On This Day — Remembering Avianca Flight 203 (November 27 1989) [Politicization of Intelligence]

Posted on November 27, 2022 by L

“No one acts alone without orders in the FBI. We had clear goals which were clearly given to us in every document we received from anyone. If a police organization wished for us to provide them ‘proof’ of guilt, then they told us in many ways of their absolute belief that the perpetrators were those individuals they had already arrested. If the president of the United States tells the country in the national news that Dandeny Munoz Mosquera is one of the most feared assassins in the history of the world, then every agent knows that he must provide information to support that statement. If leaders decide without concern for foundation of truth then most people will follow them.”

Fred Whitehurst — Former FBI Chemist (Email to Intel Today)

Avianca 203

November 27 2020 — Avianca Airlines Flight 203 was a Colombian domestic passenger flight from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali. Avianca Flight 203 crashed over the municipality of Soacha on November 27, 1989. Allegedly, the plane was destroyed by a bomb. This explanation is however much disputed by experts today. Colombian journalists Pablo Correa, Sergio Silva and retired US Newton Center attorney Thomas Hoffman share the 2017 Simon Bolivar Prize (Category: Investigative journalism) for their outstanding work on the true story of AVIANCA Flight 203. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — The CIA Book of Honor — Star 79 : Johnny Micheal Spann (March 1, 1969 – November 25, 2001) [First CIA STAR Post 9/11]

Posted on November 26, 2022 by L

“Johnny Micheal Spann led one of our teams into Afghanistan, then under the sway of a dictatorship aligned with global murder.  There, he tracked the authors and allies of terror.  There, while fighting for the future of the American people, he fought to bring a better future to the Afghan people.  And it was there, one evening, that he said he would gladly risk his life if he could help make the world a safer place for his wife and children. As we know, those were much more than words. Our battle with terrorism will be long and difficult.  But those who have taken Mike from us cannot prevail.  And they will not.  Not while a single decent person—who not only loves liberty, but is ready to protect it—stands against them.”

Director of Central Intelligence George J. Tenet
(May 31 2002)

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

November 25 2022 — Currently, there are 139 stars carved into the marble of the CIA Memorial Wall: 91 are unclassified. Who are those men and (at least 11) women? When did they die? Why are they honoured by a star? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Dr Gus W. Weiss Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances (November 25 2003)

Posted on November 25, 2022 by L

“If some double agent told the KGB the Americans were alert to Line X and were interfering with their collection by subverting, if not sabotaging, the effort, I believed the United States still could not lose. The Soviets, being a suspicious lot, would be likely to question and reject everything Line X collected. If so, this would be a rarity in the world of espionage, an operation that would succeed even if compromised. Casey liked the proposal.”

Gus W. Weiss

November 25 2022 — Dr Gus W. Weiss was a White House policy adviser on technology, intelligence and economic affair and worked primarily on national security, intelligence and concerns on technology transfer to communist countries. Weiss died on November 25, 2003 under what the UK newspaper The Independent has characterized as “mysterious circumstances”. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day– Remembering CIA Leslianne Shedd (September 15 1968 – November 23 1996)

Posted on November 23, 2022 by L

“When my sister Leslianne Shedd was killed in the 1996 crash of a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines plane, my family not only went into mourning. We also continued to keep a secret: Leslianne didn’t work for the U.S. State Department, as she told everyone. She worked for the CIA, fighting terrorism in Africa.  When Lesli was killed, there was a private memorial ceremony at CIA headquarters at Langley. Then in May of the following year, she was given an anonymous star on the CIA Wall of Honor. The CIA told us that at some point, we would be able to talk about her.”

Corinne Collie

November 23 2022 — Leslianne Shedd was killed on November 23, 1996. She was a passenger on a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed in the Indian Ocean near the Comoro Islands. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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LOCKERBIE — Analysis of the New Indictment [UPDATE : Lockerbie 3rd suspect kidnapped from high security prison]

Posted on November 21, 2022 by L

“The urgent imperative now is extraditing Masud here to face swift and sure justice. The two men who earlier stood trial for the murders — in the Netherlands, under Scottish law — escaped full punishment.”

Editorial: Justice for Lockerbie

January 7 2021 — On December 21 2020 (the 32nd anniversary of the Lockerbie tragedy), the US DoJ announced new charges against a third former Libyan intelligence operative for his role in the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103. I this final post, I summarize my conclusions and I will also take this opportunity to tell a story about MASUD that has far-reaching consequences. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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20 Years Ago — James Bond “Die Another Day” Premiere in London (November 18 2002) [How Jamaica inspired James Bond]

Posted on November 19, 2022 by L

“Die Another Day is the wrong film at the wrong time.”

South Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism

In 1943, Ian Fleming flew to Jamaica to track down rumors of a secret submarine base near Nassau. It was there that he picked up a book on birds — written by one James Bond. Ten years later, when Fleming decided to channel his time in intelligence into fiction, he pilfered the name “James Bond” for his new hero in “Casino Royale.”

November 18 2022 — Die Another Day is a 2002 British-American spy film, the twentieth film in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, as well as the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film follows Bond as he leads a mission to North Korea, during which he is betrayed and, after seemingly killing a rogue North Korean colonel, is captured and imprisoned. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On this Day — At Long Last, FBI Admits No Evidence of Foul Play in 1996 TWA 800 Crash (November 18 1997) [Get ready for Unwelcome Truth.]

Posted on November 18, 2022 by L

“The FBI didn’t want to hear about anything but a missile or a bomb, because otherwise there was no FBI case. Their conduct was disturbing from the very beginning.”

Chuck Grassley — Chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee on administrative oversight –Washington Post (May 9 1999)

November 18 2022 — Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA 800) was a Boeing 747-100 which exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996. On November 17 1997, the FBI formally ended its 16-month investigation into the crash of TWA flight 800. FBI agents concluded there was no evidence it was a criminal act. Despite clear scientific evidence, many people still believe to this day that the plane was brought down by a terrorist bombing or a missile strike. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_Today

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On this Day — US President Richard Nixon : “I am Not a Crook” (November 17 1973) [UPDATE : 5 Decades of Deep Throat]

Posted on November 17, 2022 by L

“And in all of my years of public life, I have never obstructed justice. And I think, too, that I could say that in my years of public life, that I welcome this kind of examination, because people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I am not a crook. I have earned everything I have got.”

US President Richard Nixon 
(November 17 1973)

November 17 2022 — On this day, US President Richard Nixon famously stated that “people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.” The rest is History. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Thatcher Names Blunt as “The Fourth Man” (November 16 1979)

Posted on November 16, 2022 by L

“I believe Thatcher did it because she didn’t see why the system should cover things up. This was early in her prime ministership. I think she wanted to tell the civil service that the politicians decide policy, not the system. She wanted them to know who was the boss.”

Sir Bernard Ingham — Thatcher’s press secretary

November 16 2022 — On November 16 1979, Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher named Sir Anthony Blunt — a former security service officer and personal adviser on art to the Queen —  as the “fourth man” in the Cambridge spy ring. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Remembering Russian Spy Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (July 11, 1903 – November 15, 1971)

Posted on November 15, 2022 by L

James Donovan — You have been charged with three counts and nineteen overt acts. Conspiracy to transmit United States defence and atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, conspiracy to gather secrets, and failing to register as a foreign agent.

Rudolf Abel — Do many foreign agents register?

Bridge of Spies  (2015) 

 

(Original Caption) Photo shows Rudolf Abel, accused spy arriving to have a conference with his court appointed attorney James B. Donovan, on the right of Abel is Federal Marshall William E. Smith.

November 15 2022 — Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, real name Vilyam “Willie” Genrikhovich Fisher, (July 11, 1903 – November 15, 1971) was a Soviet intelligence officer. He adopted his alias when arrested on charges of conspiracy by FBI agents in 1957. He  was exchanged for captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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