On This day – U.S. Air Force Carpet Bombs Dresden (February 13-15 1945)

“The Dresden atrocity, tremendously expensive and meticulously planned, was so meaningless, finally, that only one person on the entire planet got any benefit from it. I am that person. I wrote this book, which earned a lot of money for me and made my reputation, such as it is… One way or another, I got two or three dollars for every person killed. Some business I’m in.”

Kurt Vonnegut — About Dresden and his famous novel Slaughterhouse-Five

February 13 2022 — From February 13 to February 15 1945, during the final months of World War II (1939-45), Allied forces bombed the historic city of Dresden, located in Eastern Germany. I regard the bombing of Dresden as a war crime. I understand that one may disagree with me on this issue. Anyone is entitled to his own opinion. However, I expect everyone to acknowledge the facts because no one is entitled to his own facts. Former CIA Director John McLaughlin should not be allowed to ignore History and to make his own “In-facts”.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Remembering Irish Human Rights Lawyer Patrick Finucane (March 21, 1949 – February 12, 1989)

“The peelers wanted him whacked. We whacked him and that is the end of the story.”

Ken Barrett — UDA gunmen

February 12 2021 –Patrick Finucane (March 21 1949 – February 12 1989) was an Irish human rights lawyer killed by loyalist paramilitaries acting in collusion with the British government intelligence service MI5.  Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Mandela Is Released From Prison (February 11 1990)

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013)

February 11 2022 — On February 11 1990 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela walked out of prison and embarked on a decade of historic endeavor. If you think that the COVID lockdown is too hard, you may want to consider this. Mandela spent almost 30 years in jail just for being a decent man. President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, Mandela nevertheless remained on the US terror watch list until 2008. This is hardly surprising. Like MI6, the CIA was among the “enemies of democracy in South Africa.” Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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60 Years Ago — U2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers Exchanged in Spy Swap for KGB Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (February 10 1962)

“Francis Gary Powers performed his duty in a very dangerous mission and he performed it well, and I think I know more about that than some of his detractors and critics know, and I am glad to say that to him tonight.”

  CIA Director Allen Dulles (March 1964)

 

Glienicke Bridge prisoner exchange depicted in the Bridge of Spies movie, where Soviet spy Rudolf Abel was exchanged for American pilot Francis Gary Powers

February 10 2022 — At 8:52 am on February 10 1962, American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was exchanged in a spy swap for Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, a senior KGB spy at the now famous Glienicke Bridge. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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BELGIUM : €10bn Missing From Gaddafi Frozen Accounts [UPDATE : Did Gaddafi’s money save the Belgian State?]

“Nobody is preoccupied with the question of where the funds have gone and who benefitted from them. What is surprising is that nobody wanted to see what was going on and everyone is shutting their eyes at a political level … This is an extremely serious problem as it could uncover a real state scandal.”

Robert Wtterwulghe — Law professor at UC Louvain University

February 20 2018 — Brussels, Belgium — After Gaddafi’s death in 2011, the U.N. passed a resolution to freeze his wealth, with the idea that it would be held in trust for the Libyan people until the war-shattered country stabilizes. Four separate accounts opened for the Libyan Investment Authority and Libyan Foreign Investment Company in the Euroclear bank held about 16 billion euros when they became ‘frozen’ under UN sanctions in September 2011. Today, there remains about 5 billion euros on these accounts. So the question is rather simple: Where did the €11 billion vanish to? Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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Random Thoughts — Reading Behind the Black Bars [ODNI Redacted Summary on Havana Syndrome]

“When the government touts the release of such heavily redacted documents as an act of transparency, leaving us to guess what we might be missing, the question inevitably comes up: Are there ways we can peer behind the black bars? According to a number of researchers, there often are.”

The Declassification Engine: Reading Between the Black Bars

The New Yorker (October 16, 2013)

The painting “Random Thoughts” by Sandy Welch

February 8 2022 — The Executive Summary was DECLASSIFIED by DNI Haines on February 1st 2022. As expected, the document is redacted. Can you guess a couple of words? Intel Today believes it can be done… Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — IRA Launches Mortar shells at 10 Downing Street (February 7 1991)

“It was a remarkably good aim if you consider that the bomb was fired 250 yards [across Whitehall] with no direct line of sight. Technically, it was quite brilliant and I’m sure that many army crews, if given a similar task, would be very pleased to drop a bomb that close. You’ve got to park the launch vehicle in an area which is guarded by armed men and you’ve got less than a minute to do it. I was very, very surprised at how good it was. If the angle of fire had been moved about five or ten degrees, then those bombs would actually have impacted on Number Ten.”

Peter Gurney — Head of the Explosives Section of the Anti-Terrorist Branch

February 7 2022 — The Downing Street mortar attack was carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on February 7 1991. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Two Years Ago — KRYPTOS Sculpture — Jim Sanborn : “This is the third and to be sure final clue.” [UPDATE : And then came a 4th clue!]

“I really do want Kryptos to remain secret – the plain text, the final section of Kryptos, I would prefer for it to remain secret indefinitely. (…) I would think that every artist would aspire to making an artwork that is not transient. It’s a permanent visual, auditory, conceptual statement. And I did Kryptos with all those things in mind. And one – as an artist, one would prefer to have that piece continue giving rather than have it understood right off the bat and then more or less ignored. And so this has lived way beyond all of my expectations, you know, at 30 years in retaining a secret that it has, and that’s the magic.”

Jim Sanborn (January 30 2020)

February 6 2020 — NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly spoke with Jim Sanborn, creator of a cryptographic puzzle sculpture called “Kryptos” located at CIA headquarters, about his decision to release a third and final clue. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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Three Years Ago — CIA Molly Hale Goes Digital (February 4 2019) [The story of the 11th Female Star]

“Dear Molly, Could you tell us how many stars on the Memorial Wall are known to represent women? Regards, Intel Today”

Intel Today — Question to Molly Hale (February 4 2019)

February 4 2022 — On February 4 2019, CIA Molly Hale went digital. I could not resist firing the very first question on Twitter! How many CIA women are honoured by a star on the CIA wall? A few weeks later, we got the answer to that question… And much more! Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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On This Day — Madeleine Albright Discovers Her Jewish Roots (February 4 1997) [UPDATE — FBI investigated President Clinton for Marc Rich’s pardon]

“So many Americans and other nationals died in that terrible, terrible [Lockerbie] accident.”

U. S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (Aug. 2009)

Many journalists have credited Madeleine Albright for her “Read My Pins” diplomacy.

February 4 2022 — On February 4 1997,  U. S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said she had received information that two grandparents may have been Jewish and may have perished in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Seriously? Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

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