “for his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end”.

Santos was named Minister of Defence on 19 July 2006. He resigned on 18 May 2009. In 2008 the ‘false positives’ scandal was uncovered.  Members of the military carried out extrajudicial executions in order to artificially increase the number of guerrillas killed by the Army and claim rewards from the government.

UPDATE — Earlier this year (May 2018), we learned that the Colombian army has killed thousands more innocent civilians than previously reported. The authors of a new study — one of them is a former police colonel — estimate that 10,000 civilians were executed by the army between 2002 and 2010 – more than three times the number tallied by human rights groups. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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CIA Director Gina Haspel — First Public Appearance (U. of Louisville, Sept. 24 2018)

Posted on October 8, 2018 by L

“No foreign challenge has had a more direct impact on American families and communities…than the flow of opioids and other drugs into our country. That’s why the CIA is going to invest more heavily in our counter-narcotics effort abroad to combat this terrible threat, one that has killed far more Americans than any terrorist ever has.”

CIA Director Gina Haspel

CIA Director Gina Haspel addresses the audience at the University of Louisville, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in Louisville, Ky.

In her first public appearance as CIA Director, Haspel spoke at the University of Louisville in her native Kentucky, where she earned her degree. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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Salisbury Incident — Was “Novichok Killer” Driving License Photoshopped?

Posted on October 8, 2018 by L

“According to the OSAGO insurance policies database, this driver’s license is indeed registered in the name of Anatoly Vladimirovich Chepiga.”

Crime Russia (October 6 2018)

“Do you never wonder how all this information about this apparently top secret dude is so easy to come by? Who took this picture? How did they get hold of his driving licence? How do you know it’s genuine? Why don’t journalists ask questions anymore?”

Michael Marshall (Twitter October 6 2018)

CIT Tweet : “A source sent us a photo of what appears to be a driver’s license issued to GRU colonel Anatoliy Chepiga who is suspected of poisoning the Skripals in the UK. The license apparently was issued back when he was serving in a Spetsnaz unit in Khabarovsk before transfer to Moscow.”

Crime Russia has reported that independent investigators from “Conflict Intelligence Team” (CIT) posted — via their Twitter account — a picture of a driving license, which allegedly belongs to GRU Colonel Anatoly Chepiga.  There is one problem. This document is obviously a forgery. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY Continue reading →

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