Tag Archives: History

On This Day — President Truman Creates the Central Intelligence Group (January 22, 1946) [Gallup Poll : Americans’ rating of the CIA]

Posted on January 22, 2025 by L

“At lunch today in the White House, with only members of the Staff present, Rear Admiral Sidney Souers and I were presented by President Truman with black cloaks, black hats, and wooden daggers, and the President read an amusing directive … Continue reading →

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On This Day — Tehran Releases 52 US Hostages After 444 Days (January 20 1981)

Posted on January 20, 2025 by L

“It is now very clear that there were two separate agreements, one the official agreement with Carter in Algeria, the other, a secret agreement with another party, which, it is now apparent, was Reagan. They made a deal with Reagan … Continue reading →

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On This Day — U.S. Admits CIA Payments to Noriega (January 19 1991)

Posted on January 19, 2025 by L

“US officials in Central America failed to address this drug issue for fear of jeopardizing the war efforts against Nicaragua… and senior US policymakers were not immune to the idea that drug money was a perfect solution to the Contras’ … Continue reading →

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On This Day — Former DCI Admiral Stansfield Turner Dies (January 18 2018) [Opinion — The CIA Knew the Truth about the Vela Incident. And I suspect, they know the Truth about Havana Syndrome.]

Posted on January 18, 2025 by L

“Turner’s most disturbing discovery was the harsh questioning and illegal imprisonment that the Agency’s Counterintelligence Staff had imposed for several years on Soviet defector Yuri Nosenko. This convinced him that CIA could be a dangerous organization if not kept closely … Continue reading →

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On This Day — Reagan Approves Covert Arms Sales to Iran (January 17, 1986) [From the Fuller Memorandum to the Lockerbie Solution — Timeline]

Posted on January 17, 2025 by L

“My purpose was… to send a signal that the United States was prepared to replace the animosity between the U.S. and Iran with a new relationship… At the same time we undertook this initiative, we made clear that Iran must … Continue reading →

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On This Day — The Zimmermann Telegram Is Intercepted (January 16 1917)

Posted on January 16, 2025 by L

“No account of the stirring episodes leading up to our entry into the World War can be considered complete without at least a reference to the one in which the Zimmermann telegram played the leading role.”  War Department Office of … Continue reading →

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CIA Memorial Wall — STAR 2 : Jerome P. Ginley (East China Sea – January 11, 1951)

Posted on January 11, 2025 by L

“You should be proud to know that in order to be memorialized in this fashion, the circumstances of an individual’s death must be of inspirational or heroic nature.” CIA letter to Ginley’s brother January 11, 2025 — Jerome Patrick Ginley … Continue reading →

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On This Day — President Ronald Reagan announces economic sanctions against Libya (January 7 1986) [UPDATE: Nicolas Sarkozy goes on trial accused of receiving illegal funding from Gaddafi]

Posted on January 7, 2025 by L

“I cannot rule out that Libya, in some way, is responsible for the ‘La Belle Disco’ bombing. But I must say that such hasty blame regarding Rome and Vienna, for which Libya had immediately been made responsible, did not prove … Continue reading →

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CIA Memorial Wall — STAR 0 : Jane Wallis Burrell (Paris, France – January 6, 1948) [CIA’s Modern Censorship Battles]

Posted on January 6, 2025 by L

“Jane Burrell was never a candidate for a star on the CIA’s Memorial Wall because the Wall commemorates Agency employees who died in specific circumstances, and deaths from commercial plane crashes have generally not qualified.”The Mystery of Jane Wallis Burrell:The … Continue reading →

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CIA memorial Wall — STAR 21 : Walter R. Ray (Hanksville, Utah – January 5, 1967)

Posted on January 5, 2025 by L

“During a routine A-12 training flight on 5 January 1967, a fuel gauge failed to function properly, and the aircraft ran out of fuel only minutes before landing. The pilot, Walter Ray, ejected but was killed when he was unable … Continue reading →

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