The Berlin Crisis of 1961

Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Petraeus Sworn in as New CIA Chief. Newly retired General David Petraeus was sworn in as CIA director on Tuesday, taking over at a time when the line between the U.S. spy agency and the military has become increasingly blurred in the fight against Islamist militancy.

Petraeus, who in a storied 37-year Army career rose to become arguably the military's brightest star, took the oath of office from Vice President Joe Biden and then went straight into his first intelligence briefing with President Barack Obama.

"There is literally no time to waste. The president wants him on the job," Biden said at a brief White House ceremony.

Obama enlisted Petraeus to take over at the CIA as part of a major shuffle of his national security team that included Leon Panetta moving from CIA chief to defense secretary as successor to the retiring Robert Gates. [Read more:  Spetalnick&Bull/Reuters/6September2011] 

Three Men Jailed for Border Espionage. A Thai provincial court has sentenced a Thai, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese to two years in jail for espionage along the Thai-Cambodian border in June.

The court in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket province yesterday announced the sentences of Suchart Muhammad, a 32-year-old Thai, Cambodian citizen Ung Kimtai, 43, and Nguyen Teng Dang, 37, a Vietnamese national.

Suchart, who drove a pickup for the alleged spies, and Ung also received additional jail terms of four months and three months respectively because they had drugs in their possession.

The jail sentences were halved from eight months and six months, respectively, due to their confessions. [Read more:  BangkokPost/6September2011] 

Scientist Accused of Spying Reaches Plea Deal. A government space scientist accused of trying to sell secrets to Israel has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

Attorneys involved in the case declined to discuss the agreement Stewart David Nozette reached. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman scheduled a hearing Wednesday morning to take Nozette's plea.

Nozette was arrested nearly two years ago and held in jail because prosecutors said he was a "walking safe deposit box" of government secrets and convinced a judge he was a flight risk. He has been charged with four counts of attempted espionage that could carry the death penalty but initially pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors accused him of seeking $2 million to sell secrets to an undercover FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer in a videotaped sting operation. [Read more:  AP/6September2011] 

Professors Go On Trial for Espionage. The St. Petersburg City Court is due to start hearing what is going to become one of the most resonant treason and espionage cases in the city since the 1996-1999 saga of the environmentalist Alexander Nikitin, a researcher for the Norwegian ecological organization Bellona who was accused of passing classified information to Norway's secret service.

Yevgeny Afanasiev and Svyatoslav Bobyshev are professors at the city's State Military Mechanical University who both spent several months in China in 2009, lecturing at the Polytechnical University in Harbin. Prosecutors now allege that in April and May 2009, both professors passed classified information and revealed state secrets to the Chinese secret service. The General Prosecutor's Office approved the charges on Sept. 2, and officially forwarded the case to court.

The trial will be closed to the public. The date of the first hearing has not yet been announced. [Read more:  Stolyarova/Times/6September2011] 

Ethiopia Arrests 29 "Terrorists" Including Opposition Members. Some 29 terror suspects, which Ethiopian police said have links with banned rebel group the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), have been arrested by the country's security services.

Among detained, are nine members of opposition parties, Oromo Peoples Congress (OPC) and Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) the National Intelligence and Security Service and Federal Police Joint Anti-Terrorist Taskforce said on Tuesday.

"Some of the suspects were provided training on setting explosives and related terrorist plots in neighboring countries" the police said without indicating which countries it believes were at risk. [Read more:  SudanTribune/7September2011] 

Are Interns Betraying Botswana's Security? The security of this country might already be compromised - or worse - if as Mmegi has learnt, the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security is run by and is dependent on interns to function.

Sources close to the ministry said 70 percent of its staff complement is made up interns.

An inside source at the ministry has revealed that an intern was recently approached with a US$250,000 (about P1.7 million) bribe by a top army intelligence officer from an African country (name known to Mmegi) in Gaborone in exchange for a highly confidential document detailing Botswana's security status: from the security manpower to the weaponry, military technology and other highly sensitive information that if divulged, would put the country's security in jeopardy. After lengthy investigations, Mmegi located the intern (name withheld), who said the foreign intelligence operative who was in Botswana for an international meeting sent a driver to the said intern with the lucrative proposal. [Read more:  Keoreng/Megi/7September2011] 

Iranian Sentenced to 10 Years for Espionage. Mohammad Esmail Mollazehi, who was charged with "spying in an attempt to act against Iranian national security," has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

ISNA reports that Zahedan prosecutor Mohammd Marzieh announced: "Mohammad Esmail Mollazehi, known as Aboujan, was arrested in Zahedan in October of 2010 and his file was sent to the Revolutionary court last February."

He added that "his main charge is communicating with one of the embassies and delivering information to certain parties there and linking to an operative in Dubai and sending coded messages."

It has not been announced which embassy is implicated in the accusation. [Read more:  PayVand/7September2011] 

Terrorism Threat Hasn't Disappeared, Administration Officials, Experts Warn. A decade after the Sept. 11 attacks, the nation is safer and al-Qaeda is weaker - but the threat remains high as new groups and "lone wolf" terrorists, including radicalized Americans, are emerging, a host of federal and local officials, members of Congress, and private experts said Wednesday.

The killing of Osama bin Laden and scores of other al-Qaeda leaders; improved collection, sharing, and analysis of intelligence, both domestically and with international partners; and more public awareness have made the nation more secure, the speakers at a day-long forum agreed.

But "terrorism did not start with 9/11 and did not end with the death of Osama bin Laden," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said. That view was echoed by John Brennan, President Obama's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, and others at the forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. [Read more:  Kreisher/GlobalSecurityNewswire/8September2011] 

Trusting Musharraf Was a Strategic Failure: Former CIA Analyst. The biggest US mistake in the war against terrorism was to ignore al Qaeda in Pakistan to invade Iraq after the September 2001 terror attacks and trusting then president Pervez Musharraf to "fight on our side", according to a former CIA analyst. "This was the war that should have ended years ago," Bruce Riedel, now a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, wrote in an article on how the US enabled al Qaeda, the terror group behind the attack.

"The 9/11 attacks revealed a ruthless and agile enemy, one demanding unrelenting focus and smart. Instead, we made major errors," said the former Central Intelligence Agency analyst, who helped formulate President Barack Obama's Afghanistan-Pakistan policy. [Read more:  HindustaniTimes/8September2011] 

Gates Says Additional Defense Cuts a Threat. Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday the $400 billion in cuts that the Pentagon is preparing to face over the next 10 years should be manageable, but anything beyond that poses a threat to national security.

Doubling those budget cuts, which has been suggested by some lawmakers, would have "a catastrophic effect," Gates told a crowd of about 1,200 people gathered at the University of Texas in Denton, just north of Dallas. "The U.S. must not diminish its ability to reply to threats."

Gates spoke as part of a week of events planned at the university to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Gates, the former director of the CIA, became defense secretary in 2006 under President George W. Bush and continued in the role under President Barack Obama until retiring in June.

He said bombings and attacks around the world in the decade before Sept. 11, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, gave clues of what was to come.

"The understanding of a threat was there, but there was no urgency," Gates said. [Read more:  Stengle/Chron/8September2011] 

Spy Satellites, Google Earth Now Guarding World's Great Ancient Sites. Conservationists are using spy satellites, cutting-edge computer technology, and an expert human network to build an "early warning system" for some of the planet's greatest - and most threatened - archaeological sites.

"What we're trying to do is really bring the world's archaeologists, conservators, historians, and other experts together and help them organize and help manage these sites of interest. And we provide satellite mapping, scientific dossiers, information on legal status, all the relevant data about these sites so that people can make informed decisions," explained Jeff Morgan, executive director of the Global Heritage Fund.

The Global Heritage Fund, Google Earth, and DigitalGlobe launched the Global Heritage Network (GHN) last spring. It makes oft-updated satellite imagery available online, 24 hours a day, so that expert eyes around the world can monitor changing ground conditions at iconic sites like Angkor Wat, Nineveh, Pompeii and dozens of others.

"We're updating some 600 sites now on an annual basis and able to see changes down to the letters on a mailbox, thanks to Digital Globe satellite imagery," Morgan said. [Read more: Handwerk/NationalGeographic/9September2011]

US Doubted Loyalty of Suriname Intelligence, Security Service. Had NDP leader Desi Bouterse caused political unrest under the previous government, it would be doubtful whether the Surinamese intelligence and security service CIVD would be willing to help restore order and calm according to the US Embassy. The Embassy has little faith in the CIVD, as shown by diplomatic correspondence from the Embassy in Paramaribo published by Wikileaks. In the cables, former Ambassador Marsha Barnes replied to question from Washington about the ability of police and army to curb possible civil unrest created by Bouterse against the Venetiaan/Sardjoe government. The Ambassador replied that police would be able to control small-scale protests of short duration in the capital. In case of large-scale nationwide protests, however, these would very likely get out of hand due to a lack of capacity within the police. The National Army would have to be involved then. "It is very doubtful whether the CIVD will play a constructive role in handling any unrest. The CIVD has the nominal responsibility with regard to national security, but is mainly deployed for internal political intelligence work and consists of criminals and questionable characters with ambiguous loyalties," the former Ambassador writes. [Read more:  StarbroekNews/11September2011] 

Minister Orders Top S. African Spies to Quit. South Africa's state security minister has ordered three top intelligence officials to resign as divisions emerge in the country's spy community ahead of crucial elections to select a ruling ANC leader next year, local media reported on Sunday.

Siyabonga Cwele told the heads of the State Security Agency's (SSA) foreign and domestic services and SSA head Jeff Maqetuka to quit after a row over government protection for his wife, a convicted drug dealer, City Press newspaper reported.

Media reports said the SSA announced on Friday the resignation of Gibson Njenje, head of the domestic intelligence gathering service. The Sunday Independent newspaper said his resignation was linked to the succession battle in the African National Congress (ANC).

The Sunday Independent quoted Njenje as saying that he had not resigned. The state security ministry was not available for comment.

The ANC is due to elect a new leader at a party conference in December next year and the party's king making youth league has already said it will not support President Jacob Zuma for a second term. [Read more:  Reuters/11September2011] 

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Western Spies and Gaddafi, Too Cozy a Relationship? New revelations show the relationship between Colonel Gaddafi's regime with Western intelligence services may have been too close and cozy.

The former Libyan foreign minister has accused Britain's spy agency, Mi6, of having close ties with Gaddafi's spies until the country's revolution began. Abdelati Obeidi, now in detention, told the BBC that British intelligence agents were in Tripoli, working with the regime until February.

Since 2003, The US and the UK embraced Libya as an important ally after Gaddafi agreed to halt Libya's program of weapons of mass destruction. The relationship became too close for some, as the CIA and MI6 helped the North African country with rendition of "terror suspects".

Amnesty International called the rendition case a "murky, disgraceful affair" and said "it's looking increasingly likely that members of the UK security services were involved in the nuts and bolts of arranging for people to be 'rendered' and that secret detention and torture was the end-result." [Read more:  EuroNews/6September2011] 

Enlisted in the World of Airborne Spying. For four years, a doctor commuted between his clinics in Texas in a $5 million turboprop with jazzy metallic stripes and ruby stones embedded on the drink cabinet inside. The plane featured exotic wood veneers and polished chrome, and his daughter's initials were in the tail number.

But after a mysterious buyer snapped up the plane in 2008, it ripped out the fancy appointments, painted it a dull gray and sent it on a more dangerous mission. Unknown to the doctor, his prized King Air 350 had become a spy plane, one of the first of a new military model that is now easing the load on the unmanned drones for the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For a military that loves to create shiny hardware from scratch, dipping into the used-plane market is a rarity, done only under the most urgent conditions. Remotely piloted drones have been the intelligence stars of the wars, but the Pentagon cannot build them quickly enough to meet the demand.

So the Air Force bought eight used King Airs and equipped them with video cameras and eavesdropping gear as part of a broader effort to supplement the drones with manned aircraft. The Army has also retooled similar planes to track insurgents who plant bombs.

In turning to the King Airs, the Pentagon has appropriated an aircraft that is commonly associated with business executives flying to meetings and wealthy vacationers to weekend ski outings. King Airs have also drawn celebrity pilots such as the late actor and comedian Danny Kaye. [Read more:  Drew/NYTimes/7September2011] 

Double-O Who? Meet History's Unsung Spies. Ask most people to name a spy and they will say James Bond. If they are a little more cerebral they might say George Smiley, the spymaster who, having been immortalised by Sir Alec Guinness on the small screen, this Friday comes to the big screen in one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the autumn. In the latest version of John le Carr�'s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Gary Oldman is taking on the role of Smiley, with a supporting cast that includes John Hurt and Colin Firth.

But back to our question, which was name a spy. Such is the potency of literature that most people have long since blurred in their imaginations the difference between fictional spies and real-life ones. This is partly because some of the best spy novels were written by former spies, notably Ian Fleming, Graham Greene and, of course, John le Carr�.

So let us phrase the question more clearly. Name a real-life spy... Most people will go with the big three: Philby, Burgess and Maclean. Others that pole-vault to mind are Anthony Blunt, George Blake, Dame Stella Rimington, Mata Hari, Eddie Chapman (Agent Zig-Zag), and Peter "Spycatcher" Wright. Those wishing to put the vaulting bar a little higher might also name Guy Liddell, Oleg Gordievsky, Vera Atkins, Melita Norwood, the atomic spy Klaus Fuchs, Richard Sorge and that notorious Soviet spy Harold Wilson.

But what do all these real-life spies have in common? That's right, they weren't terribly good at their jobs, either because they got caught, they had a weakness for self publicity or they were downright indiscreet, as was the case with Michael Bettaney, an intelligence officer working in the counter-espionage branch of MI5, who was arrested (and convicted) on a charge of spying for the Soviets in 1984. It wasn't his first arrest. A few years earlier he had been arrested for public drunkenness. On that occasion he had shouted: "You can't arrest me, I'm a spy!"

What about the ones who were good at their job, for the wrong side as well as the right? The ones who managed not only to keep their identities secret, at least until their retirement or their deaths, but who also didn't go on to become bestselling novelists, whistle-blowers, or prime ministers? Well, incredibly, there were some (relatively) unsung spies who didn't become household names. And now, their stories can be told. [Read more: Farndale/TheTelegraph/11September2011]

North Korea's Forgotten Terrorist. "Do you remember the novel The Count of Monte Cristo?" asks Ra Jong-il, a former vice chief of the National Intelligence Service, South Korea's main spy agency.

In the adventure novel (Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) by Alexandre Dumas, the protagonist Edmond Dantes is falsely condemned and imprisoned on a remote island for life. He escapes after 14 years to take revenge on those who did him wrong.

"That's just a novel. In real life, Edmond Dantes died in prison," Ra quietly continues. He's an expert on Dantes - and thoughts of dramatic revenge - as he knows a modern-day tale with striking parallels. In this true story, a North Korean special forces commando dies in a foreign prison after stewing in anger for 25 years. [Read more:  Le/ATimes/11September2011] 

Section III - COMMENTARY

9/11 What-if Scenarios. Unfortunately, there's no way to undo the tragedy of the September 11 attacks. But just as we wonder how history might have been different had Abraham Lincoln chosen not to go to Ford's Theater on that fateful night in 1865, or what might have happened had U.S. Naval Intelligence gotten wind of the planned attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, it's tantalizing - or perhaps even more heartbreaking - to contemplate what subtle but significant alternative twists might have led to a less horrific outcome. On the other hand, we also must consider the possibility that other twists could have made September 11 even more awful, hard as it is to imagine.

1. What if U.S. national security officials had anticipated that an airliner might be used as a weapon?

This perhaps is one of the most frustrating "what if" scenarios, because officials should have realized that there was a serious risk of such an attack. According to the report of the Presidential commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks, a captured terrorist revealed to authorities in the Philippines back in 1995 that his group wanted to crash a plane into Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia, and U.S. intelligence officials received information in 1998 about a supposed Libyan plot to fly a jet into the World Trade Center.

That same year, anti-terrorism officials ran a simulation exercise that envisioned terrorists filling a hijacked private jet with explosives and flying it toward Washington, D.C. North American Aerospace Defense Command officials also considered such a scenario, but rejected it as unrealistic. But the word never was spread throughout the government, or to the private sector, that the airliner-as-a-weapon scenario was a risk. If it had, it's conceivable that local law enforcement agencies and private flight instructors would have been on the lookout for suspicious characters who wanted to learn to fly jets, and the military would have been prepared to intercept hijacked aircraft and prevent them from reaching their targets. [Read more:  Kiger/NationalGeographic/7September2011] 

The Real-Life Spies of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. When I pull up memories of the cold war, the first thing I remember is a silence. The big steam-hauled train would come to a halt at Griebnitzsee, the last station before the frontier of West Berlin. Then a profound, infinite silence would fall, broken only by the soft, regular gasp of the locomotive's compressor, and sometimes by the crunch of jackboots pacing along the snowy platform. Even the passengers would speak only in whispers. They were forbidden to leave their compartments and look out of the corridor windows. The world seemed to have stopped turning.

I say "station", but nobody except uniformed frontier guards boarded the train at Griebnitzsee. No passenger left the train here - voluntarily. Very occasionally, the pacing of jackboots would change to the hustling of several feet, the scraping of civilian shoes. Then the silence again, until at last the Saxon voices of the guards could be heard working their way down the carriage to inspect passports, search luggage. Finally, a little lurch and the train would begin to move, creeping past the mazes of barbed wire and watchtowers into the pallid dawn of West Berlin.

Silence was at the heart of the cold war, when I was the Observer correspondent in Berlin and Warsaw during the 1960s. That strange time was about things not happening. It was about what you could not say, buy or read, or where not to go. Both sides soon developed a code of rules designed to prevent things happening.

Of course there were times when the rules and the silence broke, when the shout of a banned book suddenly rang out across the world, or when tanks growled towards protesting crowds, or when iron curtain nights exploded into flares, shots, screams. But they were rare. After Stalin's death in 1953, east and west learned to impose a hush.

John le Carr� served in MI6 in Germany; he knows what he is writing about. And MI6 (aka SIS or the Special Intelligence Service) in his time was tortured by the search for "moles". The "diplomats" Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean had already fled to Moscow. But the full depth of Soviet penetration into British intelligence - the identities of the Cambridge Five (the other three were Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross), recruited as double agents before the war, and the damage they had done - was only beginning to become clear in the early 1960s. [Read more: Ascherson/Guardian/11September2011]

In the Wake of 9/11: Our Best Weapon Against Terrorism? Intelligence. The work of intelligence is as much an art as it is a science. It is a delicate, intuitive art, requiring creativity and space to bloom. Despite all the technology in the world, real intelligence work comes down to human intelligence officers and analysts, collecting and interpreting information from technical or human sources, vetting both the information and the bearer of that information, and trying to decide what is right, what is wrong, what is fabricated, what is manipulated. 

The work is difficult and painstaking and confusing and challenging. It is illuminating and necessary. We conduct most intelligence work in private, so it is misunderstood, misinterpreted, or becomes fantastic as it hits the public realm.

Intelligence is also the single most important tool in our arsenal against terrorism. It is our best defense against another 9/11.

Hindsight is 20/20. After the tragedy of 9/11, lawmakers and the public shifted the blame, or at least some of it, to the intelligence community. They labeled 9/11 an intelligence failure because our intelligence community did not stop the terrorist attacks that so deeply wounded our nation. 

It is true that the intelligence community was unable to piece together the clues that came clearly into focus after the attacks before the planes hit the Twin Towers. 

But it was the information and the system that failed us. Patterns and alarms eluded our best and brightest, and we lacked the mechanism to share the information we had that might have given us that pattern, that alarm. Instead, the information simply did not fit or it did not reach the people holding the other pieces who might have seen a pattern. 

So, in that sense, the intelligence community did fail. Law enforcement failed. Our government failed. Every intelligence officer in every agency exposed to relevant intelligence before the attacks carries his or her own personal sadness for not grasping the significance of a piece of information. By not culling the keystone, they failed to save so many US citizens. 

Our intelligence organizations are better today than they were before 9/11 partially because we know what to look for. We know how to recognize a new pattern or new clues to further assess. Intelligence organizations have thwarted numerous potential attacks since 9/11 and launched a successful operation that ultimately eliminated Osama bin Laden. 

That said, we are not, nor will ever be, completely immune from terrorist attacks.

A successful intelligence plan is a cohesive, multi-agency intelligence policy aimed at obtaining the most, and best, information possible. We need long-term strategies aimed at developing and vetting sources, we need to hire the best and brightest, and we need to continue the labor of gathering and analyzing intelligence. 

Intelligence is imperfect, but it is our best hope against terrorism and other external threats to our country and our way of life. [Read more: Ruth/WashingtonTimes/7September2011]

American and Israel: The Spy Game. I can't imagine anyone, especially readers of the New York Times and the Jewish Week, being surprised by the Times' page one headline Monday revealing that the United States spies on Israel. More to the point, the FBI taps the phones of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. I'm shocked. Next thing you'll be telling me is there's gambling in the back room at Rick's Caf�.

A former State Department official told me the U.S. has spied on "the British over IRA and Rhodesia sanctions, the Saudis and their arms and oil industry allies for F-15's and AWACS, Sri Lanka over their war with the Tamil Tigers, and the Turks, who periodically pull out all the stops to lobby against pro-Armenian resolutions." And that's just a sampling.

The Times article focuses on the case of Shamai K. Leibowitz, an FBI translator who apparently leaked information about the wiretaps because he thought Israeli diplomats were being too aggressive in pushing their point of view. For the full story, read Scott Shane's "Leak Officers Look at Efforts by U.S. to Spy on Israel."

It seems someone failed to explain to Leibowitz and the FBI that that's the legitimate work - and right - of diplomats as well as lobbyists, grassroots activists and everyone else who wants to influence public policy. 

The Times story gives no indication that the US government thought the Israeli actions were "excessive and improper" - only those of the man responsible for the leak, which he knew was a violation of the law. Blogger Richard Silverstein, the recipient of the leak, felt that "nothing Mr. Leibowitz described to him appeared to be beyond the bounds of ordinary lobbying," the Times wrote.

I hadn't followed the case closely when it broke last year, but I'm not surprised that the feds were tapping the Israelis' phones. And I expect they're not alone; the Russians, Chinese, Arabs and others are probably trying to listen in as well. [Read more: Bloomfield/PoliticalInsider/7September2011]

Section IV - Obituaries, Books and Coming Events

Obituaries

Alexis T. Coudert. Alexis Tracy Coudert died at age 72 in Miami on August 4, 2011. His parents were Allison Marie Moore, daughter of Louis Moore former president of Tiffany & Co., and Alexis Carrel Coudert, of the Coudert Brothers Law Firm. He grew up in Oyster Bay and New York City. He attended The Buckley School, St. Mark's School, St. George's School in Newport, RI and graduated from Harvard in 1960. As an undergraduate, he ran the radio stations at Harvard and Rochester. He excelled in racquet sports. Truly an American patriot, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam and Cambodia. He received the Certificate of Achievement from Ft. Jay and was honorably discharged as a 1st Lt. in 1967. Tracy's career spanned 22 years with the C.I.A., including posts in Vietnam, Cambodia, Western Europe, and Washington, D.C. He spent his last 10 years there with the Middle East Division, where he worked on Iranian, North African and Palestinian Affairs. After retirement, he enjoyed gardening, cooking, political blogging, and caring for his beloved German Shepherds, Warro and Janker. His lifelong loves were classical music and mathematics. He was an accomplished linguist fluent in six languages. He was a concert level pianist and harpsichordist. He is survived by his beloved wife, Carol Jane White Coudert; her daughter, Emma Ivy White of Boston; his sister, UCLA Professor Allison "Eo" Coudert; and his niece, Polly Moore Gottesman. Memorial services will be held on September 17 on Long Island and September 18 in New York. For details, please e-mail: carolcoudert@gmail.com. [Read more: NYTimes/11September2011]

Albert L. Sasseville. Central Intelligence Agency Officer Albert Lucien Sasseville, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force (Retired), of Lewiston, Maine passed away peacefully at his home in Vienna, VA on Thursday, May 19, 2011 surrounded by his family. Colonel Sasseville was born on September 10, 1936 in Lewiston to the late Sylvio J. Sasseville and Alberte M. Gastonguay. He graduated from St. Dominic Academy high school in Lewiston in 1954. He attended the US Military Academy at West Point, NY and graduated from Saint Michael's College, Winooski, VT in 1958 with a BA degree in Foreign Languages. Upon graduating from Saint Michael's College as an Air Force ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force. In 1960, he obtained a Master of Arts degree from Fordham University, NY with a major in French and a minor in Spanish. After graduation, he entered active duty with the US Air Force and served as an Air Force Intelligence Officer in Munich, West Germany, at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH and at Cam Ranh Bay, Republic of South Vietnam. In February 1967, following his military service, he was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency. His proficiency and fluency in languages, as well as his intelligence experience in the Air Force, contributed to his long and successful career with the Agency. He served as both an Operations Officer and a Liaison Officer, supporting the European and Latin American Divisions in France, Spain, Morocco, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico. He retired from the CIA in October 1994, but continued to serve his country and the CIA as an Independent Contractor until 2010. He was decorated with the CIA Career Commendation Medal for his exceptional achievements and dedicated service; his military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and the Vietnamese Medal of Honor 1st class. He is survived by his loving wife of nearly 48 years, Yita of Vienna, VA; three children, Col Marc H. Sasseville and wife Karin of Fairfax, VA; LtCol Andrew M. Sasseville and wife Rebecca of San Antonio, TX; and Diane A. Sasseville Sweet and husband Eric of San Francisco, CA. Al has seven grandchildren Luc, Lauren, Jake, Natalia, Zack, Dominic and Adrian. Al will always be remembered for his quick-wit, his sense of humor, his sage advice, and his story telling, replete with accents and sound effects. He enriched the lives of all those who knew him and despite his departure, the love and smiles he gave us will always remain. A burial with full military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA on Wednesday, September 14, at 1 p.m. [Read more: WashingtonPost/8September2011]

James Mood Jr. James Freeland Mood Jr., 70, of Queenstown, died September 10 at the Hospice Center of Queen Anne's in Centreville. He was born Oct. 7, 1940, in Glendora, NJ, the son of the late James Freeland and Thelma G. Reese Mood. Jim served his country by being active in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1965 and in the National Guard from 1965 to 1970. Jim continued his service to his country by starting a career with the National Security Agency. During his 36 years of service with NSA, he met and later married Velma D. Massie on January 8, 1966. They made their home in Bowie, later moving to Crofton in 1968. In 1976, they moved to Davidsonville and later Riva until retiring to the Eastern Shore, making their home in Queenstown. During Jim's career with NSA he received the NSA Citizenship Award in 1966, which recognizes an individual's service towards underprivileged children in the Washington, DC area. Jim was a deacon of Wye Bible Church and an active member of Rebuilding Together, overseeing the publicity and administration of the program. He is survived by his loving wife, Velma D. Mood of Queenstown; son, Christopher James Mood and his wife Roni Lynn of Queenstown; four grandchildren, Breanna Nicole Mood, Christiana Lynn Mood, Peter James Mood and Nicoletta Rose Mood; and two brothers, David F. Mood of Hyattsville and Stephen G. Mood of Hanover, PA. [Read more: TheCapital/12September2011]

Books 

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance: Acquisitions, Policies and Defense Oversight. Increasing calls for intelligence support and continuing innovations in intelligence technologies combine to create significant challenges for both the executive and legislative branches. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems are integral components of both national policymaking and military operations, including counterterrorism operations, but they are costly and complicated and they must be linked in order to provide users with a comprehensive understanding of issues based on information from all sources. These complications have meant that even though many effective systems have been fielded, there have also been lengthy delays and massive cost overruns. This new book explores the uncertainties about the long-term acquisition plans for ISR systems that persist even as pressures continue for increasing the availability of ISR systems in current and future military operations and for national policymaking. [Read more: NovaPublishers/October2011]

The Double-Cross System: The Incredible Story of How Nazi Spies Were Turned into Double Agents. The Double-Cross System is the amazing true story of how British intelligence penetrated and practically operated Nazi German's spy network within the British Isles. With great imagination, care and precise coordination, the British were able to identify Nazi agents, induce many to defect, and supply Germany completely false information about bombings, battles, and even the D-Day invasion. Told by the man who himself masterminded the entire unbelievable four-and-a-half-year scheme, and filled with dazzling tidbits and extraordinary stories, The Double-Cross System is a testimony to Britain's skill in the fine art of counterespionage. [Read more: LyonsPress/October2011]

Coming Educational Events

EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

MANY Spy Museum Events in September, and October with full details are listed on the AFIO Website at www.afio.com. The titles for some of these are in detail below and online.

Wednesday, 14 September 2011, 11:30AM - Scottsdale, AZ - "Brainologist" to discuss "Infinite Possibilities of a Balanced Brain" at AFIO Arizona Chapter

Self-described 'Brainologist,' Lee Gerdes speaks on “Limitless: The Infinite Possibilities of a Balanced Brain”. Gerdes is the founder and CEO of Brain State Technologies�, and invented something he calls Brainwave Optimization™ to supposedly "heal from the life-limiting trauma he experienced as a result of a violent assault."
Using his knowledge as a mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, theologian and psychologist, Gerdes claims that he has arrived at a new understanding of how humans can better understand and access their inherent brain power.
He developed Brainwave Optimization, an advanced neuro-technology that, says Gerdes, has now been used to help nearly 34,000 people worldwide: soldiers, children with learning difficulties, addicts, insomniacs, prisoners and high-performance athletes and executives. Brainwave Optimization is purportedly a tool for achieving higher levels of cognition, clarity, balance and harmony. – and to overcome stress, anxieties, sleeplessness and addictions.
Gerdes will explain how his technology can help you “see” what’s happening inside your own brain and how the brain can change itself to help you move beyond current limitations.

RSVP no later than 72 hours ahead of time; in the past, not reserving or cancelling without prior notice (72 hours prior to the meeting) created much grief for those of us organizing the meeting and dealing with the personnel!
Event location: McCORMICK RANCH GOLF COURSE, 7505 McCormick Parkway, Scottsdale AZ 85258 ~ Phone 480.948.0260

WE ARE charged for the no-shows and please remember, we are a small organization with a humble coffer! We would therefore APPRECIATE that you all respond to this email to confirm your presence (or not).
Our meeting fees will be as follows: $20.00 for AFIO members; $22.00 for guests; $25.00 for AFIO Members with NO RSVPs as per the requested date; All NO SHOWS or last minute cancellations will need to pay for the lunch.
For reservations or questions, please email ON OR BEFORE September 12, 2011 Simone simone@4smartphone.net or simone@afioaz.org or call and leave a message on 602.570.6016

Wednesday, 14 September 2011, 7:00 p.m. - Washington, DC - Dinner with a Spy: An Evening with Jonna and Tony Mendez at the International Spy Museum.

Dine with Tony and Jonna Mendez, both former CIA chiefs of disguise, who will share their stories of how they used their artistry to enable intelligence officers and agents to slip away from surveillance, clandestinely infiltrate and exfiltrate denied areas, hide top secret information, and pass stolen secrets. Both officers spent their careers in the CIA’s Office of Technical Service, often compared to Q’s laboratory in the James Bond stories. The Mendezes will recount their extraordinary disguise exploits evading the KGB, Stasi, and DGI, and you’ll learn how George Clooney and Ben Affleck are immortalizing Mr. Mendez’s most famous exploit “The Canadian Caper” in a movie set to release in 2012. You will be one of only 20 guests at Zola for a three-course dinner and wine-pairing where you’ll talk with the Mendezes about their remarkable careers and their thoughts on today’s intelligence issues. Tickets:  $200 - Please call Laura at 202-654-0932 to register.

Thursday,15 September 2011, 11:30 am - Englewood, CO - AFIO Rocky Mountain Chapter hosts, from the FBI SAC James Yacone, Denver Division. SAC Yacone is a West Point graduate and has earned the Silver Star as a helicopter pilot during "Black Hawk Down". This is a joint meeting of the AFIO and Denver INFRAGARD. This is a one time event at Centennial Airport. There are seating limitations of 45 seats so we will accept reservations on a first come first basis. Event location: Centennial Airport in Englewood,CO. You will receive directions when you RSVP to Tom VanWormer at robsmom@pcisys.net or telephone him at 719-481-8273. The lunch will cost $12.00 pay at the door.

Saturday, 17 September 2011, 2 pm - Kennebunk, ME - Beating Terrorism at Home - theme of AFIO Maine Chapter meeting

Capt. Raymond Brown will be the guest speaker at this Maine Chapter meeting. He is an expert on intelligence analysis, transportation security and anti-terrorism management, Capt. Brown has trained numerous groups and organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Logan Airport, City of Boston, and the American Trucking Association.  His graduation from the U. S. Coast Guard Academy has been followed by a distinguished career in the areas of intelligence and national security. During his career he has served at the White House as Aide on Matters of Protocol and Security, was a member of the CIA Working Group on Counter-Terrorism for three years, and has been an advisor to Seal Team Six on sensitive intelligence matters. The Coast Guard Cutter ESCANABA, which he commanded, was rated the best ship in the Atlantic, and participated in numerous rescues at sea. The meeting is open to the public and is being held at the Brick Store Museum Program Center, 2 Dane Street, Kennebunk. For directions and information call 207-967-4298.

17 September 2011 - Washington, DC - ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security and Georgetown University Law Center present 2nd Annual Seminar on Teaching National Security Law.

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast, 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.- Welcome and Opening Remarks Harvey Rishikof Chair ABA SConLNS; William Treanor, Professor of Law; Executive Vice President and Dean Georgetown University Law Center; 9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.- Panel I: What is National Security Law? Moderator: Peter Raven-Hansen Professor George Washington University School of Law Discussants: John Norton Moore Walter L. Brown Professor and Director Center for National Security Law University of Virginia School of Law, William C. Banks, Board of Advisors Distinguished Professor College of Law, Syracuse University Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Director, Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, Syracuse University Gregory Maggs Professor of Law, Co-Director, National Security and U.S. Foreign Relations Law Program George Washington University School of Law; David E. Graham, Executive Director United States Army J.A.G. Legal Center and School; 10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Break; 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Panel II: Preparation for Practice in the Field Moderator: David E. Graham Executive Director United States Army J.A.G. Legal Center and School, Discussants: Homer Pointer Assistant General Counsel Federal Bureau of Investigation, Major Winston Williams U.S. Army JAG Legal Center and School George A. Peirce General Counsel Defense Intelligence Agency 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.Luncheon and Keynote Speaker Lieutenant General Dana K. Chipman Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.Panel III: Teaching Professional Responsibility in National Security Law Classes Moderator:Scott Silliman Professor of the Practice of Law and Director Emeritus Center on Law, Ethics and National Security Duke University School of Law Discussants:Jeffrey Breinholt National Security Division U.S. Department of Justice Kathleen Clark Professor of Law Washington University Law School Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Visiting Professor of the Practice of Law Executive Director, Center on Law, Ethics and National Security Duke University School of Law 2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.Break 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.Panel IV: Experiential Learning Moderator: The Honorable James. E. Baker Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Discussants:Colonel Lisa Turner, USAF Staff Judge Advocate Headquarters Air Education and Training Command Randolph AFB, Texas Laura Donohue Professor of Law Georgetown University Law Center Professor Hope Metcalf Associate Research Scholar in Law Director, Arthur Liman Program and Clinical Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Panel V: Teaching Methods - Conventional Classroom Pedagogy Techniques Moderator: Robert M. Chesney Charles I. Francis Professor in Law The University of Texas School of Law Discussants:David Cole Professor of Law Georgetown University Law Center Geoffrey S. Corn Associate Professor of Law South Texas College of Law 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.Wrap Up and Way Ahead by Harvey Rishikof.
Location: Event takes place at Georgetown University Law Center Gewirz Student Center, 12th Floor 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
To register: call 202-662-1035. Registration fee for Saturday, September 17 is $100.00 and will include breakfast, lunch, afternoon break and conference materials. Additionally, there will be a charge of $50.00 for the opening dinner on Friday evening, September 16.  Please visit the Committee’s website – www.abanet.org/natsecurity to register online.  (note: after September 13, the prices increase)  In the event you need to cancel your seminar or dinner registration, a refund will be made provided notice of cancellation is received in our ABA Standing Committee office (hmcmahon@staff.abanet.org)

Wednesday, 21 September 2011, 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - "L'AFFAIRE FAREWELL" at the International Spy Museum

"One of the most important spy cases of the 20th century." –former French foreign minister, Hubert V�drine
This riveting film is loosely based on the real life story of Vladimir Vetrov, a high ranking KGB intelligence officer who revealed the USSR's efforts to steal technical, industrial, and scientific secrets from the West. From 1980 to 1982, Vetrov, using the codename "Farewell," secretly passed over 4,000 classified documents to the French. The materials exposed Soviet penetrations and the official list of Line X officers operating secretly in embassies around the world plumbing Western science and technology to keep the Soviets competitive. The 2009 French film L'affaire Farewell portrays the results of Vetrov's espionage—how it enabled Western intelligence to root out nearly 200 spies destroying Soviet ability to steal technology. The roll-up crippled Soviet technology efforts which had run on stolen Western research and forced the USSR into a weakened position at an extremely critical time during the Cold War. A post-screening discussion of this engaging thriller will be lead by International Spy Museum executive director Peter Earnest who served as a CIA case officer in Europe during the Cold War.
In French and Russian with English subtitles. Co-sponsored by Road Scholar organization.
Tickets: $9 – Cash bar. To purchase tickets visit www.spymuseum.org

Friday, 23 September 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Washington, DC - Surveillance 101 with Eric O'Neill at the International Spy Museum

What if you were assigned to watch the most damaging spy in U.S. history? As a young operative in the FBI, Eric O’Neill was put into position as Robert Hanssen’s assistant with the secret task of spying on his boss, who was under suspicion of working for Russia. O’Neill’s background with the FBI was in surveillance, so he was up to the challenge. But how would you measure up? It’s your chance to find out. O’Neill is prepared to share his hard-earned expertise with you. This intense small group introduction to surveillance FBI-style will include learning the basics and conducting surveillance in the streets of DC. Will you be able to track the “Rabbit” without being “made?” You’ll learn how to snap clandestine shots and keep your target in view, so you won’t miss operational acts or clandestine meetings. O’Neill will lead the exercise and help you learn how to blend into the shadows for the best spy results!
Tickets:  $94.00 - Call Laura at the Spy Museum at 202-654-0932 to register.

Monday, 26 September 2011 - Boston, MA - CIA's Historical Collections Division Conference "Piercing the Iron Curtain: The Use of Technology to Resolve the Missile Gap" at JFK Presidential Library

Penetrating the Iron Curtain: Resolving the Missile Gap with Technology
26 September 2011 at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA

BACKGROUND. In the mid-1950s the United States faced the first real challenge since World War II to its strategic superiority. First, it seemed that the Soviet Union was challenging us by producing and deploying a large strategic bomber force. Then, even as that perception was disproved, it became evident that the Soviets were placing their major effort toward developing strategic missiles against which there was no defense. While the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations strove to formulate policy to address the new circumstances, the Intelligence Community provided no clear picture of the scale, rate of production, or breadth of deployment of Soviet missiles.
The administrations increasingly turned to the CIA with assignments to collect, produce, and disseminate missile intelligence to policymakers. It was a challenging mission that put CIA up against the Soviet Union, a country from which little information, clues, secrets, or whispers emanated, and any that did might only be intended to deceive. The goal was not only to guess what was behind the curtain, but also to find all ways possible to approximate with ever greater certainty.
The release event will feature former CIA analysts, the national-security columnist for Slate magazine, noted academics, the former head of CIA’s Guided Missile Task Force, and the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Threat Reduction.

View agenda here: AGENDA

REGISTRATION: Please note - this event appears in TWO parts that day and each part requires separate registration. If you wish to attend the full program, register for both parts ASAP. Event seating is on a space available basis. Registration forms are identical but contain hidden identifier for each part you are selecting so, to attend both, you need to feel out both forms.
NB: The information you supply on JFK registration pages is not under control of AFIO or CIA but is property of JFK Library. Enter only public contact data.

Part I - 1 - 4:45 p.m. - CIA Overview of the Missile Gap. Preceding the Kennedy Library Missile Gap forum, the CIA is sponsoring two panels on the challenges of intelligence analysis and the implications for US policy with John Bird, Edward Proctor, Robert Jervis, Ted Warner and others. Reception follows close of this session.
To Register for this portion click here: CIA at JFK Library PART I

Part II - 5:30 - 7 p.m. - Forum on 50th Anniversary of the Missile Gap Controversy. Special panel of historians Timothy Naftali, Fred Kaplan and John Prados discuss this pivotal moment in world history. Mary Elise Sarotte, Professor of International Relations at USC, will moderate.
To Register for Part II click here: CIA at JFK Library Part II

Registration for this worthwhile free event is being handled at the JFK Library and Museum website at: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Events-and-Awards/Forums.aspx

27 September 2011, 5:30 - 8 pm - New York, NY - AFIO New York Metro features Dr. Draitser on "Stalin's Romeo Spy."

SPEAKER: Emil Draitser, Ph.D., Professor Russian Studies, Hunter College of the City of New York.
TOPIC: "STALIN'S ROMEO SPY" - His book about the remarkable rise and fall of the KGB's most daring operative Dmitri Bystrolyotov. Details at www.stalinsromeospy.com

Event location: "3 West Club" 3 West 51st St, New York City. Buffet dinner. Cash bar. $40/person. 5:30 PM Registration 6:00 PM Meeting Start

Reservations: Strongly Suggested, Not Required: Seating is limited. Replies/RSVP to afiometro@yahoo.com

29 September 2011 - San Francisco, CA - The AFIO Jim Quesada Chapter hosts Supervisory Special Agent Max Noel, Ret., Federal Bureau of Investigation. He will be speaking about how he cracked the Unabom case and tracked Theodore J. Kaczynski. The meeting location will be confirmed upon receipt of registration. 11:30AM no host cocktails; noon - luncheon. $25 member rate with advance reservation and payment; $35 non-members accompanied by a member. No walk-ins allowed. Seating is limited. E-mail RSVP to Mariko Kawaguchi (please indicate meat or fish) at afiosf@aol.com and mail a check made out to "AFIO" to: Mariko Kawaguchi, P.O. Box 117578, Burlingame, CA 94011

Saturday, 1 October 2011, 1000 - 1430 - Salem, MA - AFIO New England to hear former Associate DNI/Collection, and CIA COA NYC on 9/11.

Our speaker will be Mary Margaret Graham, former Associate DNI for Collection, and CIA COS in NYC on 9/11. She was in the WTC when the planes hit. Ms. Graham is a veteran of the Clandestine Service and has had a variety of assignments overseas.
Our schedule is as follows: Registration & gathering, 1000 - 1130, membership meeting
1130 – 1200. Luncheon at 1200 followed by our speaker, with adjournment at 2:30PM.
Note, as this meeting is a one day event we have not made any hotel arrangements.
Our October 2011 chapter meeting will be held on Saturday 1 October at the Salem Waterfront Hotel located in Salem MA. The hotel web site is here: http://www.salemwaterfronthotel.com/. For directions to the hotel look here: http://www.salemwaterfronthotel.com/location.html
Information about Salem MA and local hotels can be found here: http://salem.org/

For additional information contact us at afionechapter@gmail.com

Advance reservations are $25.00, $30.00 at the door - per person.

Luncheon reservations must be made by 16 September 2011.

Mail your check and the reservation form to:

Mr. Arthur Hulnick, 216 Summit Avenue # E102, Brookline, MA 02446, 617-739-7074 or hlnk@aol.com

Wednesday, 05 October 2011, 8:15am - 3:10pm - Laurel, MD - General Membership Meeting of the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation.

Program: 0815-0900: registration & breakfast; 0900-0915: Welcome by NCMF President, Eugene Becker; 0915-0945: opening address by NSA Director or Deputy Director; 0945-1000: NCM update by Museum Curator Patrick Weadon; 1000-1115: panel discussion on "International Relations with Iran" by Amb Bruce Laingen and Kenneth Timmerman, author and investigative reporter; 1115-1200: Cyber Security Legal issues by Stewart Baker, former general counsel, NSA, author of Skating on Stilts; 1200-1300: lunch and auditorium video presentation of the 1997 Dedication of National Vigilance Park to commemorate the sacrifices of aerial reconnaissance crews;
1300-1400: keynote address by James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence; 1400-1410: break; 1410-1440: new museum project and capital campaign update by Lt. Gen. Ken Minihan, MG Rod Isler and Brig Gen Neal Robinson; 1440-1500 the role of the NSA Center for Cryptologic History by Col William Williams; and 1500-1510: closing remarks by Brig Gen Billy Bingham.
LOCATION: JHU/APL Kossiakoff Center - 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723-6099 tel: 240-228-7574.
FEE: $15 to NCMF members, $40 per guest. NCMF fee includes breakfast & lunch, and a.m. Refreshments. Shuttle service is available from 0800-0900 and from 1500-1545. Handicap parking is limited.
A silent auction, vintage book sale, and the CWF [NSA's Civilian Welfare Fund] gift shop sale will be held in the lobby area through 1300. Cryptologic artifacts will be on display.
REGISTRATION: Mail registration form with your check or credit card information by 07 September 2011 to NCMF, PO Box 1682 Ft Meade Md 20755. Checks payable to NCMF are preferred method of payment.
Symposium assistance: please call (301) 688-2336 or 301-688-5436 or email: cryptmf@aol.com

Thursday, 6 October 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Washington, DC - American Traitors, Fathers and Sons: The John Walker and Jim Nicholson Family Spy Stories at the International Spy Museum.

How could you do this to your son?" –Mike Wallace to John Walker on 60 Minutes
When the family business is espionage, dynamics and dysfunction take on a whole new meaning. From inside a federal prison, former CIA operative Jim Nicholson directed his son Nathan on a global trek to collect the pension promised to him by his handlers for spying on behalf of Russia. From 2006 to 2008, Nathan smuggled his father’s messages to Russian intelligence officers on three continents in exchange for cold cash. The father-son exploits echoed those of notorious spy John Walker, the retired Navy communications specialist who in 1983 lured his pliable son Michael into his spy ring. The Walkers orchestrated one of the most devastating security breaches in U.S. history. Brian Kelley, a retired CIA counterintelligence operative, along with Bryan Denson, an investigative reporter for The Oregonian, will present the eerie parallels between Walker and Nicholson. Using video interviews with the spies and their sons, they will explain how Walker, who once declared, “Kmart has better security than the Navy,” and Nicholson, the highest-ranking CIA officer ever convicted of espionage, lured their sons into the “family business” of spying. Kelley and Denson will examine the human cost of treachery as inflicted by two traitorous dads on the sons who loved them.
Tickets:  $15.00. To register visit www.spymuseum.org

Thursday-Friday, 6 - 7 October 2011 - Laurel, MD - The NSA's Center for Cryptologic History hosts their Biennial Cryptologic History Symposium with theme: Cryptology in War and Peace: Crisis Points in History.

The National Security Agency’s Center for Cryptologic History sponsors the Cryptologic History Symposium every two years. The next one will be held 6-7 October 2011. Historians from the Center, the Intelligence Community, the defense establishment, and the military services, as well as distinguished scholars from American and foreign academic institutions, veterans of the profession, and the interested public all will gather for two days of reflection and debate on topics from the cryptologic past. The theme for the upcoming conference will be: “Cryptology in War and Peace: Crisis Points in History.” This topical approach is especially relevant as the year 2011 is an important anniversary marking the start of many seminal events in our nation’s military history. The events that can be commemorated are many. Participants will delve into the roles of signals intelligence and information assurance, and not just as these capabilities supported military operations. More cogently, observers will examine how these factors affected and shaped military tactics, operations, strategy, planning, and command and control throughout history. The role of cryptology in preventing conflict and supporting peaceful pursuits will also be examined. The panels will include presentations in a range of technological, operational, organizational, counterintelligence, policy, and international themes. Past symposia have featured scholarship that set out new ways to consider out cryptologic heritage, and this one will be no exception. The mix of practitioners, scholars, and the public precipitates a lively debate that promotes an enhanced appreciation for the context of past events. The Symposium will be held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory’s Kossiakoff Center, in Laurel, Maryland, a location central to the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas. As has been the case with previous symposia, the conference will provide unparalleled opportunities for interaction with leading historians and distinguished experts. So please make plans to join us for either one or both days of this intellectually stimulating conference. Dr. Kent Sieg, the Center’s Symposium Executive Director, 301-688-2336 or via email at kgsieg@nsa.gov. Registration form is here.

7 - 9 October 2011 - Glens Falls, NY - NE Chapter of Naval Cryptologic Veterans Association (NCVA-NE) Fall Mini-Reunion.

Location: Queensbury Hotel, Glens Falls, NY. The registration cut-off date for any local members of the NCVA-NE is September 7, 2011. For additional information call (518) 664-8032 or visit website. Questions? Ask Victor Knorowski, 8 Eagle Lane, Mechanicville, NY 12118 e-mail: knork620@verizon.net or call him at (518) 664-8032

Wednesday, 12 October 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Washington, DC - Dana Priest on "Top Secret America" at the International Spy Museum

An expos� of what this Washington Post reporter claims is a new, secret “Fourth Branch” of American government.
When Dana Priest began researching a Washington Post series on national security following 9/11, she found a top-secret world that, to her, seems to have become so enormous, so unwieldy, and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, or exactly how many agencies duplicate work being done elsewhere. Reporter Priest, author of Top Secret America, will reveal how she investigated this shadow world and the enormous consequences of this invisible universe of over 1,300 government facilities, nearly 2,000 outside contractors, and more than 850,000 people granted “Top Secret” security clearance. The result may be that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is, according to this journalist, putting the U.S. in greater danger. Priest will also screen some segments from the recent FRONTLINE documentary developed in conjunction with her book.
Tickets:  $9.00. To register visit www.spymuseum.org

Saturday, 15 October 2011, 1 - 3 pm - Washington DC - "Riot Act" by Ed Mickolus, at the International Spy Museum

This former CIA officer and self-described humorist has written "The Secret Book of CIA Humor" and will be giving an author presentation with an entertaining collection of rookie hazing practices, performance appraisal outtakes, and on-the-job anecdotes from his thirty year career with the Agency. Includes “Useful Phrases to Know When Traveling in Terrorist Areas,” “The Problem with Security Covers,” and “You Might be a Taliban If. . ..”
In his real life Ed Mickolus worked as an analyst, covert action officer, manager, and public affairs officer. He now teaches intelligence issues for federal agencies. He considers himself a recovering standup comic, and he lives in northern VA. To register visit www.spymuseum.org

Saturday, 15 October 2011 - Washington, DC - The OSS Society hosts the 2011 William J. Donovan Award Dinner honoring Adm Eric T. Olson, USN.

Admiral Eric T. Olson, Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, has been selected to receive the 2011 William J. Donovan Award Dinner. By invitation only. Further information at www.osssociety.org

Thursday, 20 October 2011, noon - Washington, DC - A Vast and Fiendish Plot: The Confederate Attack on New York City - at the International Spy Museum

Ballroom to Battlefield Civil War Program
In 1864, Manhattan had a population of 880,000…a population that came perilously close to death on the evening of 25 November. Six Confederate saboteurs planned to destroy the North’s largest city with a string of 21 separate fires set simultaneously with the goal of engulfing the city in flames. This terrorist plot was the brainchild of the Confederate Secret Service. They had hoped to target a number of northern cities including Boston, Chicago, and Cincinnati to show how easily the Confederacy could strike at Federal cities. Clint Johnson, author of A Vast and Fiendish Plot, will explore this little-known plan for sabotage, explain its links to Canada, and reveal why the saboteurs ultimately failed. Johnson will also speculate on how the saboteurs could have accomplished what would have been the worst terrorist attack in American history.
Tickets:  Free.  No registration required. More information at www.spymuseum.org

Wednesday, 26 October 2011, noon - Washington, DC - MH/CHAOS: The CIA's Campaign Against the Radical Left and the Black Panthers

Operation MHCHAOS was the code name for a secret domestic spying program conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency in the late 1960s and early 1970s charged with unmasking any foreign influences on the student antiwar movement. CIA counterintelligence officer Frank Rafalko was a part of the operation. The New York Times revealed MHCHAOS in 1974, then Congress investigated, and MHCHAOS took its place in the pantheon of intelligence abuses. Rafalko, however, says in MH/CHAOS that the operation was justified and that the CIA was the logical agency to conduct it. He’ll defend his perspective with dramatic intelligence collected on the New Left and black radicals.
Tickets:  Free.  No registration required. More information at www.spymuseum.org

Thursday, 27 October 2011 - Washington, DC - CIA Historical Collections Division Conference: "A City Torn Apart; Building the Berlin Wall - 1961"

Scope: For nearly 50 years the German City of Berlin was the living symbol of the Cold War. The Soviets closed the Sector Border dividing East Berlin from West Berlin on August 13th, 1961, effectively establishing what become known as the Berlin Wall. This symposium focused on the events leading up to the establishment of the Berlin Wall. The period covered included the Vienna Conference on 3 June to the confrontation at Checkpoint Charlie on 27 October 1961. EVENT LOCATION: National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC. Contributors will include NATO, ARMY, JFK & LBJ Presidential Libraries, SHAEF, and State Department. Details about event to follow from AFIO as we get closer to event.

27 October 2011, 0930- 1715 - Newport News - AFIO Norman Forde Hampton Roads Chapter Third Annual Workshop on National Security and Intelligence: Energy Security

Location: Christopher Newport University, David Student Union, Newport News, Tabb Library, York County. Directions: From Norfolk take I-64 West. Merge onto US-17 North via Exit 258B toward Yorktown. Follow US-17 North approximately 2.2 miles to Victory Blvd/VA-171 East. Turn right onto Victory Blvd/VA-171 East. Turn right at the next traffic light onto Hampton Hwy/VA-134 South. Turn right at the next traffic light onto Long Green Blvd. Tabb Library is on the immediate right. It is across the street from the Victory YMCA. From Williamsburg take I-64 East. Merge onto Victory Blvd/VA-171 East via Exit 256B. Follow Victory Blvd/VA-171 East approximately 2 miles. Turn right onto Hampton Hwy/VA-134 South. Turn right at the next traffic light onto Long Green Blvd. Tabb Library is on the immediate right. It is across the street from the Victory YMCA. Registrations and questions to Melissa Saunders mwsaunders@cox.net or call 757-897-6268.

2-3 November 2-11 - Buckley AFB, Aurora, CO - DNI hosts 2011 Intelink Technical Exchange.
The ITE [Intelink Technical Exchange] brings together practitioners and technologists from the intelligence, national defense, homeland security, and law enforcement communities working to improve intelligence information sharing. The ITE is open to government employees and contractors. AFIO members may attend but need to show AFIO ID.
CALL FOR PAPERS: If you wish to present at the ITE, send your abstracts by September 15, 2011 to ITE@ugov.gov Your topic should describe substantive technical work area relevant to the National Security Enterprise, our information environment, or the business of intelligence.
Contact ITE@ugov.gov for additional information

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

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