(1) GUS RUSSO, author of Live By The Sword: The Secret War Against Castro and the Death of JFK. Russo is an investigative reporter who has sought to compile a credible account of President Kennedy's assassination for over twenty years.

The linkage between the assassination attempts on the Cuban and American presidents promises to make for a lively and entertaining session.

(2) MILT BEARDEN, former Chief of Station in Pakistan and a central figure in clandestine support of the Afghan rebel war against the Soviets, a struggle reflected in his superb novel The Black Tulip, will speak on "Afghanistan: Consequences, Myths and Reality."

Think Soviet invasion, Taleban, Iran, Oil pipelines, Bin laden etc. This promises to be a barn-burner.

It is likely that the authors will be willing to autograph their books.

Members and guests are invited. Luncheon fee is $26 for members and $29 for non-members. Reserve your place now - - send name, address and check to: AFIO, 6723 Whittier Ave, Ste 303A, McLean, Va. 22101-4533.

NATO STRATEGIC CONCEPT CHANGE - Along with the UN, NATO has provided legitimacy for US foreign policy and military actions outside the Western Hemisphere. The US is now pushing to update and rejuvenate the NATO legitimacy umbrella. In a nutshell, the US proposes that NATO should be seen as an alliance of national security interests - - instead of the old focus on defense of territory - - entailing far-flung worldwide alliance actions on such matters as chemical and biological weapons, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation.

The US is also pushing a radical defense military transformation, shifting from a focus on fixed positional defense to flexible mobile defense forces. The US wants to assure that NATO can project power, as necessary, far afield, sustainable over long periods.

The new concepts are arousing some controversy within the NATO ranks. The Europeans worry that America is creating a 'new threat perception' that " will scare our populations with visions of anthrax and gangrene," while transforming NATO into a global power-projection organization - - authorized to act without UN approval if and when necessary. France is always suspicions of 'American hegemony,' and Germany's new Government has a broadly anti-militarist bent. Most members still see the nuclear territorial threat, not the chemical/biological specter, as central to their security.

The Europeans are also concerned about the costs of this new mission, and suspect that it may involve buying equipment from the US. They are approaching a painful process of rationalizing their own defense industries within the context of the European Union, are looking toward containing their defense budgets, and are expecting a period of 'consolidation' after the current operations in Bosnia, Macedonia and Kossovo, and the formal admission of three new NATO members set to take place next April in Washington.

Reservations aside, the need for a new NATO strategic perspective and mission is understood by the European partners, and there is likely to be acceptance of US initiatives in some form. (Cohen in NYT 28 Nov 98, p.1) (RoyJ)

U.S. ANTI-SADDAM MEASURES - The recent U.S. congress authorization of $97 million for surplus military equipment and training for the "Iraqi opposition" has been greeted with less than enthusiastic support by those more knowledgeable than the general American public about the situation on the the ground in Iraq. The "experts" agree with the Congressional sentiment, but otherwise concur with General Zenni, the Marine at the head of CENTCOM,, who disagreed with the Congressional action. His grounds were that the Iraqi opposition factions are so fragmented and disorganized that to install one might even be more inimical to U.S. interests than having Saddam in place.

Presently the most concrete effort by U.S. officials to create an opposition is the operation of RADIO FREE IRAQ - - staffed by a handful of exiles and funded by the U.S. for $5 million. The radio station began beaming Arabic language news to Iraq on 30 October from the Prague headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Staffers say the news is presented as objectively as possible, without any hostile propaganda - - the most potent weapon against totalitarian rule are the plain facts. Iraq has called the station "poisonous" and warned of "huge losses" for the Czechs - ostensibly in trade. In light of Saddam's success against previous U.S. attempts to foster internal opposition to his murderous rule, the radio station would appear to be something that can be effective. (DonH)

TERRORISM INTELLIGENCE - The US cruise-missile attacks on Osama bin Laden's alleged training camps in Afghanistan apparently killed several Pakistani intelligence officers at the sites. Pakistan's military was reportedly outraged and released two suspects in the Nairobi bombing attacks, a Saudi and a Sudanese, who they had been holding at US request, thus dealing a setback to the investigative efforts. In politics as in medicine, side effects of treatments are often imponderable. A palliative is undoubtedly being worked through political and intelligence channels. (Nwswk 7Dec98, p6) (RoyJ)

INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY NOTES -

- - - An IG study of the rate of attrition in the CIA Clandestine Service concluded that while the rates of attrition were not historically high by US government standards, they were higher than for the Foreign Service, and involved high-quality officers the agency could not afford to lose. Many departees pointed to dissatisfaction with agency management and their own supervisors, and the perceived lack of a clear mission for the agency. NOTE: Several papers have noted the enhanced recruiting efforts of the CIA in recent weeks). (DonH)

- - - The Director of the FBI recently addressed a class of more than 40 Russian, Polish and Estonian police officers selected to take part in an eight-week course with American law enforcement instructors at the International law Enforcement Academy (opened in Budapest, with FBI financing, in 1995). Nearly 700 police officers from central and eastern Europe have attended the courses, which cover crimes like money-laundering and weapons- or people-smuggling as well as terrorism. (DonH)

- - - DIA's CENTRAL MASINT OFFICE (Measurement and Signature intelligence) is seeking to create a 'system of systems' architecture for Masint. The Masint discipline includes collecting and analyzing radar, infrared, chemical, seismic, acoustic and other radiating emissions as well as the sampling of gases, liquids and solid materials, and disseminating the results. The effort is aimed at creating common standards, will seek to eliminate duplication, and intends to improve reporting timeliness and accuracy of the Masint data.(DonH)

- - - NSA has certified the first U.S.-made encryption device built under a new set of multi-national standards (agreed to in early October), opening the way for sales to NATO allies. The encoding device is called Dragonfly. The standards, agreed to by Canada, Britain, France and the U.S., also free the potential transfer of approved technology to participating nations. Three more nations, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, also are expected to sign up. The device uses two encryption cards for encoding data or video sent via computer. It was built specifically to allow data-sharing between classified and unclassified military networks, costs about $5,000 per system, and provides one megabit encryption. It relies on a key that is one megabit in size to unlock the data file sent, in contrast to the standard commercial level of 32-bit and 64-bit encryption. (DonH)

GULF WAR ANTI-TERRORIST SUCCESSES - One national publication recently fleshed out the frequent, but never really explained, claims of the intelligence community to have neutralized Saddam Hussein's attempts at terrorism during the Gulf War - - his planned campaign of hitting back at the U.S. by producing worldwide terrorist incidents. The paper's account, which one would hope is factual, was based on discussions with retired and serving senior FBI and CIA officials. NSA is credited with intercepts alerting Saddam's agents to deploy - as many as 200 by some accounts - and instructing them to fan out in teams of two across the globe. Some intended to enter the U.S. with the goal of killing Americans. Some agents were already in place at overseas locations, but most set off from Iraq by way of Greece, Italy or France. Weapons of choice were plastic explosives, ferried from Iraq to their embassies worldwide in diplomatic pouches.

Two terrorists blew themselves up in Manila near a U.S. citizen-frequented center, and one bomb was defused outside the US ambassador's residence in Indonesia. All other agents were arrested, detained, or deported from country to country. The latter group spent days being shifted to and from airplanes until they arrived at a port of call so distant they could not find their way back until the war was over. Reportedly the fake passports used by the would-be terrorists were vulnerable to ready identification, which facilitated tracking them. President Bush presented special, still classified, commendations to personnel of the agencies after the war. (DonH)

TRACKING THE AXIS ENEMY: The Triumph of Anglo-American Naval Intelligence - - by Alan Harris Bath, University Press of Kansas, 1998 ISBN 0-7006-0917-2, $34.95. This is primarily the intelligence story behind the Battle of the Atlantic, the campaign against the German U-boats, although the Pacific intelligence relationships are also covered. The author provides insights into the interplay between politics and intelligence as it related to this area of warfare. A book for historians and researchers, with 40 pages of footnotes, plus index and bibliography. (RoyJ)

COMMUNISM, THE COLD WAR AND THE FBI CONNECTION: A Time to Set the Record Straight - - by special Agent (and AFIO member) Herman O. Bly, Huntington House Publishers, 1998, ISBN 1-56834-149-5. This is a personal "I was there" book written by a 23-year FBI veteran who retired in 1963, presenting personal views on the long battle against communism from his law-enforcement and counterintelligence perspective, ranging from general to specific observations concerning the Communist Party of the USA, and spanning the period from the Roosevelt Administration to that of President Bush. Included is a chapter on the pro's and cons of the Counterintelligence Program COINTELPRO 1956-1961. Paperback.(RoyJ)

The AFIO Speakers' Program is an integral part of the Association's mission to inform the American public on the role and importance of intelligence. The Association maintains a data base of members who have volunteered to speak to groups around the country. In the past speakers have been provided to universities, high schools, Chapter meetings and civic associations. This AFIO program is managed by Chuck Slack. He may be contacted at <chuckslack@aol.com>

The Florida SUNCOAST Chapter will host a Holiday luncheon meeting on Tuesday, December 8th, at MacDill AFB Officers Club. Complimentary beverages start at 11:15. The speaker will be a veteran of D-Day (Omaha Beach), the Battle of the Bulge, Laos special forces ( CIA) and Cuban special operations (CIA), Grayston "Gray" Lynch, who will speak on Cuban frogmen operations during the Bay of Pigs. It should be fascinating. Admission for Chapter members is $8.50, payable to SUNCOAST CHAPTER, AFIO. All AFIO members and guests are invited and may enroll as Chapter members. Contact Nat Alderman, Jr., PO Box 55221, St Petersburg FL 33732-5221.

PEOPLE SEARCH - Anyone know Lawrence (Larry) P. McIntosh, who was a 1st Lt in 1961 and who served in Worms, Germany as an Intelligence Officer, wife's name Barbara?? Nicholas Danos is looking for him. Contact <lostsheep@resurrection.com>

COMPUTER HUMOR - Two groups of computer experts pondered the question of whether computers are addressed as "she" or "he" -- in the manner nautical, where a ship is referred to as "she." One group consisted of men, the other of women.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for their recommendation. The women reported that computers should be masculine because:

1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.

2. They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they are the problem.

4. As soon as you commit to one, your realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have had a better model.

The men concluded that computers should be referred to in the feminine gender because:

1. No one but the Creator understands their internal logic

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to anyone else

3. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it. (Carl Griffith)

EMPLOYMENT SOUGHT

Interested Employers contact <afio@afio.com> and include file number reference.

Ref File J-116. Analyst, investigator and author. Foreign area specialty: Russia. Investigator of computer network intrusion for National Agency. Author of books and articles. Over ten years investigative and counterintelligence background. Russian fluency and extensive political / economic situational experience in- country. Expertise in computer security, encryption and Internet investigative techniques as both user and instructor/trainer. Current TS clearance. M.A. Russian Studies. Seeking challenging position.

Ref File J-117 National Security Analyst, GS-12 in US Government. M.A., National Security Studies. Attended University of Bonn, fluent German. Served as political aide to representative in West German Parliament. Senior Russia/Eurasia Political Military analyst, former Chief, Arms Control Branch USAF Europe. Looking for GS-13 in US Government agency.

Ref. File J118 Marketing-- B.A., Communication/Public Relations. Marketing and sales representative seeks position for growth and advancement. Several years sales and business development experience serving a client base of Physicians and Pharmacists. One of seven students selected nationally, by Department of State, to the United Nations intern program, represented the World Trade Organization. PC and Macintosh Pagemaker, MS Office, and Internet knowledge.

Ref: File J-119 Junior Analyst -- M.A., National Security Studies, B. A., International Studies. Researcher, collection and analysis of media and congressional testimony, Capitol Hill and National Republican Senatorial Committee. Basic Russian, Spanish, and German language ability. MS Office, Excel and Internet search engines. Looking for interesting opportunities.

- - - Charles L. Venable, a 30-year CIA veteran and long-time AFIO member, passed away on November 14th, 199, two years after the passing of his wife of over 40 years, Patricia Jean, also an AFIO member. Chuck was the second president of the AFIO New Mexico Chapter and gave generously of his time and talents to contribute to AFIO's objectives over the years. He lectured frequently on past and current intelligence issues. He was active in community life and his church. We salute an old and valued colleague.

- - - Ralph Talmadge Briggs, former US Navy officer and longtime AFIO member, passed away on 1 September 1998 in Henderson, NY. Ralph was born in 1914, joined the Navy in 1934, and became part of a group of skilled radio operators trained on the roof of the old Navy Department building on Constitution Avenue in Washington DC, a group that became known as the "On-The-Roof" gang - - who laid the cornerstone of Naval cryptology.

On 4 December 1941 Ralph intercepted a message from the Japanese Foreign Office advising the Japanese Embassy in Washington to destroy all classified materials, including codes and ciphers - a warning of imminent war. Ralph immediately teletyped the decoded message to Navy Intelligence headquarters in Washington, made two carbon copies and an entry into his log sheet. The message was ignored and all signs of its existence vanished - - for reasons of state. Ralph retired in 1963. He was a valued and active AFIO member who regularly attended our luncheons at Fort Myers and also the conventions. We render a final salute to a longtime valued comrade-in-arms.

- - - We regret to pass on news of the passing of the following AFIO Charter Members during the course of the past year, including:

Charter Member Albert Benjamin, Captain USN (ret) 20 December 1997;

Charter Member Alexander Lennox, Commander, USN(ret), on 10 January 98;

Charter Member Melville E. Keiser, USAR/DIA (ret) 10 March 98;

Charter Member Richard A. Sampson, CIA (ret), 30 July 98.

Honorable colleagues, united with us in a common cause. We mourn their passing.

Contributions are made by RADM (ret) Don Harvey and by Dr. John Macartney. All items are identified by source and researcher.

WINs are protected by copyright laws and may not be reproduced without permission of the Editor, except for single instances for purposes of recruiting a new member (EVERY MEMBER GET A MEMBER!).