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AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #22-08 dated 9 June 2008
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25 July 2008 - AFIO National SUMMER Luncheon -10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tysons Corner, Virginia

11 a.m. Speaker - Robert Wallace, Former Director of CIA's Office of Technical Service
author of SPYCRAFT: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda

and

1 p.m. Speaker - Frances Fragos Townsend, Esq., former White House Assistant, HomelandSecurity/Counterterrorism,
current member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board [PIAB],
speaking on Current and Emerging Threats

Ms. Townsend's remarks are
OFF THE RECORD
to encourage frank & spirited Q&A.

EVENT LOCATION: The Crowne Plaza [formerly the Holiday Inn]
1960 Chain Bridge Road � McLean, Virginia 22102
Space limited. Make reservations.

THE SIXTH ANNUAL AFIO SOCIAL EVENT
The Boston Pops at the Wolf Trap Park in Vienna, Virginia!
Tuesday, 19 August 2008 � Vienna, VA
This year we have moved the annual social from Boston's Symphony Hall to the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
The concert choice will once again be the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra.
Contact Mr. Wass at wassinrichland@aol.com and use "AFIO Social" in subject line if you would like to attend the pre-concert AFIO social at Wolf Trap.  Reservations are now being taken however since we have limited seats available, we recommend contacting us before purchasing your concert tickets.
For those who plan on attending the concert and social at Wolf Trap [located at 1645 Trap Rd, Vienna, Virginia 22182], you must purchase concert tickets directly through Wolf Trap for seating choices.  We are not doing group reserved seating this year except the sets of tickets that are offered on the AFIO Auction website www.afio.cmarket.com

RSVP requested before July 19.  Wolf Trap Box Office - (703) 255-1868 to purchase tickets. http://www.wolftrap.org No portion of your purchase constitutes a donation to AFIO; therefore this is strictly a social event.

Click here to view disclaimers, removal, methods of use of the links in this document.

The WIN in its entirety appears below; however, the document may also be viewed online by current members with usernames and passwords
at: https://www.afio.com/pages/currentwin.htm 
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They work only if the membership is current.

WIN CREDITS FOR THIS ISSUE:  The WIN editors thank the following special contributors to this issue: dh and pjk.  
All have contributed one or more stories used in this issue. 

CONTENTS

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Section II - TERRORISM

Section III - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Section IV - COMMENTARY

Section V - REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE, OBITUARIES AND COMING EVENTS

Requests for Assistance

Obituaries

Coming Events

Current Calendar Next Two Months ONLY:

  For Additional Events two+ months or more....view our online Calendar of Events  

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Israel Sends Back Hezbollah Spy. An Israeli citizen convicted of spying for Hezbollah in 2002, Nissim Nasser, has been deported to Lebanon. At the same time, Hezbollah returned remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 war to Israel. 

There are rumors of a more extensive prisoner swap between the two sides, which could involve two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in 2006 - an act which prompted the 33-day war between Israel and the Shia militant group - and a number of Lebanese citizens held by Israel.

There has been no comment from Hezbollah on those rumors, and Israel has denied that this deportation is part of any wider deal.

The exchange was a clear signal that negotiations had been going on behind the scenes, possibly facilitated by German mediators, says the BBC's Mike Sergeant in Beirut. [BBCUK/31May2008] 

Front-Runner for Israeli Prime Minister Job was 1980s Mossad Agent. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was on active duty during the assassination of senior PLO official Mamoun Meraish in Greece in the 1980s when she worked for Israel's overseas intelligence agency, according to a British press report.

Livni was a Paris agent for Mossad when Meraish was shot dead by a hit squad in Athens on August 21, 1983, according to the Sunday Times. Two men on a motorcycle drew alongside Meraish's car and opened fire. Livni was not directly involved, but her role remains a secret, the paper added.

Livni joined Israel's intelligence agency in 1980 after leaving the Israeli army with the rank of lieutenant. She was based in Paris, from which she traveled across Europe in pursuit of alleged Arab terrorists, the paper said.

In 1984, Livni resigned from the Mossad and went back to Israel to study law, citing pressures of the job.

Today, the married mother of two is seen as the strongest candidate to lead the Kadima party as embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faces trial on corruption charges.

Although Livni enjoys high public approval ratings, she still trails right-wing Likud party chief Benjamin Netanyahu in polls as a potential premier.

Linvi's parents were both implicated in terrorist crimes in the 1940s, the paper reports.

Her mother, Sarah, was a leader in the militant Zionist group Irgun. In an interview she gave before her death, Sarah said she took part in a train robbery while disguised as a pregnant woman and was involved in blowing up another train.

Linvi's father, Eitan, was sentenced to 15 years in jail for attacking a British military base. He later escaped, the Times said.

Unlike her parents, Livni supports the creation of a Palestinian state, but ongoing talks have failed to make headway. [AlArabiya/1June2008] 

Federal Judge Orders Reporter to Disclose Sources in China Spy Story. A federal judge in California subpoenaed a Washington Times reporter Saturday, ordering him to reveal the government sources he used for a 2006 story about a Chinese spy ring. 

Defense and national security reporter William Gertz cited unnamed US government sources in a May 2006 story which reported that Justice Department officials had approved new charges and an indictment against Chi Mak, a Chinese-American engineer sentenced in March for conspiring to smuggle sensitive naval intelligence data to China. 

Mak's attorneys objected to the story on the grounds that a federal rule prohibits government officials from divulging grand jury proceedings to outsiders. US District Court Judge Cormac Carney ordered a wide criminal investigation into the leak early last year, acknowledging that the government was also investigating a possible infringement of a US Code prohibition against unlawful communication of classified information. Earlier this year, Carney found that the federal rule had been violated, but since the sources could not be discovered, he subpoenaed Gertz to testify on June 13. [Jurist/42June2008] 

CIA Acknowledges Two Dead with Stars on Memorial Wall. Two unidentified Central Intelligence Agency employees killed over the past year were acknowledged Monday with stars on a memorial wall at the intelligence agency's headquarters, the CIA said.

The new stars raised to 87 the number of fallen CIA members memorialized on the wall, 35 of whom have not been identified.

The two new additions "were killed in the past year while conducting missions in the war zones," the CIA said in a press release.

CIA director Michael Hayden praised them at a ceremony Monday as "heroes who accepted great risk to bring peace and freedom to those who have seen far too little of either." [Focus-Fen/4June2008] 

South Africa to De-classify Pre-1994 Documents. All state documents classified before May 10, 1994 will automatically be declassified if they do not conform with the principles of proposed new legislation recently tabled in Parliament.

The Protection of Information Bill aims to introduce a "coherent approach" to the protection of state information and its classification and declassification. The bill would create the legislative framework for the state to respond to espionage and associated hostile activities.

Classified information will fall into three classes - confidential, secret and top secret. "Valuable" information may be protected against alteration, destruction or loss while information categorized as "sensitive", "commercial" and "personal" may be protected from unauthorized disclosure and may even be classified.

Classified information held for 20 years or more will be declassified unless it is considered necessary for national security or to prevent identifiable damage to the national interest or demonstrable harm to someone. The only grounds for maintaining the classification for longer than 30 years will be that releasing it would cause life-threatening or physical harm to someone.

The bill requires that within 12 months of the promulgation of the law, the intelligence minister must introduce national information security standards prescribing the categories of information that may be protected or classified.

Organs of state would be required to establish departmental policies and procedures consistent with national standards within 18 months. The National Intelligence Agency will be responsible for developing, co-ordinating and facilitating the implementation of national policies across all organs of state except the South African Police Service and the South African National Defense Force.  [Ensor/BusinessDay/3June08]

Venezuelan Intelligence Law Prompts Fears of Cuba-Style Spy System. Venezuelans may be forced to spy on their neighbors or risk prison terms under President Hugo Chavez's new intelligence decree, raising fears of a Cuba-style system that could be used to stifle dissent.

Chavez says the intelligence law that he quietly decreed last week will help Venezuela detect and neutralize national security threats, including assassination or coups plots. But many Venezuelans are alarmed they could be forced to act as informants for the authorities - or face up to four years in prison.

The law says community-based organizations may be called upon to provide intelligence. Critics suspect such groups could become like Cuba's Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, which often are a forum for neighbors to snoop on each other and report suspicious activities to authorities.

Justice Minister Rodriguez Chacin denied that Venezuela is copying Cuba's intelligence services, saying "this is a Venezuelan product." He said on Monday that all Venezuelans have an obligation to cooperate.

Many Venezuelans distrust the intelligence agencies, whose members have been accused over the years of crimes ranging from executions to obstruction of justice.

But most Chavez opponents acknowledge that Venezuela remains far from a tightly monitored society like Cuba or North Korea.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters Tuesday that the measures appear from press reports to "establish some kind of Soviet-style ideological conformity brigades, or otherwise require people to spy on their neighbors."

Chavez has denied the law would infringe on freedoms, saying it falls into "a framework of great respect for human rights" and is necessary to thwart efforts by U.S. spies to gather information on his government. Chavez says the law would help prevent military rebellions like the 2002 coup that briefly removed him from power.

Venezuela's new law also revamps the intelligence services, replacing the Disip secret police and Military Intelligence Directorate with four new agencies, two under the Justice Ministry and two under military command. [James&Sanchez/AP/3June2008] 

Feds to Review Whether Interrogators Used Drugs. The Pentagon's internal watchdog is investigating whether the military forced terror suspects to take mind-altering drugs to ease interrogation.

The CIA is conducting a similar review, said Pentagon's Assistant Inspector General John C. Crane in a letter to the Senate.

While some former detainees have alleged they were drugged, the issue was raised anew with the release in April of a five-year old legal memo written by then-Office of Legal Counsel attorney John Yoo.

The March 14, 2003, memo interpreted the long-standing legal prohibition on the use of "mind-altering substances'' against prisoners. Yoo wrote it would only be illegal and considered torture if the drugs substantially interfered with prisoners' cognitive ability or fundamentally altered their personality, and was used with the specific intent to cause such harm.

The Yoo memo caused several senators to insist on a full investigation into whether drugs were used on prisoners in interrogations. The lawmakers included Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, the committee's top Republican, and Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich.

The CIA and Pentagon have both denied using drugs in interrogations.

The CIA studied the use of drugs and chemicals, including LSD, for "unconventional interrogations'' nearly 50 years ago, according to a 1975 CIA memorandum for the record that has been declassified. [Hess/Guardian/3June2008] 

Senate Says Pentagon Concealed Intel from CIA, DIA. A new Senate report says that in late 2001 and 2002, Pentagon officials concealed from the CIA and other intelligence agencies potentially useful information gleaned from Iranian agents.

The report by the Senate Intelligence Committee said the Iranians told Pentagon employees about a tunnel complex in Iran used to store weapons and move its personnel covertly out of the country, likely into Afghanistan during the post 9/11 war period.

The new report adds more details to the storied mistrust and lack of cooperation among Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the CIA in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States. [Hess/AP/4June2008] 

Pentagon Intelligence Oversight Falls Short. While U.S. intelligence operations are more controversial than ever, routine oversight of the Department of Defense's massive and far-flung intelligence apparatus has been significantly reduced, according to a recent report to Congress from the DoD Inspector General.

The report quotes the DoD Inspector General as saying his department has not been able to perform planned audits and evaluations in key intelligence disciplines such as Imagery Intelligence, Measurement and Signature Intelligence and Open Source Intelligence because of budget constraints. 

In addition, the report said, intelligence oversight has been cut back in areas such as: National Reconnaissance Office activities, especially major acquisitions; National Security Agency Operations Security and Information Security Programs; National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency programs; National Intelligence Program/Military Intelligence Program funding; Service Intelligence Component activities; Operations and Support Special Access Programs; DoD Counterintelligence Field Activity Programs; and others. [SecrecyNews/4June2008] 

Intelligence Agencies in Turf War. A turf war is being waged in the closed world of U.S. intelligence agencies that could disrupt how spy operations are carried out around the world, according to former and current CIA officials.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which for the past four years has overseen U.S. intelligence agencies, is angling for more power over and insight into spy operations worldwide. At stake is the authority of the CIA's legendary station chiefs, who for 60 years have enjoyed a great deal of autonomy in overseas intelligence operations.

In 2005, the director designated an intelligence officer to be his personal representative at embassies, military commands and posts. Overseas, that top dog was the station chief.

Now, that may be changing. National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell is writing a new directive that leaves open the possibility that the title could be bestowed on someone other than a CIA station chief. In some cases � particularly in countries where there are large concentrations of U.S. troops � the director may anoint the defense attach�, one former intelligence official suggested. In others, where there are fewer human spies but more intelligence collection by electronic gadgets, it may be the senior National Security Agency officer.

CIA Director Michael Hayden said the CIA is willing to cede ground to other agencies at some military commands and in the United States, but the authority and responsibility now vested in CIA station chiefs makes them the only logical choice overseas.

The White House and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

What looks like a simple adjustment to an organizational chart could have far-reaching implications. Among the top concerns of current and former CIA officials:

- It could lead to a bisected intelligence structure in the field that has the station chief on one side carrying out day-to-day spy operations and an intelligence director representative on the other trying to manage those same operations, and coordinate other intelligence outfits as well. This could complicate and slow missions that require rapid decisions.

- It may confuse or degrade long-standing relationships with foreign intelligence agencies, which for decades have trusted the CIA with their nations' secrets.

- It would raise the question of whether the director's representative would be able to overrule a station chief. [Hess/AP/28May2008]

Section II - TERRORISM

Iranian Analyst Says US Finances Terrorists Against Iran. The US Central Intelligence Agency funds all terrorist groups against the Islamic Republic of Iran, an Iranian political analyst says. Pirouz Mojtahedzadeh, chairman of the London-based Urosevic Research Foundation, stated that all terrorist groups acting against the Islamic Republic take orders from the CIA. 

The analyst noted that the US allegations about Iran's role in destabilizing its neighboring country are not new, and stated that Washington is attempting to blame Iran for it's own "blunders."

He said the UN Security Council resolutions against Iran's nuclear program have no legal basis, and stated that the 30-year long US sanctions against Tehran have not and will not bend the will of the Iranian nation. [PressTvIran/2June2008] 

Section III - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Recognition for CIA Officer 40 Years After His Death. Jack Weeks died in service to his country. Reports from his most famous mission wound up on the president's desk during one of the flashpoints of the Cold War. His widow accepted his medal for valor shortly after his death.

But for 40 years, nobody knew what he'd done, because Weeks was a pilot in the Central Intelligence Agency flying the super-secret A-12 high-level surveillance aircraft from 1963 until his death in 1968. A couple of weeks before his death, he became the pilot who located the USS Pueblo, the American intelligence-gathering ship, after it was captured by North Korean patrol boats. The incident pushed the U.S. dangerously close to a confrontation with the communist country.

Next month, Weeks will finally get the public recognition he was denied for so long. Battleship Park, home of the USS Alabama, will commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death on June 4 with a ceremony that will include an Alabama Air National Guard fly-over. The next day, some of Weeks' fellow pilots will take part in a symposium allowing the public to talk to men who were silent about their government work for decades.

While Weeks made dangerous reconnaissance missions over Germany and North Vietnam, it was all secret. His wife didn't even know he worked for the CIA.

So secret was her husband's work that Sharlene Weeks had to return to the CIA the Star for Valor she accepted on his behalf after his death.

Weeks graduated in 1955 from the University of Alabama and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force right out of college. Always interested in flying, he was given the helm of the new F-100 Super Sabre, the Air Force's first supersonic jet fighter.

Weeks thrived in the Air Force and after serving as a fighter pilot in Germany, became an instructor in the fighter weapons school at Nellis Air Force Base outside Las Vegas. He was also the general's personal pilot and seemed destined to be a career officer.

And then one day he told his wife he was resigning his commission to take a job with Hughes Aircraft. In truth, Weeks was leaving the military to work for the CIA. 

A casual observer might look at the A-12, the plane that Weeks flew, and mistake it for the two-seater SR-71 that could fly three times the speed of sound. Both employed similar technology and were nicknamed 'blackbird.' The A-12 was built to fly over the Soviet Union and gather intelligence, although it was never used for that.

Weeks flew missions over North Vietnam and when the North Koreans captured the Pueblo and took its crew prisoner, he got the intelligence his country needed.

At the same time, Congress was debating the future of the A-12 program, which it considered redundant. Congress decided to cut the CIA program and leave the Air Force program intact.

Weeks learned of his program's demise and decided to return to the Air Force, going back as a very young lieutenant colonel at 37. It seemed like a career track that might eventually put a star on his epaulets.

But he was slated to make one more flight in the A-12. Even though the planes were about to be stored, a new engine had been installed in Weeks' A-12 and it was his job to test it.

He called his family from Okinawa, Japan, on June 1 to wish one of his kids a happy birthday. It was the last time he spoke to him.

On June 4, 1968, according to the official record, Weeks was over the South China Sea between Okinawa and the Philippines. The telemetry sent from his aircraft back to the ground indicated his engine's inlet temperature was too high.

And then the aircraft ceased to send data.

Investigators believe the engine overheated and the plane exploded. Perhaps it happened so fast that even a pilot of Weeks' caliber couldn't correct it. There is no way to know for sure, because the plane apparently disintegrated.

Last September, the A-12 pilots were recognized at CIA headquarters on the agency's 60th anniversary. A restored A-12 was dedicated on the headquarters' grounds and an A-12 painting unveiled. [DeWitt/TuscaloosaNews/25May2008]

The CIA Campus: The Story of Original Headquarters Building Search for a Permanent Home. On the Virginia side of the Potomac River, the picturesque parcel of land that is the current site of CIA headquarters has a long and varied history. Did you know, for example, that the first settlements in the area occurred as long ago as 11,000 years? Native American bands chose the site because of its water access and the abundance of nearby natural resources, especially quartz, from which they fashioned tools and spear points.

In 1719, Thomas Lee purchased a nearly 3,000-acre tract from the sixth Lord Fairfax and named it "Langley" after his family's estate in England. During the Civil War, Langley's proximity to Chain Bridge made it an important Union Army position. Several defensive works with heavy artillery, notably Forts Marcy and Ethan Allen, were constructed in the vicinity, and two infantry camps, Griffin and Pierpont, were established on the site itself. The excavation work for what is now the original headquarters building (OHB) turned up a number of relics, including bullets, coins, and a mule shoe from the period.

Even before the National Security Act of 1947 created the Central Intelligence Agency, DCIs Hoyt Vandenberg and Roscoe Hillenkoetter pressed for "a single, permanent, fireproof building" in Washington to house the agency's precursor, the Central Intelligence Group. This request was described as an urgent need, as the CIG then occupied 10 different buildings.

At first, CIA headquarters was located in Washington's Foggy Bottom in the E Street complex that had been used by the OSS during World War II. The Agency also found space in former OSS offices in the old temporary buildings along the National Mall. These "tempos," as they were called, were difficult to secure and uncomfortable to occupy, as they proved extremely hard to heat in the winter and impossible to cool in the summer.

The overflow situation steadily worsened, and, by the time the first occupants moved into their permanent home, as many as 40 CIA offices were scattered around town.

Allen Dulles took up the cause of a new headquarters when he became DCI in 1953. Dulles decided that a campus-like setting would afford greater security and privacy and, in addition, help to attract strong candidates to the Agency. A number of sites were considered, but Dulles settled on Langley, primarily for its security and privacy.

It was surrounded by parkland and government-owned property on three sides, and only a few privately owned houses on the fourth side, and he considered it to be the most accessible area based on where most CIA employees lived - about 50 percent in the District, 20 percent in Maryland, and 30 percent in Virginia. He also knew that if CIA needed to expand in the future, there was plenty of room to do so.

On August 4, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill authorizing $46 million for construction of a CIA Headquarters Building. 

In 1955, Representative Carl Vinson and Senator Richard Russell introduced legislation for the purchase of the land and the construction of a CIA building. Congress made clear that its intent was to locate the CIA headquarters in Langley, and testimony at subsequent hearings established that local authorities and residents were overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal. In 1956, the National Capital Planning Commission granted approval for the new campus and structure.

On July 5, 1956, the contract with Harrison and Abramovitz was signed. (This firm designed the United Nations Building and Lincoln Center in New York.) Forty architects and designers were given Secret clearances.

In October 1957, site clearing began. And in March 1958, final blueprints and specifications for an H-shaped building were approved.

In May 1959, with the site under security surveillance and contractors wearing security badges, work on the original headquarters building began. On Nov. 3, 1959, President Eisenhower came to Langley to place the time capsule and to lay the cornerstone. The box and cornerstone were later removed and held for safekeeping until they were permanently installed more than a year later. Eisenhower gave a short speech in which he publicly affirmed the need for intelligence, both in peacetime and in war.

When the press asked Dulles after the ceremony what was in the box, he smiled and said, "It's a secret." Despite the DCI's joke, everything in the copper-covered steel box was unclassified, although there was considerable discussion about whether classified material should be included. 

The year 1960 was a busy time for construction at headquarters. The concrete roof of the north penthouse, the highest point of the building, was poured that year, and, as was customary, the workmen held an impromptu flag-raising ceremony.

When the curved steel girders for the roof of the cafeteria were delivered that year, an article appeared in the June 13 edition of Washington Evening Star. The newspaper had been sending periodic flights over the construction site to photograph and report on the progress, and they printed a photo with the caption: "The crescent-shaped objects at left are decorative waterfalls!" The "waterfalls" were actually the cafeteria, which was ready for full operation in February 1962.

Offices began to move into the north half of the headquarters building in September 1961. Buildings "M" and "Q" were the first to move from downtown. Unfortunately, the south side of the building was still open to the elements, and the place became infested with mice. Many disagreements and complaints emerged during this transition time.

On Sept. 18, 1961, the new telephone switchboard facility was put into service, and the operators were instructed to answer an incoming call, "Central Intelligence Agency." As this drew considerable attention from the public and the media, the previously used "Executive 3-6115" response was resumed after a few weeks.

Dulles designed his own office, but insisted that he would not move in before all the offices had completed their transition to the new building. However, after the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion (April 1961), he was replaced as DCI; Dulles never worked in the building he created.

President Kennedy presided over the dedication of CIA's new home on Nov. 28, 1961. During the ceremony, he presented Dulles with the National Security Medal. The next day John McCone was sworn in as DCI, and he and his staff moved into temporary offices on the third floor. The seventh-floor director's suite was finally completed in March 1962.

By May 15, 1962, the new CIA headquarters building was fully occupied. Due to staffing growth and demands, the CIA leadership soon began to consider whether an "auxiliary" building was needed. [CIA.gov/22May2008] 

Section IV - COMMENTARY

Real Intelligence Men Don't Cry, by Eric Rosenbach. Here's some advice for the next Director of National Intelligence: Don't whine to policymakers about the difficulty of your job. Don't make excuses for your failures. And definitely don't claim that the intelligence community can't do any better. In sum, don't heed Mark Lowenthal's advice in Sunday's Outlook section.

Lowenthal is a highly respected former senior intelligence official who knows the intelligence world to its core. In fact, he literally wrote the textbook on the intelligence community. That level of expertise makes all the more surprising his dubious conclusion that the intelligence community's greatest failure has been remaining "supine" and not explaining itself "adequately and comprehensibly" to the people who misunderstand or misrepresent it.

In articulating this "real intelligence failure," Lowenthal aptly highlights the destructive influence of partisan warfare. Too often, politicians on both sides of the aisle use the intelligence community as semi-opaque cover for their party's inability to advance their policy agenda. Unable to stop the implementation of "the surge," Democrats attacked the Director of National Intelligence for exaggerating the threat of al Qaeda in Iraq. Irate that Iran continues to develop a nuclear program, Republicans happily pin White House failures on the CIA. But while Lowenthal's diagnosis of the political environment is incisive, his prescription is toxic. Giving Doug Feith and John Bolton an intensive tutorial on the difficulties and limitations of intelligence gathering and analysis wouldn't stop them from scapegoating the CIA for their personal policy failures. Rather, it would provide fodder for their attacks. And it would further exacerbate the skepticism with which some policymakers view intelligence.

A better way to separate intelligence from politics would be to rebuild trust with Congress. Senators who learn about controversial intelligence programs from the front page of The Washington Post, as in the case of CIA interrogations and secret prisons, won't be willing to defend the intelligence community and may very likely lambast it. Key intelligence leaders should make more frequent trips to the Hill to keep the oversight committees "fully informed," per the requirements of the National Security Act of 1947. And if there's a time for the intelligence community to stand up, it's when the White House asks that Congress be kept in the dark. To their credit, both CIA Director Hayden and DNI McConnell have opened up on several key issues over the past two years, and as a result, the Senate Intelligence Committee has provided them increased support. Unfortunately, the CIA is now allowing the White House to withhold access to intelligence about the Israeli bombing of an alleged Syrian nuclear facility. Don't be surprised if this leads to another round of intelligence bashing on Capitol Hill.

Lowenthal's assertion that intelligence hasn't improved in recent years largely because there wasn't much room to improve is also puzzling. The intelligence community today is arguably more proactive and capable than at any time since the Cold War. The newest generation of spies no longer waits for defectors to walk into their arms. They actively pursue new sources of information on hard targets, like Iran and al Qaeda. The most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, for example, impressively contained information from almost 1,500 sources. Our intelligence operators now also eliminate top terrorist leaders on a regular basis. This powerful and effective capability stands in stark contrast to the days when Richard Clarke, then-White House counterterrorism czar, begged in vain for the CIA to do anything that would take terrorists off the streets.

Lowenthal's conclusion, that reports like the National Intelligence Estimates have little policy impact and therefore should be scrapped, underestimates the influential role such assessments play in debates on the Hill. He's wrong to say that the "slam dunk" NIE warning that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction didn't influence Congress in the run-up to war. Even senators who didn't read the entire document knew and considered its bottom line. And look at the latest NIE on the Iranian nuclear program. Nearly all foreign policy analysts believe that it dramatically lowered the probability of U.S. military action. The intelligence assessment process places the intelligence community in the middle of heated policy debates, which is exactly where the nation needs an objective and credible voice.

Intelligence officers and analysts know they have tough jobs. They know that scandals will make headlines and victories will stay classified. No amount of explaining will change that. But they're also dedicated to keeping the nation safe. And so they should strive for more than merely competing with CNN to keep, as Lowenthal suggests, "policymakers generally well-informed."

Eric Rosenbach is executive director of the Belfer Center for International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. He previously served as a professional staff member on the Senate Intelligence Committee and as an army intelligence officer. [Rosenbach/WashingtonPost/27May2008] 

Section V - REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE, OBITUARIES AND COMING EVENTS

Requests for Assistance

John Leon Bettger - Wants Information About his Father. He writes: My father was a CIC Agent. I have many of his records. I understand he was one of three agents stationed in Paris that processed the prisoners of war at the end and after the war. His office was facing the Arc de Triomphe.  My father passed away last year. A representative from Annapolis was part of his honor guard. I don't know why and am trying to find out more.  Can anyone help me? Best Regards, John Leon Bettger, Engineer, MBA, Chairman, American Metric Corporation, 52 Metric Road, Laurens SC 29360 USA.  Email address ceo@ametric.com, Web site www.ametric.com, Fax Number [1] 864-876-9578, Phone Number [1] 864-876-2011

Interrogation Ethics Casebook - Cases Needed. An interdisciplinary team of military/intelligence professionals, behavioral scientists, and ethicists will meet in Washington, DC, to initiate the Psychology and Military/Political Intelligence Casebook on Interrogation Ethics, under the auspices of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. We aim for a comprehensive and realistic casebook to address: (a) mental health professionals' support of military/intelligence interrogations, including policy making, research, and direct consultation; (b) diverse contexts of interrogations, including detention centers, field settings, and liaisons with foreign counterterrorist teams; (c) career and institutional pressures on mental health professionals to accommodate abusive interrogations; (d) roles of mental health paraprofessionals associated with interrogations; (e) use of mental health contractors in lieu of regular military/intelligence personnel; and (f) use of mental health professionals to evaluate alleged witnesses and dissidents to abusive interrogations. We need to learn what has worked and what hasn't so that future military, intelligence, and health professionals will have the benefits of your experience.

We invite cases by e-mail, post, and telephone, or in person near DC on Saturday-Sunday, June 28-29, 2008. Generic and anonymous cases are welcome; no classified information is solicited. For further information, please reply to social psychologist Jean Maria Arrigo, PhD, at peat@peat-intel.org. Original materials will be archived, as permitted, in the Intelligence Ethics Collection at Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford University.

For related projects, see http://www.usafa.edu/isme/ISME08/Arrigo08.html and http://www.usafa.edu/isme/JSCOPE01/Arrigo01.html. 

Intelligence Humor. Edward Mickolus writes: I'm a 33-year CIA veteran who is compiling a collection of intelligence-related humor for publication. It will be similar to Tim Sileo's "CIA Humor" or the earlier "You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger." I'd like to include pranks, practical jokes, urban legends, jokes, and humorous true stories. I'll respect requests for anonymity, but also give credit when requested. Please send any submissions to me at 2305 Sandburg Street, Dunn Loring, VA 22027 or to edmickolus@hotmail.com. Thanks in advance.

Obituaries

William Odom, Military Adviser, Ex-NSA Director. William Odom, a retired Army lieutenant general who was a senior military and intelligence official in the Carter and Reagan administrations and, in recent years, a forceful critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, has died.

Mr. Odom, 75, died on 1 June in Lincoln, Vt. His wife said a heart attack was suspected.

Mr. Odom was a career Army officer who was also a scholar of international relations and a leading authority on the Soviet Union. He was the military assistant to Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, and director of the National Security Agency during President Ronald Reagan's second term.

Mr. Odom was a 1954 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy.

Mr. Odom was a military attach� at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 1972 to 1974, where he studied Soviet life. He also spent time at Brzezinski's Research Institute on Communist Affairs at Columbia University.

When Brzezinski became Carter's national security adviser in 1977, he named Mr. Odom his military assistant.

Mr. Odom spent four years in Army intelligence before being named director of the National Security Agency, the government's largest spy operation, in 1985.  [ChicagoTribune/4June2008] 

Norman Longfellow Smith, 83; CIA Official. Norman Longfellow Smith, 83, a former deputy chief of operations in the CIA's counterintelligence service, died of congestive heart failure and complications of Guillain-Barre Syndrome on May 26 at his home in Middleburg.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Smith was drafted into the Army during World War II and spent several years at Purdue University in Indiana until he was sent to Europe with an infantry division. He became an officer in the Army Reserve and retired in 1980 as a colonel. Among his military awards were a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

He graduated from Colgate University and in the 1950s completed a doctoral degree at the London School of Economics. He also attended the National University of Mexico, Heidelberg University in Germany, New York University and Georgetown University.

Mr. Smith, who joined the CIA in 1951, analyzed Soviet armaments and, after the Soviets launched Sputnik, specialized in ballistic missiles and space vehicles. In 1960, he chaired an intelligence community task force to monitor missile activity outside the Soviet Union.

Dino Brugioni, an imagery analyst with the CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center who worked with Mr. Smith, described him as a defensive-missile specialist in the agency's Office of Scientific Intelligence who focused on surface-to-air missiles.

Brugioni, who wrote "Eyeball to Eyeball: The Inside Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis" (1990), said others in the interpretation center spotted surface-to-air missile sites in spy satellite photographs taken over Cuba in fall 1962. The short, pipe-smoking Mr. Smith was called in, and he began writing daily reports, concluding that construction was rushing forward and that some sites would be operational in two weeks, Brugioni said.

A short time later, when a U.S. U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba and low-altitude spy flights came under fire, Mr. Smith did the analysis about how and why it happened, Brugioni said in an interview. Intercepted radio traffic was in Russian, so it was clear that the Soviets were involved. The information sparked what came to be known as the Cuban missile crisis.

Mr. Smith was reassigned in 1968 to the CIA's counterintelligence staff. He rose to the top ranks of the division, which handles clandestine operations overseas. He held that job until the CIA was reorganized in 1975 and 1976, in the wake of newspaper and Senate investigations over revelations that the agency had assassinated foreign leaders and conducted surveillance on thousands of American citizens active in the antiwar movement.

Mr. Smith then became executive director of a task force to modernize and reform management procedures in the Directorate of Operations, and he retired in 1978. He worked 10 more years as a consultant for several defense contractors.

He was past president of the International Order of the Knights of the Round Table in Arlington and treasurer of the Arts Club of Washington. He was a member of the Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired, the Central Intelligence Retirees' Association, the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, the Fairfax Hunt Club and the Evergreen Country Club.

He was a Republican Party precinct chairman in Fairfax County and a member of the Emmanuel and Trinity Episcopal churches in Middleburg and Upperville.

His marriage to Deana Browne Smith ended in divorce. Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Carolyn L. Tillotson-Smith of Middleburg. [Sullivan/WashingtonPost/7June2008] 

COMING EVENTS

EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

Wednesday, 18 June 2008, 11:30 a.m. - Phoenix, AZ - AFIO Phoenix luncheon features Victor Ostrovsky, 'former Mossad' officer -- yes or no?
Victor Ostrovsky (born in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian-born Israel-raised former Mossad officer and author of 2 nonfiction books on Mossad and two fictional spy novels.
Ostrovsky was raised in Israel and joined the Israeli Defense Forces just before turning eighteen. By the time he was recruited to the Mossad, Ostrovsky was a Lieutenant commander in charge of the Navy weapon testing department. >From 1982 to 1984 he was a cadet in the Mossad academy and a collections officer (katsa) from October 1984 to March 1986.
In 1990, he published By Way of Deception, his account of his time in the Mossad. Ostrovsky refused to use a pen name, stating that if he wanted to hide, he wouldn�t have written the book, which he believed was a necessary act to stop corruption within the agency.
Some critics, such as Benny Morris and author David Wise have charged that the book is essentially a novel written by a professional novelist, and that a junior employee would never have learned so many operational secrets. Some view these allegations as ill-informed speculation by outsiders. It is expected, that intelligence organizations practice strict compartmentalization of confidential, or secretive information. Rather, Ostrovsky holds in his two non-fiction books, that the Mossad consists of a very small number of case officers, who freely share information with one another. Furthermore, he claims that while at headquarters, he had liberal access to the computer system, which is not compartmentalized for "katsas".
Ostrovsky was credited as being a Mossad case officer by the Israeli government through failed, possibly inept, attempts in the Canadian and the U.S. courts to stop the publication of his book, which may have enhanced his reputation and his book's sales. According to Ostrovsky, the book pointed out mistakes and unnecessarily malicious intent in Mossad operations. And by referring to Mossad officers only by their first name and agents by code names, Ostrovsky maintains he never placed anyone in danger.
Many of Ostrovsky's claims have not been verified from other sources, nor have they been refuted. Arguments continue to rage over the credibility of his accounts.
We hope we will see many of you, and please note that this will be our last meeting of the season. We will start again in September.
Location: Hilton Garden Inn in Phoenix, (One block West of Central Avenue on Clarendon and one block South of Indian School Road). Do not miss this exciting program.
For reservations or concerns, please email Simone at sl@4smartphone.net or call 480.368.0374

23 - 25 June 2008 - Monterey, CA - The International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) hosts 4th Annual Conference. The conference takes place at the Naval Postgraduate School. The event is sponsored by Lockheed Martin. The theme: Creating Intelligence Studies Education Programs and Academic Standards." Speakers will include: Richards Heuer, Maureen Baginski, Joe Finder, Amy Zegart, Guillermo Holtzmann, and Ernest May. Fee: $400. Checks to IAFIE Conference, POB 10508, Erie, PA 16514. Or email register@iafie.org.

26 June 2008 � San Francisco, CA � The AFIO Jim Quesada Chapter hosts Robert J. Heibel, former FBI Deputy Chief of Counterterrorism and current Executive Director of the Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence Studies. Mr. Heibel�s presentation will cover second careers after retirement from the intelligence community, particularly in education, and the impact a person can have. He will use the unique Intelligence Studies program at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA as an example. The meeting will be held at United Irish Cultural Center, 2700 45th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94116 (between Sloat and Wawona). 11:30 AM no host cocktails; noon - luncheon. $25 member rate with advance reservation; $35 non-member rate or at door. RSVP to Mariko Kawaguchi (please indicate meat or fish) no later than 5PM 6/15/08: mariko@cataphora.com, (650) 743-2873.

26 June 2008, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm - Boston, MA - CIRA New England Chapter Summer Luncheon Meeting at the Hampshire House on Beacon St. See www.hampshirehouse.com Guest speaker, Albert Lefebvre, Esq. former US agent inserted behind both French and Viet Minh lines in French-Indochina War. Open to CIA retirees and spouses. For more info contact Dick Gay, VP CIRA/NE at raguay@roadrunner.com Tel 207-374-2169

28 June 2008, 2 pm - Kennebunkport, ME - The Maine Chapter hosts Tyler Drumheller, former CIA. The Maine Chapter meets at the Kennebunk Free Library in Kennebunk at 2:00 p.m. Our speaker will be Tyler Drumheller, recently retired after a career of service to our country as a Central Intelligence Agency operations officer. For further information or to register contact David Austin 207-364-8964 or at lcda@midmaine.com

Monday, 21 July 2008, 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - "Hot Topics, The FBI at 100: Beyond the Turf Wars" at the Spy Museum.
In 1970, J. Edgar Hoover cabled FBI field offices “to discontinue all contact with the local CIA office.”  But twenty years later a new era of collegiality began with the Ames case.  Former DCI George Tenet considered this to be “the jumping-off point in taking cooperation between the FBI and CIA seriously.”  Join two intelligence insiders as they discuss the murky truth and myth of Agency-Bureau relations—past, present, and future.  In 1974, Ray Batvinis was assigned to the new untested role of Washington Field Office liaison with the local CIA base.  As liaison, and throughout his 25 year FBI career, Batvinis worked closely with the CIA in joint counterintelligence training at FBI headquarters and in the field, and on a wide variety of specialized case management issues.  He is joined by Burton Gerber, a 39-year veteran of the CIA, where he served as chief of station in three Communist nations and led the Agency's Soviet and European operations for eight years.  He is currently a Professor in the Practice of Intelligence at the Georgetown University Center for Peace and Security Studies.  The perspective of these experts will reveal the truth behind the turf wars. Tickets: $15; Advance Registration required. Tickets are non-refundable and do not include admission to the International Spy Museum. To register, call 202-393-7798; order online at www.spymuseum.org or in person at the International Spy Museum.

25 July 2008, 10:30 am to 2 pm - Tysons Corner, VA - AFIO National SUMMER Luncheon
Frances Fragos Townsend, former White House Assistant, Homeland Security/Counterterrorism, current member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board [PIAB], speaking on Current and Emerging Threats. Morning speaker is Robert W. Wallace, former Director of CIA's Office of Technical Service author of SPYCRAFT: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda.

Ms. Townsend served as Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and chaired the Homeland Security Council from May 2004 until January 2008.  She previously served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism from May 2003 to May 2004. Ms. Townsend is currently providing consulting services and advice to corporate entities on Global Strategic Engagement and Risk as well as Crisis and Contingency planning. Ms. Townsend is a Contributor for CNN and has regularly appeared on network and cable television as a counterterrorism, national and homeland security expert. She has received numerous awards for her public service accomplishments. Ms. Townsend is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. Mr. Wallace, a 32-year CIA veteran, served as Deputy Director and Director of the CIA's Office of Technical Service and directed the office's global response to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States. 

Thursday, 31 July 2008, 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - "Elite Surveillance Team" at the Spy Museum.
Can you spot an enemy spy or elude hostile surveillance? At the International Spy Museum Elite Surveillance Team (SPY/EST) under the leadership of former CIA officer Tony Mendez, you'll learn how to establish your own surveillance zone, design surveillance detection runs (SDRs), and then work with and against your teammates to test your skills. SPY/EST will meet at least quarterly and then work together as a team to further develop and perfect a surveillance zone and their own SDRs using the guidelines prepared by Mendez for training actual intelligence agents. Tickets: $180; Advance Registration required. Tickets are non-refundable and do not include admission to the International Spy Museum. *Includes four meetings with Mendez within membership year and guidelines on developing Surveillance Detection Runs. To register, call 202-654-0932 or email kray@spymuseum.org.

Thursday, 14 August 2008, 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - "Spies on Screen: Rendezvous" - David Kahn at the Spy Museum.
The 1935 film, Rendezvous, stars William Powell, a Washington, DC newspaperman turned code breaker during World War I. In his attempts to find a stolen code book, he must handle a ring of German spies, an assassination, and an attractive military mistress with sinister intentions. After the film, David Kahn, a leading expert in the history of cryptology and author of The Codebreakers, will discuss the historical basis for this romanticized account of high states WW I code-breaking. Tickets: $15; Advance Registration required. Tickets are non-refundable and do not include admission to the International Spy Museum. To register, call 202.393.7798; order online at http://www.spymuseum.org. 

Sunday, 17 August 2008, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm - Summit Point, WV - "Drive To Survive: Anti Terrorist Driver Training" at BSR, 2026 Summit Point Rd., Summit Point, WV 25446.
For over thirty years BSR has trained the people whose lives depend on top-notch evasive driving - from hostage rescue personnel to counterterrorist units. As the recognized leader in vehicle anti-terrorist training for military and governmental application worldwide, BSR has developed a state-of-the-art program. Now they have custom-designed an exclusive one-day opportunity for SPY highlighting the best of their longer courses. The BSR Shenandoah Valley training center has acres of paved and dirt road circuits, skid pads, an off-road training arena, and instructors who have firsthand experience driving for their lives. Tickets: $1,200 (includes 6% WV sales tax); Advance Registration required. Phone registration only for this program, call 202.654.0932.

For Additional Events two+ months or greater....view our online Calendar of Events

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