Tag Archives: History

Remembering Edward Mills Purcell (August 30, 1912 – March 7, 1997) [From the U-2 Incident to the Mystery of Havana Syndrome]

Posted on March 7, 2026 by L

“The President’s rapid disenchantment with the project was not lost on Richard Bissell. Fearing for the U-2 program’s survival, he met with the Land committee in early August 1956 to urge them to help make the U-2 less vulnerable to … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, U2 | Tagged | Leave a comment

On This Day — U2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers Exchanged in Spy Swap for KGB Rudolf Ivanovich Abel (February 10 1962)

Posted on February 10, 2026 by L

“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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CIA Memorial Wall — Star 31 : John W. Kearns (Laos – December 15, 1972)

Posted on December 15, 2025 by L

“As a paramilitary operations officer, John’s role was to work behind enemy lines, supporting local pro-government forces and engaging in special missions to disrupt the activities of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the Vietcong.” CIA website December 15, 2024 … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, CIA Book of Honor, CIA Directorate of Operations, CIA Memorial Wall, Silent Stars - The Fallen Heroes of the CIA | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Western Union Cable Announces Armistice to North Americans [UPDATE : The Sound of Silence : November 11, 1918 – 11 a.m.]

Posted on November 11, 2025 by L

“There had never been a known leak from the Western Union telegraph office on Court Street before that day, but this news was simply too good to keep quiet. As you might guess, they were overjoyed, so that word very quickly … Continue reading →

Posted in WWI | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering Actress and Inventor Hedy Lamarr (November 9, 1914 – January 19, 2000) [UPDATE : From Ecstasy to Havana Syndrome]

Posted on November 9, 2025 by L

“We began talking about the war, which, in the late summer of 1940, was looking most extremely black. Hedy said that she did not feel very comfortable, sitting there in Hollywood and making lots of money when things were in … Continue reading →

Posted in Havana Syndrome, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revisiting Havana Syndrome: Moscow Death Ray vs. CIA Hoax [UPDATE — Brennan and Ex-FBI Officials Subpoenaed]

Posted on November 8, 2025 by L

“Agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy.”CIA Director John Ratcliffe (July 2, 2025) July 6, 2025 — This week, the CIA concluded a critical … Continue reading →

Posted in Havana Syndrome, John Brennan, Russiagate, Trump-Russia Investigation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On This Day — KRYPTOS Sculpture Dedication Ceremony at the CIA (November 3 1990) [UPDATE : And Then Came a ‘Gigantic Mistake’… As Always!]

Posted on November 3, 2025 by L

“Maybe you’re mistaken–maybe this first part of the Kryptos code is really not a polyalphabetic Vigenere Tableau after all — maybe it’s a different type of code entirely. Or maybe it is a Vigenere code, but it’s been double or … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA, Cryptography, KRYPTOS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On This Day — Hemingway Wins Nobel Prize (October 28 1954) [Was Hemingway pushed to suicide by the FBI?]

Posted on October 28, 2025 by L

“Hemingway may have said ‘yes’ to the Soviet recruitment pitch, but unless there is some additional trove of material in the NKVD archives that argues otherwise, it is clear Hemingway was never a productive Soviet agent.” CIA website Intelligence in … Continue reading →

Posted in Hemingway | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revisiting Havana Syndrome: Moscow Death Ray vs. CIA Hoax [UPDATE — Full Circle in Langley: Brennan’s Judgment Day ]

Posted on October 27, 2025 by L

“Agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy.”CIA Director John Ratcliffe (July 2, 2025) July 6, 2025 — This week, the CIA concluded a critical … Continue reading →

Posted in Havana Syndrome, John Brennan, Russiagate, Trump-Russia Investigation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CIA Memorial Wall — STAR 28 : David Lee Konzelman (Texas – October 24, 1971)

Posted on October 24, 2025 by L

“I heard one day that one of our local operations had gone awry, that a helicopter had been forced to make an emergency landing, hurting someone in the process. It turned out to be much worse than that. Dave had … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA Book of Honor, CIA Memorial Wall | Tagged , , | Leave a comment