AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes #39-07 dated 8 October 2007
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 Usernames and Passwords appear on AFIO Membership Cards. They work only if the membership is current.
*** 25-27 October 2007 - McLean, VA - AFIO National Intelligence "Counter-Jihad" Symposium ***
at the Sheraton-Premiere Hotel, Tysons Corner, VA
The Resurgence of the Worldwide Islamic Jihad
Against the West
Understanding and Needed Response
A special multi-media tour de force - films and documentaries, experts, officials & authors, panels
What the U.S. needs to do
Confirmed Speakers include: David Ignatius, Amb. Henry Crumpton, Mike Scheuer, Walid Phares, Frederick Hitz,
Amb. Edward Walker, Nonie Darwish, Paul Goble, Frank Gaffney, Michael Waller, Daniel Pipes, and special Banquet Speaker.
And with moderators David Major, Martin Faga, John Martin, John Lenczowski, Gene Poteat and Peter Earnest
AGENDA: View complete updated online Agenda here.
REGISTRATION: Sign up for the event by completing or printing this online form.
HOUSING: Special AFIO Symposium Room rate of only $119 per night available for LIMITED TIME at the Sheraton-Premiere Hotel via their ONLINE reservation system. To make your room reservations quickly online at this special convention rate, use this link. Some reservations by phone are available but rate may not be as low online convention rate. 1-888-625-5144. The Sheraton Premiere is located at 8661 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182 Phone (703) 448-1234.
WIN CREDITS FOR THIS ISSUE: The WIN editors thank the following contributors to this issue: pjk, ls, and dh.
All have contributed one or more stories used in this issue.
CONTENTS
Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Section III - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE
Section IV - BOOK REVIEWS, OBITUARIES AND COMING EVENTS
For Additional Events two+ months or more....view our online Calendar of Events
Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Report: FBI Vulnerable to Insider
Espionage. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has failed in fully implementing its security measures against espionage from within, according to a report by the Inspector General of the Justice Department. The 41-page report said that FBI had not enforced some internal monitoring procedures to track its employees' suspicious behavior as IG recommended, including creating a central repository to collect and analyze bizarre activities. The report also found that the FBI has yet to establish a program to review suspicious employees. The IG started the investigation on FBI internal security after former FBI officer Robert Hanssen was discovered spying for Russia.
The report credits the FBI for taking two IG-recommended steps to crack down on internal spies, creating a new unit to detect security penetrations within the agency and installing senior operational posts in its counterespionage section. [Xinhua/2October2007]
Doubts Voiced on Domestic Spying. A former top lawyer for the Bush administration said that parts of President Bush's much-criticized eavesdropping program were partially illegal. There were aspects of the Terrorist Surveillance Program "that I could not find the legal support for," Jack Goldsmith, the former head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, told the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mr. Goldsmith would not say exactly what law or constitutional principle the surveillance violated. Goldsmith said the White House has forbidden him from saying anything about the legal analysis underpinning the program - key details long sought by some congressional critics. As the Justice Department's top legal adviser to the White House from 2003 to 2004, Goldsmith was in charge of writing formal legal opinions and interpretations for the executive branch.
The legal rationale for the program is so secretive it initially was not even shared with the general counsel of the National Security Agency, which conducted the surveillance. The deputy attorney general at the time, James
Comey, also was not advised about the Terrorist Surveillance Program, despite his role in implementing the warrantless surveillance. As deputy, Comey would have been responsible for approving warrantless surveillance requests when the attorney general was not available.
In his testimony, Goldsmith contradicted former attorney general Alberto Gonzales, who told the committee earlier this year there was no dissent in the administration about the program.
[Hess/AP/3October2007]
Nigeria Espionage Trial: American Denied
Bail. A Nigerian court denied bail to the American citizen facing espionage charges, but granted bail to two Germans facing similar charges. Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako ordered Judith Asuni and a Nigerian, Danjuma Saidu, be remanded in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) until 8 October, when the case will resume. The Judge granted bail to Florian Orpitz (35) and Andy Lehmann (26), who are standing trial along with the 60-year-old Asuni and Saidu. The Federal High Court in the capital city of Abuja granted the Germans bail on condition that each will provide two sureties, who must be senior ranking officers of the German Embassy and do not enjoy diplomatic immunity.
At their formal arraignment, all the accused pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge, including alleged conspiracy and spying of military and sensitive information relating to the security of the nation, against them.
The accused were all arrested in the oil-producing Niger Delta region last month after the Germans, believed to be working on a documentary on the restive oil region, allegedly photographed sensitive installations and interviewed masked youths in the region. Asuni and Saidu were alleged to have aided the Germans to make a false declaration to the Nigerian embassy in Germany for the purpose of obtaining visas to Nigeria, while the Germans were said to have falsely presented themselves as academic researchers. They are actually film makers. [Afriquenlinge/5October2007]
Spy Agency Spooked by Media Moles. It's supposed to be one of the most secretive intelligence agencies in the Philippines. So how come the controversy over its internal reorganization is all over the newspapers? According to insiders, a "crackdown" of sorts has begun in the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) after disgruntled personnel leaked to the media documents detailing the agency's recent revamp. When the report on the controversial reorganization hit the front pages, NICA executives allegedly told employees that they would all be questioned. And to be sure everyone would tell the truth, each employee would have to undergo a lie-detector test, an insider said.
Some NICA employees had felt the revamp favored employees close to the powers-that-be and said so in surreptitiously circulated white papers, office chit-chat and even letters to colleagues in regional offices. NICA employees who had spoken to the Philippine Daily Inquirer on condition of anonymity said they hoped the leak would lead to a review of some 100 prime positions distributed laterally, some to employees with questionable qualifications.
The reorganization was prompted by an executive order issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2002, which underlined the need for NICA "to be sufficiently responsive to challenges of the new millennium." [Quismudo/Inquirer/4October2007]
Marine Took Files as Part of Spy Ring. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Gary Maziarz said patriotism motivated him to join a spy ring, smuggle secret files from Camp Pendleton and give them to law enforcement officers for anti-terrorism work in Southern California. Sgt. Maziarz said he knew his group was violating national security laws. But he said bureaucratic walls erected by the military and civilian agencies were hampering intelligence sharing and coordination, making the nation more vulnerable to terrorists.
Now Maziarz and his alleged conspirators are being investigated by the FBI, National Security Agency and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Details of Maziarz's case emerged after he pleaded guilty to mishandling more than 100 classified documents from 2004 to last year. The overall breach could be far larger: Investigators believe that as far back as the early 1990s, the intelligence-filching ring began taking hundreds of secret files from Camp Pendleton and the U.S. Northern Command, which tracks terrorist activity in the United States.
During his trial, Maziarz said he passed the classified files to at least four men. These alleged accomplices were military reserve officers, and two of them also worked with anti-terrorism units for police and sheriff's departments in Los Angeles County. Maziarz said he took the documents while serving as an intelligence analyst for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.
In a plea agreement, he received a 26-month jail sentence in exchange for detailing the spy ring. He also agreed to testify against his alleged accomplices if they are charged. The plea deal bars Maziarz, 37, from talking with the media. His purported conspirators could not be reached for comment, and investigators refused to discuss any developments. The people whom Maziarz described as his accomplices include:
Maziarz testified that Richards recruited him in 2004 as his successor for taking classified documents from Camp Pendleton. Maziarz said he routinely passed such information to Richards, plus to and from Martin.
The operation started unraveling about a year ago when Camp Pendleton officials began searching for missing war trophies brought back from Iraq. An internal investigation eventually focused on Maziarz, who had done intelligence work in Iraq.
[Rogers/Union-Tribune/6October2007]
Putin Names Russian Ex-Premier Head of Spy
Service. Russian President Vladimir Putin tapped his former prime minister to head the Foreign Intelligence Service, one of the successors to the Soviet Union's KGB, after vowing to expand the network to counter imbalances with the U.S.
Putin, a former KGB agent, promised security officials in July to expand the work of the service, known by its Russian abbreviation SVR, amid worsening relations with the U.S. as President George W. Bush pushed plans for a missile defense system in eastern Europe.
[Clark/Bloomberg/6October2007]
Dutch Military Intelligence Agent Sentenced for Losing US Top
Secrets. A highly placed official at the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) has lost classified information from the US National Security Agency (NSA). As one of the leaders of the MIVD department of Interceptions, the 48 year old man from Utrecht had access to top secret data from the NSA. The MIVD official, described as L.K., was sentenced by the district court in The Hague in a closed session to 120 hours of community service for violating official secrecy. The matter apparently concerned losing a memory stick containing Top Secret information about investigations by the NSA.
According to the indictment, the man had been careless with the information between June 2005 and January 2006. He apparently reported the loss of the USB stick to the head of the MIVD himself at the beginning of 2006. He was suspended during the investigation.
[NISNews/2October2007]
Military Intelligence That Really Is. School's open at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista. It's a new school which will train the PhD's of military intelligence. It opened this week and is called "The Joint Center of Excellence". It's a school which welcomes all branches of the military Navy, Marines, and Air Force to the Army Post. Twelve-hundred students will be trained in human intelligence gathering. But there are no rookies in this school.
It has long been reported that a lack of good human intelligence led to a vastly underestimated insurgency in Iraq, as well as contributed to a host of miscalculations about the war itself. This school is one of the methods set up to try to counter those mistakes. The students are being taught how to be friendly, so to speak, with the enemy.
It was a lack of information which may have led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. The military needed information fast but did not have the training to get it. This school will likely help. Abu Ghraib is addressed.
The school will have five classes which will last from a few weeks to a few months each. The soldiers will take one or two of them initially then likely come back for others later. The idea is to get all the armed service branches on the same page when it comes to techniques and language.
From the time of approval to the opening of its doors took only a year, a short amount of time in the huge military bureaucracy. But Washington has finally decided to abandon all those old Cold War techniques and realize the enemy has changed. [Forster/Kold/5October2007]
Intelligence Agencies Target
China. U.S. intelligence agencies' language-learning priorities reveal that after Middle East terrorism, the next main target of U.S. spies is China. Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell said in recent congressional testimony that in addition to countering Islamist terrorism, a secret priority for U.S. intelligence agencies is dealing with the potential threat posed by China. The retired Navy vice admiral revealed in a written statement to the Senate Homeland Security Committee last month that his office and the Pentagon's National Security Agency are funding a foreign language initiative called STARTALK, a summer language education program.
Classes in 20 states and the District educate students and language teachers. "The classes focus on Arabic or Chinese and range from weeklong tutorials to nine-week immersions."
The focus on Arabic is aimed at improving efforts against Islamist terrorism, much of it emanating from Arabic-speaking extremists. For example, only 33 FBI agents out of 12,000 currently speak Arabic, although the bureau relies on nearly 300 non-agent translators.
Training Chinese speakers, however, is part of a lesser-known mandate to improve U.S. intelligence weaknesses in analyzing the growing threat from China. Increased numbers of Chinese language speakers also are needed under the Pentagon's "hedge" strategy that says China's future is uncertain and as a result more must be done to prepare for a future threat from China. [Gertz/WashingtonPost/3October2007]
GAO Seeks Greater Role in Oversight of
Intelligence. Congressional oversight of intelligence should be augmented by the assistance of specially-cleared investigative teams from the Government Accountability Office, say some congressional leaders, and GAO officials appear eager to assume the task.
"The need for more effective oversight and accountability of our intelligence community has never been greater," said Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) earlier this year. "Yet the ability of Congress to ensure that the intelligence community has sufficient resources and capability of performing its mission has never been more in question." Sen. Akaka introduced pending legislation (S. 82) that would reaffirm the ability of the GAO to conduct audits and investigations of U.S. intelligence agencies at the request of a congressional committee. Similar legislation has been introduced in the House (H.R. 978). Proponents say the legislation could receive favorable consideration next year.
"I believe that there are many areas in which GAO can support the intelligence committees in their oversight roles," said David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO. Among the areas he identified are intelligence acquisition and contract management, human capital management, information technology architectures and systems, and business transformation efforts. "We have significant knowledge and experience that can be of benefit to the Intelligence Community in connection with a broad range of transformation issues," he stated.
Mr. Walker expressed his support for the Akaka bill and for an enhanced GAO role in intelligence oversight in a previously unpublished March 1, 2007 letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
But the idea of greater GAO involvement in intelligence oversight was sharply discouraged by Director of National Intelligence J. Michael McConnell, who argued that the GAO could damage delicate relations between the intelligence agencies and the oversight committees.
"If not moderated, self-initiated action by the GAO or action on behalf of non-oversight Committees could undermine the ability of Intelligence Committee leadership to direct or stay abreast of oversight activities, and could risk upsetting the historic balance struck between the two branches of government in national security matters," DNI McConnell wrote in a March 7 letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The DNI's concerns are groundless or else could be remedied by simple modifications to the Akaka bill, responded Mr. Walker on March 16.
The GAO/DNI correspondence was entered into the record of a March 21, 2007 hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee which is soon to be published. [SecrecyNews/5October2007]
Lawmaker Says Taiwanese Espionage Operations Faltering in Mainland
China. An opposition lawmaker said Taiwan's espionage operations have faltered in mainland China, with the island having difficulty recruiting new Chinese spies while losing many former agents. Lin Yu-fang of the Nationalist Party said in a statement issued that one of the reasons fewer spies are working for Taiwan on the Chinese mainland was Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's failure to keep some of the intelligence gathered by the spies confidential. During an election campaign in 2003, Chen made public the number of missiles China had against Taiwan and also mentioned the sites where the missiles were deployed, disclosures that alarmed many Chinese agents working for the island, he said.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Despite having close economic relations, a long running political standoff between the sides continues, and they maintain active espionage operations against each other.
The reduced number of spies was reflected in the island's sharply cut espionage expenditures over the past two years. In 2006, the Military Intelligence Bureau spent only 65 percent of the money budgeted for "mainland work", down from 75 percent in 2005 and 90 percent in 2004, Lin said. Lin did not provide specific budgetary figures in the statement that followed a closed-door meeting between lawmakers and intelligence officials.
Lin also said the Taiwanese military reported 10 cases of Taiwanese officials caught leaking military secrets in the first six months this year, compared with 15 cases in 2006.
All the revelations indicated "our side has lost edges in the cross-Strait espionage warfare," he said in the statement. The statement said Shi Hwei-yow, head of the National Security Bureau, admitted to the lawmakers that Taiwan's espionage operations have encountered difficulties in China but blamed it on the higher remuneration demanded by the mainland spies as a result of China's rapid economic growth in recent years. Shi could not be reached for immediate comment.
[IHT/2October2007]
Section II - TERRORISM
Military Spy Planes Monitor Terror
Suspects. The British intelligence agencies are using military aircraft equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment to eavesdrop on and monitor the movements of suspected terrorists. The Britten-Norman Islander is already being used by the police to combat dangerous driving, trace missing persons, and find escaped prisoners or stolen vehicles. It was used by the army in Northern Ireland, and is now being deployed in counter-terrorist operations when, it is understood, it is flown by an RAF crew. Officials familiar with the aircraft said yesterday they could not comment on the operations. The Ministry of Defence also declined to comment.
The Islander is a one- or two-seater, low-flying plane with a relatively long range and ability to loiter in the air at low speeds. The RAF says it uses two of the aircraft in what it calls "photographic mapping and light communications roles". The army says on its website that the plane is usually employed for surveillance. Its other roles include air photography, "support to the special user" and "liaison flying".
[Norton-Taylor/Guardian/2October2007]
Al Qaeda's Secret
Correspondence. A website affiliated with the US Department of Defense has published authentic documents and correspondence exchanged between al Qaeda's leadership figures, which the US Army has intercepted as part of its war against terror. Some of this correspondence includes letters addressed to "Abu Abdullah", Osama Bin Laden, and others from a leader named Atiyah Allah, which were addressed to [Abu Musab] al Zarqawi. There were also letters addressed to "Abu Abdullah" from a security official [with Al Qaeda] in Arabic that warned against the dangers of eating the communal shared food among elements from Al Qaeda leadership every Friday after prayer. According to the security observation, no monitoring exists over the kitchen where the Arab youth cook the food - which presents an invaluable opportunity for US Intelligence. The kitchen is located in the headquarters where Bin Laden hosts top al Qaeda figures. The writer also pointed out that during the distribution of food, Osama Bin Laden's plate is identified, which "is a negative detail that may be exploited by enemies to poison you," according to the report. Furthermore, the official predicted that, "poison will be the weapon used in the next phase."
The website also posted a mocking letter by Hassan al Tajiki addressed to Al Qaeda's military official, who is believed to be Mohamed Atef Abu Hafs al Masri who was killed in the Kandahar operations at the end of 2001.
In a report sent from Afghanistan and written by al Tajiki addressed to Saif al Adl who had been based in Sudan, or "Sudanistan" as he referred to it, al Tajiki said, "I do not know how busy you are, especially since we have heard the news about the security developments over there; the attack on the Ahl al Sunnah Mosque and Abi Abdullah's house."
Moreover, the secret report very clearly refers to military programs carried out at the al Farouq camp, which is affiliated to Osama Bin Laden and Tajik elements. In his letter Hassan al Tajiki highlights a very important point, which is "the training of over 6,000 Islamists at al Farouq camp in Afghanistan, a considerable number of which are elements from the intelligence of Arab and Islamic states who have attempted to infiltrate Al Qaeda organization." The organization, according to an al Qaeda leader who is an Afghan fundamentalist residing in Britain, is based in Afghanistan.
"With God as my witness, we have treated them as best as we could and trained them to the best of our abilities in this camp. We have fed them and given them clothes - all this, and they turn out to be intelligence," said al Tajiki. It was also disclosed through al Tajiki's correspondence that the al Farouq camp at one point was under Ashraf Abu Walid al Masri's command. The latter is believed to be detained in Iran by the Iranian Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), and is moreover the author of 'Tharthara Foq Soqof al Alam' (Chatter on the Roof of the World).
Referring to the Arab and Western intelligence agencies that used to send their elements to Peshawar to access primary information about the Arab mujahideen, al Tajiki said, "A whole range [of intelligence personnel] came to Peshawar and it is without a doubt that the states were sending tourists to Peshawar." Furthermore, he considered Peshawar to be the 'second in line' after al Farouq camp and discussed routine problems, of which one was his meeting with Abu Khabab*, "who had arrived at al Farouq to deliver a round of explosives that I knew nothing about. He was then followed by Abu Bakr Aqida who delivered another round that I knew nothing of."
Al Tajiki's letter reveals a great deal of frustration towards the Arab leadership in Afghanistan. His letter refers to military and administrative problems between the Arabs, Tajiks and Uzbeks and he calls for the resolution of the problems in al Farouq camp before matters become further aggravated. He ends his letter by sending his greetings to Abi Abdullah (Osama Bin Laden), Abu Obaida Abi Hafs and Abdul Khalek and Saif al Adl.
Also, among the letters was the correspondence between al Qaeda leaders Atiyah Allah [most likely believed to be Atiyah Abd al Rahman] and al Zarqawi. The former was well-versed in jurisprudence, which he had studied in Mauritania prior to his move to Afghanistan to work with commander al Zarqawi before the latter's death.
The Pentagon translated the letter into English and published it since it revealed a lot of valuable information about al Qaeda's inner workings. Although the letter contained jurisprudential advice, it still relayed the great sense of frustration felt by the organization's leadership towards al Zarqawi's management of al Qaeda in Iraq. The letter also warned al Zarqawi, six months before his death, that he was pushing well past his limits and was at a risk of being ousted from his position. Atiyah Allah, Osama Bin Laden's high command wrote the letter from an undisclosed location in Waziristan, signing it "Atiyah". However, West Point's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), which translated and published the 15-page letter last October maintains that the identity of the writer "remains
unknown." [Aawsat/4October2007]
French official: CIA warns of attacks.
The CIA has warned its counterparts in Europe of the possibility of terror attacks in several countries, with Paris' sewage system among the suggested targets, a French official said Thursday.
The agency warned that al-Qaida agents may be planning suicide or bombing attacks in London and cities in Italy, France and Germany, Le Monde newspaper reported. It said the CIA had warned of the possibility of attacks taking place this month.
The French official confirmed to The Associated Press that such a note had been sent. The official said the CIA mentioned "waste water systems" in Paris as a potential target.
However, the warning didn't specify dates or exact sites that could be targeted, and no elements led French authorities to believe there was a concrete plot, the official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
French counterterrorism authorities regularly receive CIA warnings, the official added.
Given heightened concerns about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, "we can't afford to take the luxury of ignoring it - but it's so vague," the official said.
Le Monde said the CIA intercepted an e-mail on Sept. 11 that raised the possibility of an attack on Paris' sewage system. The newspaper said the author of the e-mail was unknown but that it was addressed to Salah Gasmi, a leading member of al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa.
In Washington, a counterterrorism official said there was ongoing and "very deep concern" about the potential threat from members of an extremist Islamist cell who escaped arrest in Germany after the highly publicized September arrests there of three senior leaders of the Islamic Jihad Union.
German authorities foiled the trio's alleged plot to attack U.S. and other targets in Germany, but up to 10 others believed to be involved in the organization escaped a subsequent manhunt, the Washington official said. At least one is considered extremely dangerous and is now believed to be in Britain, the official said on condition of anonymity because the subject involves intelligence matters.
Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa is the new name of a Salafist group involved in an ongoing Islamic insurgency in Algeria that now pledges allegiance to Osama bin Laden's network.
The group has claimed responsibility for a string of recent attacks in Algeria. The No. 2 al-Qaida official, Ayman al-Zawahri, has called for attacks against French and Spanish interests in that region.
Section III - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE
The Chinese Octopus. China has a unique, rich and long history, but very little is known about the history of its secret services or their activities at home and abroad.
The Party's Special Services. Their history began with the formation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in 1921. One of the founders of CPC special services was Zhou Enlai.
The services greatly expanded their scope of operations in 1937, when full scale war broke out with Japan. In October 1937, the CPC intelligence and counter intelligence services were known as the Political Protection Directorate, which was then reorganized as the Social Research Department, which existed until 1983.
At the same time, so-called United Front sections were created at CPC local committees, which exist to date. They have engaged in a variety of activities to establish and promote contacts with public and political forces, as well as with influential people, regarded by the CPC at various times as allies or partners.
The CPC also created a system of territorial special agencies to ensure control of rural areas and at transport nodes: they were, essentially, public security agencies. Today, they have diversified into a network covering the whole of China, their functions roughly corresponding to those of local police stations in other countries of the world.
State Security Agencies. China has a diversified structure of special (security) agencies, which can be conveniently divided in two large groups - civilian (that is, answering to the CPC Central Committee and partially to the State Council) and military. The military services are controlled by the Central Military Council; historically, this unit has been the most powerful and politically influential part of China's special services.
The special services are comprised of state security, public security, military intelligence and counter intelligence agencies. Additionally, some intelligence and counter intelligence, political surveillance, and anti-corruption, information and analysis functions, as well as secret operations (mainly designed to exert political influence), are performed by the State Committee for Defense Related Sciences, Technologies and Industries, and several subdivisions of the CPC Central Committee: the Special Research Department, the United Front Department, and the Discipline Enforcement Commission.
The civilian special services, as well as the law enforcement agencies, are supervised by the CPC Central Committee Politico Legal Commission. It oversees the activities of the State Security and Public Security Ministries, the paramilitary People's Police, the courts, the Prosecutor's Office, and the Ministry of Justice.
The special services in the military are supervised by an agency that is rarely mentioned in the media - the Committee for the Protection of Secrets, which answers to the Central Military Council.
The CP Special Research Department has been actively involved in internal political surveillance, as well as in foreign intelligence operations. Its Eighth Directorate was a major think tank and clearing house on security related information, publicly known as the Chinese Institute of Modern International Relations. Today, it is part of the State Security Ministry, engaged mainly in internal party investigations.
The State Security Ministry. The State Security Ministry (SSM) was established in 1983 as part of a large scale reorganization of China's state apparatus following Mao Zedong's death and the subsequent power struggle.
Foreign policy considerations were also an important factor in the establishment of the SSM. Chinese intelligence services took advantage of the "policy of openness with respect to the outside world." Beijing recognized Chinese living abroad as patriots. An array of measures was implemented to establish contacts with them and reorient them from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Political propaganda was yet another important consideration here: open affiliation of a special service (the Social Research Department) with the Communist Party exposed it to attacks as an instrument of party dictatorship.
The Public Security Ministry. Civil security agencies emerged in China following the merging of security administrations on the local level, as well as public security subdivisions of military control committees. Initially, their basic function was to "root out" Kuomintang agents, as well as all other forces resisting the PRC. The Public Security Ministry (PSM) was established in 1949 to enforce public order, fight crimes (including political crimes) and conduct intelligence and counter intelligence operations. In the 1950s-70s, the ministry became a major instrument of political reprisals against millions of Chinese people.
In 1983, the greater part of PSM intelligence and counter intelligence agencies was merged with the Social Research Department, subsequently leading to the establishment of the State Security Ministry. But public security administrations on the local level retained their intelligence and counter intelligence subdivisions, which continued to develop and consolidate. By the early 1990s, the Public Security Ministry had a diversified intelligence and counter intelligence system, largely parallel to the one that exists in the SSM. It also posts intelligence agents to work abroad, but its focus is on obtaining information about the penetration of "hostile forces" into China.
The PSM has about 30 main directorates, which mainly engage in routine police work. "Chinese specifics" here are represented by the 26th Directorate, whose function is to fight the Falun Gong movement. [Literally "Practice of the Wheel of Law," a system of "mind and body cultivation" introduced by Li Hongzhi to the public in 1992, incorporating elements of Buddhism and Taoism. - Ed.]. In addition to Falun Gong, it is active in suppressing outlawed religious organizations.
The Armed Forces. Like all militaries in the world, the CPR Armed Forces have always had intelligence units. A distinguishing feature of the military establishment in Communist China is a diversified network of political agencies - a system borrowed from the Soviet Armed Forces, but with Chinese specifics: political agencies comprise two special services.
The first is military counter intelligence. During the war years it was called the Directorate for the Elimination of Traitors, but is now known as the Protection Directorate. The second, created in the 1930s, was the Directorate for Operations behind Enemy Lines, now the Liaison Directorate, combining the functions of special propaganda and spying against Taiwan. In the 1990s, a certain number of Liaison Directorate agents worked under cover (mostly using business companies as a front) in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States, among other places. As a general rule, these are well educated, experienced intelligence officers.
The main military special service is the Second Directorate of the General Staff. It enjoys broad powers within the country. One of its departments directs the activity of military attaches abroad. Its information and analysis departments handle and process information provided by all types of intelligence services. Daily intelligence bulletins are sent to members of the Central Military Council, the CPC Central Committee Politburo, and chiefs of the General Staff, the Main Political Directorate, the Main Arms Directorate, and the Main Directorate for Logistics. The Political Directorate performs counter intelligence functions, including political vetting of officers in all branches of service.
The Third Directorate of the General Staff is responsible for electronic and signals intelligence (SIGINT) operations. Very little is known about it, but according to some sources, it employs a total of 130,000 personnel. The Third Directorate could be compared to the National Security Agency in the United States. One of its most secret areas of activity is monitoring party, state and military officials at all levels throughout the country with the use of state of the art technical means.
CPC Special Agencies. These include the Social Research Department, the United Front Department, the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (information and analysis), and corresponding departments on the local level. It is also known that some CPC leaders have personal secret services - at least, that was common practice under Mao Zedong. Working under the cover of administrative, logistic or technical offices or using other fronts, they conducted surveillance on political opponents.
The United Front Department and its territorial branches conduct operations against Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao; in the PRC, they target intellectuals, religious and other organizations. This line of activity is being given higher priority as the non-public sector of the Chinese economy expands and the number of enterprises with a share of foreign capital increases.
The Department also continues to use the party underground - the practice that it borrowed in its time from the Comintern. [Communist International, also known as the Third International, international Communist organization founded in Moscow in March 1919. The International intended to fight "by all available means, including armed force, for the overthrow of the international bourgeoisie and for the creation of an international Soviet republic as a transition stage to the complete abolition of the State."- Ed.] According to some sources, its officers work abroad under diplomatic cover, among other things, recruiting Chinese living outside the PRC or people of Chinese descent who have contacts with Taiwan. Today, all of these structures are also active on Russian territory. [Rumyantsev/MNWeekly/4October2007]
Section IV - BOOK REVIEWS, OBITUARIES AND COMING EVENTS
Two Reviews by Joseph C. Goulden - Bobby and J. Edgar, by Burton H. Hersh, and A Special Mission: Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius XII, by Dan KurzmanThree subjects are a truth-be-hanged, free-fire zone for writers willing to discard credibility in favor of sensationalism: The Kennedys (including the JFK murder), the Mafia and late FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. No item is considered too spurious to overlook, the more salacious the better, and ill-sourcing is the norm rather than the exception.
In what could be termed a trifecta incorporating all three of the fore-mentioned subjects, Burton H. Hersh does a serious disservice to history (and the truth) in Bobby and J. Edgar (Carroll & Graf, $28.95, 612 pages). He has produced what I can only call a nose-holder of a book, one so laden with outlandish assertions that only a sense of duty kept me turning the pages.
On the surface, Mr. Hersh's idea a was a splendid one, for the rivalry between Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Hoover is a continuing Washington legend. Ample credible material is around to tell the story accurately. Mr. Hersh, sadly, chose the opposite route.
His criteria seems to be, "If something is in a book, it must be true, and therefore I can 'report' the wildest of statements as fact." Well, nonfiction writing demands a bit more than the regurgitation of gossip, and Mr. Hersh has been around the business long enough to know better. The footnotes cite a number of "writers" whom I would not believe if they asserted that we now lived in the 21st century.
Repeating nut stuff serves only to keep nonsense in circulation, for many moon-howlers are prepared to believe the worst about the Kennedys, the Mob and Hoover. So I cite only several examples (of dozens) that raised my eyebrows.
Consider the claim that Hoover was a secret cross-dresser who wore fancy gowns to homosexual orgies. A British writer made this assertion in a Hoover "biography" some years back, relying on divorce-suit allegations of an embittered woman who was a convicted perjurer.
The statement about Hoover was outrageously false - and so labeled even by critics who hated him. When references to the lie kept popping up in the New York Times, the paper yielded to a protest by the Society of Former FBI Agents and stated, in an editors' note, that it would permit no further citing of the yarn.
Then there is the allegation that Robert Kennedy, as a young federal prosecutor, accompanied narcotics agents on raids so that he could coerce sex from women who happened to be at arrest scenes. He also snorted any cocaine that happened to be about. Mr. Hersh's "source" is a former narcotics agent who supposedly told this story to another writer years ago. He offers no evidence that he tried to confirm the story. That the politically savvy RFK would put his career at risk through such conduct, in front of strangers, boggles the mind.
Or consider the JFK murder, which Mr. Hersh asserts had heavy Mafia involvement, with the help of U.S. intelligence agencies. Here Mr. Hersh packs a considerable amount of nonsense into a single sentence: "[Jack] Ruby is alleged to have provided the bogus Secret Service identification badges (which originated with the CIA)," which Mob underlings could flash to "shoo away the curious" from the site from which the fatal shots were fired. (Not by Lee Oswald, to be sure.)
Hersh also coughs up a remarkable claim (taken from an RFK "biographer") that "Gerald Ford publicly admitted [emphasis added] that in 1975, while President of the United States, he had suppressed certain FBI and CIA surveillance reports that indicated that JFK has been caught in a crossfire in Dallas, and that John Rosselli and Carlos Marcello [Mob figures] . . . orchestrated the assassination plot." Curiously, no serious Kennedy researcher has come across this Ford statement - or, at any rate, given it enough credence to repeat it.
Enough. Don't waste your time on this one.
* * *
Fortunately, considerably more serious research was done by Dan Kurzman for his A Special Mission: Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius XII (Da Capo Press, $26, 284 pages, illus.). Mr. Kurzman pursues an interesting question: What should an intelligence officer do when he receives an order to do something he recognizes as fundamentally crazy, with the potential to cause lasting harm to his country?
I recounted one such dilemma in these pages a few months ago involving Larry Devlin, who was CIA station chief in the Congo in 1960. Mr. Devlin received orders - apparently emanating from the White House - directing him to aid in murdering a prominent leftist politician. Mr. Devlin dealt with the order by ignoring it, leaving CIA's hands clean when Congolese rivals later killed the man.
But consider the plight of German SS Gen. Karl Wolff, who in 1943 received a direct order from Adolf Hitler to seize the Vatican and kidnap Pope Pius XII. As Hitler told Wolff, "I do not want him to fall into the hands of the Allies and to be under their political pressure and influence."
Wolff was stunned, he related in an interview with Mr. Kurzman long after the war. Notes Mr. Kurzman squirreled away years ago were preserved while he pursued the full story. In his long career he won numerous awards as a foreign correspondent, and he has since written 16 nonfiction books.
Wolff proceeded to Italy and began planning the operation. About 2,000 men would seal off the Vatican, occupy the radio station, and seize the pope and whatever cardinals happened to be around. Police trucks would then whisk them off to either Germany or neutral Liechtenstein. Crews would loot Vatican treasures.
But Wolff knew that such a move would outrage Italians, who were already on the verge of abandoning Germany and suing for peace. It would also give the Allies an enormous propaganda weapon. As Wolff told Mr. Kurzman, he enlisted the cooperation of Rudolf Rahn, the German ambassador to Italy, who agreed that the kidnap plot was insane.
Rahn took the risk of letting the pope know what was afoot and persuaded him to desist from attacks on the Nazi regime in hopes that Hitler might abandon the plot. Silence would also mean the pope would not incite Nazi retaliations against Catholics. So Wolff managed to stall until the war staggered to an end.
A sub-theme of Mr. Kurzman's book deals with the question of whether the pope - and the church itself - did all it could have done to halt the Holocaust by speaking out against the atrocities, a subject that still evokes passion, and one that I shall not attempt to address in a brief review.
Mr. Kurzman also notes that Wolff quite possibly had a hidden agenda in refusing to obey Hitler's orders: As a ranking SS officer, he had done things that violated the standards by which decent people live. Ignoring the order to kidnap the pope was one reason he escaped the Nuremberg gallows. Another was his deal with Allen Dulles, the Office of Strategic Services chief in Switzerland, for surrender of all German troops in Italy just as the war ended. (His luck ran out years after peace, when he was convicted of war crimes in a German court and sentenced to 15 years, of which he served five.)
My conclusion? Any person smart enough to be a good intelligence officer can find ways to avoid schemes that are not nearly so appealing to persons on the ground as they are to those in far-away offices. [Goulden/WashingtonTimes/23September2007]
NOW IN PAPERBACK: Intelligence Activities in Ancient Rome: Trust in the Gods But Verify - by VMI Professor Rose Mary Sheldon; List Price: $35.95; ISBN: 9780415452717; ISBN-10: 0415452716; Publisher: Routledge; Publication Date: 07/10/2007; Pages: 346. Knowing the history of intelligence is crucial to a well-rounded understanding of modern intelligence issues, and in some ways we face today similar problems as ancient civilizations. This paperback is expensive because of the narrow professional market it serves...so do not wait to see this on sale.
Professor Sheldon uses the modern concept of the intelligence cycle to trace intelligence activities in Rome whether they were done by private citizens, the government, or the military. Examining a broad range of activities the book looks at the many types of espionage tradecraft that have left their traces in the ancient sources:
* intelligence and counterintelligence gathering
* covert action
* clandestine operations
* the use of codes and ciphers
Dispelling the myth that such activities are a modern invention, Professor Sheldon explores how these ancient spy stories have modern echoes as well. What is the role of an intelligence service in a free republic? When do the security needs of the state outweigh the rights of the citizen? If we cannot trust our own security services, how safe can we be? Although protected by the Praetorian Guard, seventy-five percent of Roman emperors died by assassination or under attack by pretenders to his throne. Who was guarding the guardians?
For students of Rome, and modern social studies too - this will provide a fascinating read.
Available from major booksellers and from Routledge online at http://www.routledge.com/shopping_cart/search/search.asp?search=intelligence%20activities
Bernard "Buzz" Weltman,
CIA. Bernard "Buzz" Weltman, who had a wide variety of assignments with the CIA died on August 7, 2007 of cancer.
Mr. Weltman graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1956. He then flew F 4 Phantom jets for the Air Force. He joined the Agency after his military duty.
Many of his initial tours were in SE Asia. He functioned as Chief of In-Country Analysts, Vietnam, managing development of combat assessments and related tactics. He managed intelligence operations throughout South East Asia, which included providing summaries for the highest levels of National Authority.
During his activities in South East Asia one interesting cover was as the manager of a European Horse Troupe as it toured SE Asia.
In other areas of the world and the US Mr. Weltman managed the acquisition, resettlement, and exploitation of sensitive foreign personalities serving as key intelligence sources.
He authored monographs on Soviet/Warsaw Pact Armed Forces, Soviet Tactical and Long Range Aviation, the Gorshkov Treatises, and wrote "Soviet/East European Highlights" a weekly news letter for the White House and the
NSC. He served as technical editor for the Agency External Research Project and as a Long Range Assessment Evaluator.
After completing law school at Washington and Lee, he served as General Counsel for the CIA as well as Chief of the Legislative Liaison Division in dealing with Capital Hill.
He represented the Agency on the National Foreign Disclosure Policy Board where he helped monitor the transfer of sensitive information to other nations.
He also served as the head of the East European Institute which trained area intelligence specialists.
He retired from the agency in the late 70's. After retiring he owned and ran a SIU company, investigating fraud and recovering stolen assets.
He was a past member of AFIO.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Sandy Weltman of Washington, D.C.
While his wife was contacted by the Washington Post after Buzz's death to do an Obituary, Buzz had previously requested that he only wanted his obituary to be in the AFIO WINS. So this will be his only obituary.
Tuesday, 16 October 2007; 7 pm - Washington, DC - Syriana. Movie and post-film talk with former CIA Officer, Robert Baer. “Intelligence work isn't training seminars and gold stars for attendance…” —Bob Barnes in Syriana Corruption and power drive the plot of Syriana, a multi-layered thriller that weaves together emirs, analysts, intelligence officers, and immigrant workers. In the thought-provoking film, one commodity connects everything—oil. This shocking depiction of ruthless deals and raw emotion is inspired by the experiences of former CIA case officer Robert Baer—the screenplay is drawn from Baer’s books See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil. Baer’s twenty-year career in the Directorate of Operations took him to assignments in Northern Iraq, Lebanon, and Tajikstan. His understanding of the Middle East shaped the film and brings a grim realism to this exploration of a double-crossing and morally skewed world. Join Baer for a special screening and discussion of the award-winning film. Program to be held at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and G Streets, NW Tickets: $15 REGISTER: http://www.spymuseum.org/programs/register.html
17-18 October 2007 - Chantilly, VA - AFCEA International Classified Fall Symposium - Top Secret SI/TK As part of an ongoing series for business executives with active intelligence community clearances, the AFCEA will be exploring Intelligence Community and National Security issues as they relate to the topic of information sharing and collaboration. The event will be held at the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly. Four focused sessions will address what has worked, what has not worked, and what still needs to be done. This is a critical topic requiring changes not only within the government and Intelligence Community, but also for marketing ideas for the private sector. For further details see: http://intel.afcea.org
18-19 October 2007 - Laurel, MD - The Symposium on Cryptologic History sponsored by the Center for Cryptologic History, to be held at Johns
Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD. WEDNESDAY, 17 October 2007 - National Cryptologic Museum Foundation General Membership Meeting
Guest Speakers: Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger and Michael McConnell, Director of National Intelligence.
THURSDAY, 18 October 2007 - 2007 Symposium on Cryptologic History theme
is CRYPTOLOGY AND COMMUNITY by The Center for Cryptologic History.
Topics: World War I: European Cryptology, COMINT and the World War I
Blockade, COMINT at Caporetto, World War I: American Cryptology, First
Time Out: SIGINT and the Punitive Expedition, Early
‘National-Departmental’ Evolution and Intelligence
Technology in the World War I Era, World War I, an Intelligence
Revolution?, Cryptologic Leadership, The Four-Rotor Bombe, Personal
Memories of Joe Desch, Telephone Secrecy in World War II, Computers and
Cryptology, Early Technological Development in Cryptology: A First-Hand
Account, Cryptography and the Birth of the U.S. Computer Industry: Some
Management Observations, The Laboratory for Physical Sciences at a
Half-Century.
FRIDAY, 19 October 2007 topics will be: History and Intelligence: The
View from France and Germany, U.S. Army Tactical SIGINT Units in the
European Theater of Operations, The Office of Censorship During the
Second World War, The Leslie Howard Story: a Wartime Mystery, ALES is
Still Hiss: the Wilder Foote Candidacy and What’s Wrong With It,
Intelligence Assessment & Collection: Case Studies Regarding Korea
during 1968-1969, History and the Technologist, The Law, the Media, and
Intelligence, The Development of Case Law on Cryptology, The Media and
Secrecy in American Intelligence, History and Intelligence Literature,
Current Literature on Counterintelligence, NSA History Publications:
Past, Present, and Future.
Speakers: Dr. William J. Williams, Chief, Center for Cryptologic
History; John C. Inglis, Deputy Director, NSA; Dr. John Ferris,
University of Calgary; Dr. John Schindler, Naval War College; Dr. David
Hatch, Center for Cryptologic History; Mark Stout, Institute for
Defense Analyses; Dr. Michael Warner, Office of Director of National
Intelligence; Jennifer Wilcox, National Cryptologic Museum; Deborah
Anderson; Mel Klein, NSA(Ret); James Pendergrass, NSA(Ret); James
Boone, NSA(Ret); Dr. Kent Sieg, Center for Cryptologic History; Dr.
David Hatch, NSA Historian, Center for Cryptologic History
Dr. David Kahn, Author of The Codebreakers; Michael Bigelow, U.S. Army
Intelligence and Security Command; Dr. Larry Valero, Air Command and
Staff College; Dr. Douglas Wheeler, University of New Hampshire; Dr.
John Haynes, Library of Congress; Dr. Harvey Klehr, Emory University;
Richard A. Mobley, Independent Scholar; Brian Snow, NSA(Ret); Kevin
Powers, NSA(Ret); Dr. William Nolte, University of Maryland; Robert L.
Benson, NSA(Ret); and Barry Carleen, Center for Cryptologic History.
FURTHER INFORMATION: National Security Agency Center for Cryptologic History; 301-688-2336 or at history_center@nsa.gov or visit www.cryptfoundation.org
LOCATION: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Kossiakoff Center, Laurel, MD
19-20 October 2007 - Hampton Beach, NH - The Fall 2007 meeting of the AFIO New England Chapter will be held at the Ashworth-by-the-Sea in Hampton Beach. A full description of services as well as directions to the hotel are available at http://www.ashworthhotel.com/ Their main speaker will be Andy Bacevisch. They will also hear from their own Gene Wojciechowski. Andrew Bacevisch was born in Normal, IL in 1947 and is a 1969 graduate of West Point. He served in Vietnam commanding an armored cavalry platoon, and later earned an MA and PhD in history at Princeton while teaching at West Point. After his army service, he taught at the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies before coming to Boston University, where he headed the Center for International Relations for several years. He is the author of a number of books on the US military and his op-ed pieces appear regularly in the national press. The program will begin with a Friday evening complimentary wine and cheese social at the Ashworth-by-the-Sea starting at 6:00 PM. This get-together is a wonderful opportunity to renew friendships, as well as make new ones in a relaxed informal setting. We anticipate that our speakers will join us at the social. This may be followed by a no-host dinner at local area restaurants. Our Saturday schedule is as follows 9:00 - 10:45 a.m. Meeting Registration, 11:00 - 11:20 a.m. First Speaker, 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. Luncheon,1:15 - 2:15 p.m. Keynote Speaker, 2:30 p.m. Adjournment. For additional information contact afionechapter@gmail.com
20 October 07 - Kennebunk, ME. The Maine Chapter of AFIO will host John Robb, author of "Brave New War." Robb, a graduate of the Air Force Academy and Yale University, has worked as a special operations counterterrorism officer and is a successful software CEO pioneering in weblogs and RSS. He has worked, lived ,and traveled extensively throughout the world. Over the past few years he has been analyzing guerrilla insurgencies on his blog Global Guerrillas. Robb offers a unique insight into terrorism, global security, and U.S. vulnerabilities to this type of warfare. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the Kennebunk Free Library, 112 Main Street, Kennebunk, at 2:00 p.m. Further information at 207-985-2392
22-26 October 2007 - The Midwest Chapter of AFIO is planning a trip to Washington, DC The trip will run from Monday, October 22, 2007 through Friday, October 26, 2007. Plans are being made to visit the White House, the Pentagon, and the Capitol, with the possibility of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All other tours will be worked around the laying of the wreath and scheduled tours provided by the government. Contact Angelo DiLiberti at 847-931-4181 for more details and a registration reply form. Spaces are limited and reply forms must be submitted early for tour background checks.
23-24 October 2007 - NMIA Symposium for 2007 visits the National Reconnaissance Office - SECRET/NOFORN. Attendees must hold SECRET/NOFORN clearance. Fee: $475 pp. Includes presentation by LTG David Deptula, A-2, HQ USAF Transformation followed by speakers on AF Cyber Command, Airborne ISR and ISR Personnel Development. Day two features Under SecDef James Clapper on “Revitalization of DOD Counterintelligence” followed by speakers from the Office of the SECDEF discussing the future of CI at military commands and the merger of CI and HUMINT. To signup visit https://www.123signup.com/event?id=xmhks
25-27 October 2007 - McLean, VA - AFIO National Intelligence Symposium. The AFIO National Intelligence Symposium runs Thursday, October 25 through Saturday, October 27, at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel in Tysons Corner, VA. Details to be sent directly to all members.
The Resurgence of the Worldwide Islamic Jihad
Against the West
Understanding and Needed Response
A special multi-media tour de force - films and documentaries, experts, officials & authors, panels
What the U.S. needs to do once we are beyond all the Political Correctness
AGENDA: View complete online Agenda here.
REGISTRATION: To sign up for the event, complete or print this online form.
HOUSING: Special AFIO Symposium Room rate of $119 per night available for LIMITED TIME [to October 5th] at the Sheraton-Premiere Hotel. To make your room reservations quickly online at this special convention rate, use this link. To make reservations by phone, call this toll free number: 1-888-625-5144. The Sheraton Premiere is located at 8661 Leesburg Pike Vienna, VA 22182 Phone (703) 448-1234.
1-2 November 2007 - Tysons Corner, VA - AFEI Hosts a CYBER DETERRENCE Conference, examining the legal, technical & policy implications stemming from cyber attacks. Luncheon speaker will be Mr. Richard Clark, Former Special Advisor to the President for Cyber Security. Conference will assist you in gaining important insights into the National Cyber Deterrence Policy. Also provides an opportunity to network with knowledgeable individuals who focus on Cyber Deterrence. Further info at http://www.afei.org/brochure/8a01/index.cfm
3 November 2007 - Indian Harbour Beach, FL - AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter meets at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club to hear Bill Parsons from JFK Space Center. The AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter luncheon speaker will be Mr. William W.(Bill) Parsons Jr., Center Director, John F. Kennedy Space Center. Mr. Parsons will give an overview of the Constellation Program and NASA's plans for the next generation of space exploration. His talk will highlight the Ares Launch Vehicle, the new Orion Capsule, and the groundwork that NASA is putting into place that will allow us to go to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Location: The luncheon will be held at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club, Indian Harbour Beach. The luncheon will have an option of a seafood entr�e or a beef entr�e. The cost is $19.00 per person. A social time and cash bar will begin at 11:30 a.m. with lunch at 12:30 p.m. Reservation can be made by contacting George Stephenson, Vice President, by e-mail at gstephenson@cfl.rr.com. Please put AFIO luncheon in the Subject Block to insure the e-mail will be opened.
Wednesday, 7 November 2007; 7-10 pm - Washington, DC - An Evening with Eric O'Neill, former FBI, at the International Spy Museum. No Breach in protocol allowed. What if you were assigned to watch the most damaging spy in U.S. history? What if it was up to you to capture his personal electronic memo book? What if they made a movie out of your story? That’s exactly what happened to Eric O’Neill. As a young operative in the FBI, O’Neill was put into position as Robert Hanssen’s assistant. The story of that brief assignment and Hanssen’s capture and arrest was the inspiration for the recent film Breach. Now it’s your chance to dine and debrief with O’Neill. Be one of only 18 guests at Zola for a three-course meal where you’ll hear the inside story of the intense time O’Neill spent attempting to deceive the ultimate deceiver. Special guest Juliana O’Neill will shed light on her own stressful involvement in the events of February 2001. CIA clandestine service veteran, International Spy Museum Executive Director, Peter Earnest, will host this unique evening. Please call 202.654.0930 or write abukowski@spymuseum.org to register or with special dietary needs. Tickets: $220
8 November 2007 - San Francisco, CA - Jim Quesada Chapter. Speaker: TBD. Topic: Update on Homeland Security. Backup speaker: Lt. Colonel Roger S. Dong, USA (Retired). Topic: Dr. Chien Hsieh-sen, the Aeronautical Engineer who built China’s ballistic missile system and nuclear weapons. 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. E-mail RSVP to Mariko Kawaguchi no later than 5 PM 10/25/07: mariko@cataphora.com or send a check to P.O. Box 117578 Burlingame, CA 94011 with menu choice (roast cross ribs of beef borderlaise or filet of sole amandine). Call Mary Lou Anderson (415) 332-6440 for questions/phone RSVP.
9 November 2007, 9:30 a.m. - Arlington, VA - ACICV Annual Day of Remembrance. The Army Counterintelligence Corps Veterans association will hold their 2007 annual Day of Remembrance at Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery. This Day honors former members, supporters and friends of Army Counterintelligence of whose death ACICV has learned since the 2006 Day of Remembrance. Attendees will meet at 0930 at Spates Community Center, McNair Road, Fort Myer for group transportation to the Tomb of the Unknowns for a Wreath Laying Ceremony at 1015. Following the Ceremony attendees will return to Spates Community Center for the ACICV Memorial Service and Luncheon. For specific information please contact Mrs Elly Burton, Ph: 703-591-3848, or by e-mail to ellyb@cox.net
Thursday, 15 November 2007 - Colorado Springs, CO - AFIO Rocky Mountain Chapter holds luncheon meeting on Terrorists in Colorado. The chapter meets at the Falcon Room of the Air Force Academy, starting at 11:30 am. Price: $10.00 payable at the door. Our speaker is Warren Gerig, a new AFIO member. Warren will talk about a well known major terrorist and how their lives crossed in four different countries.Yet, they never met each other and today the terrorist lives 60 miles from Warren and The Air Force Academy. Reservations to Dick Durham by November 12, 2007 at Riverwear53@aol.com or call him at Telephone: (719) 488-2884
17 November 07 - Kennebunk, ME - the AFIO Maine Chapter hosts Jeffrey H. Norwitz, Special Agent of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Professor of National Security Studies at the U. S. Naval War College.Norwitz will speak on "Spy Catching and Tales of Counterintellience" will take us from the American Revolution to the present time. Special Agent Norwitz holds a degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University and a Masters in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U. S. Naval War College. He has written for a number of prestigious journals and frequently lectures at some of he nation's most influential academic institutions as well as overseas to foreign navy and military audiences. He is the recipient of numerous awards in the fields of teaching and public service and currently holds the John Nicholas Brown Academic Chair of Counterterrorism at the Naval War College. The meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Kennebunk Free Library, 112 Main St., Kennebunk, and is open to the public. Information at 207-985-2392
Wednesday, 28 November 2007; 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - Robert Hanssen: Colleague, Friend, and Traitor. Former senior FBI official David Major at the International Spy Museum. “One might propose that I am either insanely brave or quite insane.” —Robert Hanssen, November 2000 With the recent release of Breach, Robert Hanssen is once again in the public eye and the topic of much discussion. Who was the real man who betrayed his country and may be the worst spy in U.S. history? David G. Major knows. Major worked with Hanssen for 14 years at the Bureau. He was the FBI executive supervisor in Hanssen’s chain-of-command for three years and considered him a fellow employee and friend for over two decades. Major, retired FBI supervisory special agent, founder of the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, and International Spy Museum board of directors member, provides a glimpse into the real personality and psychology of one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history. He will explore why Hanssen’s betrayal was so difficult to uncover, his own theories on what motivated the spy, his perspective on Breach, and the status of U.S. counterintelligence in the wake of this profoundly important spy case. Tickets: $23 REGISTER: http://www.spymuseum.org/programs/register.html
Friday, 30 November 2007; 12 noon – 1 pm - Washington, DC - Chief of Station, Congo - Station Chief Larry Devlin at the International Spy Museum. As station chief in the Congo, Larry Devlin fought the Cold War in one of its hottest arenas. On 1 July 1960, the Congo declared independence from Belgium; and on 5 July, the army mutinied and governmental authority collapsed. When Devlin arrived five days later he found himself in the heart of Africa, fighting for the future of perhaps the most strategically influential country in the continent, its borders shared with eight other nations. In his memoir, Chief of Station, Congo, Devlin describes his life as a master spy in Africa, one whose assignment to assassinate political leader Patrice Lumumba (which he didn’t carry out) is back in the news with the June release by the CIA of the “family jewels.” Free! No registration required! Join the author for an informal chat and book signing.
For Additional Events two+ months or greater....view our online Calendar of Events
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimers and Removal Instructions
Weekly Intelligence Notes (WINs) are commentaries on Intelligence and related national security matters, based on open media sources, selected, interpreted, edited and produced for non-profit educational uses by members and WIN subscribers.
REMOVAL INSTRUCTIONS: We do not wish to add clutter to inboxes. To discontinue receiving the WINs:
a) IF YOU ARE A MEMBER -- click here: UNSUBSCRIBE and supply your full name and email address where you receive the WINs. Click SEND, you will be removed from list. If this link doesn't open a blank email, create one on your own and send to afio@afio.com with the words: REMOVE FROM WINs as the subject, and provide your full name and email address where you are currently receiving them.
b) IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, and you received this message, someone forwarded this newsletter to you [contrary to AFIO policies]. Forward to afio@afio.com the entire WIN or message you received and we will remove the sender from our membership and distribution lists. The problem will be solved for both of us.
CONTENTS of this WIN [HTML version recipients - Click title to jump to story or section, Click Article Title to return to Contents. This feature does not work for Plaintext Edition or for some AOL recipients]. If you wish to change to HTML format, let us know at afio@afio.com. The HTML feature also does not work for those who access their e-mail using web mail...however NON-HTML recipients may view the latest edition each week in HTML at this link: https://www.afio.com/pages/currentwin.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
WINs are protected by copyright laws and intellectual property laws, and may not be reproduced or re-sent without specific permission from the Producer. Opinions expressed in the WINs are solely those of the editor(s) or author(s) listed with each article. AFIO Members Support the AFIO Mission - sponsor new members! CHECK THE AFIO WEBSITE at www.afio.com for back issues of the WINs, information about AFIO, conference agenda and registrations materials, and membership applications and much more!
(c) 2007, AFIO, 6723 Whittier Ave, Suite 303A, McLean, VA 22101. Voice: (703) 790-0320; Fax: (703) 991-1278; Email: afio@afio.com
Click here to return to top.