On This Day — U.S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin : “Ich bin ein Berliner” (June 26 1963)

Posted on June 26, 2022 by L

“Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was ‘Civis Romanus Sum’. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’ … All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!'”

U.S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin

June 26 1963

Kennedy’s ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ speech was watched by West Berliners

June 26 2022 — The speech is considered one of Kennedy’s best, both a notable moment of the Cold War and a high point of the New Frontier. It was a great morale boost for West Berliners, who lived in an enclave deep inside East Germany and feared a possible East German occupation. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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40 Years Ago — The Intelligence Identities Protection Act (June 23 1982)

Posted on June 23, 2022 by L

“The legislation ultimately will harm, not help, our national security interests (…)  If left to stand, it will curtail legitimate journalistic scrutiny of a particularly important and sensitive area of government, creating the possibility that wrongdoing or wrong-headedness could flourish in that area, unchecked by public awareness.”

Sen. Joseph R. Biden (D) of Delaware — Member of the US Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence (April 6, 1982)

June 23 2019 — On June 23 1982, President Reagan visited the CIA Headquarters for the signing of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. The 1982 Act is one of the few U. S. federal laws that criminalizes the disclosure of truthful information about government activities. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Atomic Spies Rosenbergs Are Executed (June 19 1953) [New Book: Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy.]

Posted on June 19, 2022 by L

“If the English want a king, it is their business. If the Russians want communism, it is their business. If the Americans want our form of government, it is our business.”

“This death sentence is not surprising. It had to be.”

Julius Rosenberg

A lithograph of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg made and signed by Pablo Piccaso in 1952.

June 19 2019 — On Friday June 19, 1953 at 8 pm, Julius Rosenberg was strapped into the electric chair and died after the first jolt. Ethel proved a bit harder to kill. Her heart was still beating after three shocks.  Two more needed to be applied to finally end her life. At that point, witnesses saw a puff of smoke escape from her skull. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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CIA Director — A Biography of Gina Haspel [UPDATE : Haspel Personally Observed Torture at Secret CIA Black Site]

Posted on June 8, 2022 by L

“I wrote a letter to the CIA on my manual college typewriter. I mailed it to CIA with my résumé. I didn’t have an address. So I just put: CIA. Washington, D.C. And here I am.”

DCIA Gina Haspel — Auburn University

(April 18 2018)

June 8 2022 — Here is a short biography of Gina Haspel based on information available in the public domain. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Poetry — The Haiku Master, the Cicadas and the CIA

Posted on June 2, 2022 by L

“One is reminded of Montaigne’s acerbic comment: ‘Men under stress are fools, and fool themselves.’ ”

Michael Crichton — The Andromeda Strain

June 2 2022 — Matsuo Bashō was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. After centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku. The CIA could learn a few things from his poetry. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Three Years Ago — 5G Belgium : Chaos Across the Spectrum [UPDATE — Physics Today Infographic : 5G Pinch Points]

Posted on May 31, 2022 by L

“The interferences caused to GSM-R receivers have been a very strong concern for Railway operators over the last years. Several cases of interference have been reported in various Member States, causing non-acceptable operational and even safety issues.”

EU Agency for Railways

May 31 2019 — In a recent post, I told you that the Dutch Intel Agencies have come to the conclusion that their espionage station will need to be shut down because of interferences with the new 5G network. Well, that is for the spies to worry about? Sure, but today’s story is about all of us. Read carefully.

Belgium’s telecoms regulator, the Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunications (BIPT), has begun a public consultation to assess interest in using the 26GHz band for 5G services. Amazingly, the document does not say one word about possible interferences with — for instance — very important weather satellites. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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One Year Ago –The Wuhan Lab – Leak Theory : Did you say ‘Conspiracy Theory’? [UPDATE : A day to remember Carl Sagan]

Posted on May 30, 2022 by L

“If you use ‘conspiracy theory’ or ‘conspiracy theorist’ pejoratively, ask yourself if it’s possible that you are a dumb, profoundly gullible d-bag for buying the narratives being fed to you.”

Professor Dave Collum — Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University (Twitter, May 25 2021)

May 30 2021 — From day one, the Wuhan lab-leak theory was dismissed by the Main Stream Media as a ‘Conspiracy Theory’ that only crackpots would consider plausible. The claim that COVID-19 is man-made was so ‘outrageous’ that it was simply banned on social media. Today, the same theory is taken very seriously as top scientists make it clear that this hypothesis is entirely plausible. Once again, we must ask why the MSM have been so wrong? How and why did this happen? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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CIA Honors its Fallen in Annual Memorial Ceremony (May 23 2022)

Posted on May 26, 2022 by L

“Each year, we gather in this sacred place to mourn and remember. We look upon this Memorial Wall, etched with sacrifice, and honor those Agency officers who gave their lives in the service of our country.”

CIA Director Bill Burns (May 23 2022)

The American flag and the CIA flag on either side of an inscription with 137 stars engraved.
The Memorial Wall is a memorial at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia. It honors CIA employees who died in the line of service. There are 139 stars carved into the white Alabama marble wall. 

May 26 2022 — On May 23 2022, the Central Intelligence Agency held its annual memorial ceremony to pay tribute to the men and women of the CIA who have died in the line of duty. Two stars were added to the Memorial Wall this year. 

The Memorial Wall now has 139 stars. Before 9/11, the number of stars per year was 78/54 = 1.4. After 9/11, the rate greatly increased. Actually it doubled to 61/21 = 2.9. What can possibly explain this inflation? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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One Year Ago — Letter to a young investigator : “Be suspicious of everything!” (On the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic) [UPDATE : Did you say: “Conspiracy Theory”?]

Posted on May 15, 2022 by L

“A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by a majority.”

Booker T. Washington

The Great Wave off Kanagawa [神奈川沖浪裏, Kanagawa-oki Nami Ura] — Katsushika Hokusai (1831)

May 15 2021 — A young man asked if I could offer a few advises as to how one should investigate a complex story. Initially, I thought the idea a bit strange and I was inclined to ignore the letter. After all, there are good reasons why I have chosen to turn down an offer to teach at Yale University. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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World Cocktail Day 2022 — “Vodka Martini. Shaken, Not Stirred”

Posted on May 13, 2022 by L

“There is strong and consistent evidence that James Bond has a chronic alcohol consumption problem at the ‘severe’ end of the spectrum. He should seek professional help and try to find other strategies for managing occupational stress.”

Medical Journal of Australia (Dec. 2018)

***** ***** *****

“Do I look like I give a damn?”

James Bond —  Casino Royale (2006)

May Friday 13 2022 — World Cocktail Day is a global celebration of cocktails. It marks the publication date of the first definition of a cocktail on May 13 in 1806. The Oxford Dictionaries define cocktail as an “alcoholic drink consisting of a spirit or spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as fruit juice or cream”. PS — Not sure about which cocktail you should enjoy tonight? Here is a list of 24 rum recipes that you need to taste at least once in your life! Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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