Section I - INTELLIGENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Benghazi E-Mails Show Clash Between State Department, CIA. New details from administration e-mails about last year's attacks on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, demonstrate that an intense bureaucratic clash took place between the State Department and the CIA over which agency would get to tell the story of how the tragedy unfolded.

That clash played out in the development of administration talking points that have been at the center of the controversy over the handling of the incident, according to the e-mails that came to light Friday.

Over the five days between the attacks and the now-infamous Sunday show appearance by U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice, senior officials from the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department argued over how much information to disclose about the assault in which four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, were killed.

That internal debate and the changes it produced in the Obama administration's immediate account of the attack have revived Benghazi as a political issue in Washington six months after the presidential election in which it played a prominent role. Friday's revelations - ABC News published 12 versions of the talking points - produced the latest round of Benghazi post-mortems in the eight months since the attacks. Senior administration officials said in a briefing for reporters that none of Obama's political advisers were involved in discussions around the original talking points, only national security staff officials. [Read more: Wilson&DeYoung/WashingtonPost/10May2013]

Zimbabwe's President: New Tasks for Africa's Spies. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe urged African intelligence services Monday to prepare for fresh onslaughts by foreigners and the continent's former colonizers to grasp its natural resources and potential wealth.

Mugabe said Africa's vast reserves of untapped resources and the world-wide recession have triggered a new scramble for control of its "raw wealth."

Opening a convention of the continent-wide 49-nation Committee of Intelligence and Security Services, Mugabe said outsiders have used at least 20 armed conflicts in Africa since 1990 to gather intelligence and deploy "stealth predator drones," unmanned surveillance aircraft, to spy on their countries. 

"Our erstwhile colonizers continue to manipulate international institutional and conventions to justify unilateral military interventions in African states with the objective of extracting and unfairly exploiting our resources," Mugabe said.

He told Africa's annual meeting of security agents, who work under the cloak of secrecy, that they are now confronted by increasing human and drug trafficking, money laundering and cyber-terrorism. [Read more: Gotora/AP/6May2013]

UM Offers Arabic Courses for High School Students. The University of Montana's Arab Studies Program is offering Arabic language courses for high school students this summer.

UM is holding its Montana Arabic Summer Institute from June 17 through July 12.

The four-week language courses are funded through a grant from the National Security Agency to expand and improve the teaching and learning of strategically important foreign languages.

Twenty-five students will be selected from among those who apply. There are courses for students with no previous knowledge of Arabic and one for students who have been introduced to the basics. The deadline to apply is May 24. [Read more: IndependentRecord/28April2013]

Intelligence Report Identified Vulnerability Before Boston Bombing. Five days before two bombs tore through crowds at the Boston Marathon, an intelligence report identified the finish line of the race as an "area of increased vulnerability" and warned Boston police that extremists may use "small scale bombings" to attack spectators and runners at the event.

The 18-page report was written by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, a command center funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security that helps disseminate intelligence information to local police and first responders.

The "joint special event assessment" is dated April 10. It notes that at the time there was "no credible, specific information indicating an imminent threat" to the race.

"The FBI has not identified any specific lone offender or extremist group who pose a threat to the Boston marathon," the report reads.

Two officials read parts of the report to a Washington Bureau reporter. [Read more: Bennett&Serrano/LATimes/9May2013]

Spies Caught in Website Scandal Embarrass SKorea. The scandal shaking up South Korea's main spy agency is not cloak-and-dagger stuff, but the kind of low-grade trickery anyone with an Internet connection could pull off. And the target was not Seoul's opaque rival to the north, but the country's own people.

Internet postings ostensibly from ordinary South Koreans, but actually from National Intelligence Service agents, allegedly boosted President Park Geun-hye while she was running for the job as the ruling party's nominee. She was reportedly dubbed "the best," while her opponent, in a play on his name, was called "criminal."

A police investigation conducted before the December election found no wrongdoing, but now police say at least two agents violated the law and the original investigation is itself being examined.

Dozens of Internet comments, or more, may not have affected an election that Park won by a million votes, but they have damaged public trust in a spy agency that already had a dubious record.

The agency was founded in 1961 by Park's father, longtime dictator Park Chung-hee. [Read more: Kim/AP/13May2013]

Russia Detains U.S. Diplomat, Accuses Him of Trying to Recruit Russian Agent. An American diplomat has been detained by the Russian State Security Service and accused of trying to recruit a Russian officer to work as a U.S. agent, Russian wire services reported on Tuesday.

The diplomat, Ryan C. Fogle, is listed as third secretary in the political section at the U.S. Embassy. The Russian security service, known by the acronym FSB, alleged that the U.S. post is a cover and that Fogle is actually a CIA agent. He was detained Monday night or early Tuesday morning, and turned over to U.S. Embassy officials later Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul declined a request from a Moscow Times reporter to comment on the allegations. An FSB spokesman said he had nothing to add to the details provided to the Russian news agencies.

According to those news service accounts, the FSB said its agents caught Fogle with "special technical devices," typewritten instructions for the recruit, a "large sum" of cash and various means of disguise. The location of the detention was not revealed. Neither was the identity of the alleged target. [Read more: Englund/WashingtonPost/14May2013]

Laos, Hmong Veterans of Vietnam War Honored At National Ceremonies. National memorial ceremonies and policy events are being held in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Congress, to recognize Laotian and Hmong veterans of the U.S. "Secret Army" who served in Laos during the Vietnam War. The events also honor the veterans' American advisors.

"Today, a wreath of white lilies is being placed at the Vietnam War memorial to remember and honor the veterans and their families," said Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA).

"It is important to remember that Laotian and Hmong special forces who served in the �U.S. Secret Army' during the Vietnam War were backed by the U.S. military and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who operated covertly in Laos during the conflict to combat invading, Soviet-backed, North Vietnamese Army forces and communist guerillas," Smith observed.

On May 10, and today, Lao and Hmong memorial ceremonies were held in Arlington National Cemetery. [Read more: HeraldOnline/12May2013]

NSA Breaks Ground on Massive Computing Center. The National Security Agency (NSA) this week formally broke ground on its second high-performance computing center, a 600,000-square-foot behemoth designed to help protect the nation's digital infrastructure. 

A diverse group of dignitaries gathered Monday to tout the project as a key part of national security efforts, as well as a driver for economic development in the area. 

"We are in a war for the future, and because of the Internet, we will have an enduring war," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). "We need to be able to make sure we have the right computers, the right workforce and the right legal infrastructure to do it."

About 70,000 square feet of the facility will be filled by computers. Harvey Davis, NSA's associate director for installation and logistics, said the center will provide the computing capacity necessary to carry out the NSA's increasingly complex mission. [Read more: Lemke/OdentonPatch/8May2013]

Section II - CONTEXT & PRECEDENCE

Remembering Herb Romerstein: Death of a Cold Warrior and National Treasure.  Every human life is special, unique, unrepeatable - to borrow from Pope John Paul II. Every loss of life is a loss. Some losses, however, seem larger, leaving a void no one else can fill. When some people go, too much goes with them. That's undoubtedly the case with the loss of Herbert Romerstein, who died this week after a long illness. With Herb's passing, we lose not only a good guy, but a vast reservoir of knowledge that is not replaceable. If only we could have downloaded the man's brain. Alas, we could not, and our knowledge of the 20th century is suddenly less than it was.

Herb knew the Cold War and communist movement unlike anyone. He understood it because he lived it and breathed it. Born in Brooklyn in 1931, he himself had been a communist, having joined the Communist Youth League before becoming a card-carrying member of Communist Party USA (CPUSA). He broke ranks over 60 years ago, the final straw being the Korean War, which made clear to him that he was dealing with inveterate liars, whether in Korea, Moscow, or among communists on the home-front. He went on to become one of America's best anti-communists and most respected authorities, regularly testifying before Congress. He became a chief investigator for the House Committee on Internal Security. In the 1980s, he joined the Reagan administration, where his full-time job at the U.S. Information Agency was to counter Soviet disinformation, a duty for which few were so well-equipped or enthusiastic. He relished the role of taking on professional Soviet propagandists such as Georgi Arbatov and Valentin Falin. Later, he did the highly touted analysis of the Venona transcripts, which he published as The Venona Secrets.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. [Read more: Kengor/AmericanSpectator/10May2013]

Our Man in Arlington. Whenever I drive past Arlington Hall, I'm reminded that if it did not exist, neither would I.

It was there, at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard and George Mason Drive, that my parents met during World War II.

Today the 100-acre complex is a fenced-off home to the Army National Guard Readiness Center and the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center. But this prime location has a more intriguing history, encompassing debutantes and spies of both local and global import.

Arlington Hall began as the county's sole private school, built in 1927 as a junior college for women. Its handsome yellow-brick colonial structure with six columns housed a high school, classrooms, a gym and indoor and outdoor equestrian arenas for 200 students. Instruction for females of the smart set included music, art, drama, home economics, secretarial skills and physical education, according to Nan and Ross Netherton's pictorial history of Arlington.

But its horses were the main attraction, according to Smithsonian American History Museum Director John Gray, whose mother studied there in the mid-1930s. "We grew up with great photographs of her on the fiercest horses, jumping in the ring, and a few pictures of the students, dressed to the nines, for their dinners," he told me. "Mother continued to ride with the riding instructor from Arlington Hall on the circuit."

Though the Great Depression forced the school into bankruptcy, it survived under nonprofit trusteeship until 1942. That's when the federal government took over and set up the Army Signal Corps' Signals Intelligence Service, tasked with breaking the Japanese code. Renamed Arlington Hall Station, the site hosted many young intel officers and linguists who'd been summoned to Washington for the war effort. [Read more: Clark/FCNP/30April2013]

Use These Secret NSA Google Search Tips to Become Your Own Spy Agency. There's so much data available on the internet that even government cyberspies need a little help now and then to sift through it all. So to assist them, the National Security Agency produced a book to help its spies uncover intelligence hiding on the web.

The 643-page tome, called Untangling the Web: A Guide to Internet Research (.pdf), was just released by the NSA following a FOIA request filed in April by MuckRock, a site that charges fees to process public records for activists and others.

The book was published by the Center for Digital Content of the National Security Agency, and is filled with advice for using search engines, the Internet Archive and other online tools. But the most interesting is the chapter titled "Google Hacking."

Say you're a cyberspy for the NSA and you want sensitive inside information on companies in South Africa. What do you do? [Read more: Zetter/Wired/8May2013]

Biometrics: A New Intelligence Discipline. The intelligence community is pushing to make biometrically enabled intelligence - the art of identifying people by fingerprints, digital mugshots, iris scans or DNA - a regular part of business.

Biometrics has evolved dramatically during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and is used in countless manhunts, but the discipline has not been fully institutionalized into the intelligence community. Among other issues, various agencies, including the DIA and the FBI, have different ways of looking at the technological breakthroughs.

"The general field or trade of identity intelligence really is in its infancy," FBI biometrics expert David Cuthbertson told an audience in February.

Right now, biometrics still mostly means fingerprints. That's the telltale record most commonly left behind by bomb-makers and thieves. The databases of fingerprints are vast: The FBI has 110 million fingerprint records; the Defense Department, 9.5 million; and the Department of Homeland Security, 156 million.

But other technologies are coming online. [Read more: Ionnetta/DefenseNews/13May2013]

Tough Times at Homeland Security. A new wave of cyberattacks is hitting American companies at a particularly vulnerable time for the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency charged with fending them off.

That is because the department has been grappling with the departures of its top cybersecurity officials. In the last four months, Jane Holl Lute, the agency's deputy secretary; Mark Weatherford, the top cybersecurity official; Michael Locatis, the assistant secretary for cybersecurity; and Richard Spires, the chief information officer, have all resigned.

Candidates currently being considered to fill their posts include Beltway officials and executives from the antivirus software makers Symantec and McAfee, according to people briefed on their professional backgrounds who were not authorized to speak publicly about the department's hiring process. But these people said the leading candidates lacked critical ties to Silicon Valley and to the hacking community from which Homeland Security has said it so urgently needs to recruit.

For the last four years, the department has said it needs to expand its cybersecurity force by as many as 600 skilled hackers if it is to keep pace with the influx of increasingly sophisticated threats.

"We need students," Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, told students at San Jose State University last year. "We need young people who really understand this technology who are creative and innovative." [Read more: Perlroth/NYTimes/13May2013]

Intelligence Issues for Congress. The intelligence community, which comprises 17 agencies, has experienced a decade of budgetary growth. That era was typified by (1) institution building with embryonic organization such as the Office of the DNI and other new or evolving intelligence components, (2) information sharing and collaboration across those institutions, and (3) a focus on counterterrorism.

While those issues will remain areas of congressional interest, members will likely confronted by a new set of intelligence challenges resulting from budgetary realities and from second-order effects stemming from post-9/11 changes. These include:

Consolidation and redundancy. Intelligence collection systems are expensive and some critics suggest there have been elements of waste and unneeded duplication of effort. The Administration is considering long-term reductions with an emphasis on potentially redundant information technology systems. There is great concern, however, that any reductions be carefully made to avoid curtailing capabilities that have become integral to military operations and to policymaking in many areas. [Read more: CRS/12May2013]

Robotic Jellyfish Could be Undersea Spy. It's no James Bond. But then again, 007 probably couldn't patrol the ocean depths, in disguise, for hours at a time.

Meet Cyro, the robotic jellyfish.

Designed by a team of researchers at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, the robot is 5 feet, 7 inches wide and weighs 170 pounds but is stealthy enough to one day be used as an underwater spy for the military.

Cyro is part of a nationwide, multi-university $5 million project funded by U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Office of Naval Research.

The goal is to create self-powering, autonomous robots that could be used for underwater surveillance or to monitor the ocean environment.

"We are trying to get it as close as possible to the natural animal," said Alex Villanueva, a Virginia Tech doctoral student in mechanical engineering. "The way it looks, the way it moves, the general feel of it."

The Navy has been involved with robotic jellyfish in the past, but none has been of this magnitude. [Read more: Angley/CNN/8May2013]

Section III - COMMENTARY

How Can We Understand Benghazi Without Probing the CIA's Role? After catching up on coverage of the Benghazi attack over the weekend, there's something that has me very confused: why are so many journalists ignoring the fact that the Americans there were mostly CIA? Here's how The New York Times began a Benghazi story published online Sunday: "A House committee chairman vowed Sunday to seek additional testimony on the Obama administration's handling of last year's deadly attack on the American diplomatic post in Libya." 

Mark Steyn's latest National Review piece on Benghazi doesn't mention the CIA. Neither does this Weekly Standard piece, in which Victoria Toensing complains that a recent report about Benghazi "was purposefully incomplete and willfully misleading." And Stephen F. Hayes, whose work on Benghazi is widely cited among conservatives, refers to "the assault on the U.S. diplomatic post" and CIA warnings about a "potential attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in the region."

Am I wrong in thinking that this is madness? [Read more: Friedersdorf/TheAtlantic/13May2013]

CIA Veteran: Vietnam Syndrome - Again. Thirty-eight years ago last week, I was among the last CIA officers to be choppered off the U.S. Embassy roof in Saigon as the North Vietnamese took the country. Just two years before that chaotic rush for the exits, the Nixon administration had withdrawn the last American troops from the war zone and had declared indigenous forces strong enough, and the government reliable enough, to withstand whatever the enemy might throw into the fray after U.S. forces were gone.

That's the same story we told ourselves in Iraq when we pulled out of that country in 2011. And today, as American troops are being drawn down in Afghanistan, we're hearing variations on the same claims once again. Yet security remains so fragile in both Iraq and Afghanistan, it is impossible not to worry that we are deluding ourselves and that we failed to learn the most important lessons of Vietnam.

One major ingredient of both the Afghanistan and Iraqi experiments was the use of American dollars to buy off insurgents, wean them from their al-Qaida or Taliban suitors and win the indulgence, however grudging, of the leadership in Kabul or Baghdad. Such payments may help ensure a lull in the violence to allow U.S. forces to withdraw. But the enduring fallacy of such tactics was made clear in Vietnam.

The strategic hamlet and pacification programs of the early and mid-1960s featured U.S. operatives fanning out through the countryside to buy the quiescence of village and hamlet chiefs. But in the end, the only thing that this money purchased was a continued Balkanization of the political landscape. The local beneficiaries, including special police and paramilitary units, identified with their American bagmen, not with Vietnam's central government, and the government in turn remained suspicious of their loyalties. The moment U.S. dollars and protection were withdrawn, the central government cracked down, destroying whatever calm existed. [Read more: Snepp/LedgerEnquirer/9May2013]

Section IV - Obituaries, Research Requests and Coming Events

Obituaries

Herbert Romerstein. Herbert Romerstein of Clinton MD, died May 7, 2013 at The Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, where he resided following a stroke. He was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, NY and has been a resident of Maryland for the past 40 years. He was employed by Congressional Committees and USIA for 20 years and since retiring has written several books and articles. He is survived by his wife, Pat; children, Shari (Scott) Hillman; David (Jamie) Romerstein; Vicky (Paul) King; and Becky (Les) Rhoads; 12 grandchildren; his brother Bill (Nora) Romerstein and a niece and a nephew. Graveside Services will take place at 11 a.m. today, May 9, 2013, at Mount Lebanon Cemetery, 9500 Riggs Rd., Adelphi, MD. In lieu of flowers a contribution to Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, or the charity of your choice . Arrangements by Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, Inc. under Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington Contract. [WashingtonPost/9May2013]

Research Requests
 [IMPORTANT: AFIO does not "vet" or endorse these research inquiries or job offers. Reasonable-sounding inquiries and career offerings are published as a service to our members, and for researchers, educators, and subscribers. You are urged to exercise your usual caution and good judgment when responding or supplying any information.]

Research Inquiry From UCLA.
My name is Paul Nagle, a Visiting Assistant Professor at UCLA. In connection with research for a book that I am co-authoring with the historian Neal Rosendorf, our questions are:

1. I am seeking information regarding Frank Ryan, who a number of interview subjects have described to us as "a CIA's officer for the region of Spain in the early 1960s." From our research we have learned that there was a prominent OSS officer named Frank Ryan who was active in Spain and Portugal during the Second World War. It seems reasonable to assume that Frank Ryan of the OSS was the same fellow just described. Could you please suggest a way for us to confirm that Frank Ryan was, in fact, in the employ of the CIA, based in Madrid, circa 1963?

2. I am also seeking information regarding Victor Oswald, a Swiss National, who established himself in post-war Madrid as a dealer in surplus military aircraft. He also represented in Spain the interests of several American financial institutions. Later, he had ties to the international arms dealing community, including the likes of Adnan Khashoggi. From what I have been able to glean, Oswald was also wired into Madrid's unsavory coterie of former Nazis who had found a relatively peaceful refuge in Franco's Madrid. Any further information about him would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, our book project is a biography of the film producer Samuel Bronston (1908-94). Bronston is best-remembered for the series of colossal epic films he produced in Franco's Spain in the early-1960s, including "KING OF KINGS", "EL CID" and "THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE". To date, we have done interview and archival research in eleven different countries (twelve, if you count The Vatican!) and twenty-three different states. We have interviewed over one hundred people who knew or worked with Bronston. The book will be published by the University of Texas Press. 

With many thanks in advance for your assistance. REPLIES to Paul Nagle, Visiting Assistant Professor, UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media, (310) 880-7987, (310) 230-6896 - fax, pnagle@ucla.edu

Coming Educational Events

EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN COMING TWO MONTHS....

MANY Spy Museum Events in 2013 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.

Thursday, 16 May 2013 - Denver, CO - The AFIO Rocky Mountain Chapter visits the Disaster Management Institute's "Center for Simulation"

The Institute's Center is located at 9235 E 10th Dr, Building 859 Room 911, Denver, CO. This is a joint meeting of the AFIO and Denver INFRAGARD. There are seating limitations of 45 seats so we will accept reservations on a first come first serve basis. There will be no lunch at this facility... it will be lunch on your own outside the Center for Simulation, since they have no cafeteria. The Center for Simulation is the first of its kind in the world for training and preparing first responders in full immersion learning environments. Since its inception in 2005 the center has grown to include a complete home, bar, street scene, hazardous material/refinery, hoarder house, underground space and the Disaster Management Institute (DMI). The DMI is a state of the art emergency operations center with multiple cable and satellite feeds, Web-EOC, smart boards, a star board, video cubes and a touch table. Each space has multiple cameras and global sound. Every training is recorded and a DVD can be created live or the video feeds can be stored on servers for playback options. Currently the Center and DMI have active training relationships with working professionals from local, state, federal and Department of Defense assets in addition to students from several educational institutions. You will receive directions when you RSVP to Warren Gerig at warren@asia.com.

16 May 2013, 12.30-2.30 PM - Los Angeles, CA - AFIO LA Chapter hears Dr. Essmaeel of DHS on Role of Intel at DHS in California

Dr. Fadi Essmaeel from the U.S. Congress will be addressing the AFIO L.A. Chapter on the topic of Homeland Security & Emergency Management challenges in Southern California and the evolving role of intelligence. Meeting Location: LAPD Ahmanson Training Center RM 1G 5651 W. Manchester Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Please RSVP for your attendance and access to the facility: AFIO_LA@yahoo.com
Dr. Fadi Essmaeel serves as HS Director for US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of the CA-48th District and as Chairman of the Training and Exercise Subcommittee of the Central CA Area Maritime Security Committee. He is a physician, former officer with the IDF and a human rights activist. As first responder and incident commander he handled numerous incidents that took place against the backdrop of key historical landmarks such as the South-Lebanon conflict, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the ensuing waves of violence. For 13 years, Dr. Essmaeel has offered free-of-charge educational programs for HS/EM officials resulting in delivery of more than a 100,000 professional training hours in myriad subjects. Trainees represent all government jurisdictions and a wide variety of private sector industries. During the early 2000's he also initiated an ongoing nation-wide digital information-sharing campaign during which terabytes of information have already been disseminated including: manuals, handbooks, guidelines, best practices, procedures, training materials, course calendars etc. Central to his duties, he facilitates trouble-shooting for response-agencies as they interact with the federal government and has supervised more than 2000 constituent-cases with HHS/DoD/DHS/DOJ. Dr. Essmaeel voluntarily mentors and tutors first responders and their training managers in diverse jurisdictions across the United States. He operates the SOCAL Training and Knowledge Network (STAK-Net) service for HS/EM.

31 May 2013, 7 pm - Washington, DC - The ESP in Espionage: An Evening with Alain Nu, The Man Who Knows - at the International Spy Museum

When the US government began their Star Gate program in the 1970s, they were focused on the possibility of using psychic channels to gather intelligence. Psychics, in a clinically controlled setting, were asked to perform "remote viewing"―attempting to sense targeted information about people, places, and events. Reports of the program's success run from the eerie to the off-base, but the intelligence world's pursuit of the mind's power has captured the imagination of Alain Nu. The Man Who Knows has long been obsessed with the strange, the unknown, and unexplained. His exploration of the unusual has led him to the field of mentalism and developing his untold powers. Nu's uncanny demonstrations blur the line between science and the mysteries of unexplained phenomena and have been featured in his own TLC Network television specials The Mysterious World of Alain Nu and his book Picture Your ESP! Now he is turning his ESPecially entertaining powers to the world of ESPionage. Join us for an evening with Nu inspired by Star Gate, the trickery of spies, and other top secret projects. Complimentary light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
For more information or to purchase tickets please visit: www.spymuseum.org

31 May - 12 June 2013 - NYC to England - "The Spying Game: The Cold War and Cambridge" aboard the Queen Mary 2, with Intelligence Expert Nigel West

Immerse yourself in the shadowy underworld of international espionage with renowned author and intelligence expert Nigel West. Learn the truth behind the acronyms of the CIA, SOE, NKVD and KGB, as well as the role of "sleeper agents," the secret VENONA project and the race for atomic power. Aboard the elite Queen Mary 2, gain intimate vantages into the post-World War II geopolitical, ideological and economic struggles that shaped the world today. Highlights Gain expert insight into Yalta, the Manhattan Project and the greatest secret of the Cold War: VENONA. Visit Bletchley Park, home to the Enigma machine and historic headquarters of secret British code-breaking in World War II. At colleges associated with the Cambridge Five, learn how a group of undergraduates became a famous Soviet spy ring. Activity/Notes: Involves walking up to two miles per day. Itinerary/Summary: Arrival New York City, N.Y., 1 night; embark Queen Mary 2, 7 nights; disembark, Cambridge, 4 nights; departure.
For more information or to book your participation: visit www.roadscholar.org and select Program #14569

2 - 14 June 2013 - Charlottesville, VA - UVA 21st National Security Law Institute June 2013 Training Program

Each summer for the past two decades, the University of Virginia Law School's Center for National Security Law has run a highly intensive training program during the first two weeks of June. While primarily aimed at helping to prepare law professors to teach in the field, the program is also open to government lawyers from the United States and abroad. Classes are taught by some of the leading scholars and practitioners in the field, including the directors of the UVA center and of similar national security law centers at Duke and Georgetown.

The 2013 Institute will take place at the University of Virginia School of Law between June 2 and June 14. The deadline for applications is April 12, but applications may be submitted at any time before then. The $1950.00 tuition fee covers lodging during the seminar as well as books and other reading materials. Participants are responsible for their travel to and from Charlottesville and meals other than lunches during the two-week period.

Whether you are new to the field and need a broad overview of some of the most important issues, or are looking to update your expertise and take advantage of the networking opportunities the Institute offers, you will find it both an enjoyable and a rewarding educational experience. Further information on the Institute may be found at http://www.virginia.edu/cnsl/nsli.html, and questions about the Institute may be submitted by email to Professor Robert (Bob) F. Turner rft3m@virginia.edu or by phone to (434) 924-4083

Wednesday, 5 June 2013, 6 pm - Nellis AFB, NV - the AFIO Las Vegas Chapter hears Jim Parker, CIA-Ret, on "The Battle for Skyline Ridge."

Please join us at 5 p.m. in the "Robin's Roost" bar area for liaison and beverages.
Our featured speaker for the evening will be: Jim Parker, CIA (Ret.) speaking on "The Battle for Skyline Ridge." The military fight for Laos between the CIA rag-tag army of irregulars under command of Hmong General Vang Pao and two invading North Vietnamese Divisions under command of PAVN General Nguyen Huu came down to a single ridgeline.
Place: The Officers' Club at Nellis Air Force Base. All guests must use the MAIN GATE located at the intersection of Craig Road and Las Vegas Blvd. Address: 5871 Fitzgerald Blvd., Nellis AFB, NV 89191 Phone: 702-644-2582.
For access information contact Mary Bentley (mary.bentley@doe.gov) anytime or call me at 702-295-0417, We look forward to seeing you!

Wednesday, 5 June 2013, noon - Washington, DC - "Global Terrorism, Espionage, and Cybersecurity Monthly Update," at the International Spy Museum

This noontime, no cost presentation is done in partnership with the CI Centre, to provide an opportunity to be the first to learn of the most current worldwide happenings in the field of intelligence and terrorism. Drawn from the Centre�s SPYPEDIA�, the most comprehensive source of espionage information in the world. Each update covers important events and information which may not be reported by mainstream media outlets; such as, espionage penetrations and arrests, cyber espionage reporting, and terrorist events. Briefings led by CI Centre founder David Major will include trend analysis and coverage of new emerging issues of value to the intelligence and security professional and individuals with an interest in national security matters. Major will also highlight and review, as appropriate, new books and reports to keep you current with breaking developments in the national security arena. Tickets: Free! No registration required. See www.spymuseum.org

12 June 2013, 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor: Nazi Spy? at the International Spy Museum

When King Edward VIII abdicated the English thrown in December 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, the world was agog. And many feared the political implications of a former king on the loose. What would these notorious lovers do? Would they attempt to influence world affairs? It seemed that the worst nightmare of many observers was coming to pass when photos of the two gleefully gladhanding Hitler appeared in 1937. During World War II, the former King was given governorship of the Bahamas - a post that those in-the-know rightly considered a form of exile. But just how dangerous were they? Amanda A. Ohlke, Adult Education Director at the International Spy Museum, will overview the most serious accusations and credit or debunk them. Much is made of secret files and gossip, but this June, the 76th anniversary of their controversial marriage, find out the truth about Wallis and Edward. After the presentation, toast the famed couple's marriage with some bubbly and trade a quip with the Baltimore-born Duchess. The Duchess, as brought to life by historical enactor Emily Lapisardi, will answer to some of the most heinous accusations in the spirit of Mrs. Simpson.
Space is limited - advance registration required! For more information or to purchase tickets please visit: www.spymuseum.org

14 June 2013, 6:30 pm - Washington, DC - Surveillance 201 with Eric O'Neill - Spy School Workshop at the International Spy Museum

What if you were assigned to watch the most damaging spy in US 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. O'Neill has run some previous recruits through a surveillance basics course, and now he's ready to take those with the expertise to the next level. This advanced small group surveillance exercise is best suited to those who already know how to track the "Rabbit" without being "made." O'Neill will rate your clandestine prowess while you spy on secret meetings and operational acts and see if you can uncover the spy skullduggery that's afoot while you are on foot. There is no guarantee that your "Rabbit" won't escape!
Space is limited to only 10 participants � advance registration required! For more information or to purchase tickets please visit: www.spymuseum.org

Saturday 22 June 2013, 10am - 2:30pm - Milford, MA - AFIO New England Chapter hosts John Strauchs at their Summer Meeting

Schedule: Registration & gathering, 1000 - 1130, Membership meeting 1130 - 1200; Luncheon at 1200 followed by keynote speaker John J. Strauchs; Adjournment at 2:30PM.
Our afternoon speaker is John J. Strauchs.  His presentation is titled: The 1993 Bombing of the World Trade Center:  The Wellspring of Counterterrorism Planning for Public Buildings
John Strauchs was the chief security engineering consultant for the World Trade Center following the 1993 bombing. John will discuss the risk assessment that was conducted for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in May 1994 and, despite comments to the contrary by political and news media pundits, that the possibility of the deliberate crashing of an aircraft into the towers was considered. He will reveal the many security innovations that were developed for the World Trade Center, as well as lessons learned—both good and bad—and how the 1993 bombing changed life in America and how we live and work today.  The resultant security systems design consisted of more than 1000 security design drawings and an initial security construction budget of $54 million.
Note, as this meeting is a one day event we have not made any hotel arrangements.
Advance reservations are $25.00 per person.  We can no longer accept walk-ins.  Emails regarding your plans to attend will be accepted if you are late meeting the deadline.  These must be sent to Mr. Arthur Hulnick no later than 7 days prior to the event. Location: Courtyard by Marriott in Milford, Mass. Hotel website is here.
********Luncheon reservations must be made by 12 June 2013. ************** Mail your check and the reservation form to:  Mr. Arthur Hulnick, 216 Summit Avenue # E102, Brookline, MA 02446 or contact him at hlnk@aol.com Questions to afionechapter@gmail.com

25 July 2013, 12:30 - 2:30pm - Los Angeles, CA - David Glazier speaks on "Drones, Targeted Killing, and the Law" at AFIO LA Chapter

Glazier will provide a legal overview assessment of the use of drones for targeted killing.
Location: LAPD ARTC 5651 W Manchester Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Please RSVP for attendance: AFIO_LA@YAHOO.COM

26 July 2013 - Washington, DC - Commencement Speaker at National Intelligence University's Graduation Ceremony is James R. Clapper, Jr., Director of National Intelligence

The Honorable James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) will deliver the commencement address to National Intelligence University graduates on Friday, July 26, 2013. The commencement is the closing event in the University's 50th Anniversary year and coincidentally marks the 50th anniversary of Director Clapper's intelligence career: he was first commissioned as an Air Force intelligence officer in 1963.
NIU President Dr. David Ellison expects to present diplomas to approximately 250 graduating students from around the Intelligence Community as they cross the stage to receive one of the University's three degrees: Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence, Master of Science and Technology Intelligence, or Bachelor of Science in Intelligence.
The National Intelligence University is a federal degree-granting institution whose main campus is located in Washington, DC. Its alumni are past, present and future leaders in the intelligence and national security communities and in the private sector. Notable alumni include a former Director of National Intelligence; former directors of DIA, CIA, NSA, and NGA; former heads of military intelligence and a growing number of senior government executives and corporate leaders. For more information, visit www.ni-u.edu

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) 2000, 2012, 2013, Please note AFIO's new address: AFIO, 7600 Leesburg Pike, Suite 470 East, Falls Church, VA 22043-2004. Voice: (703) 790-0320; Fax: (703) 991-1278; Email: afio@afio.com

Click here to return to top.