“For the making of the pyramid itself there passed a period of twenty years. They worked by a hundred thousand men at a time, for each three months continually.”
Herodotus(484 – c. 425 BC)
Pyramids of Giza, soaring above the city of Cairo, Egypt
September 29 2023 — A ‘Fermi Question’ asks for a quick estimate of a quantity that seems difficult, or even impossible, to determine precisely. Fermi’s approach to such questions was to use common sense and rough estimates of quantities to piece together a ball-park value. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“Intel Today is really providing top-notch analysis that is hard to find anywhere else.”
Ulrich — Munich, Germany
Blind monks examining an elephant — ukiyo-e print by Hanabusa Itchō (1652–1724)
September 27 2023 — Last week, I received a message from a reader of Intel Today. With his authorization, I have decided to share with you his comments and questions. I will address all these issues and a few more in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“The siren howled. But I just sat there for a few seconds, staring at the big, back-lit, red screen with the word ‘LAUNCH’ on it.”
Colonel Stanislav Petrov
Stanislav Petrov, a former lieutenant colonel for the Soviet Air Defence Forces, is credited with correctly recognizing a false alarm while manning an early-warning missile defense system, thereby averting a Soviet retaliatory strike and nuclear war.
September 26 2023 — On September 26 1983 — just three weeks after the Soviet military had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 — Stanislav Petrov was the duty officer at the command center for the Oko nuclear early-warning system when the system reported that a missile had been launched from the United States, followed by up to five more.
Petrov judged the reports to be a false alarm and his decision is credited with having prevented an erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its NATO allies that could have resulted in large-scale nuclear war. Investigation later confirmed that the Soviet satellite warning system had indeed malfunctioned. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“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. $100,000 of this money was given to Jibril up front in Damascus by the Iranian ambassador to Sy [Syria], Muhammed Hussan [Akhari] for initial expenses. The remainder of the money was to be paid after successful completion of the mission.”
US Defense Intelligence Agency Memo (September 24 1989)
September 24 2019 — There has been a persistent “rumor” that Iran paid a large amount of money — possibly up to US$ 10 million — to the PFLP-GC terrorist organization of Ahmed Jibril in the immediate aftermath of the Lockerbie tragedy. This is simply a piece of 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
“Now, 40 years later, there is a scientific and historical consensus that it was a nuclear test and that it had to be Israeli.”
Avner Cohen
(September 22 2019)
U.S. Vela satellite
September 22 2023 — 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. Four decades later, this mysterious double flash still matters, and the debate is not over. What do you think? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“The French Government does not deal with its opponents in such ways.”
French embassy in Wellington (July 1985)
***** ***** *****
“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)
September 22 2023 — 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
“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)
Pierre Goldman (June 22, 1944 – Assassinated September 20, 1979)
September 20 2023 — 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
“Raufer established three new facts, all of them pointing — for the first time — to Libya as the culprit of both Pan Am 103 and UTA 772. These facts are false. (…) If that story gains credibility in the media and becomes the ‘new truth’, we will be forced to revisit our position regarding Libya and Gaddafi.”
French Intelligence (DST) Note to French President Francois Mitterrand (June 1991)
Rescuers stand near the wreckage of the French UTA DC-10 flight 772 in the Tenere desert, on September 22, 1989
September 19 2020 — 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. At the conclusion of the investigation, the French investigative magistrate judge — Jean Louis Bruguiere — determined that the Libyan State was directly responsible for the bombing of UTA Flight 772. Case closed?
Not everyone is convinced. Pierre Péan, one of the greatest French investigative journalists, came to the conclusion that Thomas Thurman — a Federal Bureau of Investigation explosives expert — fabricated false evidence against Libya in the investigations of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772 . Péan is certainly not alone to suspect foul play. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“It will be necessary to find some way of pulling Hammarskjold up short.”
UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (September 13 1961)
***** ***** *****
“Hammarskjöld was at the point of getting something done when they killed him. Notice that I said ‘when they killed him.’ ”
US President Harry Truman (September 19 1961)
The wreckage of Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane near Ndola, now Zambia.
September 18 2020 — On September 18 1961, the Ndola United Nations DC-6 crashed, killing Dag Hammarskjöld — the second Secretary-General of the United Nations — and 15 others died. Hammarskjöld’s death occurred en route to cease-fire negotiations. A British-run commission of inquiry blamed the crash in 1961 on pilot error. A later UN investigation rubber-stamped its findings. Case closed? Not so fast. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
“We still hope the truth will come out. We know that very probably the plane was struck down by a missile. Too many people have been keeping this secret for too long but we will not give up until we know everything that happened.”
Daria Bonfietti
The remains of Itavia Airlines flight 870
June 27 2019 — When the passenger jet crashed, the immediate theory was that it was a tragic accident caused by some kind of mechanical or structural failure. Then, there was the suggestion that terrorists could have planted a bomb, but that theory was also rejected. And then, the truth came out. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today
Intel Today 