TheGreatAmericanNovel_P2


   Google owned advertising software Adsense seems to have effectively acted in a sensorship role on the www.inlnews.com website, 

    by refusing to approve  a Google Adsense Advertising Account  for the www.inlnews.com website, which has been well established over the last 15 years,
    as a well known and well used International News and Information Website, where all forms of interesting and sometimes contraversal news and information is provided and discussed,
    to anyone wanting to access such news and information of the www.inlnews.com website.

     www.inlnews.com has a worldwide internet user ranking of around 900,000 in China, out of in excess of 8 billion websites on the World Wide Web.
     www.inlnews.com has a worldwide internet user ranking of around 300,000 in the World Wide Web News and Media Category, out of in excess of 8 billion websites on the World Wide Web.
     www.inlnews.com has taken 15 years to establish these World Wide Web Ranking. 

     All the web searches made on the www.inlnews.com website are purely organic, and are not as a result of any paid advertising to Google or anyone else to obtain its worldwide global ranking. 

     The world wide global Internet Ranking of www.inlnews is purely organic web searches, because people around the world want to look at and read the news and information on the www.inlnews.com website.

     It is also noted that around seven years ago there were hundreds of www.inlnews.com web links on Google covering hundreds on different news and information subjects,

     that the www.inlnews.com website covers if one just typed in "INLNews" into a Google Web Search..

     ... at the time www.inlnews.com  was heading to be under  the 10,000th top website on the world wide web.

      Then overnight Google decided to cancel all these hundreds of www.inlnews.com Google Web Links for hundreds on different subject matter we searches.

    There was obviously some very powerful people in Google that was extremely concerned about the fast improving world wide global rank of the www.innews.com web site, 

     so these powerful people inside Goolge decided that immediate action had to be taken ... to stop the fast improving World Wide Global rank of the www.inlnews.com website...

     It is believed that  the reason why all the 

hundreds of www.inlnews.com web links on Google were removed overnight from the Google Search Engine was to stop the fast improving World Wide Global rank of the www.inlnews.com website


    It has taken the last 7 years for www.inlnews.com from Google cancelling all these hundreds of www.inlnews.com Google Web Links 

for hundreds of web Google Web Search Links on different subject matters, to try and recover its World Wide Global Rank..



 
 

Promotional Video One of the film- The Great American Novel


 


 
Promotional Video Two of the film- The Great American Novel

 


  Tavistock Society-World Manipulation by control of their victim's mind
 


 Michael Rupert ex-Los Angeles Policeman says the CIA are running drugs around the world.

Video one out of 11 videos...it was reported in the media that Michael Rupert committed suicide in 2015, but there are serious questions being raised as to whether Michael Rupert was actually murdered and the murder covered up to make it look as though Michael Rupert committed suicide..

 


  
The Great American Novel promo 3
Deep Underground Military Bases (DUMBs)

 


 Psychopaths at every level of Society

Psychopaths: how can you spot one?

We think of psychopaths as killers, alien, outside society. But, says the scientist who has spent his life studying them, you could have one for a colleague, a friend – or a spouse
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10737827/Psychopaths-how-can-you-spot-one.html

Anders Breivik, the Norwegian gunman who killed 77 people in a bomb and shooting rampage in 2011
Anders Breivik, the Norwegian gunman who killed 77 people in a bomb and shooting rampage in 2011 Photo: AP/Berit Roald

There are a few things we take for granted in social interactions with people. We presume that we see the world in roughly the same way, that we all know certain basic facts, that words mean the same things to you as they do to me. And we assume that we have pretty similar ideas of right and wrong.

But for a small – but not that small – subset of the population, things are very different. These people lack remorse and empathy and feel emotion only shallowly. In extreme cases, they might not care whether you live or die. These people are called psychopaths. Some of them are violent criminals, murderers. But by no means all.

Professor Robert Hare is a criminal psychologist, and the creator of the PCL-R, a psychological assessment used to determine whether someone is a psychopath. For decades, he has studied people with psychopathy, and worked with them, in prisons and elsewhere. “It stuns me, as much as it did when I started 40 years ago, that it is possible to have people who are so emotionally disconnected that they can function as if other people are objects to be manipulated and destroyed without any concern,” he says.

Our understanding of the brain is still in its infancy, and it’s not so many decades since psychological disorders were seen as character failings. Slowly we are learning to think of mental illnesses as illnesses, like kidney disease or liver failure, and developmental disorders, such as autism, in a similar way. Psychopathy challenges this view. “A high-scoring psychopath views the world in a very different way,” says Hare. “It’s like colour-blind people trying to understand the colour red, but in this case ‘red’ is other people’s emotions.”

At heart, Hare’s test is simple: a list of 20 criteria, each given a score of 0 (if it doesn’t apply to the person), 1 (if it partially applies) or 2 (if it fully applies). The list in full is: glibness and superficial charm, grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, cunning/manipulative, lack of remorse, emotional shallowness, callousness and lack of empathy, unwillingness to accept responsibility for actions, a tendency to boredom, a parasitic lifestyle, a lack of realistic long-term goals, impulsivity, irresponsibility, lack of behavioural control, behavioural problems in early life, juvenile delinquency, criminal versatility, a history of “revocation of conditional release” (ie broken parole), multiple marriages, and promiscuous sexual behaviour. A pure, prototypical psychopath would score 40. A score of 30 or more qualifies for a diagnosis of psychopathy. Hare says: “A friend of mine, a psychiatrist, once said: ‘Bob, when I meet someone who scores 35 or 36, I know these people really are different.’ The ones we consider to be alien are the ones at the upper end.”

But is psychopathy a disorder – or a different way of being? Anyone reading the list above will spot a few criteria familiar from people they know. On average, someone with no criminal convictions scores 5. “It’s dimensional,” says Hare. “There are people who are part-way up the scale, high enough to warrant an assessment for psychopathy, but not high enough up to cause problems. Often they’re our friends, they’re fun to be around. They might take advantage of us now and then, but usually it’s subtle and they’re able to talk their way around it.” Like autism, a condition which we think of as a spectrum, “psycho­pathy”, the diagnosis, bleeds into normalcy.

We think of psychopaths as killers, criminals, outside society. People such as Joanna Dennehy, a 31-year-old British woman who killed three men in 2013 and who the year before had been diagnosed with a psychopathic personality disorder, or Ted Bundy, the American serial killer who is believed to have murdered at least 30 people and who said of himself: “I’m the most cold-blooded son of a bitch you’ll ever meet. I just liked to kill.” But many psychopathic traits aren’t necessarily disadvantages – and might, in certain circumstances, be an advantage. For their co-authored book, “Snakes in suits: When Psychopaths go to work”, Hare and another researcher, Paul Babiak, looked at 203 corporate professionals and found about four per cent scored sufficiently highly on the PCL-R to be evaluated for psychopathy. Hare says that this wasn’t a proper random sample (claims that “10 per cent of financial executives” are psychopaths are certainly false) but it’s easy to see how a lack of moral scruples and indifference to other people’s suffering could be beneficial if you want to get ahead in business.

The American serial killer Ted Bundy, who is believed to have murdered at least 30 people

“There are two kinds of empathy,” says James Fallon, a neuroscientistat the University of California and author of The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain. “Cognitive empathy is the ability to know what other people are feeling, and emotional empathy is the kind where you feel what they’re feeling.” Autistic people can be very empathetic – they feel other people’s pain – but are less able to recognise the cues we read easily, the smiles and frowns that tell us what someone is thinking. Psychopaths are often the opposite: they know what you’re feeling, but don’t feel it themselves. “This all gives certain psychopaths a great advantage, because they can understand what you’re thinking, it’s just that they don’t care, so they can use you against yourself.” (Chillingly, psychopaths are particularly adept at detecting vulnerability. A 2008 study that asked participants to remember virtual characters found that those who scored highly for psychopathy had a near perfect recognition for sad, unsuccessful females, but impaired memory for other characters.)

Fallon himself is a case in point. In 2005, he was looking at brain scans of psychopathic murderers, while on another study, of Alzheimer’s, he was using scans of his own family’s brains as controls. In the latter pile, he found something strange. “You can’t tell just from a brain scan whether someone’s a psychopath,” he says, “but you can make a good guess at the personality traits they’ll have.” He describes a great loop that starts in the front of the brain including the parahippocampal gyrus and the amygdala and other regions tied to emotion and impulse control and empathy. Under certain circumstances they would light up dramatically on a normal person’s MRI scan, but would be darker on a psychopath’s.

“I saw one that was extremely abnormal, and I thought this is someone who’s way off. It looked like the murderers I’d been looking at,” he says. He broke the anonymisation code in case it had been put into the wrong pile. When he did, he discovered it was his own brain. “I kind of blew it off,” he says. “But later, some psychiatrist friends of mine went through my behaviours, and they said, actually, you’re probably a borderline psychopath.”

READ: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN A PRISON THERAPIST BROUGHT VIOLENT OFFENDERS TOGETHER TO 'TALK'?

Speaking to him is a strange experience; he barely draws breath in an hour, in which I ask perhaps three questions. He explains how he has frequently put his family in danger, exposing his brother to the deadly Marburg virus and taking his son trout-fishing in the African countryside knowing there were lions around. And in his youth, “if I was confronted by authority – if I stole a car, made pipe bombs, started fires – when we got caught by the police I showed no emotion, no anxiety”. Yet he is highly successful, driven to win. He tells me things most people would be uncomfortable saying: that his wife says she’s married to a “fun-loving, happy-go-lucky nice guy” on the one hand, and a “very dark character who she does not like” on the other. He’s pleasant, and funny, if self-absorbed, but I can’t help but think about the criteria in Hare’s PCL-R: superficial charm, lack of emotional depth, grandiose sense of self-worth. “I look like hell now, Tom,” he says – he’s 66 – “but growing up I was good-looking, six foot, 180lb, athletic, smart, funny, popular.” (Hare warns against non-professionals trying to diagnose people using his test, by the way.)

“Psychopaths do think they’re more rational than other people, that this isn’t a deficit,” says Hare. “I met one offender who was certainly a psychopath who said ‘My problem is that according to psychiatrists I think more with my head than my heart. What am I supposed to do about that? Am I supposed to get all teary-eyed?’ ” Another, asked if he had any regrets about stabbing a robbery victim, replied: “Get real! He spends a few months in hospital and I rot here. If I wanted to kill him I would have slit his throat. That’s the kind of guy I am; I gave him a break.”

And yet, as Hare points out, when you’re talking about people who aren’t criminals, who might be successful in life, it’s difficult to categorise it as a disorder. “It’d be pretty hard for me to go into high-level political or economic or academic context and pick out all the most successful people and say, ‘Look, I think you’ve got some brain deficit.’ One of my inmates said that his problem was that he’s a cat in a world of mice. If you compare the brainwave activity of a cat and a mouse, you’d find they were quite different.”

It would, says Hare, probably have been an evolutionarily successful strategy for many of our ancestors, and can be successful today; adept at manipulating people, a psychopath can enter a community, “like a church or a cultural organisation, saying, ‘I believe the same things you do’, but of course what we have is really a cat pretending to be a mouse, and suddenly all the money’s gone”. At this point he floats the name Bernie Madoff.

Columbine High School killers Dylan Klebold (right) and Eric Harris captured on CCTV on the day of the massacre (Reuters/Gary Caskey)

This brings up the issue of treatment. “Psychopathy is probably the most pleasant-feeling of all the mental disorders,” says the journalist Jon Ronson, whose book, The Psychopath Test, explored the concept of psychopathy and the mental health industry in general. “All of the things that keep you good, morally good, are painful things: guilt, remorse, empathy.” Fallon agrees: “Psychopaths can work very quickly, and can have an apparent IQ higher than it really is, because they’re not inhibited by moral concerns.”

So psychopaths often welcome their condition, and “treating” them becomes complicated. “How many psychopaths go to a psychiatrist for mental distress, unless they’re in prison? It doesn’t happen,” says Hare. The ones in prison, of course, are often required to go to “talk therapy, empathy training, or talk to the family of the victims” – but since psychopaths don’t have any empathy, it doesn’t work. “What you want to do is say, ‘Look, it’s in your own self-interest to change your behaviour, otherwise you’ll stay in prison for quite a while.’ ”

It seems Hare’s message has got through to the UK Department of Justice: in its guidelines for working with personality-disordered inmates, it advises that while “highly psychopathic individuals” are likely to be “highly treatment resistant”, the “interventions most likely to be effective are those which focus on ‘self-interest’ – what the offender wants out of life – and work with them to develop the skills to get those things in a pro-social rather than anti-social way.”

If someone’s brain lacks the moral niceties the rest of us take for granted, they obviously can’t do anything about that, any more than a colour-blind person can start seeing colour. So where does this leave the concept of moral responsibility? “The legal system traditionally asserts that all people standing in front of the judge’s bench are equal. That’s demonstrably false,” says the neuroscientist David Eagleman, author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. He suggests that instead of thinking in terms of blameworthiness, the law should deal with the likelihood that someone will reoffend, and issue sentences accordingly, with rehabilitation for those likely to benefit and long sentences for those likely to be long-term dangers. The PCL-R is already used as part of algorithms which categorise people in terms of their recidivism risk. “Life insurance companies do exactly this sort of thing, in actuarial tables, where they ask: ‘What age do we think he’s going to die?’ No one’s pretending they know exactly when we’re going to die. But they can make rough guesses which make for an enormously more efficient system.”

What this doesn’t mean, he says, is a situation like the sci-fi film Minority Report, in which people who are likely to commit crimes are locked up before they actually do. “Here's why,” he says. “It's because many people in the population have high levels of psychopathy - about 1 per cent. But not all of them become criminals. In fact many of them, because of their glibness and charm and willingness to ride roughshod over the people in their way, become quite successful. They become CEOs, professional athletes, soldiers. These people are revered for their courage and their straight talk and their willingness to crush obstacles in their way. Merely having psychopathy doesn't tell us that a person will go off and commit a crime.” It is central to the justice system, both in Britain and America, that you can’t pre-emptively punish someone. And that won’t ever change, says Eagleman, not just for moral, philosophical reasons, but for practical ones. The Minority Report scenario is a fantasy, because “it's impossible to predict what somebody will do, even given their personality type and everything, because life is complicated and crime is contextual. Once someone has committed a crime, once someone has stepped over a societal boundary, then there's a lot more statistical power about what they're likely to do in future. But until that's happened, you can't ever know.”

Speaking to all these experts, I notice they all talk about psychopaths as “them”, almost as a different species, although they make conscious efforts not to. There’s something uniquely troubling about a person who lacks emotion and empathy; it’s the stuff of changeling stories, the Midwich Cuckoos, Hannibal Lecter. “You know kids who use a magnifying glass to burn ants, thinking, this is interesting,” says Hare. “Translate that to an adult psychopath who treats a person that way. It is chilling.” At one stage Ronson suggests I speak to another well-known self-described psychopath, a woman, but I can’t bring myself to. I find the idea unsettling, as if he’d suggested I commune with the dead.

• This article originally stated that autism was a "personality disorder". It is in fact a neurodevelopmental disorder. This has been corrected; apologies for the error. Tom

Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go To Work (RRP £10.99) is available to order from Telegraph Books at £10.99 + £1.35p&p. Call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk

 

 
Michael Rupert talks about .... Zbigniew Brzezinski and world control Part 1

 

Michael Rupert talks about .... Zbigniew Brzezinski and world control Part 2

 
 
About Zbigniew Brzezinski Video 1

 


About Zbigniew Brzezinski Video 2


 
 

About Zbigniew Brzezinski Video 3-
" in modern times it is easier to kill a million people than control a million people.."...Zbigniew Brzezinski

 

About Zbigniew Brzezinski on Iran Video 4-

 
 


About Zbigniew Brzezinski on Iran Video 5-


 


About Zbigniew Brzezinski on Iran Video 6-
 
 


About Zbigniew Brzezinski Blamed for 9/11-Video 7-





 


Illuminati Connection Video One


 



Illuminati Connection Video Two


 

Illuminati Connection Video Three
 

Illuminati Connection Video Four
 
 

Illuminati Connection Video Five
 
 


Illuminati Connection Video Six
 

Illuminati Connection Video Seven

 


Illuminati Connection Video Eight
 


Illuminati Connection Video Nine


 

 


Illuminati Connection Video Ten

 

 

 Illuminati Connection Video Eleven


 

 Illuminati Connection Video Twelve
 

 Illuminati Connection Video Thirteen


 

Illuminati Connection Video Fourteen

 

 

 Illuminati Connection Video Fifteen


 


Illuminati Connection Video Sixteen

 



 

Illuminati Connection Video Seventeen


 

 
Illuminati Connection Video Eighteen

 
 
Illuminati Connection Video Nineteen

 


 
lluminati Connection Video Twenty


 
 
lluminati Connection Video Twenty-One


Rothschilds World Control Time Line


http://www.newsfollowup.com/timeline_nwo_rothschild_obama_illuminati_9-11_inside_job_cfr_bilderberg_israel_ww3.htm

Rosenbaum and his BCI directors laundered illegal drug and gambling money from mafia boss Meyer Lansky by investing it in real estate. Through the BCI Mossad and Permindex operations were financed and reportedly Rosenbaum was a significant stakeholder in Permindex. In the early 1960s, the BCI bought a significant stake in Henry Luce's Time Life. Permindex has been the main suspect of having coordinated the 1963 JFK murder. Edmond de Rothschild introduced Rosenbaum to Bernhard in the mid-1960s. In 1970 Bernhard invited Rosenbaum into the 1001 Club, but after Rosenbaum got in trouble for having embezzled money of the BCI, Bernhard had to expel him again. This happened in 1973-1974. In 1974, Prince Bernhard sold his Castle Warmelo to the Evlyma Trust in Liechtenstein, a subsidiary of Tibor Rosenbaum's BCI. The Trust was managed by 1001 Club member Herbert Batliner, a person later linked to laundering funds for Marcos, Mobutu, Escobar, and Helmut Kohl.

 

On the 9/11, the SEC lifted “Rule 15c3-3: Customer Protection – Reserves and Custody of Securities.” Thus GSCC Government Securities Clearing Corporation] was allowed to substitute other securities for the physical securities destroyed during the attack   illegal bonds, which appear to have been replaced with Treasury notes backed by U.S. taxpayers in the aftermath of September 11.

 

Pilots for 911 Truth Raymond W. Smith was sitting on the board of directors at US Airways on 911. Ray Smith has served on the boards of Bell Atlantic, The Carnegie Corporation, Westinghouse, CBS, Corestates Financial, First Union, and others. He is also Chairman of Rothschild, North America, Inc. and Chairman of Verizon Ventures. Mr. Smith also served on the board of Five Arrows (Rothschild).

 

9-11 Judge Hellerstein is Connected to Rothschild-Funded ICTS ..  (9/11 Airport Security)  & Mariani case and 2

 

Pilots for 911 Truth Cheryl Gruetzmacher Gordon/Krongard is currently on the BOD at US Airways. She is the chief executive officer of Rothschild Asset Management Inc. She was a senior managing director at Rothschild also. She recently remarried ex-CIA AB 'Buzzy' Krongard.  see Edward S. Gordon

 

Systems Planning Corp, Dov Zakheim, WTC remote controlled aircraft, Rothschild connection 

 

Pilots for 911 Truth US Airways also had a 28 year CIA veteran sitting on it's board as well. James M. Simon Jr. is now on the board at ORBIMAGE. After September 11th, he was designated as the senior intelligence official for homeland security establishing and chairing the Homeland Security Intelligence Council.

 

AMEC, a Rothschild connected company did WTC / Pentagon rubble cleanup (evidence removal)

 

London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) and London School of Economics are links to Rothschild / Dov Zakheim (9/11 mastermind) relationship.

 

Pilots for 911 Truth During the restructuring of US Airways, the company hired Rudy Giuliani''s firm as an advisor to the restructuring.  Delta Airlines was paying $400,000 a month to restructuring specialists Giuliani Capital Advisors, founded by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

 

Peter Peterson -- CEO of the Blackstone Group (controlled by Rothschild), parent corporation of one of three lease-holders for WTC 7 http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg

 

911Docs Actor Charlie Sheen has joined a growing army of other highly credible public figures in questioning the official story of 9/11 and calling for a new independent investigation of the attack and the circumstances surrounding it   ...   9/11Truth Sheen questioned the plausibility of a fireballs traveling 110 feet down an elevator shaft and causing damage to the lobbies of the towers as seen in video footage, especially when contrasted with eyewitness accounts of bombs and explosions in the basement levels of the buildings.

 

Rothschild Connected to Mossad / ICTS ..  (9/11 Airport Security)

 

Hearst estate is being advised by NM Rothschild, the investment bank. Popular Mechanics Magazine is a Hearst publication and at the forefront of 9/11 disinformation.

 

Within 30 minutes of WTC2 being hit NewsCorp (Rupert Murdoch, Rothschild Zionist) was giving out Bin laden's name as a suspect and the complete run-down on Al Qaeda and the Taliban along with the reasons for the collapse itself !

 

  • In the early 1990's the  Rothschild puppet Obama was being created by the Chicago / B'nai Brith / Ford Foundation / CIA machine as BCCI / Capcom is being investigated and prosecuted http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg referencehttp://www.newsfollowup.com/images/arrowblue.gif   and First American v. al Nahyan http://www.newsfollowup.com/images/arrowblue.gif  Visar.csustan.edu  Sandstorm2.pdf MINUTES OF THE MEETING WITH PRICE WATERHOUSE 1988 page and  Hartmann pic1Hartmann pic2 These files are Absolute Proof that Alfred Hartmann (BCCI) worked for Rothschilds The internet has been 'cleansed' of almost all traces of Hartmann's involvement with Rothschild and BCCI, except these files.  MORE BELOW  cadc  FAS Rappaport / Hartmann
  • Official BCCI Congressional Report BCCI's criminality included fraud by BCCI and BCCI customers involving billions of dollars; money laundering in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas; BCCI's bribery of officials in most of those locations; support of terrorism, arms trafficking, and the sale of nuclear technologies; management of prostitution; the commission and facilitation of income tax evasion, smuggling, and illegal immigration; illicit purchases of banks and real estate; and a panoply of financial crimes limited only by the imagination of its officers and customers.
  •  http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_59/bcci_congressional_report_rothschild_kerry.jpg
  •  Official BCCI Congressional Report / Rothschild connections hidden in plain site.  Paul Helliwell
  • First American v. al Nahyan  see Sidley Austin defended SHEIKH RASHID BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM in this law suit (http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg 1990's CNNbillionaires) and also gave Barack Obama a job http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg), see Li ka Shing, Edward Bronfman, Pritzker,   Wikipedia History of Dubai, horse racing.Leadership in Islamic Finance search Maktoum
  • SurrenderingIslam The primary conduit for CIA funds to the Mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan would be the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, BCCI. BCCI, the first Third World multinational bank, which was created in 1972 by Pakistani banker Agha Hasan Abedi, was initially funded by Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi, in anticipation of the petrodollar bonanza of the oil crisis.  and the Wall Street Journal"BCCI's role in assisting the U.S. to fund the Mujaheddin guerrillas fighting the Soviet occupation is drawing increasing attention. The bank's role began to surface in the mid-1980's when stories appeared in the New York Times showing how American security operatives used Oman as a staging post for Arab funds. This was confirmed in the Wall Street Journal of 23 October 1991  and FASUK Parliament Publications Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi  WTPOTUSResearch  FAS Rappaport / Hartmann
  • Tarpley Mr Auchi has attracted attention at Westminster because of his closeness to politicians and the Establishment. He says that his brother was executed by Saddam Hussein’s regime. His business partners in Britain have included Lord Steel of Aikwood, the former Liberal leader, and Keith Vaz, the Labour MP and Home Affairs Committee chairman. On the 20th anniversary of his business in 1999, Mr Auchi received a greeting card signed by 130 politicians, including Tony Blair, William Hague and Charles Kennedy, who were then leaders of their respective parties.

008 IllinoisPaytoPlay By Andrew Walden (Hawai'i Free Press) “Nadhmi Auchi, seen here with the Governor of Illinois, Rob Blagojevich (middle) at a 2004 Chicago dinner in Auchi's honor arranged by Antonin Rezko  All three men have been convicted of corruption related charges (Auchi 2003, Rezko 2008, Blagojevich 2009)  ...  “A British-Iraqi billionaire lent millions of dollars to Barack Obama's fundraiser (dual US-Syrian citizen Tony Rezko) just weeks before an imprudent land deal that has returned to haunt the presidential contender, an investigation by The Times discloses. The money transfer raises the question of whether funds from  Nadhmi Auchi, one of Britain’s wealthiest men, helped Mr. Obama buy his mock Georgian mansion in Chicago.” -- The Times of London February 26, 2008 The Auchi-Rezko-Obama connection came to public attention with federal marshals pounding on the door of Tony Rezko’s Wilmette Chicago mansion in the early morning of January 28, 2008. They hauled Rezko to jail after his bail was revoked for concealing a $3.5 million Auchi loan from the court. The Times outlines the story in two sentences. It should be of tremendous interest to the American public and the world. But there is more to this story than run-of-the mill political corruption. Nadhmi Auchi is alleged to have a long affiliation with Iraqi Baathism and Saddam Hussein—which his attorneys deny. How close were they? According to a 1960 US Embassy report, Auchi was convicted along with Saddam by an Iraqi court for his part in a failed 1959 assassination attempt against then-Iraqi Prime Minister Qassim. For his crime, Auchi earned a sentence of “three years rigorous imprisonment.”    Times.UK  .. articles have been deleted for the TimesOnline 

but copies exist.

Connect Rothschild to Khashoggi

http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_59/obama_rezko_auchi_chicago_rothschild_election_2012_2.jpg

Connect Rothschild to Aitken via Lord Beaverbrook Wikipedia

http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_60/rothschild_aitken_khashoggi_banksters_libor_fraud_barclays_bcci_2.jpg

 

2006 New York Times Petrina Khashoggi, 26 Ancestry British. Net worth Mum netted a reported $874 million in her divorce. This beautiful Londonite grew up believing the billionaire arms broker Adnan Khashoggi was her father. But when, as a teenager, she befriended the twins Alexandra and Victoria Aitken, they noticed that all three looked eerily alike. Petrina’s mother confessed: Me bad. Her real dad was Jonathan Aitken, the former Tory minister and convicted perjurer. In 2004 Petrina made her own confession, telling the press that she was a love addict. Suitors lined up, including her latest, Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill.  and at right:Telegraph  Nat Rothschild, pictured with Petrina Khashoggi, is thought to be buying a stake in Rusal through NR Investments, a private vehicle.  Wikipedia Nat Rothschild, Wikipedia Jonathan Aitken,Wikipedia Adnan Khashoggi  ... was implicated in the Iran–Contra affair as a key middleman in the arms-for-hostages exchange along with Iranian arms dealer Manucher Ghorbanifar and, in a complex series of events, was found to have borrowed money for these arms purchases from the now-bankrupt financial institution the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) with Saudi and US backing. In 1988, Khashoggi was arrested in Switzerland, accused of concealing funds, held for three months and then extradited to the United States where he was released on bail and subsequently acquitted. In 1990, a United States federal jury in Manhattan acquitted Khashoggi and Imelda Marcos, widow of the exiled Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, of racketeering and fraud.  and see New Yorker  Why was Richard Perle meeting with Adnan Khashoggi?  

 

: a congressional investigation revealed that Khashoggi had borrowed much of the money for the weapons from the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (B.C.C.I.), whose collapse, in 1991, defrauded thousands of depositors and led to years of inquiry and litigation ...New Yorker  search Richard Perle, Trireme

 

Dutroux Affair Tibor Rosenbaum ... A Hungarian Jew who became a a Mossad agent in 195 1 . He was a friend of Prince Bernhard. In 1958, with Edmond de Rothschild, he was a founder of the Swiss BCI through which he funded Mossad and Permindex operations. The bank was kind of a forerunner of the BCCI and equally involved in money laundering.

 

The Oil For Food Scandal links Obama to Nadhmi Auchi http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg who is linked to Rothschilds  and see Maurice Strong / Al Gore CO2 / Climate change globalization Cap & Trade scheme

 

Nadhmi Auchi (Le Cercle) was closely involved with this and projects in Saudi-Arabia, including clandestine sales of submarines, howitsers, medium-range laser guided bombs, Black Hawks 

 

DeepPoliticsForumhttp://www.newsfollowup.com/images/arrowblue.gif .. At the time of the Oil-for-Food scandal it turned out that Nadhmi Auchi's General Mediterranean Holdings had a majority share in BNP Paribas, the bank that handled all of the Iraqi loans and has subsidiaries all over the Middle-East. Auchi is a member of Le Cercle http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg and is up to his ears involved in illegal arms trafficking, British Intelligence, and the British throne itself. Look for his bio in the membership list of Le Cercle.  The link to Rosthschild is made by Norman Lamont's employment with Rothschildhttp://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg  In March 1992 Paul Volcker became chairman of the newly created J. Rothschild Wolfensohn & Company, Wolfensohn & Co.'s London-based joint venture. The venture lasted until 1995 when James Wolfensohn was about to become head of the World Bank. Who was his advisor there? The earlier mentioned Maurice Strong, the United Nations bigwig that built up the conservation movement side-by-side with Edmund de Rothschild and David Rockefeller. Volcker went on to visit Bilderberg and Ditchley, became an advisor to the Japan Society, chaired the Group of 30 and the Oil-for-Food scandal investigation, and became a trustee of the American Assembly. He became a director of Hollinger (of Privy Councilor Conrad Black on which Kissinger, Carrington, and Evelyn de Rothschild also sat. Pilgrims Society member Raymond G.H. Seitz, a newer generation top-globalist, also sat on that board) and the Bankers Trust and became a member Circle of Presidents of the RAND Corporation. He already was a trustee of the Aspen Institute and a visitor of the Bohemian Grove Mandalay camp. At some moment, he became a member of the Chief Executive's Council of International Advisors of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

 

Rothschild Octopus 7  Hartmann / Rappaport 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

 

1976 SomeUnknownHistory Rothschild group was at the heart of the vast illegal web of BCCI. The key figure was Dr. Alfred Hartmann, the managing director of the BCCI Swiss subsidiary, Banque de Commerce et de Placement SA; at the same time, he ran the Zurich Rothschild Bank AG, and sat in London as a member of the board of N.M. Rothschild and Sons, Hartmann was also a business partner of Helmut Raiser, friend of de Picciotto, and linked to Nordex.  OpenOffshoreBankAccountForNonresidentsOnline FAS Rappaport / Hartmann

 

Banque de Commerce et de Placement is listed. See Alfred Hartman ZoomInfo 

 

http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_59/hartmann_zoominfo_2.jpg



 LaRouchePub 

The Real Story of the BCCI 

Two rather critical facts, however, were invariably left out of the story—even during the lengthy soap opera trial of former BCCI attorney Robert Altman.   The first fact was the extraordinarily close alliance between BCCI and some of Britain's most powerful financial houses and aristocratic families. The second fact was that BCCI was created, and then built up as a "world class" bank, primarily to manage the covert funds that poured into the secret war in Afghanistan. Hardly any mention was made of the fact that BCCI was in the middle of the Afghan effort—serving as the de facto central bank for a multibillion-dollar Golden Crescent illegal arms-for-drugs trade that mushroomed during 1979-90.   ...

  In 1976, BCCI established a Swiss base of operations by purchasing 85% of Banque de Commerce et Placements (BCP) of Geneva. The remaining 15% was retained by the original owner, Thesarus Continental Securities Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS). Under BCCI control, BCP was managed by Alfred Hartmann, a former senior official of UBS. Hartmann eventually became chief financial officer for BCC Holding, and was the person most accountable for the "lost" $23 billion. While serving as BCCI's "man in Switzerland," Hartmann was always operating on behalf of the Rothschild family. Hartmann was president of Rothschild Bank AG of Zurich, was vice-chairman of NY-Intermaritime Bank of Geneva (run by Mossad operative Bruce Rappaport), and was a member of the board of directors of the elite N.M. Rothschild and Sons in London.

 

American Spectator 1996 what has never been identified in a single major Western press investigation, was that the Rothschild-group was at the heart of the vast illegal web of BCCI. The key figure was Dr. Alfred Hartmann From the  , the managing director of the BCCI Swiss subsidiary, Banque de Commerce et de Placement SA; at the same time, he ran the Zurich Rothschild Bank AG, and sat in London as a member of the board of N.M. Rothschild and Sons, Hartmann was also a business partner of Helmut Raiser, friend of de Picciotto, and linked to Nordex. Hartmann was also chairman of the Swiss affiliate of the Italian BNL bank, which was implicated in the Bush administration illegal transfers to Iraq prior to the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The Atlanta branch of BNL, with the knowledge of George Bush when he was vice-president, conduited funds to Helmut Raiser's Zug, Switzerland company, Consen, for development of the Condor II missile program by Iraq, Egypt, and Argentina, during the Iran-Iraq War. Hartmann was vice-chairman of another secretive private Geneva bank, the Bank of NY-Inter-Maritime Bank, a bank whose chairman, Bruce Rappaport, was one of the illegal financial conduits for Col. Oliver North's Contra drugs-for-weapons network during the late 1980. North also used the BCCI as one of his preferred banks to hide his illegal funds. Rich's, Reichmann's, and Soros's Israeli links According to reports of former U.S. State Department intelligence familiar with the Soros-case, Soros's Quantum Fund amassed a war chest of well over $10 billion, with the help of a powerful group of "silent" investors who let Soros deploy the capital to demolish European monetary stability in September 1992. Among Soros's silent investors, these sources say, are the fugitive metals and oil trader Marc Rich, based in Zug, Switzerland; and Shaul Eisenberg (ThinkAboutIt) (Globes, Rothschild), a decades-long member of Israeli Mossad intelligence, who functions as a major arms merchant throughout Asia and the Near East. Eisenberg was recently banned from doing business in Uzbekistan, where he had been accused by the government of massive fraud and corruption. A third Soros partner is Israel's "Dirty Rafi" Eytan, who served in London previously as Mossad liaison to British intelligence. Rich was one of the most active western traders in oil, aluminum, and other commodities in the Soviet Union and Russia between 1989 and 1993. This, not coincidentally, is just the period when Grigori Luchansky's Nordex Group became a multibillion-dollar company selling Russian oil, aluminum, and other commodities. Canadian real estate entrepreneur Paul Reichmann, formerly of Olympia and York notoriety, born in Hungary, Jew like Soros, is a business partner in Soros's Quantum Realty, a $525-million real estate investment fund. The Reichmann tie links Soros as well with Henry Kissinger and former Tory Foreign Minister Lord Carrington (who is also a member of Kissinger Associates, Inc. of New York). Reichmann sits with both Kissinger and Carrington on the board of the influential British-Canadian publishing group, Hollinger, Inc. Hollinger owns a large number of newspapers in Canada and the United States, the London Daily Telegraph, and the largest English-language daily in Israel, the Jerusalem Post. Hollinger has been attacking President Clinton and the Middle East peace process ever since Clinton's election in November 1992.  EIR BCCI  Lampuri,AmpedStatus

 http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_59/kissinger.jpg

 

Capcom is the Chicago arm of BCCI BCCI Congressional Report “BCCI’s criminality included fraud by BCCI and BCCI customers involving billions of dollars; money laundering in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas; BCCI’s bribery of officials in most of those locations; support of terrorism, arms trafficking, and the sale of nuclear technologies; management of prostitution; the commission and facilitation of income tax evasion, smuggling, and illegal immigration; illicit purchases of banks and real estate; and a panoply of financial crimes limited only by the imagination of its officers and customers.  ...  “In the entire BCCI affair, perhaps no entity is more mysterious and yet more central to BCCI’s collapse and criminality than Capcom, a London and Chicago based commodities futures firm which operated between 1984 and 1988. Capcom is vital to understanding BCCI because BCCI’s top management and most important Saudi shareholders were involved with the firm. Moreover, Capcom moved huge amounts of money — billions of dollars — which passed through the future’s markets in a largely anonymous fashion. 

 

Capcom AmpedStatus Once again, George Bush Sr.’s role in BCCI and the S&L crisis cannot be understated. To recap, over the course of BCCI’s entire reign, Bush Sr. led the CIA, then served as Vice President before becoming President. He had extraordinarily close relations with Saudi Arabia, the most oil-rich nation in the world. Kamal Adham see 9/11 funding was a top BCCI executive and head of Saudi Arabian intelligence, he was known as “the godfather of Middle East Intelligence” and was the CIA’s main liaison to the region. BCCI’s Chief Operations Officer was Khalid bin MahfouzWikipedia, who also led Saudi Arabia’s largest national bank and was a major player in the oil industry. Mahfouz was known as “the most powerful banker in the Middle East.” As already mentioned, Saudi Arabian intelligence was mixed in tightly with Wall Street banking interests in BCCI’s Capcom money laundering operations in the futures market. George Bush Sr. also did everything within his power to conceal these operations, 

 

Wikipedia Khalid bin Mahfouz ... Bin Mahfouz was a non-executive director of Bank of Credit and Commerce International, a financial conglomerate later convicted of money laundering, bribery, support of terrorism, arms trafficking, and many other crimes. Mahfouz personally owned a 20% stake in BCCI. He was indicted by a New York state grand jury for fraud but denied any culpability. The fraud charges were settled for $225 million in lieu of fines

 

Capcom's majority shareholders, Kamal Adham see 9/11 funding and A.R. Khalil, were both former senior Saudi government officials and successively acted as Saudi Arabia's principal liaisons to the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1970's and 1980's.   ...   Its U.S. front men included Robert Magness, the CEO of the largest U.S. cable telecommunications company, TCI; a vice-President of TCI, Larry Romrell; and two other Americans, Kerry Fox and Robert Powell, with long-standing business interests in the Middle East.  ...

 

By the late 1990s scions of the Rothschild global empire were Barons Guy and Elie de Rothschild in France and Lord Jacob and Sir Evelyn Rothschild in Britain.

 

The financial dealings of BCCI directors with Charles Keating and several Keating affiliates and front-companies, including the possibility that BCCI related entities may have laundered funds for Keating to move them outside the United States. The Subcommittee found numerous connections among Keating and BCCI-related persons and entities, such as BCCI director Alfred Hartman; CenTrust chief David Paul and CenTrust itself; Capcom front-man Lawrence Romrell; BCCI shipping affiliate, the Gokal group and the Gokal family; and possibly Ghaith Pharaon. The ties between BCCI and Keating's financial empire require further investigation. FAS

 

Skolnick -A former BCCI official gave a document to the Bank of England that shows that the BCCI was actively spreading out beyond it's five American branches as part of their efforts to gain influence. More importantly, it shows that 28 senators and 108 congress members were bribed. This was completely ignored by the mainstream press.  -Six Chicago commodities brokers acted as the vehicles for the bribes. Among them were CapCom and GNP Commodities. CapCom was, at the time, part of TeleCommunications, Inc. (TCI), a giant in cable. Turner Broadcasting was jointly owned 16% by TCI and BCCI. TCI/BCCI also owns a good chunk of ABC's parent company, and has engaged itself in a number of corrupt deals with CBS.   ...   -The Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, and the Chicago Stock Exchange (Which used to be called the Midwest Stock Exchange (Wikipedia), but changed it's name after a scandal) were used as money laundries for the BCCI bribery. Politicians would fly to Chicago under the guise of a speaking engagement, then they would pick up their "reward". Secret trading accounts were given to them. -Pinnacle Banc Group is the successor of BCCI. It's flagship is the Mafia/Vatican-tied First National Bank of Cicero. They changed their name to Old Kent Bank (Based in Michigan). Pinnacle Banc Group had it's strings pulled by mysterious people in Atlanta -- Georgia, interestingly, is where many top BCCI operatives hung out. -Many say that the Dutch/British are behind all of this. The British have plotted, at least since the War of 1812, to overthrow the US Government and do away with the US constitution, while exploiting America's workforce. Bill Clinton swore an oath to Cecil Rhodes Trust, an organization that wants to put the US under the control of the British.  (7th Circuit Federal Appeals Chief Judge Richard Posner is a FEMA operative and a representative for University of Chicago (Rockefeller-controlled, Tied to oil industry). Judge Paul Plunkett is another).

 

Timeline,    Summary,    Alphabetic index     NFU 

 

Connect the First National Bank of Chicago and BCCI http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg

 

Wikipedia Bert Lance was implicated in the BCCI scandal of the 1980s and early 1990s. He was involved in deals with notable BCCI luminaries Agha Hasan Abedi, Mochtar Riady and Ghaith Pharaon and with BCCI's largest borrower, P. S. Prasad, 6] and joined with Arkansas-based power investor Jackson Stephens in facilitating BCCI's takeover of Financial General Bankshares. Lance and Stephens made millions in the wake of BCCI's collapse. In January 1978, Lance sold his stock in National Bank of Georgia to Ghaith Pharaon, while on the same day, BCCI founder Agha Hasan Abedi paid off Lance's $3.5 million loan at the First National Bank of Chicago. The following month, Lance helped BCCI with their hostile bid for Financial General Bankshares of Washington. The attempt failed, but three years later, BCCI secretly acquired the bank (renamed First American Bankshares) using 15 Arab investors as nominees. The next year, Lance introduced Jimmy Carter to Abedi. In 1987, First American Bankshares acquired National Bank of Georgia from Pharaon. BCCI was terminated in 1991 and it was subsequently revealed that the bank had done many illegal activities, including secretly controlling several U.S. banks, in violation of federal banking statutes.

 

CapCom  FAS

 

HawaiiFreePress Here is what The Times of London February 26, 2008 reported: A British-Iraqi billionaire lent millions of dollars to Barack Obama's fundraiser just weeks before an imprudent land deal that has returned to haunt the presidential contender, an investigation by The Times discloses. The money transfer raises the question of whether funds from Nadhmi Auchi http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg, one of Britain’s wealthiest men, helped Mr Obama buy his mock Georgian mansion in Chicago. A company related to Mr Auchi, who has a conviction for corruption in France, registered the loan to Mr Obama's bagman Antoin "Tony" Rezko on May 23 2005. Mr Auchi says the loan, through the Panamanian company Fintrade Services SA, was for $3.5 million. Three weeks later, Mr Obama bought a house on the city's South Side while Mr Rezko's wife bought the garden plot next door from the same seller on the same day, June 15.… Mrs Rezko’s purchase and sale of the land to Mr Obama raises many unanswered questions.    and  HawaiiFreePress  “(In 2004) Mr. Auchi traveled by private aircraft to Midway Airport in Chicago and then to a fete at the Four Season Hotel, where he met with his business partner in Chicago real estate, Mr. Rezko, as well as with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Also present that night, according to a fresh report by James Bone and Dominic Kennedy of the London Times, was State Senator Barack Obama, who had recently won the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat….”

 

Dean Henderson  BCCI  ....Since its inception, the IMF has violently abused the people of the developing world in its role as debt collector for the Eight Families Rothschild-led banking monopoly.  ...  The banksters sink poor countries into debt via loans that benefit either their wholly-owned multinational corporations or well-placed domestic strawmen. The IMF then swoops in and orders the now-indebted country to privatize its economy – with the banker-owned multinationals picking up state assets for pennies on the dollar as part of “debt reorganization”. One of the Eight Families’ tentacles facilitates this kabuki dance for a healthy fee. More often than not it is Goldman Sachs.  No case illustrates this type of IMF official mugging better than that of the mysterious Bank of Credit & Commerce International (BCCI).  see terms: Rockefeller, CDB, Caribbean Development Bank...  BCCI – launched by Bank of America – was a CIA drug money laundry which moonlighted as mugger for the IMF bankers. The IMF helped BCCI set up shop in numerous countries, including virtually every Latin American nation.   ...   The racket worked something like this: BCCI, in addition to providing loans for deposits, would offer to broker a country’s debt with the IMF if the central bank was willing to deposit funds at BCCI’s local branch. Those countries that cooperated with the IMF would be rewarded with more loans. Those that refused never saw their money again. Most of the $20 billion that disappeared when BCCI was shut down belonged to Third World central banks whose governments had not bent over far enough for the IMF. This outright theft left the poorest, most debt-ridden countries in the world even more impoverished. African nations were hardest hit.  BCCI sponged over $2 billion from the African continent.  Even in England, where $400 million was lost by depositors when BCCI closed shop, most of the money belonged to African immigrants of marginal means who believed BCCI’s claim of being “a bank for the world’s poor”.  BCCI specialized in facilitating capital flight from poor countries by helping rich Third World nationals start offshore accounts with the bank. BCCI would hire siblings of wealthy clients to man its local branches.   ...  The global elite had once again shaken down the world’s poor.

 

Skolnick Illinois Governor Jim Thompson, chairman of the Winston and Strawn law factory and he has been a director of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, owned by the British. Bill and Hillary Clinton are secretly stockholders of Lippo. ** Still operating is the infamous Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), haven for espionage and narcotics loot and political assassination funding. With its hundreds of branches worldwide including in America, BCCI supposedly went under in 1991. Its successor and alter ego, however, lives as Pinnacle Banc Group, whose flagship is in the Mafia enclave of Cicero, a Chicago suburb. Called First National Bank of Cicero, long-dominated by Bishop Paul Marcinkus, once head of the Vatican Bank. (Italian law-enforcement authorities have claimed Vatican Bank has been a money laundry for the American CIA as well as the traditional Sicilian and Italian Mafia.) Pinnacle Bank,BlackPlanetMoneyTeachers  Wikipedia Ghaith Pharaon,  LovetheTruth Pharaon, Rothschild    Skolnick Enron Black Magic   Skolnick Pope's banks  and... ...  Skolnick, and Bollyn Continental Bank, (Continental Illinois National Bank) http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg Chicago .... search terms: Vatican, Queen interests, Judge Walter J. Cummings, Jr., 7th Federal Circuit (see links to Vatican), Bank of America, Bank of Italy, Amadeo Peter Giannini (Rothschild), dominated by Yakuza (Japanese mafia), merge with Continental Bank, same building as Chicago Mercantile Exchange, (O.J. Simpson?).  See also First National Bank of Cicero. The Wallace Lieberman shakedown and murder 1991.  Connections to Judy Baar Topinka, State Treasurer, and Roger D'Onofrio Iraq, nuclear bomb detonators and the CIA, and Opus Dei, John Tarullo, London Gold Pool, Archbishop of Milan, Ramada Hotels, and Robert Cesca, Joseph Andreuccetti, Household International, P-2,   and see the IntelHub the-international-oil-drugs-guns-kissinger-associates

 

AmFirstBooks  Also, according to Don Frederick’s well-researched timeline, while in Pakistan, Obama’s host, Muhammadian Soomro, was linked to the notorious Bank of Credit and Commerce (BCCI), which was involved in “money laundering, bribery, terrorist support, tax evasion, smuggling and illegal immigration.” They also worked very closely with the CIA.   ThdComisarScoop Auchi After Roger Watson in 1987 became Saddam’s financial consultant, he also became an adviser to Nadhmi Auchi’s (Wikipedia) International Company of Banking and Financial Participations (CIPAF), PolitcalVelcraft Auchi According to the website of Cipaf, an investment vehicle of Nadhmi Auchi’s http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg General Mediterranean Holdings (GMH), Cipaf is “amongst the topmost investors in the enlarged BNP Paribas.  Board of Directors  Jean-Hervé Lorenzi Professor at Paris-Dauphine University, Advisor to the Supervisory Board of Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild.  FreeRepublic BNP Paribas Oil for Food Scandal,  AmericanThinker Obama's Oil for Food Connection  ... Out on bail awaiting trial, dual US-Syrian citizen, Antoin ‘Tony' Rezko, was rousted out of bed by police pounding on the doors of his Chicago mansion the morning of Monday, January 28. According to the Associated Press: "U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve jailed Rezko...saying he had disobeyed her order to keep her posted on his financial status. Among other things, he failed to tell her about a $3.5 million loan from London-based Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi -- a loan that was later forgiven in exchange for shares in a prime slice of Chicago real estate. Rezko gave $700,000 of the money to his wife and used the rest to pay legal bills and funnel cash to various supporters." Funds from Auchi's loan may have helped finance a complex series of transactions between Rezko and Democratic Presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama involving the 2005 purchase of Obama's Chicago mansion and Rezko's purchase of an adjoining landlocked parcel. 

 

 SoldierForLiberty Maurice Strong Rothschild Connection

 

Rense BCCI, Emanuel, Marc Rich, Wasserstein (Wikipedia)

 

AmpedStatus BCCI

 

1976 LaRouchePub 

BCCI became a "crown jewel" in the British offshore hot money system because of its ties to the City of London (Rothschild). In 1976, BCCI established a Swiss base of operations by purchasing 85% of Banque de Commerce et Placements (BCP) of Geneva. The remaining 15% was retained by the original owner, Thesarus Continental Securities Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS). Under BCCI control, BCP was managed by Alfred Hartmann, a former senior official of UBS. Hartmann eventually became chief financial officer for BCC Holding, and was the person most accountable for the "lost" $23 billion. While serving as BCCI's "man in Switzerland," Hartmann was always operating on behalf of the Rothschild family. Hartmann was president of Rothschild Bank AG of Zurich, was vice-chairman of NY-Intermaritime Bank of Geneva (EuropeBanks) (run by Mossad operative Bruce Rappaport), and was a member of the board of directors of the elite N.M. Rothschild and Sons in London. BCCI Congressional Report

 

1993 HiddenMysteries Soros had amassed along with a group of "silent partners", a fortune in excess of 10 Billion dollars to use as a lever to unhinge the European currencies. Among the partners apparently were the little known metal and oil dealer Marc Rich and the Israeli arms dealer Shaul Eisenberg.(ThinkAboutIt) (Globes, Rothschild)  For decades Eisenberg has been working for the Israeli secret service and has important arms deals in all of Asia and in the Near East. A third partner of Soros is Rafi Eytan who before was the Mossad connection to the British secret service in London.

 

1995 American Bhuda search terms: Carlson, Teheran, Luxembourg, Abedi, North West Investment Company, Iran shipments, Dr. Marco Jagmetti of Rothschild Continuation Holdings, a holding company run by BCCI director Alfred Hartmann, Richar Helms, Safeer, Rahim Irvani, Ghaith Pharoan, National Bank of Georgia, Agha Hasan Abedi, First American, Iran Arab Bank, Clifford, Glass, McIlwain & Finney, Financial General Bankshares, Clark Clifford Robert Altman, James Baker, Frank Wisner, Raymond Close (CIA station chief Saudi Arabia), National Bank of Georgia, Nicaraguan Contras,

 

1995 LaRouchePub Two rather critical facts, however, were invariably left out of the story—even during the lengthy soap opera trial of former BCCI attorney Robert Altman. The first fact was the extraordinarily close alliance between BCCI and some of Britain's most powerful financial houses Rothschild and aristocratic families. The second fact was that BCCI was created, and then built up as a "world class" bank, primarily to manage the covert funds that poured into the secret war in Afghanistan. Hardly any mention was made of the fact that BCCI was in the middle of the Afghan effort—serving as the de facto central bank for a multibillion-dollar Golden Crescent illegal arms-for-drugs trade that mushroomed during 1979-90. When the last of the Red Army troops pulled out of Kabul in February 1989, the massive British-devised and American-led covert action program in support of the Afghan mujahideen began to wind down. BCCI lost its raison d'être, and went the way of the 1960s-era Investors Overseas Service (IOS), and the Vietnam War-era Nugen Hand Bank of Australia:The money was siphoned out, a diversionary scandal was manufactured, and its doors were shut

 

1972 Cricistan  The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was a major international bank founded in 1972 by Agha Hasan Abedi   ...  BCCI had been "set up deliberately to avoid centralized regulatory review, and operated extensively in bank secrecy jurisdictions.  ...  The liquidators, Deloitte & Touche, filed a lawsuit against Price Waterhouse and Ernst & Young   ... Abu Dhabi to drop its claims against the Bank of England  ...  its activities were still not completely understood  (was it taken out by Rothschilds because it was a competitor to (IMF / World Bank)

 

Independent.uk THREE former directors of Bank of Credit and Commerce International are suing the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi and other members of the Gulf state's royal family for dollars $100m, alleging that the family were the prime movers behind the bank's dollars $20bn frauds.: Sheikh  ...  The suit names as defendants the sheikh's son, Sheikh Khalifa; one of the royal family's chief financial advisers, Ghanim Faris Al-Mazrui, and Swaleh Naqvi, a former head of BCCI.Khalifa; one of the royal family's chief financial advisers, Ghanim Faris Al-Mazrui, One of the three behind the legal action, Alfred Hartmann, a senior Swiss banker, sat on various BCCI boards from 1982 to 1991. The others are Yves Lamarche, an American living in France, who served from 1976 to 1991, and Johan Van Oenen, a Dutchman living in Surrey, from 1978 until 1992....

 

Halliburton connected to Oil-for-Food. WMR

 

Permalink Perle Conrad Black, Wikipedia David Radler, Black partner.  Score-board The Carlyle ambush of Conrad Black, Frank McKenna  In December 2001, Carlyle began extorting CanWest/Hollinger editors and blocking media investigations into the role of McKenna and Carlyle affiliates, AMEC, Bombardier and Canada Steamship Lines, during the Global Guardian 'al-Qaeda' war game on 9/11.

 

 

Are there Capcom links to Obama in Chicago?  Salon Capcom,  FAS BCCI Congressional Report Capcom excerpt, History Commons Kamal Adham,Independent.uk Swaleh Naqvi

 

BCCI Congressional Report

 http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_59/bcci_congressional_report_rothschild_kerry.jpghttp://www.newsfollowup.com/images/arrowblue.gif  

Whitewash

 

OWG.LiveJournal   

Nadhmi Auchi was born in Iraq. Graduated in Economics and Political Science from the Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad in 1967. Worked with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, becoming Director of Planning and Development. In 1979 he founded General Mediterranean Holding SA of Luxembourg. Auchi's business empire, which has assets worth more than £1bn, is held offshore in structures whose ownership is difficult to penetrate. His holding firm, General Mediterranean Holdings SA, is registered in Luxembourg, and the Luxembourg and EU politician Jacques Santer sits on its board (in 1999, the Santer (EU) Commission resigned from their posts after charges of corruption. Santer is a Bilderberger  and a supporter of Opus Dei). Lord Lamont, (see Lamont) the Rothschild associate who headed Le Cercle, used to be another employee of General Mediterranean Holdings. Has links to British intelligence, through the former senior MI6 officer Anthony Cavendish (Le Cercle), who acts as a consultant to Auchi's business empire. Served on an advisory committee to the Institute for Social and Economic Policy in the Middle East at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government 1996-2000. President of the Anglo-Arab Organisation (AAO) since its founding in 2002.

 

AbelDanger Also, recent discovery has shown that Banque de Pays de L'Europe of Paris, () (Paribas, Highbeam) was recently bought by Merrill Lynch. Paribas bought 50% of Dillon Read Ltd. in a consortium with Bruxelles Lambert (the Belgian Rothschilds), the Power Group and the Laurentian group of Canada, the Tata Group of India, Elders IXL holding company of Australia, Swiss Bank Cantrade, and two British groups, Investors in Industry, a Bank of England group with nine English and Scottish banks, and the British postal pension fund.     ....   Power Corporation of Canada directors included G. Eskenazi, of Belgian Rothschild firms, and William Simon, former Secretary of the Treasury of the U.S. The "Canadian connection", the Belzbergs and Bronfmans, demonstrates the growing power of the Rothschilds in billion dollar mergers and takeovers of U.S. industry, including DuPont. These mergers recall the same kind of activity taking place in 1929, just before the stock market debacle, and very well could represent the battening down of the hatches before the storm. 

 

Rosenbaum and his BCI directors laundered illegal drug and gambling money from mafia boss Meyer Lansky by investing it in real estate. Through the BCI Mossad and Permindex operations were financed and reportedly Rosenbaum was a significant stakeholder in Permindex. In the early 1960s, the BCI bought a significant stake in Henry Luce's Time Life. Permindex has been the main suspect of having coordinated the 1963 JFK murder. Edmond de Rothschild introduced Rosenbaum to Bernhard in the mid-1960s. In 1970 Bernhard invited Rosenbaum into the 1001 Club, but after Rosenbaum got in trouble for having embezzled money of the BCI, Bernhard had to expel him again. This happened in 1973-1974. In 1974, Prince Bernhard sold his Castle Warmelo to the Evlyma Trust in Liechtenstein, a subsidiary of Tibor Rosenbaum's BCI. The Trust was managed by 1001 Club member Herbert Batliner, a person later linked to laundering funds for Marcos, Mobutu, Escobar, and Helmut Kohl.

 

A recent comprehensive CNN Report on American television concerned corrupt practices in American banking and alleged that virtually every major bank in the world had channelled money through the BNL Bank, Atlanta USA, to Saddam Hussein's weapons development program.

 

BCCI Stuff Allan Gotlieb, Carlucci, Rosenbaum, Permindex, Hollinger, Black, Rothschild, Trireme Partner LLP, Brian Crozier, Richard Perle, Le Cercle, 1001 Club, Club of Thirty, Reinhard Gehlen (Nazi), Clearstream Banking S.A. (CB) is the clearing division of Deutsche Börse, based in Luxembourg. It was created in January 2000 through the merger of Cedel International and Deutsche Börse Clearing, part of the Deutsche Börse Group, which owns the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Cedel, ...  Menaep, Ambrosiano, P2, Richard Brenneke, Ernest Backes, Bahrain International Bank.  ThereAreNoSunGlasses  extensive. SurrenderingIslam Rothschildhttp://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_59/rothschild_rappaport_hartmann.jpg

 

Oil for Food Auchi http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg  ....  Links between Valerie Jarrett and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, Glenn S. Gerstell is the Managing Partner  and  Snopes Obama's money, trips to Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia, .... a job at Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, $1.65 million mansion (2005), Larry Sinclair.  How does Tony Rezko and Auchi, Alsammarae, Bill Ayers Bernardine Dohrn,  fit into all this?     BNP Paribas Wikipedia  Oil for Food Scandal, Maurice Strong, 661 Sanction file confirms Banque Nationale de Paris, Maurice Strong, HiddenMysteries,  Maurice Strong Wikipedia,  Bronfman,  AbelDanger, Strong, Auchi, Desmarais, Power Corporation, Canada,  ...  UnityPublishing Maurice Strong   BNP board pdf 1999  andHawaiiFreePress Debunking-CarterRucks-defense-of Iraqi-billionaire-tied-to-Rezko-and-Obama, Scientology-London Rothschild - (Carter-Ruck effective suppression of Auchi articles on the internet),  Jacksonian OFF  IntelHub Kashoggi, Saudi Arabia, Rothschild, Kissinger.  and see Valerie Jarrett ties toThomas Ayers http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg

2000 RealZionistNews Silverstein obtained this lease from his Jewish synagogue buddy, Lewis M EisenbergWikipediaMuckety  (who was then the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York), even though Vornado Realty outbid Silverstein by $50m. Eisenberg aborted Vornado’s bid in favour of his Zionist buddy Silverstein. Eisenberg, who was a huge contributor to the Bush-Cheney campaign, is a member of the Republican Jewish Coalition and former partner of the Jewish bank, Goldman Sachs. Silverstein and Eisenberg both held senior leadership positions with the United Jewish Appeal, a billion dollar Zionist organization. At present, Silverstein is on the UJA’s Board Of Directors. The UJA raises millions of dollars for its client, the Zionist State of Israel. Silverstein is also co-founder of the Israel Export Development Company.   see also Republican Leadership Council,

 

2000IAmTheWitness George W. Bush is elected (so they tell me) President of the United States. Bush and his family claim to be descendants of the House of Plantagenet which is descended from the Royal House of Judah.  Wikipedia House of Plantagenet

 

2000 Rys2sense Israel False Flag Timeline Rumsfeld sells North Korea two light water nuclear reactors.

 

2000 Rys2sense Israel False Flag Timeline Israel spy ring (the art students, penetrate the US) They peddle Ecstasy (as finance) and they spy on military bases and federal buildings.

 

2000 MoneyTeachers Joseph Cannon (Mormon, Deseret News) and His brother Chris Cannon, were close associates with Jack Abramoff and even assisted him in forwarding the gambling interests agenda. Joe worked with Abramoff on the same lobbying clients and convicted felon and Abramoff partner, David Safavian, worked as Congressman Cannon's "Chief of Staff". Chris Cannon was forced to return campaign donations from Abramoff and Safavian, as well as a few of the Indian Tribes they represented, but, he served his masters well by inserting the "poison pill" that destroyed any hopes of regulating online casino gambling.

 

2000 Nov  Rys2sense Israel False Flag Timeline Bush steals the election  Jan 2001 Bush is sworn in as President

 

2000 Terror-Illuminati September 2000, the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), a neo-conservative think-tank, with strong ties to the right-wing American Enterprise Institute, and funded by three foundations closely tied to Persian Gulf oil and weapons and defense industries, drafted a plan for U.S. global domination. AEI is also connected to the Heritage Foundation, through the same funders..  and see ZionCrimeFactoryNoGW Sumner Rothstein (Redstone).

 

2000 TruthandLife One important repository for the wealth of the global oligarchy that owns these bank holding companies is US Trust Corporation – founded in 1853 and now owned by Bank of America. A recent US Trust Corporate Director and Honorary Trustee was Walter Rothschild. Other directors included Daniel Davison of JP Morgan Chase, Richard Tucker of Exxon Mobil, Daniel Roberts of Citigroup and Marshall Schwartz of Morgan Stanley. 2] and Wikpedia US Trust Corp United States Trust Corporation is an American bank holding company based in New York, NY. It is the oldest trust company in the U.S., and provides personal wealth management to some of the wealthiest individuals and families. In 2000, the Charles Schwab Corporation purchased U.S. Trust for $2.73 billion. 1] In 2001, less than a year after the acquisition of U.S. Trust, the U.S. Trust subsidiary was fined $10 million in a bank secrecy law case. It was ordered to pay $5 million to the New York State Banking Department and $5 million to the Federal Reserve Board. 2] On November 20, 2006, Schwab announced an agreement to sell U.S. Trust to Bank of America for $3.3 billion cash. 3] The deal closed in the second quarter of 2007.

 

2001 9/11 For those who would like to support Ellen Mariani’s ongoing efforts (last unsettled 9/11 victim case), please send letters of support and donations to Ellen Mariani, P.O. Box 2792, Parker, CO 80134. Search Hellerstein. 

 

2001 Enron CabalTimes Qatar holds 13.39% of the world’s natural gas reserves, making it #3 on the chart. Qatar and its gas reserves have been historically dominated by the Rothschild Shell Oil Corporation. Qatar figures prominently as a forwarding base for American operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recently, Qatar has also became a major player in the so-called Arab Spring.   ...  The fall of Communism meant that Western corporations could freely operate in the region (Turkmenistan) for the first time. It comes as no surprise that Turkmenistan’s natural gas was quickly earmarked for export by groups such as the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers  ....  Gazprom in turn has intricate relationships with Rothschild heavyweights such as Shell Oil and BP.

 

2001 Biblioteca Pleyades Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank in June 2001. Joined N.M. Rothschild & Sons at the latest in 2002. Annual visitor of the Trilateral Commission since 2002. Member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Member of the steering committee of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). Member of the European Council of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In December 2002, Blair sent Lord Guthrie and Jack Straw to Turkey as an unofficial military envoy to shore up support for an invasion of Iraq and to discuss plans to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Became a non-executive special advisor of Aon Special Risks in 2004, a leading Counter-Terrorism, Political Risks and Kidnap and Ransom insurance broker and risk consultant. Freeman of the City of London, a member of the Knights of Malta, and a Commander of the Legion of Merit USA. Member of the House of Lords.

 

9/11 Video latest evidence,  9/11 Whistleblower interview Alex Jones Col. Donn de Grand-Pre   ...  They were out of Hector Field, Fargo, North Dakota. A bunch, this 119 Fighter Group and they are called the Happy Hooligans. They are probably the best interceptors that we have in the country. They were moved to Langley Air Force Base from Hector Field down to Southern Virginia. and Brigadier-General Rick Baccus... wouldn't torture innocent detainees at Guantanamo, was reassigned.

 

WTC steel went to Rothschild Zionist connected scrap yards. (evidence removal) 

 

InformationUnderground Alan D. Ratner’s Metals Management and the SIMS group is responsible for quickly scooping up the WTC steel rubble and shipping it off to Asian smelters. Alan Ratner is Jewish. Ratner merged with the SIMS group and the Hugo Neu corporation, and they made a handsome profit.



On the 9/11, the SEC lifted “Rule 15c3-3: Customer Protection – Reserves and Custody of Securities.” Thus GSCC Government Securities Clearing Corporation] was allowed to substitute other securities for the physical securities destroyed during the attack   illegal bonds, which appear to have been replaced with Treasury notes backed by U.S. taxpayers in the aftermath of September 11.

 

Pilots for 911 Truth Raymond W. Smith was sitting on the board of directors at US Airways on 911. Ray Smith has served on the boards of Bell Atlantic, The Carnegie Corporation, Westinghouse, CBS, Corestates Financial, First Union, and others. He is also Chairman of Rothschild, North America, Inc. and Chairman of Verizon Ventures. Mr. Smith also served on the board of Five Arrows (Rothschild).

 

9-11 Judge Hellerstein is Connected to Rothschild-Funded ICTS ..  (9/11 Airport Security)  & Mariani case and 2

 

Pilots for 911 Truth Cheryl Gruetzmacher Gordon/Krongard is currently on the BOD at US Airways. She is the chief executive officer of Rothschild Asset Management Inc. She was a senior managing director at Rothschild also. She recently remarried ex-CIA AB 'Buzzy' Krongard.  see Edward S. Gordon

 

Systems Planning Corp, Dov Zakheim, WTC remote controlled aircraft, Rothschild connection 

 

Pilots for 911 Truth US Airways also had a 28 year CIA veteran sitting on it's board as well. James M. Simon Jr. is now on the board at ORBIMAGE. After September 11th, he was designated as the senior intelligence official for homeland security establishing and chairing the Homeland Security Intelligence Council.

 

AMEC, a Rothschild connected company did WTC / Pentagon rubble cleanup (evidence removal)

 

London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) and London School of Economics are links to Rothschild / Dov Zakheim (9/11 mastermind) relationship.

 

Pilots for 911 Truth During the restructuring of US Airways, the company hired Rudy Giuliani''s firm as an advisor to the restructuring.  Delta Airlines was paying $400,000 a month to restructuring specialists Giuliani Capital Advisors, founded by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

 

Peter Peterson -- CEO of the Blackstone Group (controlled by Rothschild), parent corporation of one of three lease-holders for WTC 7 http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg

 

911Docs Actor Charlie Sheen has joined a growing army of other highly credible public figures in questioning the official story of 9/11 and calling for a new independent investigation of the attack and the circumstances surrounding it   ...   9/11Truth Sheen questioned the plausibility of a fireballs traveling 110 feet down an elevator shaft and causing damage to the lobbies of the towers as seen in video footage, especially when contrasted with eyewitness accounts of bombs and explosions in the basement levels of the buildings.

 

Rothschild Connected to Mossad / ICTS ..  (9/11 Airport Security)

 

Hearst estate is being advised by NM Rothschild, the investment bank. Popular Mechanics Magazine is a Hearst publication and at the forefront of 9/11 disinformation.

 

Within 30 minutes of WTC2 being hit NewsCorp (Rupert Murdoch, Rothschild Zionist) was giving out Bin laden's name as a suspect and the complete run-down on Al Qaeda and the Taliban along with the reasons for the collapse itself !

 

2001 9/11 SEC From a regulatory perspective, last week the Commission reached out to major market participants, both directly and through industry groups such as the Securities Industry Association and the Bond Market Association, to determine whether it could provide appropriate temporary regulatory relief to facilitate the reopening of fair and orderly markets. The New York Stock Exchange, the NASD, Treasury and other regulators undertook similar outreach efforts. As a result, the Commission for the first time invoked its emergency powers under Securities Exchange Act Section 12(k) and issued several orders and an interpretive release to ease certain regulatory restrictions temporarily.  see WTC gold / securities heist, Black Eagle Trust above

 

2001 9/11 WMR / NFU April 26-28, 2010 -- The super-classified network that served as command and control for the 9/11 false flag attack on America ... Multiple U.S. intelligence sources have reported to WMR that a super-classified network with only some 70 terminals in select U.S. government locations handled the parallel command-and-control activities that permitted the 9/11 terrorist attacks to be successful. ... The "above top secret" network bears the acronym "PDAS." WMR has not yet discovered what the acronym stands for, however, the system is limited to only a few hundred people with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) Special Access Program (SAP) need-to-know access, in addition to the President and Vice President. ... On September 11, 2001, PDAS was used to convey the information from the Air Force Chief of Staff to the White House, CIA, and other select agencies that the Air Force had successfully intercepted and downed a target over Pennsylvania. It is believed that the "target" in question was United flight 93, although there is no confirmation that the aircraft was in fact the one downed by Air Force interceptors. ... The Air Force Chief of Staff on 9/11 was General John Jumper, who had become the top Air Force commander on September 6, 2001, just five days before the 9/11 attacks. ... There is also reason to believe that the PDAS terminal at the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) at the White House was used to coordinate the activities related to the aerial attack on the Pentagon. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta claimed Vice President Dick Cheney was present at the PEOC at 9:25 am on the morning of 9/11, before the alleged impact of American Airlines flight 77 on the building. ...Mineta ... (PDAS) is used to support the operational capabilities to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon and and Combatant Commanders (COCOMs), Special Technical Operations (STO), COCOMs, Integrated Joint Special Technical Operations IJSTO,  US Central Command, CIA, National Security Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency, search terms: General Wesley Clark, Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRnet) and the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS), as well as the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRnet), 704th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Meade, Maryland, NSA's Joint Special Studies Group (JSSG), IVY BELLS.

 

2001 9/11Rys2sense Israel False Flag Timeline September  False flag attack on America blamed on Afghanistan and Iraq

 

2001 9/11 Israel and WTC, Flight 77 Pentagon video

 

2001 9/11 Peter Peterson -- CEO of the Blackstone Group (controlled by Rothschild), parent corporation of one of three lease-holders for WTC 7 on 9-11; also chairman of the CFR and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on 9-11; CEO of the Institute for International Economics in October 2000 Thomas Pickard -- took over the job of FBI director from Louis Freeh in August 2001; held this position only for a few weeks before Robert Mueller became director; former Terror Task Force chief John O'Neill complained about sabotage by Pickard

 

http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/images_58/dov_zakheim_911_mastermind_rothschild_zionist.jpg

click to see video, Dov Zakheim, 9/11 Mastermind, Systems 

Planning Corporation, Rothschild Zionist, remote controlled aircraft.    Wakeupfromyourslumber: Ehud Olmert, then mayor of Jerusalem, is a partner in crime with the Zionist lease-holders of the World Trade Center, the Israeli Frank Lowy and his New York-based partner Larry Silverstein. Olmert, as deputy prime minister to Ariel Sharon, even made an unannounced and secret visit to New York City on September 10-11, 2001

 

2001 9/11 WhoDidIt  Before 9-11 John Deutch, former Undersecretary of War, director of CIA; co-authored paper, "Catastrophic Terrorism: A National Policy" with Zelikow, Ashton Carter; senior partner at Global Technology Partners, an affiliate of Rothschild North America; MIT professor; grandson of Yonah Fischer, Antwerp diamond merchant who ran Zionist Federation of Belgium

 

2001 9/11 Wikispooks Dov Zakheim Systems Planning Corporation, remote controlled aircraft, 9/11, WTC.

 

2001 9/11 Wikispooks  Lewis Eisenberg - Eisenberg was the head of the Port Authority of New York and authorized the lease transfer to Silverstein and Lowy. Eisenberg was a large contributor to the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign, as well as a partner in the Jewish bank Goldman-Sachs. Eisenberg has been both a member of the Planning Board of the United Jewish Appeal/United Jewish Federation pro-Israeli government pressure group in the U.S.   The second crucial aspect of control was that of security for the WTC complex. This was was required to provide unquestioned access to strategic areas of the buildings for the purposes of rigging explosives in the period prior to the attacks.   The contract to run security at the WTC was awarded to Kroll Associates after the 1993 WTC bombing. Kroll is otherwise known as "Wallstreet's CIA". The contract was awarded by The Port Authority of New York and $2.5 million was paid to them to revamp security at the complex. The owners of Kroll were two Zionist Jews named Jules & Jeremy Kroll. http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg The managing director of Kroll at the time wasJerome M. Hauer.  Jerome Hauer Hauer was also the person chosen to run Mayor Rudy Guiliani's office of emergency management (OEM) from 1996 to 2000. He is the key individual that pushed for this office to be placed in Silverstein's WTC Building 7 (ie the third tall building to collapse on 9/11). Jerome Hauer is also Jewish and a staunch Zionist. Hauer's mother, Rose Muscatine Hauer, is the retired Dean of the Beth Israel School of Nursing and the Honorary President of the New York Chapter of Hadassah, the Daughters of Zion movement that is one of the central Zionist organizations involved in the creation and support of the State of Israel.  Mitre Corp, Entwistle  also

 

2001 9/11 WTC Gold Rediff, German company Convar, data recovered from hard drives shows unusual financial activity (put options?), not investigated by FBI, Pirmasens, Henschel   ... Kroll purchased Ontrack Data Recovery, a US-based rival of Convar with offices in Germany.  See Sibel Edmonds Baltimore Chronical and  YouTube WTC Gold heist. 100's of billions.  Value of a gold bar on September 10, 2001: $214k, 2011: $1,498k, Source: Kitco.com

 

2001 9/11 WayneMadsenReport "has recently learned from knowledgeable U.S. Intelligence Community sources that Neil Entwistle'shttp://www.newsfollowup.com/images/arrowblue.gif contract for P-Techinvolved "wiring backdoors" into the computer systems of the FAA, more below, NORAD, Pentagon, and White House to bring about the operational collapse of the computer systems during the morning of 9/11. Entwistle's firm, Embedded New Technologies (ENT), reportedly had connections to the Braintree, Massachusetts-based firm P-Tech, which was investigated subsequent to 911 by the FBI for ties to Muslim Brotherhood financiers linked to Al Qaeda. P-Tech also had software contracts for the FAA, NORAD, Pentagon, and White House during the 9-11 terrorist attacks.   ...    A senior consultant to JPMorganChase and Risk, Indira Singh was tasked in April 2002 with developing a next-generation, operational, risk blueprint that "would proactively identify exposures, including money laundering, rogue trading, and illicit financing patterns."8 Indira reached out to the top people in her profession for recommendations on software companies that could assist her on the project. 2002 Indira Singh was fired from JPMorganChase because she refused to stop investigating P-Tech and warning other businesses and clients of P-Tech's terrorist linked financing. On December 5, 2002 U.S. Customs, FBI, IRS, Secret Service, INS and the Massachusetts State Police raided the Ouincy, Massachusetts offices of P-Tech.12 The raid, however, was a fraud. The only reason P-Tech was raided was due to the incessant and embarrassing questions Indira was asking about the company and its terrorist linked financing. After the raid P-Tech changed its name to Go Agile, and the FBI investigation fizzled out.   ...   has recently learned from knowledgeable U.S. Intelligence Community sources that Entwistle's contract for P-Tech involved "wiring backdoors" into the computer systems of the FAA, NORAD, Pentagon, and White House to bring about the operational collapse of the computer systems during the morning of 9/11  full article and  OpedNews Entwistle

 

Ptech was with MITRE Corporation in the basement of the FAA for two years prior to 9/11, Singh said. "Their specific job is to look at interoperability issues the FAA had with NORAD and the Air Force in the case of an emergency. If anyone was in a position to know that the FAA -- that there was a window of opportunity or to insert software or to change anything -- it would have been Ptech along with MITRE." Singh has spoken extensively about Ptech's alleged connections with Saudi Arabia http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg , for example with Pacifica Radio in 2005:  OpEdNews Neil Entwistle   Connect the Dots  AMEC BP Acerty HAARP  

 

Oussama Ziade, (IntelFiles) a Lebanese Muslim immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1985, founded Ptech in 1994. But the company's original manager of marketing and information systems was Michael S. Goff, whose PR firm, Goff Communications, currently represents Guardium, a Mossad-linked software company. And Goff comes from a well-to-do line of Jewish Masons who have belonged to Worcester's Commonwealth Lodge 600 of B'nai Brith http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg for decades.    Oussama Ziade indictment doc from indictment doc: ZIADE co-founded Ptech in 1994 with the capital financing provided by Kadi through one of his nominee companies, Sarmany Limited. Initially, in 1994, Kadi invested approximately $5 million in ptech through Sarmany, an Isle of Man company he owned and controlled. In exchange, and pursuant to an authorization granted by Kadi and Sarmany's other director, PtechPtech's main focus was research and development. Ptech spent approximately $20 million developing its products. These funds came primarily from Saudi Arabian investors, including Kadi.  ...  Kadi attended Ptech's Board of Director meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (where Kadi's residence and some of his businesses are located) on March 22, 1998  ,... 2002, Sarmany12, with the assistance of Kadi's chief financial accountant, at the advice of ZIADE, transferred Sarmany Limited's entire property interest in Ptech (55,800 shares of ptech common stock) to three entities: Bective Limited; Arkday Limited; and Grayson Group Limited., .. Bective Limited,  willfully conceal the interest in ptech held by Sarmany, one of Kadi's nominee companies, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014; ABC6 Buford-George-Peterson, Peter Parker  OpEdNews

 

2001 9/11 Rys2sense Israel False Flag Timeline September  police arrest Israeli Mossad agents filming and cheering the 911 attack. The Israelis worked for a fake moving company with a false address. Their van has a hit with bomb sniffing dogs and one man is carrying $4,700 stuffed in a sock. The owner of the front flees to Israel. The FBI releases the Israelis and the evidence linking them to the attacks is Classified.

 

2001 9/11 TakeOurWorldBack Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's father Benzion was secretary to Ze'ev "Vladimir" Jabotinsky, Wall Street Journal who founded the Zionist terrorist movement that played an important part in the creation of Israel (e.g. King David hotel bombing, conspiracy to assassinate British foreign secretary Ernest Bevin), or that Bibi was a unit team leader in Sayeret Matkal, an elite special forces unit of the Israeli Defense Force, and just happened to be in New York City in the morning of 9/11 and in London on the morning of the 7/7 attacks (having received advance warning), and is a close friend of Larry Silverstein who, along with Zionist billionaire and "Holocaust survivor" Frank Lowy, just happened to have taken over the World Trade Center lease and ensured the Towers were insured for billions of dollars against terrorist attacks within six weeks of 9/11. More  d.hatena.jp  the Likud party is the successor to Herut, which was the successor to Jabotinsky’s revisionist faction—Netanyahu’s personal history traces directly back to Jabotinsky. Benzion Netanyahu, the prime minister’s father, was Jabotinsky’s disciple and private secretary

 

2001 9/11 Investigate9/11 "They" are the owners of the International Banking and Finance Cartel, as well as the Federal Reserve Banking Monopoly. "They" control the highest levels of our government. "They" sanctioned 9/11, as a catalyst for their larger criminal agenda, which they call the "New World Order". These owners include families of the "Black Nobility", such as the House of Hanover, Germany; the House of Hapsburg, Austria; the House of Orange, Netherlands; the House of Lichtenstein in Lichtenstein, and most importantly the house of Guelph (Welf: dynasty of German dukes of Bavaria) in Britain.  

 

2001:9/11 IAmTheWitness On September 11th the attack on the World Trade Center is orchestrated by Israel with the complicity of Britain and America, under the orders of the Rothschilds as a pretext for removing the liberty of people worldwide in exchange for security, just as happened with the Reichstag fire in Germany where the citizens were lied to in order to give up liberty for security.   ...   They also will use the attacks to gain control of the few nations in the world who don’t allow Rothschild central banks and so less than one month after these attacks, US forces attack Afghanistan, one of only 7 nations in the world who don’t have a Rothschild controlled central bank. Less than a week before the 9-11 attack on 5 September, the so-called lead hijacker Mohamed Atta and several other hijackers made a still-unexplained visit onboard one of Pro Israeli lobbyist, Ashkenazi Jew, Jack Abramoff’s casino boats.    ...  No investigation is undertook as to what they were doing there. It is discovered that US drug agents’ communications have been penetrated. Suspicion falls on two companies, AMDOCS and Comverse Infosys, both owned by Israelis. AMDOCS generates billing data for most US phone companies and is able to provide detailed logs of who is talking to whom.    ...   Comverse Infosys builds the tapping equipment used by law enforcement to eavesdrop on all American telephone calls, but suspicion forms that Comverse Infosys, which gets half of its research and development budget from the Israeli government, has built a back door into the system that is being exploited by Israeli intelligence and that the information gleaned on US drug interdiction efforts is finding its way to drug smugglers. The investigation by the FBI leads to the exposure of the largest foreign spy ring ever uncovered inside the United States, operated by Israel. Half of the suspected spies have been arrested when 9-11 happens. On 9-11, 5 Israelis are arrested for dancing and cheering while the World Trade Towers collapse. Supposedly employed by Urban Moving Systems, the Israelis are caught with multiple passports and a lot of cash. Two of them are later revealed to be Mossad. As witness reports track the activity of the Israelis, it emerges that they were seen at Liberty Park at the time of the first impact, suggesting a foreknowledge of what was to come. The Israelis are interrogated, and then eventually sent back to Israel. The owner of the moving company used as a cover by the Mossad agents abandons his business and flees to Israel. The United States Government then classifies all of the evidence related to the Israeli agents and their connections to 9-11. All of this is reported to the public via a four part story on Fox News by Carl Cameron. Pressure from Jewish groups, primarily AIPAC, forces Fox News to remove the story from their website. Two hours prior to the 9-11 attacks, Odigo, an Israeli company with offices just a few blocks from the World Trade Towers, receives an advance warning via the internet. The manager of the New York Office provides the FBI with the IP address of the sender of the message, but the FBI does not follow this up. The FBI is investigating 5 Israeli moving companies as possible fronts for Israeli intelligence.    ...   It is revealed that prior to the attack millions of dollars of put options on both American Airlines and United Airlines, were traded. The FBI have promised to followed the purchasers up, but have never revealed their findings. That is because this would lead directly to Israel, the state behind the 911 attacks.    Following the World Trade Center attack, anonymous letters containing anthrax are sent to various politicians and media executives. Like the 9-11 attack this is immediately blamed on Al-Qaeda , until it is discovered that the anthrax contained within those letters is a specific type of weaponized anthrax made by a United States military laboratory.    ...   The FBI then discover that the main suspect for these anthrax letters is a Ashkenazi Jew, Dr. Philip Zack, who had been reprimanded several times by his employers due to offensive remarks he made about Arabs. Dr. Philip Zack, was caught on camera entering the storage area where he worked at Fort Detrick which is where the Anthrax was kept. At this point, both the FBI and the mainstream media stopped making any public comments on the case.    ...   Jewish Defence League Chairman since 1985, Ashkenazi Jew, Irv Rubin is jailed for allegedly plotting to bomb a mosque and the offices of a Arab-American congressman. He dies shortly after slitting his throat in a suicide attempt, before he can be brought to trial.    ...  One week prior to the WTC attack, the Zim Shipping Company moves out of its offices in the WTC, breaking its lease and costing the company $50,000. No reason has ever been given, but Zim Shipping Company is half owned by the State of Israel (The Rothschilds).   On October 3, Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, makes the following statement to Ashkenazi Jew, Shimon Peres, as reported on Kol Yisrael radio.  "Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that....I want to tell you something very clear, don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it."

 

2001 Telegraph AMEC, the British engineering and construction group, has been asked to rebuild the parts of the Pentagon destroyed in the terrorist attack, in which 190 people died last week. ... Rudolf Giuliani, the mayor of New York, also called Amec within minutes of Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre to help with the rescue effort in lower Manhattan. and Bovis  and AmericanFreePress A foreign company - headed by a Knight of the British Empire - managed the controversial cleanup of the rubble at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  ...  AMEC is in line for further construction work at both the Pentagon and the World Trade Center according to the Daily Mail.  ...   Sir Peter Mason is a Knight of the British Empire. The former mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, who gave the management of the WTC site to the two British firms, AMEC and Bovis Lend Lease, received an honorary knighthood in the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II on Feb. 13, 2002. GlobalGuru  Executives and board members at AMEC include former directors of NM Rothschild, Kellogg, Brown and Root (now Halliburton), and SG Warburg.   Other than the supervisory firm LZA/Thornton-Tomasetti, the City also hired five construction companies to handle the majority of the debris removal, and the site was divided up among them. and911Review These five companies were AMEC Construction Management, Bovis Lend Lease, Turner Construction, Tully Construction and Tishman Construction. Charlie Vitchers, who worked for Jim Abadie at Bovis, and was a leader at Ground Zero, said the site was then broken up "into basically five segments. Building 7 debris was given to Tishman. The northwest corner of the site was given to AMEC. The northeast section of the site was given to Tully. Amec Simon Thompson Non-Executive Director Age 52, was appointed a non-executive director in January 2009. He was previously an executive director of Anglo American plc, Chairman of the Tarmac Group and held positions with S G Warburg and N M Rothschild. He is currently Non-Executive Director of Tullow Oil plc (UK), Newmont Mining Corporation (US) and Sandvik AB (Sweden).

 

2001 9/11 video Dov Zakheim, Dov Zakheim -- Pentagon comptroller when trillion dollars reported missing on 9-10-01; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist; Shul Rabbi; former CFR member; former CEO of fly-by-remote manufacturer; reputed 9-11 mastermind Philip Zelikow -- led the 9-11 Cover-Up Commission; personally wrote the 9-11 Omission Commission Report, a best-selling work of fiction; appointed Counselor of US Department of State; "dual citizen" of US and Israel

 

2001 At the WTC, McDaniel was in charge of the security operation in terms of what he called a “completion contract,” to provide services “up to the day the buildings fell down.” iii] McDaniel came to Stratesec directly from BDM International, where he had been Vice President for nine years. BDM was a major subsidiary of The Carlyle Group for most of that time. When Barry McDaniel started at BDM, the company began getting a large amount of government business “in an area the Navy called Black Projects,” or budgets that were kept secret.  The Carlyle Group was founded by one DavidRubenstein  ... EndWhiteGuilt and Billionaire investor David Rubenstein, 60, co-founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group, purchased two (Torah Scribes).

 

2001 Christopher Bollyn If the scrap yards that handled the steel from the World Trade Center were part of a Zionist conspiracy we would expect to find that the junkyards themselves were Zionist-owned operations. This would be consistent with the thesis that 9/11 is a conspiracy in which the key players are all dedicated Zionist partisans of the state of Israel. The junkyards would need to be under Zionist control in order to facilitate the secure destruction of the steel. This is exactly what we find with Hugo Neu Schnitzer East (Hugo Neu)and Metal Management Northeast, the two junkyards that processed the steel from the World Trade Center. See also ThePopulist    Hugo Neu A Hugo Neu affiliate processed most of the scrap metal from the World Trade Center after 9/11  and 911Research Two New Jersey companies were among the bidders that won the contract for removing more than 60,000 tons of Trade Center scrap. Metal Management Northeast bought 40,000 tons, and Hugo Neu Schnitzer bought 25,000 tons. Neu Schnitzer East is one of the largest scrap recyclers in the nation. President Alan Ratner of Metal Management said the company had bought 70,000 tons of scrap steel by January of 2002

 

2001 9/11 Olmert, who has long been tarnished by allegations of financial crimes, was implicated in a financial scandal involving forged receipts for donations to the 1988 Likud campaign, of which he was co-treasurer. This affair culminated in the March 1996 conviction of three other Likudniks, including Menahem Atzmon, Wikipedia ICTS the Likud treasurer. Olmert was also later indicted in the Likud affair, but was acquitted.  Wikipedia ICTS Executive Officers ofICTS International include Menachem J. Atzmon (CSU since 2004), Alon Raich (CFO since 2008), and Managing Directors Avraham Dan(since 2008), Ran Langer (since 2004), and Ranaan Nir (since 2002). 7] Atzmon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2004, holds controlling shares, owning more than 55% of ICTS International through a family trust  Menachem Atzmon, convicted in Israel in 1996 for campaign finance fraud, and his business partner Ezra Harel, took over management of security at the Boston and Newark airports when their company ICTS bought Huntleigh USA in 1999. UAL Flight 175 and AA 11, which allegedly struck the twin towers, both originated in Boston, while UAL 93, which purportedly crashed in Pennsylvania, departed from the Newark airport.

 

BAE Director Sir Peter Mason is the retired chief executive of AMEC (Pentagon Flight 77) plc, a British engineering firm with ties to N.M. Rothschild.  see9/11 Inside Job

 

2001 Bollyn (Mariani case) Hellerstein has a clear conflict of interest in the 9-11 tort litigation because his son is a lawyer with Amit, Pollak & Matalon, the law firm that works for and is closely connected with Cukierman & Company, the parent company of ICTS. Cukierman & Co. is headed by Roger Cukierman and his son Edouard. Previously, Roger was CEO of the Edmond de Rothschild Group and chairman of the Israel General Bank. He has also served as the chairman of several venture capital funds established by the Rothschild Group. One of these funds, the Catalyst Fund, is run by Boaz Harel, a managing partner of private equity at Cukierman & Co. - and the head of ICTS at the time of 9-11. The Rothschild/Cukierman Catalyst Fund is also invested in a company called Cyalume, which is run by several of the SCP Partners of Ehud Barak. The Israeli Mossad corporate network may seem large but it always involves the same small group of people at the top. Many of the names are easily recognized by a researcher who is familiar with the Zionist criminal network. One of the head people of the Catalyst Fund and Cyalume, for example, is Yair Shamir, the son of the well-known terrorist-cum-prime minister Yitzhak Shamir.

 

Martin Frost The 'Rothschild Connection': in the invasion of Iraq

 

Abel Danger believes Crown Agents' Sister Serena Rothschild hired Middle Templars to stage Matrix 5 Sky News propaganda attacks on 911 with "Men Who Never Were" identities in the same strategy as used by her husband's father Victor Rothschild and Templar Ewen Montagu in WWII with a fake Royal Marine identity called 'Major William Martin'.

 

2001 some less known players in 9/11 Thomas Pickard, Dale Watson, Dave Frasca, Marion “Spike” Bowman, Ralph Eberhardt, Larry Arnold , Eric Findley, Montague Winfield, Richard Mies ,Henry Shelton, Peter Schoomaker, Geoffrey Lambert, John Brinkerhoff, Tony Gentry, Philip Odeen ,Lewis Eisenberg, Abdussattar Shaikh, Abdullah Noman ,Daniel Lewin, Dominic Suter, Sivan Kurzberg, John Gross, Theresa McAllister, Ronald Hamburger, William Baker, Harold Nelson, Ramon Gilsanz, Shankar Nair, Gene Corley, Paul Mlakar, Mete Sozen, Charles Thornton, Richard Tomasetti, Victor Ganzi , Benjamin Chertoff Kevin Delaney, Wirt Walker, Frank Lowy, Nicholas Rockefeller, Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch, Jules Kroll, Paul Bremer, Wallace Hilliard, Mark Loizeaux, Loring Knoblauch , Michael Cherkasky Newt Gingrich, Pauline Neville-Jones, Mahmoud Ahmad  and WarIsCrime same names, more detail.

 

2001 9/11 WayneMadsenReport  2010 -- PDAS Planning and Deciscion Aid System http://www.newsfollowup.com/images/arrowblue.gif The super-classified network that served as command and control for the 9/11 false flag attack on America .... Multiple U.S. intelligence sources have reported to WMR  that a super-classified network with only some 70 terminals in select U.S. government locations handled the parallel command-and-control activities that permitted the 9/11 terrorist attacks to be successful. .... The "above top secret" network bears the acronym "PDAS." WMR has not yet discovered what the acronym stands for, however, its is limited to only a few hundred people with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) Special Access Program (SAP) need-to-know access, in addition to the President and Vice President. ... On September 11, 2001, PDAS was used to convey the information from the Air Force Chief of Staff to the White House, CIA, and other select agencies that the Air Force had successfully intercepted and downed a target over Pennsylvania. It is believed that the "target" in question was United flight 93, although there is no confirmation that the aircraft was in fact the one downed by Air Force interceptors. ... The Air Force Chief of Staff on 9/11 was General John Jumper, who had become the top Air Force commander on September 6, 2001, just five days before the 9/11 attacks. ... There is also reason to believe that the PDAS terminal at the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) at the White House was used to coordinate the activities related to the aerial attack on the Pentagon. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta claimed Vice President Dick Cheney was present at the PEOC at 9:25 am on the morning of 9/11, before the alleged impact of American Airlines flight 77 on the building.

 

2001 9/11 SeptemberClues On September 11, 2001, two Mitre-guided COCOM bases materialized out of nowhere. Florida based U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) was joined by a mysterious place called U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) in Omaha, Nebraska and a pre-outfitted base (physically in Denver, Colorado but operationally -- who knows?) called U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). After the alleged ‘classroom incident,’ Bush was apparently taken to USSTRATCOM to monitor the unfolding situation. One can assume such an urgent delivery of the executive branch was to peer through the war games with Ralph Ed “pocket-rocket” Eberhart and assure a successful “sell” of the 9/11 tale as it was being piped through television, radio, press and Internet distributors – perhaps via lucrative arrangements with Eberhart and Powell’s ObjectVideo chips.

 

2001 Doeda 41% of the fatalities in the Twin Towers came from two companies that managed U.S. government securities: Cantor Fitzgerald and Eurobrokers. 31% of the 125 fatalities in the Pentagon were from the Naval Command Center that housed the Office of Naval Intelligence. In the vaults beneath the World Trade Center Towers, major government security brokerages and their securities certificates for bonds were destroyed.  Building 6 was destroyed by explosions from within. Building 6 was home to the U.S. Customs agency and the El Dorado Task force, (ICE.gov, U.S. Customs Service Office of Investigations, Bank Secrecy Act) which was responsible for coordinating all major money-laundering investigations in the U.S http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg  September 11) the Securities and Exchange Commission declared a national emergency and for the first time in U.S. history invoked its emergency powers under Securities Exchange Act Section 12(k) and eased regulatory restrictions for clearing and settling security trades for the next 15 days. 39 of 40 Office of Naval Intelligence employees died when their office was struck (see NFU Flight 77 pages http://www.newsfollowup.com/id/more.jpg)     Full articlehttp://www.newsfollowup.com/images/arrowblue.gif   Background: Bush HW

 

2001 GlobalResearch On September 10, 2001 at the Chicago Board Options Exchange there were 4,516 puts on American Airlines to only 748 calls. United Airlines was targeted for 4,744 puts as opposed to 396 calls. The numbers on the reinsurance companies were similarly lopsided. By far the biggest trader of the put options was Deutsche Bank Alex BrownWikipedia  – the US trading arm of Deutsche Bank – which bought traditional Eight Families’ wealth repository and largest Four Horsemen shareholder Banker's Trust in 1999 to become the world’s largest bank with $882 billion in assets.

 

2001 Stumblein Shaul Eisenberg owned the Mossad company called Atwell Security. Atwell tried to obtain the security contract for the World Trade Center (and Port Authority) in the late 1980s. .... Eisenberg still alive... see Globes articles.

 

2001 Pauline Neville-Jones - International Governor of BBC on 911; Member of Bilderberg group; Chairman of UK Joint Intelligence Committee (1991-1994); Chairman of QinetiQ Group, a war technology company with government customers in UK and USA; Chairman of Information Assurance Advisory Council (IAAC)

 

2001 History of the Money Changers Professor Joseph Stiglitz, former Chief Economist of the World Bank, and former Chairman of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, goes public over the World Bank's, "Four Step Strategy," which is designed to enslave nations to the bankers. I summarize this below, Step One: Privatization. This is actually where national leaders are offered 10% commissions to their secret Swiss bank accounts in exchange for them trimming a few billion dollars off the sale price of national assets. Bribery and corruption, pure and simple.   ...   Step Two: Capital Market Liberalization. This is the repealing any laws that taxes money going over its borders. Stiglitz calls this the, "hot money," cycle. Initially cash comes in from abroad to speculate in real estate and currency, then when the economy in that country starts to look promising, this outside wealth is pulled straight out again, causing the economy to collapse.   ...  The nation then requires IMF help and the IMF provides it under the pretext that they raise interest rates anywhere from 30% to 80%. This happened in Indonesia and Brazil, also in other Asian and Latin American nations. These higher interest rates consequently impoverish a country, demolishing property values, savaging industrial production and draining national treasuries.    ...   Step Three: Market Based Pricing. This is where the prices of food, water and domestic gas are raised which predictably leads to social unrest in the respective nation, now more commonly referred to as, "IMF Riots." These riots cause the flight of capital and government bankruptcies. This benefits the foreign corporations as the nations remaining assets can be purchased at rock bottom prices.   ...  Step Four: Free Trade. This is where international corporations burst into Asia, Latin America and Africa, whilst at the same time Europe and America barricade their own markets against third world agriculture. They also impose extortionate tariffs which these countries have to pay for branded pharmaceuticals, causing soaring rates in death and disease  There are a lot of losers in this system, but a few winners - bankers. In fact the IMF and World Bank have made the sale of electricity, water, telephone and gas systems a condition of loans to every developing nation. This is estimated at 4 trillion dollars of publicly owned assets.  In September of this year, Professor Joseph Stiglitz is awarded the Nobel Prize in economics.

 

2001 Scoreboard-Canada.  Rudolph Giuliani running for President on 9/11 record....see Scoreboard-Canada Raytheon  and Opus Dei links to Rothschild   and  Tucson, Arizona is in fact the Headquarters of Raytheon Missile Systems ...  Who is really behind Raytheon? ANALYSIS: The largest institutional shareholders are Capital Research & Management, Harris Associates, Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, State Street, Barclays, NWQ Investment Management and Lord Abbet & Co. Further down the list are JP Morgan Chase and T. Rowe Price.

 

2001 SourceWatch Open Russia Foundation board of directors Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky,  Henry Kissinger, Arthur Hartman Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Lord Jacob Rothschild, OM GBE  and NewsCompass It is significant that YUKOS’s liberal pressure group, the Open Russia Foundation, is completely controlled by Rothschild now that its founder is in jail.  and Martin Frost (Kissinger) was a friend of Baron Edmond de Rothschild; served with Baron Eric de Rothschild on the international board of governors of the Peres Pe






 
Promotional Video One of the film- The Great American Novel

 
Promotional Video Two of the film- The Great American Novel


 

Who Runs The World? Solid Proof That A Core Group Of Wealthy Elitists Is Pulling The Strings
Michael Snyder
Economic Collapse
Jan 30, 2013

Does a shadowy group of obscenely wealthy elitists control the world?  Do men and women with enormous amounts of money really run the world from behind the scenes?  The answer might surprise you.  Most of us tend to think of money as a convenient way to conduct transactions, but the truth is that it also represents power and control.  And today we live in a neo-fuedalist system in which the super rich pull all the strings.  When I am talking about the ultra-wealthy, I am not just talking about people that have a few million dollars.  As you will see later in this article, the ultra-wealthy have enough money sitting in offshore banks to buy all of the goods and services produced in the United States during the course of an entire year and still be able to pay off the entire U.S. national debt.  That is an amount of money so large that it is almost incomprehensible.  Under this ne0-feudalist system, all the rest of us are debt slaves, including our own governments.  Just look around – everyone is drowning in debt, and all of that debt is making the ultra-wealthy even wealthier.  But the ultra-wealthy don’t just sit on all of that wealth.  They use some of it to dominate the affairs of the nations.  The ultra-wealthy own virtually every major bank and every major corporation on the planet.  They use a vast network of secret societies, think tanks and charitable organizations to advance their agendas and to keep their members in line.  They control how we view the world through their ownership of the media and their dominance over our education system.  They fund the campaigns of most of our politicians and they exert a tremendous amount of influence over international organizations such as the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.  When you step back and take a look at the big picture, there is little doubt about who runs the world.  It is just that most people don’t want to admit the truth.
The ultra-wealthy don’t run down and put their money in the local bank like you and I do.  Instead, they tend to stash their assets in places where they won’t be taxed such as the Cayman Islands.  According to a report that was released last summer, the global elite have up to 32 TRILLION dollars stashed in offshore banks around the globe.
U.S. GDP for 2011 was about 15 trillion dollars, and the U.S. national debt is sitting at about 16 trillion dollars, so you could add them both together and you still wouldn’t hit 32 trillion dollars.
And of course that does not even count the money that is stashed in other locations that the study did not account for, and it does not count all of the wealth that the global elite have in hard assets such as real estate, precious metals, art, yachts, etc.
The global elite have really hoarded an incredible amount of wealth in these troubled times.  The following is from an article on the Huffington Post website
Rich individuals and their families have as much as $32 trillion of hidden financial assets in offshore tax havens, representing up to $280 billion in lost income tax revenues, according to research published on Sunday.
The study estimating the extent of global private financial wealth held in offshore accounts – excluding non-financial assets such as real estate, gold, yachts and racehorses – puts the sum at between $21 and $32 trillion.
The research was carried out for pressure group Tax Justice Network, which campaigns against tax havens, by James Henry, former chief economist at consultants McKinsey & Co.
He used data from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations and central banks.
But as I mentioned previously, the global elite just don’t have a lot of money.  They also basically own just about every major bank and every major corporation on the entire planet.

Please read the full story on Who Really Runs the World further down this INLNews.com web page...
thank you for taking the time for reading this important information....#

 

Who Are The Rothschilds?


The Famous Balfour Letter to  Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur James Balfour


Hitler's American Business Partners 

. “Getting along with their own business“

The secret pact of Standard Oil with the Nazis and why Adolf

Eichmann was silenced

The Russian Revolution installed a new global order. Until 1917, the Europeans were in command of the world. Then the US corporates wanted to get in the global business, above all, John D. Rockefeller who founded Standard Oil in 1870. In 1879 he merged the Vacuum Company and many other firms until1911, when the Trust was desolved and broken into many smaller companies. But the Rockefeller family maintained power in the oil business.

At that time, petroleum was produced in two places, in Texas and in Baku, in the

Caucasus. The Russian oilfields were owned by the Nobel and Rothschild families who lost their assets with October Revolution. “In summer 1918, Mr. Nobel flew from the Soviets and begged the German emperor Wilhelm to help him to conquer his assets back”, says the historian Dietrich Eichholtz. But thinking about “conquer” wasn’t possible with an unarmed German Republic.

The interest of the Rockefeller family were identical with the interest of Deutsche Bank.

And after WW1, their shares of the „Turkish Petroleum Company“ were transferred as „enemy property“ to France. For many years, the Deutsche Bank tried to litigate against this expropriation, but finally they realized that there wouldn’t be any chance on the legal front. There is strong evidence to suggest that approximately in 1927, Deutsche Bank and Standard Oil made a secret pact aimed at bringing Hitler to power in order to conquer the Oil of Baku. Standard Oil promised to supply the fuel.

1927, Standard Oil and IG Farben founded the company „Standard IG Farben“;

president was the oil dealer William Farish from Texas. Standard passed to IG Farben the patents about the coal hydrogenation processes and the Germans gave them the patents how to manufacture synthetic rubber. In the same year, 1927, the young Adolf Eichmann, close friend of Ernest Kaltenbrunner (chief of Hitler’s Gestapo), was hired by the Vacuum Oil Company in Austria, a relation with future.

While the European powers wanted to avoid growth of German industry after WW1,

US invested huge sums in Germany and never ratified the Versailles Treaty. They sold German bonds in the US financial market. One of the most important was the"Union Banking Corporation" of George H. Walker. He named his son-in-law, Prescott Bush, grandfather of US president George W. Bush, director of the firm. And he made great business with the Germans, before and after 1933. In the board of his „Walkers American Shipping and Commerce Company“ with its Hamburg-America Line was Emil Helfferich, member of „Freundeskreis Reichsführer- SS“ and until end of WW2 President of Deutsch-Amerikanische Petroleum Gesellschaft, later ESSO, and Vacuum Oil Company in Hamburg.
Read full story further down this INL News page


Rumours are rife that Building Magante Len Buckeridge 

http://inlnews.com/LenBuckeridgeDiesAged_77.php

was Murdered at 77 year old...read  INL News.com

http://inlnews.com/LenBuckeridgeDiesAged_77.php

http://inlnews.com/ChineseTriadsInAustralia.php

Businessman Cleans Gangs Millions

A High Profile businessman has been laundering millions of euros stolen during a spree of nationwide robberies.

http://inlnews.com/MoneyLaundering-Ireland.php

A prolific burglary gang have linked up with well-known figure to profit form their operation.....The well known businessman- who is a household name ... which is the capital city of Ireland – has become a major target for .... the Organised Crime Unit, the Criminal assets Bureau and National Drugs Unit…A Source said: “These gang members are well-known to police …. they need someone who appears to be a legitimate businessman to launder the money,” “And that’s what this individual and some of his closest associates do – they are pumping the money into building projects and other such ventures while the general public don’t suspect a thing….”…..read the full story  in the INLNews.com website

http://inlnews.com/MoneyLaundering-Ireland.php


Also read in INL News.com about: Meeting Malaysia's notorious triads
“I admit that I am a bad guy, and that I'm a gangster “..Ah Hing
As part of the BBC's Who Runs Your World? series, Jonathan Kent in Kuala Lumpur looks at 
how Malaysia's notorious triad gangs are run.

http://inlnews.com/ChineseTriadsInAustralia.php

Ah Hing
Ah Hing says he makes deals with politicians and policemen



“..We have some cases where [those owing debts] have been assaulted…”… Michael Chong, Malaysian
 Chinese Association



Len Buckeridge.....
 "..a man that built an image of being a man who was above the law..."



 Len Buckeridge, Australia's 19th richest person, with an estimated pwersonal wealth of over $3 billion, has died on Monday at 8am at his dest at hope of a alleged heart attack, at the age of 77, ... Len Buckeridge construction materials and home building business, Buckeridge Group of Companies, known as BGC has an estimated yearly turnover of in excess of $160 billion dollars.... with many multi-million large lucrative government building and supply contracts awarded to BGC over the years.

Len Buckeridge

On Tuesday, Australia lost one of its most successful and colourful business people. Aged 77, Len Buckeridge, the former shoeless war child from England who built the Buckeridge Group of Companies into a manufacturing and construction empire suffered a suspected heart attack and died.

Updated | Outspoken building mogul Len Buckeridge, the founder of the Buckeridge Group with an estimated wealth of $2.1 billion, has died from a suspected heart attack at his Perth home.

Prominent West Australian businessman Len Buckeridge has died aged 77. 
The self-made billionaire behind the Buckeridge Group of Companies died at his home in the 
Perth suburb of Peppermint Grove this morning.
A desire to provide low-cost housing led to the creation of BGC (Buckeridge Group of Companies), which in 2013 had an estimated turnover of $160 billion per year ... BGC had always seemed to end up withlucrative large government building and building supply contracts, along with controlling the lion's shares of residential and commercial building companies in Western Australia and over 20 building manufacture and supply companies. Many of the BGC companies were built from the ground up on empty blocks of land that were not always zoned at the time for the purpose the businesses needed,  with the help of massive capital injections in the 1980's and 1990's onwards from the family of  Siok Pauk Koh, who is the mother of Julian Ambrose, who in Len Buckeridge started a de-facto relationship with in the late 1980's, and divorsed his original wife. Len Buckeridge's attitude was rules were meant for mugs, and simply built houses and factories where he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted and argued the rules, building approvals and zoning after the buildings were completed and businesses already operating... one particular case that is well know, is when Len Buckeridge had a massive legal battle with the Mosman Park Shire Council, when Len Buckeridge completed ignore the original building plans for his two new Swan River frontage duplex homes in Johnson Parade, Mosman Park, that were approved by the Mosman Park Shire Council, and built the two duplex homes about the legal and approved hight limits, blocking Len Buckeridge's neighbours Swan River views. When neighbours forced the Mosman Shire Council to take Len Buckeridge to court to enforce Len Buckeridge to remove his new home and rebuild it according tot the original shire approved plans and for the council to fine Len Buckeridhe the maximum fine of $5,000 a day for building an illegal building... Len Buckeridge managed to just receive a fine, but was never forced by the courts or the council to remove the illegally built house....
Len Buckeridge was reported by the West Australian newspaper as "..a man that built an image of being a man who was above the law..."
A tell all book about the otherside of the life and times of Len Buckeridge and the way be built up BGC from a small company building cheap flats in Battle Street, Mosmans Park to cater for the battlers of society .... to being Australia's 19th richest man, with his BGC Group of Companies turning over each year in excess of $160 billion a year, has been written which will be published by the the INL News Group unless the rights are purchased Len Buckeridge's family to stop the book being published and made into a feature film... titled,
 " 60 years of Living Next Door to Billionaire Building Magnate Len Buckeridge..."

which describes in great detail, with no holes barred .... what is was like for this one family that lived next door to Len Buckeridge from the early 1950's onwards .... 

The INL News Group had written in 2013 prior to Len Buckeridge's untimely death, to Len Buckeridge and his family and Len Buckeridge's Perth, Western Australia family solicitor Michael Hotchkin of Hotchin Hanly Solicitors based on the 1st Floor of the BGC Centre, 28 The Esplanade, Perth, Western Australia, Tel: +61 8 9218770 Fax: +61 8 9218777, email: hothan@iinet.net.au, and to Len Buckeridge's other solicitors and barristers, Corrs Westgarth and Chambers and Barrister Nicolas Dillon offering to sell the book and film rights to Len Buckeridge's family for $100 million ....then they could chose not to allow the puiblication of the book and not to allow the film to be made, or publish and make the film and make a billion dollars in doing so..

 
                            Please email any inquiries, information and/or requests regarding this proposed publication 
                            and/or any other matters, stories and information concerning Len Buckerdge and BGC to
                                                       David Rosen 
                                                       INL News Group
                                                       "David Rosen" <
david.rosen.inlnews@gmail.com>, 

 

Everything you have ever been told is a lie...

Vietnam, 1971. William E. Colby on July 19, 1971, before Senate Subcommittee testified that CIA's Operation Phoenix had killed 21,587 Vietnamese citizens between January 1968 and May 1971. Counterspy, December 1978, p. 6 


If you want to know MORE about this subject may we recommend the following:

 Extracts and Commentary from Vol. II of the CIA Inspector General's Report
 CIA Drugs and the Impeachment (video)
The Salon at Fraser Court (5/99)
A SUBSCRIPTION TO FROM THE WILDERNESS

  • In the early 1990's the  Rothschild puppet Obama was being created by the Chicago / B'nai Brith / Ford Foundation / CIA machine as BCCI / Capcom is being investigated and prosecuted  reference   and First American v. al Nahyan   Visar.csustan.edu  Sandstorm2.pdf MINUTES OF THE MEETING WITH PRICE WATERHOUSE 1988 page and  Hartmann pic1Hartmann pic2 These files are Absolute Proof that Alfred Hartmann (BCCI) worked for Rothschilds The internet has been 'cleansed' of almost all traces of Hartmann's involvement with Rothschild and BCCI, except these files.  MORE BELOW  cadc  FAS Rappaport / Hartmann
  • Official BCCI Congressional Report BCCI's criminality included fraud by BCCI and BCCI customers involving billions of dollars; money laundering in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas; BCCI's bribery of officials in most of those locations; support of terrorism, arms trafficking, and the sale of nuclear technologies; management of prostitution; the commission and facilitation of income tax evasion, smuggling, and illegal immigration; illicit purchases of banks and real estate; and a panoply of financial crimes limited only by the imagination of its officers and customers.  Official BCCI Congressional Report / Rothschild connections hidden in plain site.  Paul Helliwell
  • First American v. al Nahyan  see Sidley Austin defended SHEIKH RASHID BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM in this law suit ( 1990's CNNbillionaires) and also gave Barack Obama a job ), see Li ka Shing, Edward Bronfman, Pritzker,   Wikipedia History of Dubai, horse racing.Leadership in Islamic Finance search Maktoum
  • SurrenderingIslam The primary conduit for CIA funds to the Mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan would be the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, BCCI. BCCI, the first Third World multinational bank, which was created in 1972 by Pakistani banker Agha Hasan Abedi, was initially funded by Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi, in anticipation of the petrodollar bonanza of the oil crisis.  and the Wall Street Journal"BCCI's role in assisting the U.S. to fund the Mujaheddin guerrillas fighting the Soviet occupation is drawing increasing attention. The bank's role began to surface in the mid-1980's when stories appeared in the New York Times showing how American security operatives used Oman as a staging post for Arab funds. This was confirmed in the Wall Street Journal of 23 October 1991  and FASUK Parliament Publications Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi  WTPOTUSResearch  FAS Rappaport / Hartmann
  • Tarpley Mr Auchi has attracted attention at Westminster because of his closeness to politicians and the Establishment. He says that his brother was executed by Saddam Hussein’s regime. His business partners in Britain have included Lord Steel of Aikwood, the former Liberal leader, and Keith Vaz, the Labour MP and Home Affairs Committee chairman. On the 20th anniversary of his business in 1999, Mr Auchi received a greeting card signed by 130 politicians, including Tony Blair, William Hague and Charles Kennedy, who were then leaders of their respective parties.
008 IllinoisPaytoPlay By Andrew Walden (Hawai'i Free Press) “Nadhmi Auchi, seen here with the Governor of Illinois, Rob Blagojevich (middle) at a 2004 Chicago dinner in Auchi's honor arranged by Antonin Rezko  All three men have been convicted of corruption related charges (Auchi 2003, Rezko 2008, Blagojevich 2009)  ...  “A British-Iraqi billionaire lent millions of dollars to Barack Obama's fundraiser (dual US-Syrian citizen Tony Rezko) just weeks before an imprudent land deal that has returned to haunt the presidential contender, an investigation by The Times discloses. The money transfer raises the question of whether funds from  Nadhmi Auchi, one of Britain’s wealthiest men, helped Mr. Obama buy his mock Georgian mansion in Chicago.” -- The Times of London February 26, 2008 The Auchi-Rezko-Obama connection came to public attention with federal marshals pounding on the door of Tony Rezko’s Wilmette Chicago mansion in the early morning of January 28, 2008. They hauled Rezko to jail after his bail was revoked for concealing a $3.5 million Auchi loan from the court. The Times outlines the story in two sentences. It should be of tremendous interest to the American public and the world. But there is more to this story than run-of-the mill political corruption. Nadhmi Auchi is alleged to have a long affiliation with Iraqi Baathism and Saddam Hussein—which his attorneys deny. How close were they? According to a 1960 US Embassy report, Auchi was convicted along with Saddam by an Iraqi court for his part in a failed 1959 assassination attempt against then-Iraqi Prime Minister Qassim. For his crime, Auchi earned a sentence of “three years rigorous imprisonment.”    Times.UK  .. articles have been deleted for the TimesOnline 
but copies exist.
Khashoggi








BANKS, THE MAFIA AND DRUGS!

by Ray Novosel

The American People are Funding Global Terrorism and the Bush Family's International Criminal Enterprises and Mass Murder Programs and they don't even know it.  The satanic Bush Crime Family and the CIA/FBI/MOSSAD/Mafia are murdering whole planeloads of people just to bump off their political enemies so that they can further destroy incriminating evidence at the American Tax Payer Funded Expense.

 

Remember all of the Federal documents that had been shipped to the Federal Murrah Building just prior to its planned bombing?  Where witnesses had also disclosed that large teams of trucks were ready and waiting a block away just prior to the bombing and went in immediately to remove the stored documents that had to be ”destroyed.”  These documents contained incriminating details that revealed in detail the Bush Crime Family, the CIA, the FBI, the International Banking Community’s huge criminal enterprises and massive ripping off of the American people and is THE real reason for the Federal Murrah Building bombing. And it was done without any concern whatsoever for the murder of more than 170 innocent people including many children, using their CIA Mind Controlled slave Timothy McVeigh, who openly admitted to being a CIA experimental Mind Control Robot.

 

Thousands upon thousands of innocents die every day so that the Elites can continue with their Global Crimes. TWA 800 was deliberately SHOT DOWN with a ground-to-air missile, simply to murder the author Sally Denton, who wrote the book: “The Blue Grass Conspiracy,”dealing with High Treason in the American Government.  Sally was on board that fateful last flight of TWA 800 on her way to Europe to deliver her evidence to the European Publishing Houses on the Bush International Crime Family's Global CIA/Mafia Drugs, Money Laundering, Illegal Weapons Trades, Mind Control Operations, Experimental Disease programs, and Mass Murder Operations. They then had James Sanders, the author of the book, "The Downing of TWA Flight 800," arrested along with his wife, without any proper substantive reason other then to silence them and to cover up the proof that TWA 800 had indeed been blown out of the sky under the orders of the out of control criminal elements who are now controlling the U.S. Government.

 

The list is very long as to those that have been continually targeted for murder, but what about the thousands of others who were also slaughtered, just so the Bush Crime Family and their Elitist Associates could kill perhaps one or two of their political enemies.  Innocent people who by their tragic misfortune, happened also to be on the same flights, or in the very buildings that the Bush/CIA murderers had targeted for destruction.  This is how far these Judeo/Masonic Elites now firmly control the entire United States Infrastructure for their own sordid criminal enterprises.  Under the auspices of “Global Terror,” the Bush Family's three-ring-circus of International Criminal Enterprises and Mass Murder Programs, merrily rolls along and the dumbed-down LEMMINGS STILL have absolutely no idea.

The link below gives access to a list of bodies, directly or indirectly, involving the hand of the Bush family - a roster of the silent dead, who might have been called as witnesses had they not met their untimely ends. Some of the names on this list will give you pause. Some are rumor, some you may find incredible, and some downright frightening. Again, do your own RESEARCH, and then draw your own conclusions.
 


OPIUM LORDS AND THE KILLING OF A PRESIDENT
 

After President John F. Kennedy was murdered in 1963, America became deeply involved in the Vietnam War. Within a few short years, heroin addiction in America reached epidemic proportions. In the background, Israel aggressively expanded its borders by force and became a colonial empire ruling a nation of angry Palestinians. A new BOOK “Opium Lords” by Salvador Astucia - reveals how Israel exploited the Western powers’ long history of opium trafficking as a means of toppling the young American president. The following points summarize the well-documented information presented:
 

Opium was the glue that held together the rivalling factions that conspired to kill JFK. The main factions in the conspiracy were Zionist instigators, the American Mafia (headed by Jewish mobster Meyer Lansky and his lieutenant, Santo Trafficante), French-Corsican crime syndicates in Marseilles, France and Southeast Asia, and the US military. Heroin smuggling was first introduced in the United States in the 1920s by Jewish gangsters such as Meyer Lansky, "Legs" Diamond, and "Dutch" Schultz. One of the reasons President Johnson escalated US involvement in Southeast Asia was because the American Mafia and French-Corsican heroin traffickers needed a new source of opium for their heroin factories. Turkey had been the main source, but its government was about to eradicate opium production. 
 

Joseph Kennedy, Sr’s three sons were viewed as a new American dynasty that threatened Israel’s plans to expand its borders. The Kennedy Dynasty would last until 1985 if each son served two terms in the White House. It is widely known that Joseph Kennedy Sr developed a strong loathing of Jews from his business dealings with them in finance, Hollywood, and politics.

 

 A decree was issued to kill JFK by Nahum Goldmann, founder of the World Jewish Congress and its president in 1963. Louis Bloomfield of Montreal was then assigned to set up the hit. He was an influential international lawyer with an extensive espionage background - including, British intelligence, Haganah, OSS and the CIA. Martin Agronsky and other Jewish journalists and media moguls collaborated in the plot by pushing a false cover story that Lee Harvey Oswald and he alone killed JFK. Right-wing extremists joined the coup initially but broke ranks and declared a holy war against Jews immediately after JFK was killed. The assassins were the lieutenants of French-Corsican heroin trafficker and convicted Nazi collaborator, Auguste Joseph Ricord. He was living in Argentina at the time of the assassination. 
 

Later he moved to Paraguay, which became a major hub for smuggling heroin into the United States. The actual assassins were Lucien Sarti, François Chiappe, and Jean-Paul Angeletti—all French-Corsicans. Nixon, (no friend of the Jews) was driven from office because he destroyed Ricord’s heroin cartel, established détente with the Soviet Union, withdrew forces from Vietnam, and ended the draft. Under Nixon’s orders, police in Mexico City tried to arrest Lucien Sarti - the man who actually shot JFK in the head. When Sarti fled, Mexican police opened fire and he conveniently died in a hail of bullets on April 27, 1972.
 

JFK made powerful enemies within the military/Industrial establishment including Israel, when he attempted to establish détente with the Soviet Union in the summer of 1963. He also wanted to put an end to the evil of the Federal Reserve System and to prevent Israel from acquiring ”the Bomb.” Abolishing the Fed would have been a crucial blow to the establishment elite’s dream of a New World Order, so it was decided that JFK simply had to go, by those that had the most to loose.  It also sent a powerful message throughout the Washington establishment that has not been lost on potential “buckers” of the ZOG syst

 

       Exactly the same people who run the Global Financial System run the Global Drug Trade. In EIR's blockbuster expose first published in 1978, revealed that the international narcotics trade is run by the International financial oligarchy as a political weapon against sovereign nations, and that a large section of the international banking system was devoted specifically to the laundering of the revenues from this illicit trade.

 

Consider for a moment the volume of cash - not just the dollar amount, but also the volume of the actual bills themselves, taken in by drug dealers each day in any major metropolitan area. Just handling the money is a major logistical problem and without a sophisticated money laundering apparatus, the drug trade would quickly choke on its own cash, so the key to laundering drug money is to get it into the banking system as quickly as possible at the local level. One method of doing this is to set up a number of fronts - restaurants, parking lots, sports concessions and the like which take in large amounts of irregular cash, mix in the dope money with the business revenue and deposit it all in the company's bank account. Once it gets into the banking system, it can be transferred through a maze of banks and accounts around the world.

 

The Federal Reserve's own figures showed how the cash piled up in the Federal Reserve Bank in Miami and then, when law enforcement operations in the Southeast United States caused the drug trafficking to shift to the Southwest, the surplus shifted to the Fed's branches in Los Angeles and San Antonio. It was obvious to all that it was drug money.

 

The overlords of Dope, Inc., would have us believe that the cocaine trade is run by the Colombians, and the trade in crack cocaine is run by inner city gangs, a myth akin to believing that the oil cartel is run by gas station operators. Those who handle the dope, are mostly low-level employees, and expendable; to find out who runs the drug trade, follow the money, through the banks to the boardrooms. They don't ever touch the stuff, but they always take the money. Many of the figures who seemed so powerful in their day, from Meyer Lansky - to Bernie Cornfield and Robert Vesco of Investors Overseas Services, to junk bond king Michael Milken, were nothing more than front men for the financial oligarchy's dirty money apparatus, dangled like puppets on a string for public consumption. The same holds true for today's titans such as hedge fund operator and drug legalizer and avid Talmudist George Soros.

 

The American people have also been led to believe that the (Mafia) crime syndicate in America is strictly an Italian affair. Our Jewish entertainment media has produced countless films and Television shows, (like the award winning “Sopranos”) depicting Italo-Americans as the masters of the syndicate. But a closer look reveals that Jews, NOT Italians, founded and financed “the syndicate” in the early days before prohibition. From the late 1940s to the present, the upper structure of the syndicate has remained pretty much the same - Jewish Meyer Lansky dispatched his right-hand man, Bugsy Siegel, to Las Vegas in 1946 to start the gambling and prostitution rackets in that area. Lansky ordered Siegel's death when he learned that Siegel was embezzling from him. Siegel was then replaced by Morris Rosen, Gus Greenbaum, and Morris Sidwirts. In Los Angeles, Lansky's men were Jack Dragna and Mickey Cohen - all strictly "kosher."
 

The banks on the rare occasions when they are caught laundering drug money, shed rivers of crocodile tears, rub their eyes and whine how they were victimized by devious ole’ dope dealers and when the evidence is too damning, they simply point the finger at the lowest level employee plausible. The fact is, that not only do the banks knowingly handle drug money, they compete avidly for the business. Whole sections of financial institutions, law firms, accounting firms, and consulting firms, have been specifically set up to run money-laundering operations; it is a huge, lucrative business and yet again, principally run by Jews.

 

In a recent article in the OBSERVER, London - Sunday, November 10, 2002, entitled “Ultra Orthodox US Jews accused of 'cleaning' Colombian coke cartel cash,” reporter Ed Vulliamy, not only proves the point of covert Jewish involvement in CRIMINAL enterprises including drugs, but the article clearly illustrates how the belief system of the oh-so-pious Hassidic Jews, are a complete and utter sham! “British and American drug-busting authorities claim to have smashed one of the most bizarre money-laundering services ever operated for Colombian cocaine cartels: a circle of ultra-religious Hassidic Jews in New York. The ring is said to be one of the biggest to be 'cleaning' profits amassed by the Colombian coke barons, with the strange twist that it is run by a group from the Jewish community that acts as moral and spiritual guardian of the Orthodox faith. This is not the first time the Hassidim have been exposed as involved in the big-time drug trade. Last year, the trial ended of a circle run by Sean Erez, a Hassidic who oversaw a massive ecstasy smuggling operation, drawing recruits from the young Orthodox community . . . Sometimes, the evidence had a tragicomic edge. Wiretaps showed smugglers reluctant to take flights on the Sabbath and one of Erez's agents was picked up in Montreal with a suitcase full of ecstasy because she had refused to take the bus to New York on a Saturday. “

MURDER INC

The American People are Funding Global Terrorism and the Bush Family's International Criminal Enterprises and Mass Murder Programs and they don't even know it.  The satanic Bush Crime Family and the CIA/FBI/MOSSAD/Mafia are murdering whole planeloads of people just to bump off their political enemies so that they can further destroy incriminating evidence at the American Tax Payer Funded Expense.

 

Remember all of the Federal documents that had been shipped to the Federal Murrah Building just prior to its planned bombing?  Where witnesses had also disclosed that large teams of trucks were ready and waiting a block away just prior to the bombing and went in immediately to remove the stored documents that had to be ”destroyed.”  These documents contained incriminating details that revealed in detail the Bush Crime Family, the CIA, the FBI, the International Banking Community’s huge criminal enterprises and massive ripping off of the American people and is THE real reason for the Federal Murrah Building bombing. And it was done without any concern whatsoever for the murder of more than 170 innocent people including many children, using their CIA Mind Controlled slave Timothy McVeigh, who openly admitted to being a CIA experimental Mind Control Robot.

 

Thousands upon thousands of innocents die every day so that the Elites can continue with their Global Crimes. TWA 800 was deliberately SHOT DOWN with a ground-to-air missile, simply to murder the author Sally Denton, who wrote the book: “The Blue Grass Conspiracy,”dealing with High Treason in the American Government.  Sally was on board that fateful last flight of TWA 800 on her way to Europe to deliver her evidence to the European Publishing Houses on the Bush International Crime Family's Global CIA/Mafia Drugs, Money Laundering, Illegal Weapons Trades, Mind Control Operations, Experimental Disease programs, and Mass Murder Operations. They then had James Sanders, the author of the book, "The Downing of TWA Flight 800," arrested along with his wife, without any proper substantive reason other then to silence them and to cover up the proof that TWA 800 had indeed been blown out of the sky under the orders of the out of control criminal elements who are now controlling the U.S. Government.

 

The list is very long as to those that have been continually targeted for murder, but what about the thousands of others who were also slaughtered, just so the Bush Crime Family and their Elitist Associates could kill perhaps one or two of their political enemies.  Innocent people who by their tragic misfortune, happened also to be on the same flights, or in the very buildings that the Bush/CIA murderers had targeted for destruction.  This is how far these Judeo/Masonic Elites now firmly control the entire United States Infrastructure for their own sordid criminal enterprises.  Under the auspices of “Global Terror,” the Bush Family's three-ring-circus of International Criminal Enterprises and Mass Murder Programs, merrily rolls along and the dumbed-down LEMMINGS STILL have absolutely no idea.

The link below gives access to a list of bodies, directly or indirectly, involving the hand of the Bush family - a roster of the silent dead, who might have been called as witnesses had they not met their untimely ends. Some of the names on this list will give you pause. Some are rumor, some you may find incredible, and some downright frightening. Again, do your own RESEARCH, and then draw your own conclusions.
 


OPIUM LORDS AND THE KILLING OF A PRESIDENT
 

After President John F. Kennedy was murdered in 1963, America became deeply involved in the Vietnam War. Within a few short years, heroin addiction in America reached epidemic proportions. In the background, Israel aggressively expanded its borders by force and became a colonial empire ruling a nation of angry Palestinians. A new BOOK “Opium Lords” by Salvador Astucia - reveals how Israel exploited the Western powers’ long history of opium trafficking as a means of toppling the young American president. The following points summarize the well-documented information presented:
 

Opium was the glue that held together the rivalling factions that conspired to kill JFK. The main factions in the conspiracy were Zionist instigators, the American Mafia (headed by Jewish mobster Meyer Lansky and his lieutenant, Santo Trafficante), French-Corsican crime syndicates in Marseilles, France and Southeast Asia, and the US military. Heroin smuggling was first introduced in the United States in the 1920s by Jewish gangsters such as Meyer Lansky, "Legs" Diamond, and "Dutch" Schultz. One of the reasons President Johnson escalated US involvement in Southeast Asia was because the American Mafia and French-Corsican heroin traffickers needed a new source of opium for their heroin factories. Turkey had been the main source, but its government was about to eradicate opium production. 
 

Joseph Kennedy, Sr’s three sons were viewed as a new American dynasty that threatened Israel’s plans to expand its borders. The Kennedy Dynasty would last until 1985 if each son served two terms in the White House. It is widely known that Joseph Kennedy Sr developed a strong loathing of Jews from his business dealings with them in finance, Hollywood, and politics.

 

 A decree was issued to kill JFK by Nahum Goldmann, founder of the World Jewish Congress and its president in 1963. Louis Bloomfield of Montreal was then assigned to set up the hit. He was an influential international lawyer with an extensive espionage background - including, British intelligence, Haganah, OSS and the CIA. Martin Agronsky and other Jewish journalists and media moguls collaborated in the plot by pushing a false cover story that Lee Harvey Oswald and he alone killed JFK. Right-wing extremists joined the coup initially but broke ranks and declared a holy war against Jews immediately after JFK was killed. The assassins were the lieutenants of French-Corsican heroin trafficker and convicted Nazi collaborator, Auguste Joseph Ricord. He was living in Argentina at the time of the assassination. 
 

Later he moved to Paraguay, which became a major hub for smuggling heroin into the United States. The actual assassins were Lucien Sarti, François Chiappe, and Jean-Paul Angeletti—all French-Corsicans. Nixon, (no friend of the Jews) was driven from office because he destroyed Ricord’s heroin cartel, established détente with the Soviet Union, withdrew forces from Vietnam, and ended the draft. Under Nixon’s orders, police in Mexico City tried to arrest Lucien Sarti - the man who actually shot JFK in the head. When Sarti fled, Mexican police opened fire and he conveniently died in a hail of bullets on April 27, 1972.
 

JFK made powerful enemies within the military/Industrial establishment including Israel, when he attempted to establish détente with the Soviet Union in the summer of 1963. He also wanted to put an end to the evil of the Federal Reserve System and to prevent Israel from acquiring ”the Bomb.” Abolishing the Fed would have been a crucial blow to the establishment elite’s dream of a New World Order, so it was decided that JFK simply had to go, by those that had the most to loose.  It also sent a powerful message throughout the Washington establishment that has not been lost on potential “buckers” of the ZOG system.

 

Read entire article, The Illuminati Exposed!
 


The truth will set you free!

 
 

AFA.net - America's Largest Pro-Family Action Web Site!

www.silencingchristians.com
 

Bush Jokes About Iraqi War with Elite Dinner Guests

 

We Couldn't Control the People Without You

"We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. ... It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries."

SOURCE: David Rockefeller, Bilderberger Meeting, Baden, Germany, June 1991


Attention All You Sheeple!

Every Man Did That Which Was Right in His Own Eyes | America Needs VOICES! | Make Some Noise!

Sheeple | Shut Up, America! | ENDGAME

IA, Drugs, and Wall Street 


If you want to know MORE about this subject,
may we recommend the following:

- Extracts and Commentary from Vol. II of the CIA Inspector General's Report.
- CIA Drugs and the Impeachment (video)
- The Salon at Fraser Court (5/99)

A SUBSCRIPTION TO FROM THE WILDERNESS

Go to the Store Now!


NOTE: At the time this story was written it looked like the House IntelligenceCommittee was going to get away with closing out the CIA drug investigations. But thanks to the efforts of From The Wilderness that resulted in class action suits being filed against the CIA in Los Angeles and Oakland and other publicity we have generated Volume II has not been closed out. They can't because too many people are watching. On October 12, 1999, investigators from House Intelligence came to Los Angeles and copied 6,000 pages of our records for review. Going into 2000, Volume II is still very much an open investigation and FTW is proof that something can be done. - MCR 

Don't Blink! 

All Promises Broken - Volume II Hearings Held Without Notice - Behind Closed Doors

You Might Miss What's Next

by

Michael C. Ruppert

Posted June 29, 1999 - © Copyright 1999 From The Wilderness, Michael C. Ruppert. All Rights Reserved

On May 25, just four days after we published our last issue, under the totally misleading heading of "CIA and Drugs in Los Angeles" the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) held a closed door hearing. It took us until June 22 to determine that the Committee heard testimony that day from Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Bromwich, who had not appeared before the Committee since the release of his report last year. And it also heard from current CIA Inspector General Britt Snider, who discussed Volume II of retired CIA IG Fred Hitz's report on the whole Contra war - not Los Angeles.  Los Angeles was Volume I.

That's right - They have had the hearing on Volume II. They did it in secret. The press did not cover it. And it remains unclear, at this moment, as to whether HPSCI's final report will even be declassified or made available to the public in any form at all. This is not only a breach of every promise made to us in 1996 by both Houses; it is, in my opinion, a complete breach of trust between the government and the people.

In a June 22 conversation with HPSCI Deputy Staff Director, Tim Sample, I was told that the Committee "would like to wrap this up this summer." I was also told that the protocol for closing the investigation out had not been finalized. It is "not known" whether there will be another hearing. It is "not known" whether or if the Committee's final report will be declassified or ever released. It is "not known" if any additional witnesses will be called. I and retired DEA Agent Cele Castillo and presumably the other major figures in the investigation have all received letters asking us to submit whatever other evidence "we are aware of" before the Committee closes its work.

This is a sign of true desperation as the Republican controlled Committee must absolutely close the issue - to protect George W. Bush - before the 2000 Presidential campaign begins in earnest in October. It must also protect the biggest secret of all from the American people: The entire economy, and the entire political system itself, is currently hooked and dependent upon  - drug money.

I have been saying for years that you could show a video of George Bush ordering drug runs, CIA agents laundering money and flying airplanes full of drugs and no one in power would do anything about it. They would not be able to. In this issue I will tell you, and the House, about something almost as damning - a partially authenticated letter, written on CIA letterhead and stamped "Top Secret", ostensibly written and signed by CIA Director William J. Casey in late 1986, that admits to direct participation in the drug trade [SEE STORY THIS ISSUE].  I have been aware of the existence of this letter for approximately five months. I have had it read to me in its entirety. It was not until I was given this last chance by HPSCI to present "all of the information of which you are aware on the allegations" that I was able to obtain an "On the Record" statement about the letter from Attorney Ray Kohlman. The letter will be admitted into evidence in a new trial motion for former Green Beret William Tyree in the near future. When that happens, From The Wilderness will publish the letter, both on the Internet and in the newsletter.

Now that the House has indicated its intent to close the matter for good and all it is time to bring the letter forward - for good and all. I will also see to it that the letter is widely distributed enough so that any of the major news organizations will be able to follow up on it. The information in this issue is enough for the House Intelligence Committee to go to the CIA and compel it to confirm or deny the letter's authenticity.

Reading The Right Map 

If nothing happens with further hearings, or with the letter, I will tell you in advance exactly why.

Contributing Editor Catherine Austin Fitts, who was a Managing Director at Dillon Read before becoming Assistant Secretary of Housing under George Bush and who holds an MBA from Wharton makes things very simple. She points out that the four largest states for the importation of drugs are New York, Florida, Texas and California. She then points out that the top four money laundering states in the U.S. (good for between 100 and 260 billion per year) are New York, Florida, Texas and California. No surprise there. Then she rips the breath from your lungs by pointing out that 80 per cent of all Presidential campaign funds come from - New York, Florida, Texas and California.

Civics test: Who are the current governors of Texas and Florida?

From The Wilderness has been working on a story for an upcoming issue that will show conclusively, using testimony of law enforcement officers and U.S. Government records, that Dominican drug gangs, who dominate the trade in the northeast United States - especially New York and Pennsylvania - have been making regular campaign donations to the Clinton-Gore-Democratic camp since the early 90s. California drug sales are currently split between Democratically allied crime factions and entrenched hard core Republican strongholds from the Reagan era. People who shudder at the thought of the Chinese buying into presidential politics would choke if they knew how much drug money was involved.

Why? Again, the answer is simpler than you might think. While the Department of Justice estimates that $100 billion in drug funds are laundered in the U.S. each year, other research, including research material from the Andean Commission of Jurists cited by author Dan Russell in his soon to be published book Drug War place the figure at around $250 billion per year. Catherine Austin Fitts places the figure at $250 to $300 billion. Given the fact that the UN estimated that in the early 1990s world retail volume in the illegal drugs was $440 billion, $250 billion seems about right. Fitts, using her Wall Street experience as an investment banker is then quick to point out that the multiplier effect (x6) of  $250 billion laundered would result in $1.5 trillion dollars per year in U.S. cash transactions resulting from the drug trade. How many jobs does $1.5 trillion represent? Why do President's get re-elected?  As Bill Clinton's staff recognized in 1992, "It's the economy -Stupid!"

During the Contra years, when the CIA and Bill Clinton were swimming in cocaine, and Arkansas became the only state in the Union to ever issue bearer bonds (laundry certificates), employment in Arkansas rose to an all time high because there was so much money floating around. So what if they donÕt count all the dead bodies like  two young boys Kevin Ives and Don Henry, shot, bludgeoned and dismembered on a railroad track after witnessing CIA drug drops. "It's the economy - Stupid!"

The Pop

Corporations trading on Wall Street, including many implicated in money laundering schemes where products are sold with questionable bookkeeping throughout drug producing regions, all have stock values that are based upon annual net profits. Known as "price to earnings" or "The Pop" the multiplier effect in stock values is sometimes as much as a factor of thirty. Thus, for a firm like GE or Piper Aircraft to have an additional $10 million in net profits based upon the drug trade, the net increase in these companies' stock value could be as much as $300,000,000. Did GE make a $10 million net profit on consumer products in Latin America last year? Easily. And since GE owns NBC is there a chance that accurate reporting on the drug trade and CIA's involvement therein might hurt their stock?

Disney owns ABC and has a huge retail, resort and entertainment empire that benefits from the "drug multiplier." Would ABC consider hurting its parent's stock value? Ronald Reagan's CIA Director, William Casey had been Chief Counsel to Cap Cities Broadcasting until 1981. His old law firm represented Cap Cities when it bought the ABC network in 1985. ABC's Peter Jennings, by the way, had been doing a series of investigative reports on the CIA drug bank (and successor to the Nugan Hand bank) Bishop, Baldwin, Rewald, Dillingham and Wong when the buyout was initiated. Cap Cities (not surprisingly) secured SEC approval in record time and effectively and immediately silenced Peter Jennings who had previously refused to back down from Casey's threats. Thereafter ABC was referred to as "The CIA network."

I have no doubt that the ABC "object lesson" was front and center for CNN founder Ted Turner and Time-Warner when Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell and (CIA vet) John Singlaub put the pressure on in the wake of April Oliver's 1998 "dead bang accurate" Sarin gas stories connecting CIA to the killing of American defectors.

Every major media corporation in the country trades on Wall Street.  There are no "independents" left and the American people are left with the increasing cognitive dissonance of recognizing that they are being fed useless bullshit. I wonder how they would respond to real a news corporation if they saw or heard one.

It's Legal to be Bad

It is also perfectly legal for a Wall Street brokerage or investment bank to go "offshore" and borrow once laundered drug money to finance a corporate merger or leveraged buyout (LBO). Why do this? If you were a major multi-national corporation in a cutthroat competition to buy a company with a hundred million in sales (which might boost your stock value $3 billion) you would be willing to pay a seemingly outrageous price. [How much would you be willing to spend to make $3 billion? - 2.9?]. All an LBO is is an acquisition financed on borrowed money. If you are Goldman-Sachs, arranging the deal, and you can borrow laundered drug money at five per cent or a bank's money at ten per cent where are you going to go? Remember that since the cost of capital is lower using laundered drug money you are now able to outbid all the other competitors because your total payback stays the same. Does this actually happen? In 1998 the Russians asked for only $18 billion to save their entire economy. With $440 billion a year moving around how could it not happen?

And a major drug dealer, like a Carlos Lehder, a Pablo Escobar, an Amado Fuentes, a Matta Ballesteros or a Hank Rohn, sitting around with ten billion dollars of useless illegal money, is more than happy to loan it at five percent because his money is now legal and liquid. And, if one goes to prison or dies, there is always another dealer to fill the void so that the supply is not interrupted. The drug trade now has power because it is underwriting the investments of the largest corporations in the world. It underwrites politicians. It has hooked the gringos on Wall Street whose own children sometimes die from its drugs. Wall Street cannot afford to let the drug barons fall. Congress cannot afford to let the drug barons fall. Presidents and their campaign finances cannot afford to let the drug barons fall. Why? Because our top down economy, controlled by one per cent, cannot take the risk of letting competition (business or political) have the edge of using drug money. The third world has its revenge for European colonialism but Wall Street still calls the shots. And for every million dollars of increased sales or increased revenues from a buyout, the stock equity of the one per cent who control Wall Street, increases twenty to thirty times.

Remember - The National Security Act of 1947, which created the CIA, was written by Wall Street lawyer and banker Clark Clifford. Clark Clifford is the man who brought the CIA backed drug bank BCCI into the United States. Allen Dulles who virtually designed the CIA and served as its Director, and his brother John Foster who was Eisenhower's Secretary of State, were Wall Street lawyers from the firm Sullivan and Cromwell. Dwight Eisenhower's personal liaison with the CIA was none other than Nelson Rockefeller. William Casey was Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission under Richard Nixon. Former CIA Directors from William Raborn to William Webster to Robert Gates to James Woolsey to John Deutch all sit or have sat on the Boards of the largest, richest and most powerful companies in America.

As we near the millenium one thing is clear to anyone who sees the economic system clearly. The system is on the verge of implosion.  Privately owned and operated prison companies trade on Wall Street. One of those, Wackenhut, is a virtual CIA proprietary. We have entered, at the end of the industrial age, a phase of growth where we must incarcerate an ever expanding number of people to sustain the growth of all the companies profiting from law enforcement, crime, imprisonment and war.  And the overheated stock market must grow or collapse. The reason this nation spends five dollars on prisons for every one dollar on higher education - even after seven straight years of falling crime rates - is because there is more profit in it in the current economic model. Hell, we have turned police departments into profit making entities through asset forfeiture. This is insane!

This economic model is patently no more sustainable than a snake eating its own tail can be considered nourishment. Organized crime has become the government and it seeks to make all citizens become subliminally guilty participants, fearing for their own livelihoods, believing that the system will collapse if someone really tackles the issues facing us - as surely as the iceberg faced the Titanic.

The system will collapse anyway - unless the economic model is turned upside down - unless a way is found or offered which will make it more profitable than all other ways - to do the right thing. The only thing that will sustain the current economic system, and its dependence on drug capital, is a police state. New enforcement programs involving HUD and the Department of Justice such as Project "Safe Streets" and "Weed and Seed" - along with their corresponding butchery of the Constitution - show an emerging police state already. The conduct of Congress and the White House in the CIA drug investigations further demonstrate the arrogance, the fear and the ever-increasing sloppiness of a system out of control.

The veneer, the illusion that we live under the rule of law cracks before our eyes, grows thinner and ever more difficult to sell with each passing minute. All at once the fears of the right of a New World Order and the fears of the left, of new concentration camps and genocide suddenly become one and the same thing. Dogma matters little to the oppressed. Pain tastes the same whether you call it Fascism or Communism. Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas, co-founder of the Medellin Cartel, who was given a life sentence in 1990, now enjoys the sunshine at his home in the Bahamas. He frolics regularly with gaming magnate and owner of the Atlantis Hotel Sol Kerzner. His guests at parties include Kevin Costner who played (I am sorry to say) both Elliot Ness and Jim Garrison. Manuel Noriega will probably be out of prison before Bill Clinton leaves office. The Kosovo Liberation Army has been funded with drug money and has trained with Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden. The son of a documented drug trafficker, who very few people in this country even know anything about, is "scheduled" to become our next President, simply because he has the most money and he and his backers control most of  "The Pop."

How much time can this government have? How much time does it deserve? Bill Clinton's Farewell Address should probably be, "Apres moi, le deluge."

Mike Ruppert

Missed Call on Noriega 

January 31, 2001 issue of From The Wilderness

FTW has been following the dynamics of the drug trade as it interfaces with political campaigns - and contributions - almost from our first issue. In April 2000 we described in detail the Democratic Party's Presidential Drug Money Pipeline and in subsequent issues we described a clear cut alliance between the Clinton-Gore administration and certain drug factions, especially those with less than friendly feelings for George Bush. That would apply especially to the Medellin Cartel which George Bush systematically began eliminating at the end of the Contra war. Among that group also was Gen. Manuel Noriega, a key player sentenced to 40 years in 1990 after George Bush proved his manhood and tested some new weapons by invading Panama. 

As AP reported in March 1999 we were not alone in believing that, absent a release ordered by the courts, Bill Clinton would pardon Noriega before leaving office. On March 21, 2000 Reuters reported that former President Bush was afraid for his life if Noriega was released ahead of schedule. And as late as mid-December we were hearing from sources close to Noriega that a pardon was on the table.

But it was not to be. Nor was it to be for Leonard Peltier, the Indian activist politically imprisoned for the slaying of two FBI Agents at Wounded Knee in the 1970s. We wonder what Clinton got in return for the trades.

Dirty Money" Foundation of US Growth and Empire - Size and Scope of Money Laundering by US Banks From La Journada [Mexico], 5/19/01, [Reprinted with permission, James Petras]

by 

James Petras - Professor of Sociology, Binghamton University

-- There is a consensus among U.S. Congressional Investigators, former bankers and international banking experts that U.S. and European banks launder between $500 billion and $1 trillion of dirty money each year, half of which is laundered by U.S. banks alone. As Senator Carl Levin summarizes the record: "Estimates are that $500 billion to $1 trillion of international criminal proceeds are moved internationally and deposited into bank accounts annually. It is estimated that half of that money comes to the United States".

Over a decade then, between $2.5 and $5 trillion criminal proceeds have been laundered by U.S. banks and circulated in the U.S. financial circuits. Senator Levin's statement however, only covers criminal proceeds, according to U.S. laws. It does not include illegal transfers and capital flows from corrupt political leaders, or tax evasion by overseas businesses. A leading U.S. scholar who is an expert on international finance associated with the prestigious Brookings Institute estimates "the flow of corrupt money out of developing (Third World) and transitional (ex-Communist) economies into Western coffers at $20 to $40 billion a year and the flow stemming from mis-priced trade at $80 billion a year or more. My lowest estimate is $100 billion per year by these two means by which we facilitated a trillion dollars in the decade, at least half to the United States. Including the other elements of illegal flight capital would produce much higher figures. The Brookings expert also did not include illegal shifts of real estate and securities titles, wire fraud, etc.

In other words, an incomplete figure of dirty money (laundered criminal and corrupt money) flowing into U.S. coffers during the 1990s amounted to $3-$5.5 trillion. This is not the complete picture but it gives us a basis to estimate the significance of the "dirty money factor" in evaluating the U.S. economy. In the first place, it is clear that the combined laundered and dirty money flows cover part of the U.S. deficit in its balance of merchandise trade which ranges in the hundreds of billions annually. As it stands, the U.S. trade deficit is close to $300 billion. Without the "dirty money" the U.S. economy external accounts would be totally unsustainable, living standards would plummet, the dollar would weaken, the available investment and loan capital would shrink and Washington would not be able to sustain its global empire. And the importance of laundered money is forecast to increase. Former private banker Antonio Geraldi, in testimony before the Senate Subcommittee projects significant growth in U.S. bank laundering. "The forecasters also predict the amounts laundered in the trillions of dollars and growing disproportionately to legitimate funds." The $500 billion of criminal and dirty money flowing into and through the major U.S. banks far exceeds the net revenues of all the IT companies in the U.S., not to speak of their profits. These yearly inflows surpass all the net transfers by the major U.S. oil producers, military industries and airplane manufacturers. The biggest U.S. banks, particularly Citibank, derive a high percentage of their banking profits from serving these criminal and dirty money accounts. The big U.S. banks and key institutions sustain U.S. global power via their money laundering and managing of illegally obtained overseas funds.

U.S. Banks and The Dirty Money Empire

Washington and the mass media have portrayed the U.S. as being in the forefront of the struggle against narco trafficking, drug laundering and political corruption: the image is of clean white hands fighting dirty money. The truth is exactly the opposite. U.S. banks have developed a highly elaborate set of policies for transferring illicit funds to the U.S., investing those funds in legitimate businesses or U.S. government bonds and legitimating them. The U.S. Congress has held numerous hearings, provided detailed exposés of the illicit practices of the banks, passed several laws and called for stiffer enforcement by any number of public regulators and private bankers. Yet the biggest banks continue their practices, the sum of dirty money grows exponentially, because both the State and the banks have neither the will nor the interest to put an end to the practices that provide high profits and buttress an otherwise fragile empire.

First thing to note about the money laundering business, whether criminal or corrupt, is that it is carried out by the most important banks in the USA. Secondly, the practices of bank officials involved in money laundering have the backing and encouragement of the highest levels of the banking institutions - these are not isolated cases by loose cannons. This is clear in the case of Citibank's laundering of Raul Salinas (brother of Mexico's ex-President) $200 million account. When Salinas was arrested and his large scale theft of government funds was exposed, his private bank manager at Citibank, Amy Elliott told her colleagues that "this goes in the very, very top of the corporation, this was known...on the very top. We are little pawns in this whole thing" (p.35).

Citibank, the biggest money launderer, is the biggest bank in the U.S., with 180,000 employees world-wide operating in 100 countries, with $700 billion in known assets and over $100 billion in client assets in private bank (secret accounts) operating private banking offices in 30 countries, which is the largest global presence of any U.S. private bank. It is important to clarify what is meant by "private bank."

Private Banking is a sector of a bank which caters to extremely wealthy clients ($1 million deposits and up). The big banks charge customers a fee for managing their assets and for providing the specialized services of the private banks. Private Bank services go beyond the routine banking services and include investment guidance, estate planning, tax assistance, off-shore accounts, and complicated schemes designed to secure the confidentiality of financial transactions. The attractiveness of the "Private Banks" (PB) for money laundering is that they sell secrecy to the dirty money clients. There are two methods that big Banks use to launder money: via private banks and via correspondent banking. PB routinely use code names for accounts, concentration accounts (concentration accounts co-mingles bank funds with client funds which cut off paper trails for billions of dollars of wire transfers) that disguise the movement of client funds, and offshore private investment corporations (PIC) located in countries with strict secrecy laws (Cayman Island, Bahamas, etc.)

For example, in the case of Raul Salinas, PB personnel at Citibank helped Salinas transfer $90 to $100 million out of Mexico in a manner that effectively disguised the funds' sources and destination thus breaking the funds' paper trail. In routine fashion, Citibank set up a dummy offshore corporation, provided Salinas with a secret code name, provided an alias for a third party intermediary who deposited the money in a Citibank account in Mexico and transferred the money in a concentration account to New York where it was then moved to Switzerland and London.

The PICs are designed by the big banks for the purpose of holding and hiding a person's assets. The nominal officers, trustees and shareholder of these shell corporations are themselves shell corporations controlled by the PB. The PIC then becomes the holder of the various bank and investment accounts and the ownership of the private bank clients is buried in the records of so-called jurisdiction such as the Cayman Islands. Private bankers of the big banks like Citibank keep pre-packaged PICs on the shelf awaiting activation when a private bank client wants one. The system works like Russian Matryoshka dolls, shells within shells within shells, which in the end can be impenetrable to a legal process.

The complicity of the state in big bank money laundering is evident when one reviews the historic record. Big bank money laundering has been investigated, audited, criticized and subject to legislation; the banks have written procedures to comply. Yet banks like Citibank and the other big ten banks ignore the procedures and laws and the government ignores the non-compliance.

Over the last 20 years, big bank laundering of criminal funds and looted funds has increased geometrically, dwarfing in size and rates of profit the activities in the formal economy. Estimates by experts place the rate of return in the PB market between 20-25% annually. Congressional investigations revealed that Citibank provided "services" for 4 political swindlers moving $380 million: Raul Salinas - $80-$100 million, Asif Ali Zardari (husband of former Prime Minister of Pakistan) in excess of $40 million, El Hadj Omar Bongo (dictator of Gabon since 1967) in excess of $130 million, the Abacha sons of General Abacha ex-dictator of Nigeria - in excess of $110 million. In all cases Citibank violated all of its own procedures and government guidelines: there was no client profile (review of client background), determination of the source of the funds, nor of any violations of country laws from which the money accrued. On the contrary, the bank facilitated the outflow in its prepackaged format: shell corporations were established, code names were provided, funds were moved through concentration accounts, the funds were invested in legitimate businesses or in U.S. bonds, etc. In none of these cases - or thousands of others - was due diligence practiced by the banks (under due diligence a private bank is obligated by law to take steps to ensure that it does not facilitate money laundering). In none of these cases were the top banking officials brought to court and tried. Even after arrest of their clients, Citibank continued to provide services, including the movement of funds to secret accounts and the provision of loans.

Correspondent Banks: The Second Track

The second and related route which the big banks use to launder hundreds of billions of dirty money is through "correspondent banking" (CB). CB is the provision of banking services by one bank to another bank. It is a highly profitable and significant sector of big banking. It enables overseas banks to conduct business and provide services for their customers - including drug dealers and others engaged in criminal activity - in jurisdictions like the U.S. where the banks have no physical presence. A bank that is licensed in a foreign country and has no office in the United States for its customers attracts and retains wealthy criminal clients interested in laundering money in the U.S. Instead of exposing itself to U.S. controls and incurring the high costs of locating in the U.S., the bank will open a correspondent account with an existing U.S. bank. By establishing such a relationship, the foreign bank (called a respondent) and through it, its criminal customers, receive many or all of the services offered by the U.S. big banks called the correspondent.

Today, all the big U.S. banks have established multiple correspondent relationships throughout the world so they may engage in international financial transactions for themselves and their clients in places where they do have a physical presence. Many of the largest U.S. and European banks located in the financial centers of the world serve as correspondents for thousands of other banks. Most of the offshore banks laundering billions for criminal clients have accounts in the U.S. All the big banks specializing in international fund transfer are called money center banks, some of the biggest process up to $1 trillion in wire transfers a day. For the billionaire criminals an important feature of correspondent relationships is that they provide access to international transfer systems - that facilitate the rapid transfer of funds across international boundaries and within countries. The most recent estimates (1998) are that 60 offshore jurisdictions around the world licensed about 4,000 offshore banks which control approximately $5 trillion in assets.

One of the major sources of impoverishment and crises in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Russia and the other countries of the ex-U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe, is the pillage of the economy and the hundreds of billions of dollars which are transferred out of the country via the corresponding banking system and the Private Banking system linked to the biggest banks in the U.S. and Europe. Russia alone has seen over $200 billion illegally transferred in the course of the 1990s. The massive shift of capital from these countries to the U.S. and European banks has generated mass impoverishment and economic instability and crises. This in turn has created increased vulnerability to pressure from the IMF and World Bank to liberalize their banking and financial systems leading to further flight and deregulation which spawns greater corruption and overseas transfers via private banks as the Senate reports demonstrate.

The increasing polarization of the world is embedded in this organized system of criminal and corrupt financial transactions. While speculation and foreign debt payments play a role in undermining living standards in the crisis regions, the multi-trillion dollar money laundering and bank servicing of corrupt officials is a much more significant factor, sustaining Western prosperity, U.S. empire building and financial stability. The scale, scope and time frame of transfers and money laundering, the centrality of the biggest banking enterprises and the complicity of the governments, strongly suggests that the dynamics of growth and stagnation, empire and re-colonization are intimately related to a new form of capitalism built around pillage, criminality, corruption and complicity.

"This Goes Straight to the Top"

-- James Petras is a Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. He is the author of 57 books. His latest, Globalization Unmasked: Imperialism in the New Millenium

Halliburton Corporation's Brown and Root is one of the major components of

 THE BUSH-CHENEY DRUG EMPIRE

[Lead story in the October 24, 2000 issue of "From The Wilderness"] 

by
Michael C. Ruppert

© Copyright 2000, Michael C. Ruppert and "From The Wilderness" Publications, P.O. Box 6061-350, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413, 818-788-8791www.copvcia.com. All Rights Reserved. - Permission to reprint for non-profit only is hereby granted as long as proper sourcing appears. For all other permissions contact mruppert@copvcia.com.

-----------------------------------

FTW  October 24, 2000 - The success of Bush Vice Presidential running mate Richard Cheney at leading Halliburton, Inc. to a five year $3.8 billion "pig-out" on federal contracts and taxpayer-insured loans is only a partial indicator of what may happen if the Bush ticket wins in two weeks. A closer look at available research, including an August 2, 2000 report by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) at www.public-i.org, suggests that drug money has played a role in the successes achieved by Halliburton under Cheney's tenure as CEO from 1995 to 2000. This is especially true for Halliburton's most famous subsidiary, heavy construction and oil giant, Brown and Root. A deeper look into history reveals that Brown and Root's past as well as the past of Dick Cheney himself, connect to the international drug trade on more than one occasion and in more than one way.

This June the lead Washington, D.C. attorney for a major Russian oil company connected in law enforcement reports to heroin smuggling and also a beneficiary of US backed loans to pay for Brown and Root contracts in Russia, held a $2.2 million fund raiser to fill the already bulging coffers of presidential candidate George W. Bush. This is not the first time that Brown and Root has been connected to drugs and the fact is that this "poster child" of American industry may also be a key player in Wall Street's efforts to maintain domination of the half trillion dollar a year global drug trade and its profits. And Dick Cheney, who has also come closer to drugs than most suspect, and who is also Halliburton's largest individual shareholder ($45.5 million), has a vested interest in seeing to it that Brown and Root's successes continue.

Of all American companies dealing directly with the U.S. military and providing cover for CIA operations few firms can match the global presence of this giant construction powerhouse which employs 20,000 people in more than 100 countries. Through its sister companies or joint ventures, Brown and Root can build offshore oil rigs, drill wells, construct and operate everything from harbors to pipelines to highways to nuclear reactors. It can train and arm security forces and it can now also feed, supply and house armies. One key beacon of Brown and Root's overwhelming appeal to agencies like the CIA is that, from its own corporate web page, it  proudly announces that it has received the contract to dismantle aging Russian nuclear tipped ICBMs in their silos.

Furthermore, the relationships between key institutions, players and the Bushes themselves suggest that under a George "W" administration the Bush family and its allies may well be able, using Brown and Root as the operational interface, to control the drug trade all the way from Medellin to Moscow.

Originally formed as a heavy construction company to build dams, Brown and Root grew its operations via shrewd political contributions to Senate candidate Lyndon Johnson in 1948. Expanding into the building of oil platforms, military bases, ports, nuclear facilities, harbors and tunnels, Brown and Root virtually underwrote LBJ's political career. It prospered as a result, making billions on U.S. Government contracts during the Vietnam War. The "Austin Chronicle" in an August 28 Op-ed piece entitled "The Candidate From Brown and Root" labels Republican Cheney as the political dispenser of Brown and Root's largesse.  According to political campaign records, during Cheney's five year tenure at Halliburton the company's political contributions more than doubled to $1.2 million. Not surprisingly, most of that money went to Republican candidates.

Independent news service "newsmakingnews.com," also describes how in 1998, with Cheney as Chairman, Halliburton spent $8.1 billion to purchase oil industry equipment and drilling supplier Dresser Industries. This made Halliburton a corporation that will have a presence in almost any future oil drilling operation anywhere in the world. And it also brought back into the family fold the company that had once sent a plane - also in 1948 - to fetch the new Yale Graduate George H.W. Bush, to begin his career in the Texas oil business.  Bush the elder's father, Prescott, served as a Managing Director for the firm that once owned Dresser, Brown Bothers Harriman.

It is clear that everywhere there is oil there is Brown and Root. But increasingly, everywhere there is war or insurrection there is Brown and Root also. From Bosnia and Kosovo, to Chechnya, to Rwanda, to Burma, to Pakistan, to Laos, to Vietnam, to Indonesia, to Iran to Libya to Mexico to Colombia, Brown and Root's traditional operations have expanded from heavy construction to include the provision of logistical support for the U.S. military. Now, instead of U.S. Army quartermasters, the world is likely to see Brown and Root warehouses storing and managing everything from uniforms to rations to vehicles.

Dramatic expansion of Brown and Root's operations in Colombia also suggest Bush preparations for a war inspired feeding frenzy as a part of "Plan Colombia." This is consistent with moves by former Bush Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady to open a joint Colombian-American investment partnership called Corfinsura for the financing of major construction projects with the Colombian Antioquia Syndicate, headquartered in Medellin. (See FTW June, 00). And expectations of a ground war in Colombia may explain why, in a 2000 SEC filing, Brown and Root reported that in addition to owning more than 800,000 square feet of warehouse space in Colombia, they also lease another 122,000 square feet. According to the filing of the Brown and Root Energy Services Group, the only other places where the company maintains warehouse space are in Mexico (525,000 sq. feet), and the U.S. (38,000) square feet.

According to the web site of Colombia's Foreign Investment Promotion Agency Brown and Root had no presence in the country until 1997. What does Brown and Root, which, according to the AP has made more than $2 billion supporting and supplying U.S. troops, know about Colombia that the U.S. public does not?  Why the need for almost a million square feet of warehouse space that can be transferred from one Brown and Root operation (energy) to another (military support) with the stroke of a pen?

DRUGS

 As described by the Associated Press, during "Iran-Contra" Congressman Dick Cheney of the House Intelligence Committee was a rabid supporter of Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North. This was in spite of the fact that North had lied to Cheney in a private 1986 White House briefing. Oliver North's own diaries and subsequent investigations by the CIA Inspector General have irrevocably tied him directly to cocaine smuggling during the 1980s and the opening of bank accounts for one firm moving four tons of cocaine a month. This, however, did not stop Cheney from actively supporting North's 1994 unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate from Virginia just a year before he took over the reins at Brown and Root's parent company, Dallas based Halliburton Inc. in 1995.

As the Bush Secretary of Defense during Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-91), Cheney also directed special operations involving Kurdish rebels in northern Iran. The Kurds' primary source of income for more than fifty years has been heroin smuggling from Afghanistan and Pakistan through Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Having had some personal experience with Brown and Root I noted carefully  when the Los Angeles Times observed that on March 22, 1991 that a group of gunmen burst into the Ankara, Turkey offices of the joint venture, Vinnell, Brown and Root and assassinated retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant John Gandy.

In March of 1991, tens of thousands of Kurdish refugees, long-time assets of the CIA, were being massacred by Saddam Hussein in the wake of the Gulf War. Saddam, seeking to destroy any hopes of a successful Kurdish revolt, found it easy to kill thousands of the unwanted Kurds who had fled to the Turkish border seeking sanctuary. There, Turkish security forces, trained in part by the Vinnell, Brown and Root partnership,  turned thousands of Kurds back into certain death. Today, the Vinnell Corporation (a TRW Company) is, along with the firms MPRI and DynCorp (FTW June, 00) one of the three pre-eminent private mercenary corporations in the world. It is also the dominant entity for the training of security forces throughout the Middle East. Not surprisingly the Turkish border regions in question were the primary transhipment points for heroin, grown in Afghanistan and Pakistan and destined for the markets of Europe.

A confidential source with intelligence experience in the region subsequently told me that the Kurds "got some payback against the folks that used to help them move their drugs." He openly acknowledged that Brown and Root and Vinnell both routinely provided NOC or non-official cover for CIA officers. But I already knew that.

From 1994 to 1999, during US military intervention in the Balkans where, according to "The Christian Science Monitor" and "Jane's Intelligence Review," the Kosovo Liberation Army controls 70 per cent of the heroin entering Western Europe, Cheney's  Brown and Root made billions of dollars supplying U.S. troops from vast facilities in the region. Brown and Root support operations continue in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia to this day.

Dick Cheney's footprints have come closer to drugs than one might suspect. The August Center for Public Integrity report brought them even closer. It would be factually correct to say that there is a direct linkage of Brown and Root facilities - often in remote and hazardous regions - between every drug producing region and every drug consuming region in the world. These coincidences, in and of themselves, do not prove complicity in the trade. Other facts, however, lead inescapably in that direction.

A DIRECT DRUG LINK

The CPI report entitled "Cheney Led Halliburton To Feast at Federal Trough" written by veteran journalists Knut Royce and Nathaniel Heller describes how, under five years of Cheney's leadership, Halliburton, largely through subsidiary Brown and Root, enjoyed $3.8 billion in federal contracts and taxpayer insured loans. The loans had been granted by the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). According to Ralph McGehee's "CIA Base ©" both institutions are heavily infiltrated by the CIA and routinely provide NOC to its officers. 

One of those loans to Russian financial/banking conglomerate The Alfa Group of Companies contained $292 million to pay for Brown and Root's contract to refurbish a Siberian oil field owned by the Russian Tyumen Oil Company. The Alfa Group completed its 51% acquisition of Tyumen Oil in what was allegedly a rigged bidding process in 1998. An official Russian government report claimed that the Alfa Group's top executives, oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Pyotr Aven "allegedly participated in the transit of drugs from Southeast Asia through Russia and into Europe." 

These same executives, Fridman and Aven, who reportedly smuggled the heroin in connection with Russia's Solntsevo mob family were the same ones who applied for the EXIM loans that Halliburton's lobbying later safely secured. As a result Brown and Root's work in Alfa Tyumen oil fields could continue - and expand. 

After describing how organized criminal interests in the Alfa Group had allegedly stolen the oil field by fraud, the CPI story, using official reports from the FSB  (the Russian equivalent of the FBI), oil companies such as BP-Amoco, former CIA and KGB officers and press accounts then established a solid link to Alfa Tyumen and the transportation of heroin. 

In 1995 sacks of heroin disguised as sugar were stolen from a rail container leased by Alfa Echo and sold in the Siberian town of Khabarovsk. A problem arose when many residents of the town became "intoxicated" or "poisoned." The CPI story also stated, "The FSB report said that within days of the incident, Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) agents conducted raids of Alfa Eko buildings and found 'drugs and other compromising documentation.' 

"Both reports claim that Alfa Bank has laundered drug funds from Russian and Colombian drug cartels. 

"The FSB document claims that at the end of 1993, a top Alfa official met with Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, the now imprisoned financial mastermind of Colombia's notorious Cali cartel, 'to conclude an agreement about the transfer of money into the Alfa Bank from offshore zones such as the Bahamas, Gibraltar and others. The plan was to insert it back into the Russian economy through the purchase of stock in Russian companies. 

"É He [the former KGB agent] reported that there was evidence 'regarding [Alfa Bank's] involvement with the money laundering ofÉ Latin American drug cartels." 

It then becomes harder for Cheney and Halliburton to assert mere coincidence in all of this as CPI reported that Tyumen's lead  Washington attorney James C, Langdon, Jr. at the firm of Aikin Gump "helped coordinate a $2.2 million fund raiser for Bush this June. He then agreed to help recruit 100 lawyers and lobbyists in the capital to raise $25,000 each for W's campaign." 

The heroin mentioned in the CPI story, originated in Laos where longtime Bush allies and covert warriors Richard Armitage and retired CIA ADDO (Associate Deputy Director of Operations) Ted Shackley have been repeatedly linked to the drug trade. It then made its way across Southeast Asia to Vietnam, probably the port of Haiphong. Then the heroin sailed to Russia's Pacific port of Valdivostok from whence it subsequently bounced across Siberia by rail and thence by truck or rail to Europe, passing through the hands of Russian Mafia leaders in Chechnya and Azerbaijan.  Chechnya and Azerbaijan are hotbeds of both armed conflict and oil exploration and Brown and Root has operations all along this route. 

This long, expensive and tortured path was hastily established, as described by FTW in previous issues, after President George Bush's personal envoy Richard Armitage, holding the rank of Ambassador, had traveled to the former Soviet Union to assist it with its "economic development" in 1989. The obstacle then to a more direct, profitable and efficient route from Afghanistan and Pakistan through Turkey into Europe was  a cohesive Yugoslavian/Serbian government controlling the Balkans and continuing instability in the Golden Crescent of Pakistan/Afghanistan. Also, there was no other way, using heroin from the Golden Triangle (Burma, Laos and Thailand), to deal with China and India but to go around them. 

It is perhaps not by coincidence again that Cheney and Armitage share membership in the prestigious Aspen Institute, an exclusive bi-partisan research think tank, and also in the U.S. Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce. Just last November, in what may be a portent of things to come, Armitage, played the role of Secretary of Defense in an practical exercise at the Council on Foreign Relations where he and Cheney are also both members. Speculation that the scandal plagued Armitage, who resigned under a cloud as Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration, is W's first choice for Secretary of Defense next year is widespread. 

The Clinton Administration took care of all that wasted travel for heroin with the 1998 destruction of Serbia and Kosovo and the installation of the KLA as a regional power. That opened a direct line from Afghanistan to Western Europe and Brown and Root was right in the middle of that too. The Clinton skill at streamlining drug operations  was described in detail in the May issue of FTW in a story entitled "The Democratic Party's Presidential Drug Money Pipeline." That article has since been reprinted in three countries. The essence of the drug economic lesson was that by growing opium in Colombia and by smuggling both cocaine and heroin from Colombia to New York City through the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico (a virtual straight line), traditional smuggling routes could be shortened or even eliminated. This reduced both risk and cost, increased profits and eliminated competition. 

FTW suspects the hand of Medellin co-founder Carlos Lehder in this process and it is interesting to note that Lehder, released from prison under Clinton in 1995, is now active in both the Bahamas and South America. Lehder was known during the eighties as "The genius of transportation." I can well imagine a Dick Cheney, having witnessed the complete restructuring of the global drug trade in the last eight years, going to George W and saying, "Look, I know how we can make it even better." One thing is for certain. As quoted in the CPI article, one Halliburton Vice President noted that if the Bush-Cheney ticket was elected, "the company's government contracts would obviously go through the roof."

THE DARK PAST 

In July of 1977 this writer, then a Los Angeles Police officer struggled to make sense of a world gone haywire. In a last ditch effort to salvage a relationship with my fiancŽe, Nordica Theodora D'Orsay (Teddy),  a  CIA contract agent, I had traveled to find her in New Orleans. On a hastily arranged vacation, secured with the blessing of my Commanding Officer, Captain Jesse Brewer of LAPD, I had gone on my own, unofficially, to avoid the scrutiny of LAPD's Organized Crime Intelligence Division (OCID). 

Starting in the late spring of 1976 Teddy had wanted me to join her operations from within the ranks of LAPD. I had refused to get involved with drugs in any way and everything she mentioned seemed to involve either heroin or cocaine along with guns that she was always moving out of the country. The Director of the CIA then was George Herbert Walker Bush. 

Although officially on staff at the LAPD Academy at the time, I had been unofficially loaned to OCID since January when Teddy, announcing the start of a new operation planned in the fall of 1976 had suddenly disappeared.  She left many people, including me, baffled and twisting in the breeze. The OCID detectives had been pressuring me hard for information about her and what I knew of her activities. It was information I could not give them. Hoping against hope that I would find some way to understand her involvement with CIA, LAPD, the royal family of Iran, the Mafia and drugs I set out alone into eight days of  Dantean revelations that have determined the course of my life from that day to this. 

Arriving in New Orleans in early July, 1977 I found her living in an apartment across the river in Gretna. Equipped with scrambler phones, night vision devices and working from sealed communiquŽs delivered by naval and air force personnel from nearby Belle Chasse Naval Air Station, Teddy was involved in something truly ugly. She was arranging for large quantities of weapons to be loaded onto ships leaving for Iran. At the same time she was working with Mafia associates of New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello to coordinate the movement of service boats that were bringing large quantities of heroin into the city. The boats arrived at Marcello controlled docks, unmolested by even the New Orleans police she introduced me to, along with divers, military men, former Green Berets and CIA personnel. 

The service boats were retrieving the heroin from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, oil rigs  in international waters, oil rigs built and serviced by Brown and Root. The guns that Teddy monitored, apparently Vietnam era surplus AK 47s and M16s, were being loaded onto ships also owned or leased by Brown and Root. And more than once during the eight days I spent in New Orleans I met and ate at restaurants with Brown and Root employees who were boarding those ships and leaving for Iran within days. Once, while leaving a bar and apparently having asked the wrong question, I was shot at in an attempt to scare me off. 

Disgusted and heart broken at witnessing my fiancŽe and my government smuggling drugs, I ended the relationship. Returning home to LA I made a clean breast and reported all the activity I had seen, including the connections to Brown and Root, to LAPD intelligence officers. They promptly told me that I was crazy. Forced out of LAPD under threat of death at the end of 1978, I made complaints to LAPD's Internal Affairs Division and to the LA office of the FBI under the command of FBI SAC Ted Gunderson. I and my attorney wrote to the politicians, the Department of Justice, the CIA and contacted the L.A. Times. The FBI and the LAPD said that I was crazy. 

According to a 1981 two-part news story in the "Los Angeles Herald Examiner" it was revealed that The FBI had taken Teddy into custody and then released her before classifying their investigation without further action. Former New Orleans Crime Commissioner Aaron Cohen told reporter Randall Sullivan that he found my description of events perfectly plausible after his thirty years of studying Louisiana's organized crime operations. 

To this day a CIA report prepared as a result of my complaint remains classified and exempt from release pursuant to Executive Order of the President in the interests of national security and because it would reveal the identities of CIA agents. 

On October 26, 1981, in the basement of the West Wing of the White House, I reported on what I had seen in New Orleans to my friend and UCLA classmate Craig Fuller. Craig Fuller went on to become Chief of Staff to Vice President Bush from 1981 to 1985. 

In 1982, then UCLA political science professor Paul Jabber, filled in many of the pieces in my quest to understand what I had seen in New Orleans. He was qualified to do so because he had served as a CIA and State Department consultant to the Carter administration. Paul explained that, after a  1975 treaty between the Shah of Iran and Saddam Hussein the Shah had cut off all overt military support for Kurdish rebels fighting Saddam from the north of Iraq. In exchange the Shah had gained access to the Shat al-Arab waterway so that he could multiply his oil exports and income. Not wanting to lose a long-term valuable asset in the Kurds, the CIA had then used Brown and Root, which operated in both countries and maintained port facilities in the Persian Gulf and near Shat al-Arab to rearm the Kurds. The whole operation had been financed with heroin. Paul was matter-of-fact about it. 

In 1983 Paul Jabber left UCLA to become a Vice President of Banker's Trust and Chairman of the Middle East Department of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

---------- 

If one is courageous enough to seek an "operating system" that theoretically explains what FTW has just described for you, one need look no further than a fabulous two-part article in "Le Monde Diplomatique" in April of this year. The brilliant stories, focusing heavily on drug capital are titled "Crime, The World's Biggest Free Enterprise." The brilliant and penetrating words of authors Christian de Brie and Jean de Maillard do a better job of explaining the actual world economic and political situation than anything that I have ever read. 

De Brie writes, "By allowing capital to flow unchecked from one end of the world to the other, globalization and abandon of sovereignty have together fostered the explosive growth of an outlaw financial marketÉ 

"It is a coherent system closely linked to the expansion of modern capitalism and based on an association of three partners: governments, transnational corporations and mafias. Business is business: financial crime is first and foremost a market, thriving and structured, ruled by supply and demand. 

"Big business complicity and political laisser faire is the only way that large-scale organized crime can launder and recycle the fabulous proceeds of its activities. And the transnationals need the support of governments and the neutrality of regulatory authorities in order to consolidate their positions, increase their profits, withstand and crush the competition, pull off the "deal of the century" and finance their illicit operations. Politicians are directly involved and their ability to intervene depends on the backing and the funding that keep them in power. This collusion of interests is an essential part of the world economy, the oil that keeps the wheels of capitalism turning." 

After confronting CIA Director John Deutch on world television on November 15, 1996 I was interviewed by the staffs of both the Senate and House Intelligence Committees. I prepared written testimony for Senate Intelligence which I submitted although I was never called to testify. In every one of those interviews and in my written testimony and in every lecture since that time I have told the story of Brown and Root. I will tell it again at the USC School of International Relations on December the 8th, 2000 - regardless of who wins the election. 

Michael C. Ruppert 
www.copvcia.com 

Sources: 

- The Center for Public Integrity, "Cheney Led Halliburton to Feast at Federal Trough", Knut Royce & Nathaniel Heller,
http://www.public-i.org/story_01_080200.htm 

-"Le Monde - Diplomatique",  April 2000. 

- The U.S. Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce 

-The Aspen Institute, www.aspeninst.org 

-"The Austin Chronicle", August 28, 2000 

-The Associated Press, "Study: US Could Save Cost in Balkans" - 10/10/00 

-The Associated Press, "Cheney, North Relationship Probed" - 8/11/00 

-"The New York Times" Index 

-The Council on Foreign Relations 

-"The Unauthorized Biography of George Bush" - Webster Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin 

-"CIA Base" © 1992, Ralph McGehee 

-CIA Inspector General Report of Investigation: Allegations of Connections Between CIA and the Contras in Cocaine Trafficking to the United States. Volume II: The Contra Story - Report 96-0143-IG. 

-newsmakingnews.com,  27 August 2000, "The Dick Cheney Data Dump" 

- Securities and Exchange Commission - "Edgar" Data base. 

-Halliburton/Brown and Root - www.Halliburton.com/brs 

-The Vinnell Corporation - www.Vinnell.com 

-"The New York Press," 8/1/00 

-"The Los Angeles Times," March 23, 1991. 

-"The Los Angeles Herald Examiner:, Oct. 11 & 18, 1981 

-"The Christian Science Monitor" - Oct. 20, 1994 

-"Jane's Intelligence Review" - February 1, 1995. 

-Written testimony of Michael C. Ruppert for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence dated 10/1/97 -http://www.fromthewilderness.com//free/ciadrugs/ssci.html

 

-"From The Wilderness" (4/99, 4/00, 6/00) 

 

 

CIA Support of Death Squads

by Ralph McGehee

Posted on RemarQ, 9 October 1999

The information below is from CIABASE files on Death Squads supported by the CIA. Also given below are details on Watch Lists prepared by the CIA to facilitate the actions of Death Squads.

  Angola  

  Bolivia  

  Brazil  

  Cambodia  

  Central America  

  Chile  

  Columbia  

  Costa Rica  

  Cuba  

  Dominican Republic  

  Eastern Europe  

  East Timor  

  Egypt  

  El Salvador  

  Europe  

  Georgia  

  Germany  

  Greece  

  Guatemala  

  Haiti  

  Honduras  

  Indonesia  

  Iran  

  Iraq  

  Israel  

  Italy  

  Latin America  

  Mexico  

  Nicaragua  

  Norway  

  Panama  

  Paraguay  

  Philippines  

  Puerto Rico  

  Russia  

  South Africa  

  South America  

  Syria  

  Thailand  

  Turkey  

  Uruguay  

  USSR  

  Vietnam  

 

 

Death Squads: Miscellaneous

CIA set up Ansesal and other networks of terror in El Salvador, Guatemala (Ansegat) and pre-Sandinista Nicaragua (Ansenic). The CIA created, structured and trained secret police in South Korea, Iran, Chile and Uruguay, and elsewhere — organizations responsible for untold thousands of tortures, disappearances, and deaths. Spark, 4/1985, pp. 2-4

1953-94 Sponsorship by CIA of death squad activity covered in summary form. Notes that in Haiti CIA admitted Lt. General Raoul Cedras and other high-ranking officials "were on its payroll and are helping organize violent repression in Haiti. Luis Moreno, an employee of State Department, has bragged he helped Colombian army create a database of subversives, terrorists and drug dealers." His superior in overseeing INS for Southeastern U.S., is Gunther Wagner, former Nazi soldier and a key member of now-defunct Office of Public Safety (OPS), an AID project which helped train counterinsurgents and terrorism in dozens of countries. Wagner worked in Vietnam as part of Operation Phoenix and in Nicaragua where he helped train National Guard. Article also details massacres in Indonesia. Haiti Information, 4/23/1994, pp. 3,4

CIA personnel requested transfers 1960-7 in protest of CIA officer Nestor Sanchez's working so closely with death squads. Marshall, J., Scott P.D., and Hunter, J. (1987). The Iran-Contra Connection, p. 294

CIA. 1994. Mary McGrory op-ed, "Clinton's CIA Chance." Excoriates CIA over Aldrich Ames, support for right-wing killers in El Salvador, Nicaraguan Contras and Haiti's FRAPH and Cedras. Washington Post, 10/16/1994, C1,2

Angola: Death Squads

Angola, 1988. Amnesty International reported that UNITA, backed by the U.S., engaged in extra-judicial executions of high-ranking political rivals and ill-treatment of prisoners. Washington Post, 3/14/1989, A20

Bolivia: Death Squads

Bolivia. Between October 1966-68 Amnesty International reported between 3,000 and 8,000 people killed by death squads. Blum, W. (1986). The CIA A Forgotten History, p. 264

Bolivia, 1991. A group known as "Black Hand" shot twelve people on 24 November 1991. Killings were part of group's aim to eliminate "undesirable" elements from society. Victims included police officers, prostitutes and homosexuals. Washington Post 11/25/1991, A2

Bolivia: Watch List

Bolivia, 1975. CIA hatched plot with interior ministry to harass progressive bishops, and to arrest and expel foreign priests and nuns. CIA was particularly helpful in supplying names of U.S. and other foreign missionaries. The Nation, 5/22/1976, p. 624

Bolivia, 1975. CIA provided government data on priests who progressive. Blum, W. (1986). The CIA A Forgotten History, p. 259

Brazil: Watch List

Brazil, 1962-64. Institute of Research and Social Studies (IPES) with assistance from U.S. sources published booklets and pamphlets and distributed hundreds of articles to newspapers. In 1963 alone it distributed 182,144 books. It underwrote lectures, financed students' trips to the U.S., sponsored leadership training programs for 2,600 businessmen, students, and workers, and subsidized organizations of women, students, and workers. In late 1962 IPES member Siekman in Sao Paulo organized vigilante cells to counter leftists. The vigilantes armed themselves, made hand-grenades. IPES hired retired military to exert influence on those in active service. From 1962-64 IPES, by its own estimate, spent between $200,000 and $300,000 on an intelligence net of retired military. The "research group" of retired military circulated a chart that identified communist groups and leaders. Black, J.K. (1977). United States Penetration of Brazil, p. 85

Brazil: Death Squads

Brazil, circa 1965. Death squads formed to bolster Brazil's national intelligence service and counterinsurgency efforts. Many death squad members were merely off-duty police officers. U.S. AID (and presumably the CIA) knew of and supported police participation in death squad activity. Counterspy 5/6 1979, p. 10

Brazil. Death squads began appear after 1964 coup. Langguth, A.J. (1978). Hidden Terrors, p. 121

Brazilian and Uruguayan death squads closely linked and have shared training. CIA on at least two occasions co-ordinated meetings between countries' death squads. Counterspy 5/6 1979, p. 11

Brazil, torture. After CIA-backed coup, military used death squads and torture. Blum, W. (1986). The CIA A Forgotten History, p. 190

Cambodia: Watch List

Cambodia, 1970. Aided by CIA, Cambodian secret police fed blacklists of targeted Vietnamese to Khmer Serai and Khmer Kampuchea Krom. Mass killings of Vietnamese. Valentine, D. (1990). The Phoenix Program, p. 328

Cambodia: Death Squads

Cambodia, 1980-90. U.S. indirect support for Khmer Rouge — U.S. comforting mass murderers. Washington Post, 5/7/1990, A10 editorial

Central America: Death Squads

Central America, circa 1979-87. According to Americas Watch, civilian non combatant deaths attributable to government forces in Nicaragua might reach 300, most Miskito Indians in comparison 40-50,000 Salvadoran citizens killed by death squads and government forces during same years, along with similar number during last year of Somoza and still higher numbers in Guatemala. Chomsky, N. (1988). The Culture of Terrorism, p. 101

Central America, 1981-87. Death toll under Reagan in El Salvador passed 50,000 and in Guatemala it may approach 100,000. In Nicaragua 11,000 civilians killed by 1968. Death toll in region 150,000 or more. Chomsky, N. (1988). The Culture of Terrorism, p. 29

Central America. See debate carried in Harpers "Why Are We in Central America? On Dominoes, Death Squads, and Democracy. Can We Live With Latin Revolution? The Dilemmas of National Security." Harpers, 6/1984, p35

Central America, 1982-84. Admiral Bobby Inman, former head of NSA, had deep distaste for covert operations. Inman complained that the CIA was hiring murderers to conduct operations in Central America and the Middle East — eventually Inman resigned. Toohey, B., and Pinwill, W. (1990). Oyster: the Story of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, pp. 215-6

Chile: Watch List

Chile, 1970-73. By late 1971 the CIA in near daily contact with military. The station collecting the kind of information that would be essential for a military dictatorship after a coup: lists of civilians to be arrested, those to be protected and government installations occupied at once. Atlantic, 12/1982, p. 58

Chile, 1970-73. CIA compiled lists of persons who would have to be arrested and a roster of civilian and government installations that would need protection in case of military coup against government. Corn, D. (1994). Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIA's Crusades, p. 251

Chile, 1972-73. Drew up lists those to be arrested immediately, or protected after a coup by military. Sergeyev, F.F. (1981). Chile, CIA Big Business, p. 163

Chile late 1971-72. CIA adopted more active stance re military penetration program including effort to subsidize anti-government news pamphlet directed at armed services, compilation arrest lists and its deception operation. CIA received intelligence reports on coup planning throughout July, August and September 73. U.S. Congress, Church Committee Report. (1976) v 7, p. 39

Chile. Chilean graduates of AIFLD, as well as CIA-created unions, organized CIA-financed strikes which participated in Allende's overthrow. In 1973 AIFLD graduates provided DINA, Chile's secret police, with thousands of names of fellow unionists who were subsequently imprisoned and tortured and executed. Counterspy 4/1981, p. 13

Chile. Blum, W. (1986). The CIA A Forgotten History, 240

Chile, 1973-74. After 1973 coup, U.S. Embassy intelligence types gave their files on the Chilean and foreign left to the junta's military intelligence service (SIM). NACLA (magazine re Latin America) 8/74, p. 28.

Chile, 1973. The military prepared lists of nearly 20,000 middle-level leaders of people's organizations, scheduled to be assassinated from the morning of the coup on. The list of some 3,000 high-level directors to be arrested. Lists detailed: name, address, age, profession, marital status, and closest personal friends. It alleged U.S. military mission and the CIA involved in their preparation. Moa 186. From late June on plotters began to finalize lists of extremists, political leaders, Marxist journalists, agents of international communism, and any and all persons participating with any vigor in neighborhood, communal, union, or national organization. The Pentagon had been asked to get the CIA to give the Chilean army lists of Chileans linked to socialist countries. Names sorted into two groups: persons not publicly known but who important in leftist organizations; and, well-known people in important positions. 20,000 in first group and 3,000 in second. Second group to be jailed, the first to be killed. Sandford, R.R. (1975). The Murder of Allende, pp. 195-6

CIA provided intelligence on "subversives" regularly compiled by CIA for use in such circumstances. Blum, W. (1986). The CIA A Forgotten History, p. 194

Columbia: Watch List

Colombia. Luis Moreno, an employee of State Department, bragged he helped Colombian army create a database of subversives, terrorists and drug dealers. Haiti Information, 4/23/94, pp. 3,4

Columbia: Death Squads

Colombia. MAS (Muerte A Secuestradores): "Death to Kidnappers," Colombian antiguerrilla death squad founded in December 1981 by members of Medellin cartel, Cali cartel, and Colombian military. Scott, P. and Marshall, J. (1991). Cocaine Politics, p. 261.

Colombia, 1993-94. Amnesty International called Colombia one of worst "killing fields." U.S. is an accomplice. William F. Schultz, human rights group's newly appointed Executive Director for the U.S., told a news conference that using fight against drugs as a pretext — Colombian government doesn't reign in [its forces]. About 20,000 people killed since 1986 in one of Latin America's most "stable democracies." only 2% political killings related to drug trafficking and 70% by paramilitary or military. U.S. probably a collaborator and much of U.S. aid for counternarcotics diverted to "killing fields." AI report said human meat is sold on black market and politicians gunned down along with children, homosexuals, and drug addicts. U.S. support because of Colombia's strategic position. No one is safe, people killed for body parts. Washington Times, 3/16/1994, p. a15

Costa Rica: Watch List

Costa Rica, 1955. Ambassador Woodward reported the government should be urged to maintain closer surveillance over communists and prosecute them more vigorously, and the government should be influenced to amend the constitution to limit the travel of communists, increase penalties for subversive activities and enact proposed legislation eliminating communists from union leadership. Meanwhile USIA aka USIS programs "to continue to condition the public to the communist menace" should be maintained. Z Magazine, 11/1988, p. 20

Cuba: Watch List

Cuba, 1955-57. Allen Dulles pressed Batista to establish with CIA help, a bureau for the repression of communist activities. Grose, P. (1994). Gentleman Spy: the Life of Allen Dulles, p. 412

Cuba: Death Squads

Cuba, 1956-95 CIA's war against Cuba and Cuba's response. In 1956, CIA established in Cuba the infamous Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities, BRAC — secret police that became well known for torture and assassination of Batista's political opponents. Unclassified W/1994-1995 16-17

Dominican Republic: Watch List

Dominican Republic, 1965. CIA composed list of 55 communist ringleaders of projected takeover of government. Crozier, b. (1993). Free Agent, p. 58

Dominican Republic: Death Squads

Dominican Republic, cover, 1965. 18 public safety program advisers, 6 of whom CIA. Police organized La Banda, a death squad. Lernoux, P. (1982). Cry of the People, p. 187

Eastern Europe: Watch List

East Europe, USSR, 1952-93. Radio Free Europe researchers have hundreds of thousands of file cards on prominent east bloc citizens and a staff of 160 researchers. Washington Post, 4/4/1993, p. A19

East Timor: Death Squads

East Timor, 1975-76. Role of U.S. Government, CIA/NSA, and their Australian collaborators in East Timor is another example of support for genocide which joins a long list of similar cases. Carter and Ford administrations have been accomplices in the massacre of anywhere between one-in-ten (Indonesian foreign minister Mochtar's latest figure) and one-in-two Timorese. Counterspy, Spring 1980, p. 19

Ecuador: Watch List

Ecuador, 1962. Subversive control watch list. With agent from Social Christian party CIA will form five squads composed of five men for investigative work on subversive control watch list. Agee, P. (1975). Inside the Company: CIA Diary, pp. 240, 247

Ecuador, 1963. The CIA maintained what was called the lynx list, aka the subversive control watch list. This a file that might have 50 to 500 names. People on the list were supposed to be the most important left-wing activists whose arrest we might effect through the local government. Would include place and date of birth, wife's name, where they worked, and biological data on the whole family, including schools the children attended, etc. In Ecuador the CIA paid teams to collect and maintain this type information. Agee, (1981). White Paper Whitewash, p. 55

Egypt: Watch List

Egypt, Pakistan, 1993. 4/16/1993 2 teams from CIA and FBI to Peshawar to check information given them by Egyptian intelligence services. Egyptians reported terrorist groups based in Peshawar belong to "Arab Afghans" with ties to fundamentalist Muslims in U.S. CIA specialists met with officers of Mukhabarat Al-Amat who had list of 300 Egyptians believed to be hard inner core of Jihad led by Mohammed Sahwky Islambuli. Names of various terrorists. On request by CIA and others, 100 expulsions on 4/10. Intelligence Newsletter, 4/29/1993, pp. 1,5

El Salvador: Watch List

El Salvador, 1980-89. On TV D'Aubuisson, using military intelligence files, denounced teachers, labor leaders, union organizers and politicians. Within days their mutilated bodies found. Washington had identified most leaders of death squads as members Salvadoran security forces with ties to D'Aubuisson. Washington Post op-ed by Douglas Farah, 2/23/1992, p. C4

El Salvador, 1982-84. Significant political violence associated with Salvadoran security services including National police, National Guard, and Treasury Police. U.S. Government agencies maintained official relationships with Salvadoran security establishment appearing to acquiesce in these activities. No evidence U.S. personnel participated in forcible interrogations. U.S. Did pass "tactical" information to alert services of action by insurgent forces. Information on persons passed only in highly unusual cases. Senate Intelligence Committee, October 5, 1984, pp. 11-13

El Salvador: Death Squads

El Salvador, 1961-79. Vigilante organization called Democratic National Organization (Orden) created early 1960s to further control countryside. Created in 1961 but abolished in 1979. But quickly regained and even surpassed former vicious role. Today its members form the core of civil defense corps. White, R.A. (1984). The Morass, p. 133

El Salvador, 1961-84. During the Kennedy administration, agents of the U.S. government set up two security organizations that killed thousands of peasants and suspected leftists over the next 15 years. Guided by Americans, these organizations into the paramilitary units that were the death squads: in 1984 the CIA, in violation U.S. law, continued to provide training, support, and intelligence to security forces involved in death squads. Over the years the CIA and U.S. military organized Orden, the rural paramilitary and intelligence net designed to use terror. Mano Blanco grew out of Orden, which a U.S. ambassador called the "birth of the death squads;" conceived and organized Ansesal, the elite presidential intelligence service that gathered files on Salvadoran dissidents and gave that information to the death squads; recruited General Medrano, the founder of Orden and Ansesal as a CIA agent; supplied Ansesal, the security forces, and the General Staff with electronic, photographic, and personal surveillance of individuals who later assassinated by death squads; and, trained security forces in the use of investigative techniques, weapons, explosives, and interrogation with "instruction in methods of physical and psychological torture." The Progressive, 5/1984, pp. 20-29

El Salvador, 1963. U.S. government sent 10 special forces personnel to El Salvador to help General Jose Alberto Medrano set up Organizacion Democratica Nacionalist (Orden)--first paramilitary death squad in that country. These green berets assisted in organization and indoctrination of rural "civic" squads which gathered intelligence and carried out political assassinations in coordination with Salvadoran military. Now there is compelling evidence to show that for over 30 years, members of U.S. military and CIA have helped organize, train, and fund death squad activity in El Salvador. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Summer 1990, p. 51

El Salvador, 1963. National Democratic Organization (Orden) formed as pro-government organization with assistance from CIA, U.S. military advisers, AID's police training program. Orden supervised by Salvadoran national security agency, intelligence organization of military. CIA chose "right hand man," Jose Medrano, to direct Orden. Orden served as base for death squad operations and sanctioned in 1970-79 all "above ground" unions. Barry, T., and Preusch, D. (1986). AIFLD in Central America, p. 33

El Salvador, 1965-85. For a report of CIA supporting death squad activities in El Salvador see "Spark," 4/1985, pp. 2-4

El Salvador, 1966. Developed death squads with help of green berets. Campaign used vigilantes to employ terror. Later called civil defense corps. White, R.A. (1984). The Morass, pp. 101-3

El Salvador, 1968. AIFLD creates Salvadoran Communal Union (UCS) which emphasized self help for rural farmers and not peasant organizing. Initially, UCS had support military government. By 1973 UCS seen as too progressive and AIFLD officially expelled. U.S. funding UCS continued through training programs and private foundations. UCS charged with ties to Orden, organization which carried out death squad activity. With failing pro-government union efforts, AIFLD called back to control UCS in 1979. Barry, T., and Preusch, D. (1986). AIFLD in Central America, p. 34

El Salvador, 1976-85. Attended conferences of World Anti-Communist League: Roberto D'Aubuisson, El Salvador. Former major in military intelligence; charged with being responsible for coordinating nation's rightist death squads. Established Arena political party with assistance of U.S. new right leaders. Anderson, J. L.. and Anderson, S. (1986). Inside the League

El Salvador, 1979-84. House Intelligence Committee investigation of U.S. intelligence connections with death squad activities concluded U.S. intelligence agencies "have not conducted any of their activities in such a way as to directly encourage or support death squad acts." House Intelligence Committee, annual report, 1/2/1985, pp. 16-19

El Salvador, 1979-88. Death squads recruited under cover of boy scouts. Boys operated as a death squad known as Regalados Armed Forces (FAR). They murdered union officials, student leaders and teachers accused of being guerrilla sympathizers. Herman Torres, a death squad member, learned that the scouts part of nationwide net based on the paramilitary organization known as Orden and coordinated from the main military intelligence unit known as Ansesal run by D'Aubuisson. After coup of 1979, Orden and Ansesal officially disbanded. In 1982, when Arena won control of the constituent assembly, the top legislative body was turned into a center for death squads. Another death squad called the secret anti-communist army (ESA). Bush and North in 12/11/1983 were sent to make it clear U.S. would not tolerate death squads. Perez Linares boasted he killed Archbishop Romero on 3/24/1980. Catholic Church's human rights office reports 1991 death squad and government killings in first half of 1988 double the number of 1987. Mother Jones, 1/1989, pp. 10-16

El Salvador, 1980-84. Colonel Roberto Santivanez, former chief of the Salvadoran Army's special military intelligence unit, testified before U.S. Senators and Congressmen. He charged that Roberto D'Aubuisson was the principal organizer of the death squads, along with Colonel Nicolas Carranza, the head of the country's Treasury Police. He said Carranza also serves as a paid CIA informer. Other reports said Carranza received $90,000 a year for providing intelligence to the CIA. Washington Post, 4/1/1984

El Salvador, 1980-84. Former U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Robert White, said the Reagan administration covered up information that Salvadoran rightist Roberto D'Aubuisson ordered the killing of Archbishop Romero. Washington Post, 2/3/1984, 2/7/1984

El Salvador, 1980. Former U.S. Ambassador Robert White, said D'Aubuisson presided over a lottery to select which Salvadoran military officer would assassinate Archbishop Romero, gunned down on 3/24/1980. White said the U.S. Embassy received an eyewitness account of the 3/22 meeting that plotted Romero's murder. Washington Post from Associated Press, 3/1984

El Salvador, 1981-83. Colonel Carranza, leader of Salvador's infamous Treasury Police, oversaw the government reign of terror in which 800 people were killed each month. Carranza received $90,000 a year from the CIA from 1979-84 Reportedly living in Kentucky. The Nation, 6/5/1988, p. 780

El Salvador, 1981-84. House Intelligence Committee concluded "CIA did not directly encourage or support death squad killings." Report added that "some intelligence relationships with individuals connected with death squads" may have given the impression that the CIA condoned, because it was aware of, some death squad killings. Washington Post, 1/14/1985, A20

El Salvador, 1981-84. Senate Intelligence Committee reported several Salvadoran security and military officials have engaged in death squads acts. Large numbers of low-level personnel also involved. Death squads have originated from the Treasury Police and the National Guard and police. Washington Post, 10/12/1984

El Salvador, 1981-84. The CIA and military advisers have helped organize, trained, financed and advised Salvadoran army and intelligence units engaged in death squad activities and torture. Information from two well-informed sources in Salvadoran government. Christian Science Monitor, 5/8/1984, p. 1

El Salvador, 1981-88. Discussion of the use of death squads in El Salvador (No indication of direct CIA participation). The Nation, 5/8/1989, p. 625

El Salvador, 1986. Despite extensive government labor clamp down (including National Guard raid of hospital workers strike), Irving Brown, known CIA and head AFL-CIO's Department of International Affairs, issues report claiming "a shift away from violent repression and an improvement in human rights." Statement incredible in light of death squad attacks on unionists. Barry, T., and Preusch, D. (1986). AIFLD in Central America, p. 35

El Salvador, 1987. Central American death squads reported operating in the Los Angeles area. NACLA (magazine re Latin America), 6/1987, pp. 4-5

El Salvador, 1988. Americas Watch in September said the military killed 52 civilians in first 6 months, compared with 72 in all of 1987. In 1988 the Salvadoran rebels have stepped up the war. Washington Post, 11/26/1988, A1&18

El Salvador. AID public safety advisors created the national police intelligence archive and helped organize Ansesal, an elite presidential intelligence service. Dossiers these agencies collected on anti-government activity, compiled with CIA surveillance reports, provided targets for death squads. Many of 50,000 Salvadorans killed in 1981-85 Attributable to death squad activity. National Reporter, Winter 1986, p. 19

El Salvador. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly) 12:14-15;12:5-13.

El Salvador. Medrano "the father of the death squads, the chief assassin of them all," according to Jose N. Duarte. On 23 March 1985, Medrano was assassinated. Medrano in 1984 admitted he had worked for the CIA in 1960-69. The Progressive, 6/1985, p. 11

El Salvador. Administration sources said at height of rightist death squad activity, Reagan administration depended on commanders of right wing death squads. The U.S. shared some intelligence with them. U.S. intelligence officers developed close ties to chief death squad suspects while death squads killed several hundred a month and totaling tens of thousands. Washington Post, 10/6/1988, A 39 and 43

El Salvador. Article contrasting results of Senate Committee 1984 news accounts of official cooperation between CIA and Salvadoran security officers said to be involved in death squad activities. First Principles, 12/1984, pp. 2-4

El Salvador. CIA supplied surveillance information to security agencies for death squads. Blum, W. (1986). The CIA A Forgotten History, pp. 321, 327

El Salvador. Falange mysterious death squad comprising both active and retired members security forces. Conducts death squad activities. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), 4/1981, p. 14

El Salvador. Formation of Organisation Democratica Nacionalista Orden Formed in 1968 by Medrano. Forces between 50,000 and 100,000. From 1968-79, Orden official branch of government. First junta attempted to abolish, but group reorganized as National Democratic Front. Example of Orden death squad acts. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), 4/1981, p. 14

El Salvador. See Dickey article re slaughter in El Salvador in New Republic, 12/13/1983, entitled "The Truth Behind the Death Squads." fn Dickey, C. (1985). With the Contras, p. 286

El Salvador. The CIA and U.S. Armed forces conceived and organized Orden, the rural paramilitary and spy net designed to use terror against government opponents. Conceived and organized Ansesal, the presidential intelligence service that gathered dossiers on dissidents which then passed on to death squads. Kept key security officers with known links to death squads on the CIA payroll. Instructed Salvadoran intelligence operatives "in methods of physical and psychological torture." Briarpatch, 8/1984 p. 30 from the 5/1984 Progressive

El Salvador. UGB (Union Guerrilla Blanca) (white warriors union). Headed by D'Aubuisson, who trained at International Police Academy. D'Aubuisson claims close ties CIA. Former ambassador White called D'Aubuisson a "psychopathic killer." Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), 4/1981, p. 14

El Salvador, 1979-88. See "Confessions of an Assassin," article. Herman Torres Cortez is the assassin who was interviewed and tells of death squad operations in El Salvador. Mother Jones, 1/1989, p. 10

El Salvador, 1983. Vice President Bush delivered an ultimatum to Salvadoran military to stop death squad murders. Mother Jones, 8/1986, p. 64

El Salvador, 1987. Assassins, certainly sponsored by and probably members of Salvadoran security forces, murder Herbert Ernesto Anaya, head of Salvadoran civil rights commission and last survivor of commission's eight founders. Prior harassment of Anaya solicited neither protest nor protection from Duarte or U.S. administration. Contrary to popular opinion, death squad activity has not waned. "Selective killings of community leaders, labor organizers, human rights workers, rural activists and others have replaced wholesale massacres" since signing of Arias plan. Los Angeles organization "El Rescate" has compiled chronology of human rights abuses. The Nation, 11/14/1987, p. 546

El Salvador. CIA took more than two years 1980-83 begin seriously analyzing papers captured from D'Aubuisson. ICC 242. Papers said reveal death squad supporters, atrocities. Marshall, J., Scott P.D., and Hunter, J. (1987). The Iran-Contra Connection, p. 22

El Salvador, 1988. Death squad activity surged in El Salvador in 1988 after a period of relative decline. Amnesty International report "El Salvador: Death Squads- A Government Strategy," noted in NACLA (magazine re Latin America) 3/1989, p. 11

El Salvador, 1989. Although human rights monitors consistently link death squad acts to the Salvadoran government, many U.S. media report on death squads as if they an independent or uncontrollable force. Extra, Summer, 1989, p. 28

El Salvador, 1989 Member of Salvadoran army said first brigade intelligence unit army troops routinely kill and torture suspected leftists. First brigade day-to-day army operations carried out with knowledge of U.S. military advisers. CIA routinely pays expenses for intelligence operations in the brigades. U.S. has about 55 advisers in Salvador. Washington Post, 10/27/1989, A1,26

El Salvador, circa 1982-84. Ricardo Castro, a 35 year old Salvadoran army officer, a West Point graduate, said he worked for the CIA and served as translator for a U.S. official who advised the military on torture techniques and overseas assassinations. Castro personally led death squad operations. The Progressive, 3/1986, pp. 26-30

El Salvador, domestic, 1986-87. Article "The Death Squads Hit Home." For decades they terrorized civilians in El Salvador, now they are terrorizing civilians in the U.S. The FBI shared intelligence about Salvadoran activists in the U.S. with Salvador's notorious security services. The Progressive, 10/1987, pp. 15-19

El Salvador. Office of Public Safety graduate Colonel Roberto Mauricio Staben was, according to journalist Charles Dickey "responsible for patrolling — if not contributing to — the famous death squad dumping ground at El Payton a few miles from its headquarters." also, Alberto Medrano, founder of El Salvador's counterinsurgency force Orden, was an operations graduate. Finally, Jose Castillo, who was trained in 1969 at the U.S. International Police School, later became head of National Guard's section of special investigations which helped organize the death squads. The Nation, 6/7/1986, p. 793

El Salvador. Former death squad member Joya Martinez admitted death squad operations carried out with knowledge and approval 2 U.S. military advisers. LA Weekly, 1/25/1990

El Salvador. DCI report to House Intelligence Committee re CIA connections with death squads. National security archives listing.

El Salvador. FBI's contacts with the Salvadoran National Guard. Information in Senate Intelligence Committee Report, 7/1989, pp. 104-5

El Salvador. Former San Francisco police officer accused of illegal spying said he worked for CIA and will expose CIA's support of death squads if he prosecuted. Tom Gerard said he began working for CIA in 1982 and quit in 1985 because he could not tolerate what he saw. He and Roy Bullock are suspected of gathering information from police and government files on thousands of individuals and groups. Information probably ended up with B'nai B'rith and ADL. CIA refused to confirm Gerard's claim. Gerard said there is proof CIA directly involved in training and support of torture and death squads in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala during mid 1980s. Proof in his briefcase San Francisco police seized. Gerard said several photos seized by police show CIA agents attending interrogations, or posing with death squad members. Washington Times, 4/28/1993, A 6

El Salvador, 1963-90. In 1963 U.S. sent 10 Special Forces to help General Madrano set up Organizacion Democratica Nacionalista (Orden), a death squad. Evidence this sort activity going on for 30 years. Martinez, a soldier in First infantry brigade's department 2, admitted death squad acts. Said he worked with two U.S. Advisers. Castro, another soldier, talks about death squads and U.S. contacts. Rene Hurtado, former agent with Treasury Police, gives his story. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly) Summer 1990, pp. 51-53

El Salvador, 1973-89. El Salvador's ruling party, Arena, closed off fifth floor of National Assembly building to serve as HQ for national network of death squads following Arena's 20 March 1988 electoral victory. Hernan Torres Cortez, a former Arena security guard and death squad member, said he was trained and recruited by Dr. Antonio Regalado under orders of Roberto D'Abuisson intelligence service, Ansesal, in 1973. Official network was broken up in 1984 following Vice President Bush's visit, but was reinstated in 1988. Intelligence Newsletter, 1/18/1991, p. 5

El Salvador, 1979-90. A detailed discussion of Salvador's death squads. Schwarz, B. (1991). American Counterinsurgency Doctrine and El Salvador, pp. 41-3

El Salvador, 1980-84. Expatriate Salvadorans in U.S. have provided funds for political violence and have been directly involved in assisting and directing their operations. Senate Intelligence Committee, October 5, 1984, p. 15

El Salvador, 1980-84. Numerous Salvadoran officials involved in death squad activities — most done by security services — especially the Treasury Police and National Guard. Some military death squad activity. Senate Intelligence Committee, October 5, 1984, 15

El Salvador, 1980-89. D'Aubuisson kept U.S. on its guard. Hundreds of released declassified documents re relationship. Washington Post, 1/4/1994, A1,13

El Salvador, 1980-89. Declassified documents re 32 cases investigated by United Nations appointed Truth Commission on El Salvador reveal U.S. officials were fully aware of Salvadoran military and political leaders' complicity in crimes ranging from massacre of more than 700 peasants at El Mozote in 1981 to murder of 6 Jesuit priests in 1989, and thousands of atrocities in between. Lies of our Time 3/1994, pp. 6-9

El Salvador, 1980-89. President Reagan and Vice President Bush instituted polices re fighting communists rather than human rights concerns. From 11/1980 through 1/1991 a large number of assassinations — 11/27, 5 respected politicians; 12/4, rape and murder of 3 American nuns and a lay workers; 2 American land reform advisers on 1/4/1981. Archbishop Romero killed 3/1980. There clear evidence D'Aubuisson's involvement but Reagan administration ignored. On TV, D'Aubuisson, using military intelligence files, denounced teachers, labor leaders, union organizers and politicians. Within days their mutilated bodies found. Washington had identified most leaders of death squads as members Salvadoran security forces with ties to D'Aubuisson. With U.S. outrage at bloodshed, U.S., via Bush, advised government slaughter must stop. Article discusses torture techniques used by security forces. Washington Post op-ed by Douglas Farah, 2/23/1992, C4

El Salvador, 1980-90. COL Nicolas Carranza, head of Treasury Police, on CIA payroll. Minnick, W. (1992). Spies and Provocateurs, p. 32

El Salvador, 1980-90. State panel found that mistakes by U.S. diplomats, particularly in probing 1981 massacre of civilians at El Mozote, undercut policy during Salvador's civil war. Findings in 67-page study ordered by Secretary of State Christopher. Sen. Leahy said report "glosses over...the lies, half-truths and evasions that we came to expect from the State Department during that period." Sen. Dodd said "report is sloppy, anemic and basically a whitewash..." Washington Times, 7/16/1993, A12 and Washington Post, 7/16/1993, A16

El Salvador, 1980-91. Truth Commission report says 19 of 27 Salvadoran officers implicated in 6 Jesuit murders were graduates of U.S. Army's School of Americas in Fort Benning, Ga. Almost three quarters of Salvadoran officers accused in 7 other massacres were trained at Fort Benning. It called school for dictators. Since 46 it has trained more than 56,000 Latin soldiers. Graduates include some of region's most despicable military strongmen. Now, when U.S. wants to build democracy, school an obstacle. Newsweek investigation turned up hundreds of less than honorable grads. At least 6 Peruvian officers linked to a military death squad that killed 9 students and a professor were graduates. Four of five senior Honduran officers accused in Americas Watch report of organizing a death squad, Battalion 316, were trained there. A coalition charged 246 Colombian officers with human rights violations; 105 were school alumni. Honored graduates include General Suarez, a brutal dictator of Bolivia; General Callejas Ycallejas, chief of Guatemalan intelligence in late 1970s and early 1980s, when thousands political opponents were assassinated; and Honduran General Garcia, a corrupt person; and, Hernandez, armed forces chief of Colombia suspected of aiding Colombian drug traffickers. Newsweek, 8/9/1993, pp. 36-7

El Salvador, 1980-92. "Secret of the Skeletons: Uncovering America's Hidden Role in El Salvador." Pathologists uncovered 38 small skeletons in El Mozote. In 1981 soldiers of ACRE, immediate reaction infantry battalion created by U.S., herded children into basement and blew up building. U.S. officials denied any massacre had taken place and kept on denying for years. About 800 residents killed. Armed service leaders said they conducted war on part of Reagan and Bush administrations with bi-partisan support Congress since 1984; received daily assistance from State Department, DOD and CIA. Truth Commission investigating via U.S. Government interagency committee. State and CIA not cooperating with commission. CIA not giving one document on formation of death squads, prepared in 1983 for congressional intelligence committees. Kidnap-for-profit ring against Salvadoran business community. With U.S. Encouragement, Salvadoran government arrested several members of ring. One was a death squad assassin, Rudolfo Isidro Lopez Sibrian, who implicated in deaths of 2 American labor advisers. Washington Post, 11/15/1992, C1,2

El Salvador, 1980-93. 11/5/1993 release of thousands pages of intelligence reports shows every U.S. diplomat, military officer, and intelligence operative who worked with El Salvador's military and political leaders in 1980s knew most of those involved in organizing death squads. State Department officials lied to Congress. Intelligence reports detailed precise information on murder, kidnapping, and coup plots, and death squad funding, involving people like VP Francisco Merino and current Arena candidate Armando Calderon Sol. At least 63,000 Salvadoran civilians — equivalent of 3 million Americans were killed — most by government supported by U.S. The Nation, 11/29/1993, p. 645

El Salvador, 1980-93. Approximately 50-page article on the massacres at El Mozote. Article by Mark Danner. New Yorker, 12/6/1993

El Salvador, 1980-93. Article by Jared Toller, "Death Squads Past, Present & Future." discusses recent cases of FMLN members being murdered by resurgent death squads. Only left is calling for full implementation of UN Truth Commission's recommendations — purging armed forces, full investigation into death squads, etc. Truth Commission had recommended U.S. make it files available. U.S. Had refused to turn over 1983 FBI report on death squads organization in Miami. Salvadoran government is the death squads. Member of a death squad now imprisoned and seeking amnesty, Lopez Sibrian, explained participation of Arena luminaries in kidnappings, bombings and attacks on National University. He implicated the mayor of San Salvador in various acts. Link between phone service, Antel, and national intelligence police. Antel records calls of left and passes them to police. (The secret anti-communist Army, a former death squad, were regulars of now-disbanded Treasury Police). Upcoming elections may have generated increase in death squad activity. Z magazine, 1/1994, pp. 14-5

El Salvador, 1980-93. Colman McCarthy comments of UN's Truth Commission report and the Reagan-Abrams "fabulous achievement." Washington Post, 4/6/1993, D22

El Salvador, 1980-93. Letter to editor by Thomas Buergenthal of law school at George Washington U., who was a member of the Truth Commission for El Salvador. He denies news story that there was a chapter in the report that dealt with the structure and finances of the groups was withheld. He bemoans the ability of the commission to thoroughly investigate all aspects. Washington Post, 11/30/1993, A24

El Salvador, 1980-93. Report of UN's Truth Commission re enormous crime of a government that killed upwards of 70,000 civilians between 1980-92. Report refutes official statements made by Reagan and Bush administrations — when officials denied leaders of Salvadoran armed forces were using execution, rape and torture to sustain their power — reports says they were. We need a truth report on our own government per Rep. Moakley. Truth report adds growing body evidence U.S. Government officials may have participated in perpetuation of atrocities in El Salvador. In 1960s, CIA advisers helped create a nationwide informant net. In 1981, team of military advisers led by Brig. Gen. Frederick Woener sent to determine "rightist terrorism and institutional violence." Salvadorans generally dismissed notion that terror was a bad idea. One of Colonels, Oscar Edgardo Casanova Vejar, was one covering up rape and murder of four churchwomen. Woener recommended U.S. proceed and give $300-400 million aid. U.S. officials claimed churchwomen had run a roadblock and there was no massacre at El Mozote. Neil Livingstone, a consultant who worked with Oliver North at NSC concluded, "death squads are an extremely effective tool, however odious, in combating terrorism and revolutionary challenges." op-ed by Jefferson Morley, an Outlook editor. Washington Post, 3/28/1993, C1,5

El Salvador, 1980-93. Salvador's ruling party moved to declare amnesty for those named in United Nations.-sponsored Truth Commission. Investigators said 85% of complaints laid to government death squads. Discusses D'Aubuisson's implication in Archbishop Romero's assassination. Washington Post 3/17/1993 a25

El Salvador, 1980. Ten former death squad members were ordered killed in Santiago de Maria on 27 December 1980 by Hector Antonio Regalado, who felt they knew too much. Intelligence Newsletter, 10/4/1988, p. 6

El Salvador, 1981-84. There are two versions of first page of a CIA report, "El Salvador: Dealing With Death Squads," 1/20/1984. CIA released first version in 1987, among congressional debate over aid to El Salvador. Second version, which contradicts first, declassified by CIA in 11/1993. As recently as 10/1992, CIA continued to release censored version in response to FOIA requests. Redacted version implies death squad problem overcome — non censored version show this is not true. New York Times, 12/17/1993, A19

El Salvador, 1981-89. Salvadoran atrocity posed agonizing choice for U.S. COL Rene Ponce, chief of staff of Salvador's armed forces, has been accused of ordering murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter at Central American University. Newly available U.S. documents show U.S. knowingly and repeatedly aligned themselves with unsavory characters during 1980s while defending them to U.S. Public. Diplomatic cables found among more than 10,000 recently declassified State, Pentagon and CIA documents, reveal extent U.S. policy makers chose to overlook Ponce's brutality. U.S. officials long labeled Ponce a right-wing extremist tied to death squads. But documents make clear U.S. played down unsavory side of Ponce. Details from correspondence between Ambassador Walker and Baker. In 10/1983, CIA prepared a "briefing paper on right-wing terrorism in El Salvador" that described Ponce as a supporter of death squads. Impact Bush's visit in 1984 to push for human rights was minimal. By 7/1989, CIA reported that Ponce "espouses moderate political views." Ponce refused repeated requests to pursue those responsible for deaths of Jesuits. Washington Post, 4/5/1994, A13

El Salvador, 1981-90. Government operation at El Mozote consisted of Army, National Guard and the Treasury Police in operation rescue. By early 1992, U.S. spent more than 4 billion in civil war lasting 12 years and that left 75,000 dead. New Yorker, 12/6/1993, p. 53

El Salvador, 1981-90. In 1981 over 10,000 political murders committed by Salvadoran military and its death squads. In 1990 there were 108 such murders. Schwarz, B. (1991). American Counterinsurgency Doctrine and El Salvador, p. 23

El Salvador, 1981-92. Article "Death-Squad Refugees," discusses case of Cesar Vielman Joya Martinez, extradited by Bush to El Salvador to face murder charges for being part of a death squad that he claims operated with knowledge of defense minister Ponce and other top officials. FOIA documents show U.S. helping prepare extradition request for Salvadoran government. Truth Commission's report vindicates Joya. Texas Observer (magazine), 3/26/1993, pp. 9-10

El Salvador, 1981-92. Some U.S. special operations soldiers in El Salvador during civil war want Pentagon to admit they more than advisers. They say they also fought. Army memo given Newsweek says, "most personnel serving in an advisory capacity were directly engaged in hostile action." Newsweek, 4/5/1993

El Salvador, 1981-92. Truth Commission report implicates top Salvadoran officials in ordering or covering up murders of four U.S. churchwomen and six Jesuit priests; and Salvadoran troops massacred many hundreds at El Mozote. Four Dutch journalists killed 3/17/1982 were deliberately ambushed by Salvadoran army. Denials by then top U.S. government officials now exposed. U.S. government supported war with $6 billion. The Nation, 4/12/1993, p. 475

El Salvador, 1981-93. 12 years of tortured truth on El Salvador — U.S. declarations undercut by United Nations. Commission report. For 12 years, opponents of U.S. policy in Central America accused Reagan and Bush administrations of ignoring widespread human rights abuses by the Salvadoran government and of systematically deceiving or even lying to Congress and people about the nature of an ally that would receive $6 billion in economic and military aid. A three-man United Nations.-sponsored Truth Commission released a long-awaited report on 12 years of murder, torture and disappearance in El Salvador's civil war. Commission examined 22,000 complaints of atrocities and attributed 85 percent of a representative group of them to Salvadoran security forces or right-wing death squads. It blamed remainder on guerrilla Farabundo Marti National Liberation front (FMLN). In May 1980, for instance, when Carter was still President, security forces seized documents implicating rightist leader D'Aubuisson in the murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero. In Fall of 1981, Army Brig. Gen. Fred Woerner supervised preparation of a joint U.S.-Salvadoran internal military "Report of the El Salvador Military Strategy Assistance Team," which noted that "the (Salvadoran) armed forces are reluctant to implement vigorous corrective actions for abuses in the use of force." One reason so many people found it hard to believe U.S. officials could not have known more about rights abuses and acted more aggressively to curb them is that the U.S. was deeply involved in running the war, from intelligence gathering to strategy planning to training of everyone from officers to foot soldiers. By 1982, U.S.. military advisers were assigned to each of the six Salvadoran brigades, as well as each of 10 smaller detachments. The U.S. put tens of millions of dollars into developing the ultra-modern national intelligence directorate to coordinate intelligence gathering and dissemination. U.S. military and CIA officials participated in almost every important meeting. Most brigades had a U.S. intelligence officer assigned to them, as well as a U.S. liaison officer. U.S. advisers regularly doled out small amounts of money, usually less than $1,000 at a time, for intelligence work. The U.S. was not informed of arrests or captures Unless they specifically asked. "They never asked unless there was a specific request because someone in Washington was getting telegrams." El Mozote, the report said, was work of U.S.-trained Atlacatl battalion, part of a days-long search-and-destroy sweep known as "Operation Rescue." In fact, the report said, the soldiers massacred more than 500 people in six villages. In El Mozote, where the identified victims exceeded 200, "the men were tortured and executed, then women were executed and finally, the children" Washington Post, 3/21/1993

El Salvador, 1981-93. A discussion of the media's treatment of the El Mozote massacres and the U.S. media's treatment of that story. Lies of our Time, 6/1993, pp. 3-4

El Salvador, 1981-93. Thomas Enders, former Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs from 1981-83, writes op-ed defending U.S. officials' testimony re massacre at El Mozote as now confirmed by UN's Truth Commission report. Washington Post, op-ed 3/29/1993, A19

El Salvador, 1981-93. United Nations. Commission on Truth to release report on crimes committed against civilians in Salvador's 12-year civil war. Defense Minister Ponce already resigned. Washington Post Outlook, 3/14/1993, C1,2

El Salvador, 1981-94. Armando Calderon Sol considered shoo-in to win Presidency in impending elections. Calderon began his political career as a member of a seven-man, neo-fascist group under D'Aubuisson's guidance that supported death squad operations. Calderon has all worst elements of D'Abuisson without any redeeming qualities. When D'Abuisson running death squads out of his office, Calderon was his private secretary and a loyal soldier in a terrorist cell — Salvadoran National Movement (MNS). In 1981, D'Abuisson unified MNS into Arena party. Washington Post, Outlook, 4/17/1994, C1,3

El Salvador, 1981. Detailed article on "The Truth of El Mozote," by Mark Danner. New Yorker, 12/6/1993, pages 51 and ending on page 103

El Salvador, 1981. Skeletons verify killing of Salvadoran children of El Mozote, El Salvador. Washington Times, 10/21/1992, A9 and Washington Post, 10/22/1992, A18

El Salvador, 1982-84. Significant political violence associated with Salvadoran security services including National police, National Guard, and Treasury Police. U.S. government agencies maintained official relationships with Salvadoran security establishment appearing to acquiesce in these activities. No evidence U.S. personnel participated in forcible interrogations. U.S. did pass "tactical" information to alert services of action by insurgent forces. Information on persons passed only in highly unusual cases. Senate Intelligence Committee, October 5, 1984, pp. 11-13.

El Salvador, 1982-84. "Recent Political Violence in El Salvador," Report of Senate Intelligence Committee. Committee found ample evidence that U.S. policy was to oppose political violence. U.S. government accorded high priority to gathering intelligence on political violence. President Bush and his demarche in 1983. P8. U.S. government Relationship with Robert D'Aubuisson — bio on him. U.S. Government contact with him limited. Roberto Santivanez, director of Ansesal 1978-79. He claimed he himself had engaged in death squad activity and had a relationship with U.S. through CIA and that COL Carranza had ties to CIA. Colonel Nicolas Carranza had extensive ties to Arena and National Conciliation (PCN) parties. He involved in various activities of interest to U.S. in various positions. Senate Intelligence Committee, October 5, 1984, pp. 1-11

El Salvador, 1983-90. Former Salvadoran army intelligence agent who applied for political asylum in U.S. convicted in court of entering country illegally. Joya-Martinez's request for political asylum still pending. Washington Post, 9/19/1990, A5

El Salvador, 1985. In 2/1985, CIA reported that behind Arena's legitimate exterior lies a terrorist network led by D'Aubuisson using both active-duty and retired military personnel..." main death squad was "the Secret Anti-communist Army," described by CIA as the paramilitary organization of Arena — from the National Police and other security organizations. These were funded directly from Washington. Death squads became more active as 1994, election approached. Columbia, possibly leading terrorist state in Latin America, has become leading recipient of U.S. military aid. Since 1986, more than 20,000 people have been killed for political reasons, most by Colombian authorities. More than 1,500 leaders, members and supporters of the Labor Party (UP) have been assassinated since party established in 1985. Pretext for terror operations is war against guerrillas and narcotraffickers. Former a partial truth, latter a myth concocted to replace the "communist threat." Works hand-in-hand with drug lords, organized crime, and landlords. National Police took over as leading official killers while U.S. aid shifted to them. Targets include community leaders, human rights and health workers, union activists, students, members of religious youth organizations, and young people in shanty towns. Sale of human organs. Case of Guatemala. Shift of 1962, under Kennedy administration from hemispheric defense to "internal security:" war against the internal enemy. Doctrines expounded in counterinsurgency manuals. Internal enemy extends to labor organizations, popular movements, indigenous organizations, opposition political parties, peasant movements, intellectual sectors, religious currents, youth and student groups, neighborhood organizations, etc. From 1984 through 1992, 6,844 Colombian soldiers trained under U.S. International Military Education and Training Program (MET). Z Magazine, 5/1994, 14 pages

El Salvador, 1986-87. See article "Death Squad Update, Investigating L.A.'s Salvadoran Connection." Los Angeles Weekly, 8/7/1987

El Salvador, 1986-89. Joya Martinez, former death squad member, who said two U.S. advisers attached to his unit and gave funds of 9500 month. Article names other Salvadoran death squad members. Unclassified, 7/1990

El Salvador, 1986. In 1986, Salvadoran authorities, with help of FBI, cracked a kidnap-for-hire ring in which death squads posing as leftist rebels kidnapped some of nation's wealthiest businessmen. Schwarz, B. (1991). American Counterinsurgency Doctrine and El Salvador, p. 28

El Salvador, 1987-89. Jesuit labeled ardent communist two years before by Salvadoran, U.S. officials. Religious News Service, 5/9/1990, p. 1

El Salvador, 1987-89. Salvadoran woman defecting to U.S. said she worked for death squad and provided information on six people who killed. Her claims back up those of her supervisor, Cesar Joya Martinez, who linked death squad acts to U.S. funding. Boston Globe, 3/16/1990, in First Principles, 4/1990, p. 10

El Salvador, 1988-89. Joya Martinez, former member intelligence department 1st army Brigade of Salvador's army. Said U.S. advisers funded their activity, but unaware of death squad. Washington Post, 11/19/1989, F2

El Salvador, 1988. Amnesty International report of 26 October 1988 noted "black list" are supplied to Salvadoran media by Salvadoran intelligence services. During first six months of 1988, number of murders by death squads tripled over same period of previous year. Most prominent victim was Judge Jorge Alberto Serrano Panameno who was shot in May 1988. Increase reflects rise to power of 1966 class from national military school. Class members include Colonel Rene Emilio Ponce, new chief of staff of armed forces as well as director of Treasury Police. They command five of country's six brigades, five of seven military detachments, three security forces as well as intelligence, personnel and operations posts in high command. Intelligence Newsletter, 11/16/1988, pp. 5,6

El Salvador, 1989-91. According to confidential Salvadoran military sources, decision to murder six Jesuit priests was made at a 15 November 1989 meeting of senior commanders (CO) at the Salvadoran military school. Those allegedly present were: Colonel Benavides, CO of the school; General Juan Rafael Bustillo, then CO of Salvadoran Air Force — in 1991 assigned to embassy in Israel; General Emilio Ponce, then chief of staff — in 1991 minister of defense; and Colonel Elena Fuentes, CO of 1st brigade. Initiative for murders came from Colonel Bustillo. For a listing of direct and circumstantial evidence supporting allegation, see statement of Rep. Joe Moakley, Task Force on El Salvador, 11/18/1991

El Salvador, 1989. CIA officer visited bodies of dead priests. Officer was senior liaison with (DNI) the national intelligence directorate. U.S. probably knew Salvadoran military behind assassinations but did not say anything for seven weeks. State Department panel did not review actions of CIA or DOD. Washington Post, 7/18/1993, C1,4

El Salvador, 1989. Congressman criticized a 11/ 1987 report in which Latin American and U.S. military leaders accused Rev. Ignacio Ellacuria and several other theologians of supporting objectives of communist revolution. Father Ellacuria, Rector of Jesuit university in San Salvador, was murdered on 11/16/ 1989. Religious News Service, 5/11/1990, p. 1

El Salvador, 1989. Joya Martinez and Jesuit murders. Martinez says his unit which played major role in 12/1989 murder of Jesuit priests had U.S. government advisors. INS trying to deport Martinez. Unclassified, 9/1990, p. 6

El Salvador, 1989. Salvadoran Archbishop Rivera accused U.S. officials of subjecting a witness to the slaying of 6 Jesuit intellectuals to brainwashing and psychological torment. Washington Post, 12/11/1989, A23,24

El Salvador, 1989. U.S. military adviser Benavides told FBI, later recanted, that Salvadoran army chief of staff and others knew of plan to kill six Jesuit priests. Washington Post, 10/29/1990, A17,21

El Salvador, 1990. Amnesty International reported a significant surge in number of killings by army-supported death squads this year. 45 people killed between January and August this year, compared with 40 reported in 1989. Washington Post, 10/24/1990, A14

El Salvador, 1990. Cesar Vielman Joya-Martinez, former member Salvadoran First brigade death squad, sentenced to 6 months in jail for illegally reentering U.S. 6 years after he deported. Washington Post, 12/8/1990, A22

El Salvador, 1991. Salvadoran minister of defense and other top generals attended 1989 meeting where decision was made to murder six Jesuit priests, according to confidential sources. Allegation was made by an attorney working for Rep. Moakley (D-MA), whose task force released a six page statement directly linking Salvadoran high command to slayings. Washington Times, 11/18/1991, A2

El Salvador, 1991. Summary executions continued in El Salvador despite the presence of Onusal, the UN observer mission monitoring human rights violations. In a 1991 report, Onusal noted government made few attempts to investigate slayings. Report also accused FMLN for recruiting fifteen-year-olds. Washington Times, 12/3/1991, A8

El Salvador, 1992. Cesar Vielman Joya Martinez, former Salvadoran death squad member, to be deported. Washington Post editorial, 10/23/1992, A20

El Salvador, 1993. Right-wing death squads undermining fragile peace per UN chief in campaign for March 1994 elections. Washington Times, 11/25/1993, A15

El Salvador, Central America, 1981-1993. Salvadoran death squads set up as a consequence of Kennedy administration decisions. Killers were Treasury Police and the military who were trained in intelligence and torture by U.S. U.S. personnel staffed military and intelligence apparatus. Generals selected and trained by U.S. were most notorious killers. 1984 FBI report on death squads never released. For savage expose of School of Americas' killers, see Father Roy Bourgeois's School of the Americas Watch, Box 3330, Columbus Ga. 31903; (706) 682-5369. The Nation, 12/27/1993, p. 791

El Salvador, 1989-1990. Joya Martinez testified role played by U.S. officials in death squad killings carried out by U.S. trained first infantry Brigade's intelligence unit. Two U.S. military advisers controlled intelligence department and paid for unit's operating expenses. His unit performed 74 executions between April and July 1989. Washington Post confirmed U.S. advisers work in liaison with First brigade and CIA pays expenses for intelligence operations in the brigades. Martinez said his first brigade unit attached to U.S.-trained Atlacatl battalion, which slaughtered the Jesuit priests. Member of his unit, Oscar Mariano Amaya Grimaldi has confessed to slayings. In These Times, 8/14/1990, p. 17

Europe: Watch List

Europe, 1945-92. Operation Gladio. First scandal was discovery of assassination teams in 1952 linked to Bundes Deutscher Jugend — a right-wing political organization in Hesse, Germany. They prepared list of German politicians who [might cooperate with Soviets]. BBC (1992). Gladio — Timewatch (Transcript of 3 part program), pp. 19-20

Georgia: Watch List

Georgia, 1993. Woodruff worked for 2 months as CIA's Tbilisi station chief posing as a State Department regional-affairs officer. He to help Guguladze upgrade Georgian intelligence service and to monitor factional struggle. Newsweek 8/23/1993, p. 18

Germany: Watch List

Germany, 1950-54. In about 1950 pacifist ideas to be eradicated. U.S. formed German youth league (Bund Deutscher Jugend (BDJ)) in Frankfurt. Psychological indoctrination given by Paul Luth. BDJ was a militant organization, a counterweight to communist-run free German youth (FDJ) run from East Berlin to infiltrate W. German youth. BDJ passed letters and brochures through Iron Curtain and pasted slogans on walls. Chancellor Adenauer wanted cold war and wanted to use the BDJ. Otto John told by State official Zinn that it had uncovered neo-Nazi unit BDJ run by Peters, that was organizing secret firing exercises and training for partisan warfare in the Odelwald. BDJ had drawn up a blacklist of left-wing socialists who were to be arrested or even murdered in event of attack from east. [early version of Gladio political and staybehind operation]. John, O. (1969). Twice Through the Lines: the Autobiography of Otto John, pp. 210-15

Germany, 1950-90. Bonn officials said government to disband secret resistance net Operation Gladio. Section consisted of former Nazi SS and Waffen-SS officers as well as members of an extreme right-wing youth group that drew up plans to assassinate leading members of Socialist Democratic Party in event of USSR-invasion. "Statewatch" compilation filed June 1994, p. 11

Germany, 1952-91. CIA's stay-behind program caused scandal in 1952 when West German police discovered CIA working with a 2,000-member fascist youth group led by former Nazis. Group had a black list of people to be liquidated in case of conflict with the USSR. Lembke case. The Nation, 4/6/1992, p. 446

Germany, 1953. (Stay-behind operation Gladio?). In 1953 mass arrests of neo-Nazi militant organization within ranks of German youth fellowship (BDJ) discovered. Group held secret night maneuvers in Odenwald with CIA instructors. They preparing for war with East Germany and prepared lists of communists, left-wing sympathizers and pacifists who were to be arrested in case of emergency. Members encouraged to infiltrate East German youth league (FDJ). Operation exposed in press and scores of youths arrested in East Germany as spies, propagandists or provocateurs, and sentenced to terms of up to nine years of hard labor. Hagan, l. (1969). The Secret War for Europe, p. 78

Germany, 1953. U.S. Intelligence officer told Otto John, head of BFV, one of its agents in East Germany to defect with a list of East German agents in West. 35 Communist spies arrested after Easter. Later it found many of those arrested were innocent. Arrests followed with apologies. Disaster caused by over-zealous U.S. intelligence officer. West German businessmen as consequence afraid to do business with east. This a goal of U.S. Policy — was this a deliberate "mistake?" Hagan, l. (1969). The Secret War for Europe, p. 81

Greece: Watch List

Greece, 1967. After CIA-backed coup, the army and police seized almost 10,000 prisoners, mostly left-wing militants, though political leaders of all shades taken including prime minister Kanelopoulos and members of his Cabinet, trade union members, journalists, writers, etc. The lists had been provided by the sympathizers in the police and the secret service. Final lists kept up to date by COL George Ladas. Details of fate of the arrestees. Tompkins, P. (Unpublished manuscript). Strategy of Terror, pp. 13-8

Guatemala: Watch List

Guatemala, 1954. Death squads and target lists. Schlesinger, S., & Kinzer, S. (1983). Bitter Fruit 197, pp. 207-8, 221

Guatemala, 1954. Goal of CIA was apprehension of suspected communists and sympathizers. At CIA behest, Castillo Armas created committee and issued decree that established death penalty for crimes including labor union activities. Committee given authority declare anyone communist with no right of defense or appeal. By 11/21/1954 committee had some 72,000 persons on file and aiming to list 200,000. Schlesinger, S., & Kinzer, S. (1983). Bitter Fruit, p. 221

Guatemala, 1954. The U.S. Ambassador, after overthrow of Arbenz government, gave lists of radical opponents to be eliminated to Armas's government. NACLA 2/1983, p 4. The military continued up to at least 1979 to use a list of 72,000 proscribed opponents, drawn up first in 1954. NACLA (magazine re Latin America) 2/1983, p. 13

Guatemala, 1954. After Armas made president, labor code forgotten and worker organizers began disappearing from united fruit plantations. Hersh, B. (1992). The Old Boys, p. 353

Guatemala, 1954. Department of State Secretary Dulles told Ambassador Peurifoy to have the government scour the countryside for communists and to slap them with criminal charges. A few months later the government began to persecute hundreds for vague communist crimes. The Nation, 10/28/1978, p. 444

Guatemala, 1954 U.S. Ambassador Peurifoy, after Arbenz resigned, gave Guatemalan army's chief of staff a list of "communists" to be shot. The chief of staff declined. The Nation 6/5/1995, pp. 792-5

Guatemala, 1981-89. Israeli Knesset member General Peled said in Central America Israel is 'dirty work' contractor for U.S. Helped Guatemala regime when Congress blocked Reagan administration. Israeli firm Tadiran (then partly U.S.-owned) supplied Guatemalan military with computerized intelligence system to track potential subversives. Those on computer list had an excellent chance of being "disappeared." It was "an archive and computer file on journalists, students, leaders, leftists, politicians and so on." Computer system making up death lists. Cockburn, A. & Cockburn, L. (1991). Dangerous Liaison, p. 219

Guatemala, 1985-93. CIA collected intelligence re ties between Guatemalan insurgents and Cuba. CIA passed the information to U.S. military, which was assisting Guatemalan army extinguish opposition. Washington Post, 3/30/1995, A1,10

Guatemala, 1988-91. CIA station chief in Guatemala from 1988 to 1991 was a Cuban American. He had about 20 officers with a budget of about $5 million a year and an equal or greater sum for "liaison" with Guatemalan military. His job included placing and keeping senior Guatemalan officers on his payroll. Among them was Alpirez, who recruited for CIA. Alpirez's intelligence unit spied on Guatemalans and is accused by human rights groups of assassinations. CIA also gave Guatemalan army information on guerrillas. New York Times, 4/2/1995, A11

Guatemala: Death Squads

Guatemala, 1953-84. For 30 years the CIA has been bankrolling a man reported to be behind right-wing terror in Central America. The CIA's protégé, Mario Sandoval Alarcon, former Vice President Of Guatemala, now heads the National Liberation Movement (NLM) founded in 1953 by CIA as a paramilitary force to overthrow Arbenz. By mid-1960s Sandoval emerged as head of the organization. The White Hand or La Mano Blanco with close ties to the NLM was responsible for as many as 8000 deaths in the 1960s plus more in the 1970s. Sandoval a pillar of the World Anti-communist League. The CIA still funds Sandoval. Jack Anderson, Washington Post, 1/30/1984

Guatemala, 1954-76. Effect of CIA coup organized labor all but wiped out. Union membership dropped 100,000 to 27,000 immediately and continued decline thereafter, in part due to death squad activity. Barry, T., and Preusch, D. (1986). AIFLD in Central America, p. 21

Guatemala. Police trained by AID public safety program murdered or disappeared 15,000 people. Lernoux, P. (1982). Cry of the People, p. 186

Guatemala, 1954-84. See Jack Anderson column "Links Reported Among Latin Death Squads." Washington Post, 1/12/1984, N. VA., p. 15

Guatemala, 1970-72. Under Arana presidency, with Mario Sandoval Alarcon and others involved in right-wing terrorism, Arana unleashed one of the most gruesome slaughters in recent Latin American history (only in Chile, following the coup against Allende was the degree of violence greater). The New York Times reported in June 1971 that at least 2000 Guatemalans were assassinated between 11/1970 and 5/1971; most corpses showed signs of torture. Most of killing attributed to the officially supported terrorist organizations Ojo Por Ojo (an eye for an eye) and Mano Blanca. Jones, S., and Tobis, D. (Eds.). (1974). Guatemala, pp. 202-3

Guatemala, 1970-87. Violence by security forces organized by CIA, trained in torture by advisors from Argentina, Chile. Supported by weapon, computer experts from Israel. Marshall, J., Scott P.D., and Hunter, J. (1987). The Iran-Contra Connection, p. 133

Guatemala. 1960-82. Trained military death squads who used "terror tactics" from killing to indiscriminate napalming of villages. Special Forces almost certainly participated in operations despite Congressional prohibition. Marshall, J., Scott P.D., and Hunter, J. (1987). The Iran-Contra Connection, p. 193

Guatemala, 1954. The U.S. ambassador, after overthrow of Arbenz government, gave lists to Armas of radical opponents to be eliminated. NACLA (magazine re Latin America) 2/1983, p. 4

Guatemala, 1985. The World Anti-communist League's point man, Mario Sandoval Alarcon, remains a League member even after exposed as a death squad patriarch who was on the CIA payroll. Jack Anderson, Washington Post, 8/9/1986

Guatemala, 1989. Climate of terror grips Guatemala. Killers, bombers said to target civilian rule. Washington Post, 9/29/1989, A 45

Guatemala, circa 1968-70. U.S. counterinsurgency program turned area into bloody war zone taking the lives of thousands of peasants. Formed Mano Blanca or White Hand. Plan used through out country in 1970. NACLA (magazine re Latin America), 3/74, p. 19

Guatemala. Article by Gary Bass and Babette Grunow on the Guatemalan counterinsurgency forces. Lies of our Time, 6/1993, pp. 11-13

Guatemala. At least three of recent G-2 chiefs were paid by CIA. Crimes are merely examples of a vast, systematic pattern; [the guilty] are only cogs in a large U.S. government apparatus. Colonel Hooker, former DIA chief for Guatemala, says, "it would be an embarrassing situation if you ever had a roll call of everybody in Guatemalan army who ever collected a CIA paycheck." Hooker says CIA payroll is so large that it encompasses most of Army's top decision-makers. Top commanders paid by CIA include General Roberto Matta Galvez, former army chief of staff, head of presidential General Staff and commander of massacres in El Quiche department; and General Gramajo, defense minister during the armed forces' abduction, rape and torture of Dianna Ortiz, an American nun. Hooker says he once brought Gramajo on a tour of U.S. Three recent Guatemalan heads of state confirm CIA works closely with G-2. Gen. Oscar Humberto Mejia Victores (military dictator from 1983 to 1986) how death squads had originated, he said they started "in the 1960s by CIA." General Efrain Rios Montt (dictator from 1982 to 1983 and the current congress president), who ordered main high-land massacres (662 villages destroyed, by army's own count), said CIA had agents in the G-2. CIA death squads by Allan Nairn. The Nation, 4/17/1995

Guatemala. CIA works inside a Guatemalan army unit that maintains a network of torture centers and has killed thousands of Guatemalan civilians. G-2, since at least 60s, has been advised, trained, armed and equipped by U.S. undercover agents. One of American agents who works with G-2, is Randy Capister. He has been involved in similar operations with army of neighboring El Salvador. A weapons expert known as Joe Jacarino, has operated through out Caribbean, and has accompanied G-2 units on missions into rural zones. Jacarino [possibly a CIA officer]. Celerino Castillo, a former agent of DEA who dealt with G-2 and CIA in Guatemala, says he worked with Capister as well as with Jacarino. Colonel Alpirez at La Aurora base in Guatemala Denied involvement in deaths of Bamaca and Devine. He said CIA advises and helps run G-2. He praised CIA for "professionalism" and close rapport with Guatemalan officers. He said that agency operatives often come to Guatemala on temporary duty, and train G-2. CIA gives sessions at G-2 bases on "contra-subversion" tactics and "how to manage factors of power" to "fortify democracy." During mid-1980s G-2 officers were paid by Jack McCavitt, then CIA station chief. CIA "technical assistance" includes communications gear, computers and special firearms, as well as collaborative use of CIA-owned helicopters that are flown out of piper hangar at La Aurora civilian airport and from a separate U.S. Air facility. Guatemalan army has, since 1978, killed more than 110,000 civilians. G-2 and a smaller, affiliated unit called Archivo have long been openly known in Guatemala as the brain of the terror state. With a contingent of more than 2,000 agents and with sub-units in local army bases, G-2 coordinates torture, assassination and disappearance of dissidents. CIA Death Squads by Allan Nairn. The Nation, 4/17/1995

Guatemala, 1954-95. For at least five years, Colonel Alpirez was also a well-paid agent for CIA and a murderer, a U.S. Congressman says. Alpirez has been linked to the murder of Michael Devine, an American innkeeper who lived and worked in the Guatemalan jungle, and the torture and killing of Efrain Bamaca Velasquez, a leftist guerrilla who was the husband of Jennifer Harbury. CIA ties began in 1954, when Alpirez was about five years old. The CIA engineered a coup in Guatemala that overthrew a leftist president and installed a right-wing military regime. CIA's station in Guatemala began recruiting young and promising military officers who would provide information on the left-wing guerrillas, the internal workings of Guatemala's intertwined military and political leadership, union members, opposition politicians and others. Alpirez was sent in 1970 to School of the Americas (SOA), an elite and recently much-criticized U.S. Army academy at Fort Benning, Ga. Human-rights groups and members of congress point out that SOA's graduates include Roberto D'Aubuisson, leader of death squads in El Salvador; 19 Salvadoran soldiers named in the 1989 assassination of six Jesuit priests and three soldiers accused of the 1980 rape and murder of four U.S. church workers; Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedars and other leaders of the military junta that ran Haiti from 1991 to 1994; General Hugo Banzer, dictator of Bolivia from 1971 to 1978, and General Manuel Antonio Noriega of Panama, now imprisoned in U.S. In 1970s Alpirez was an officer in a counterinsurgency unit known as Kaibiles. Kaibiles became notorious in the early 1980s, known as scorched earth years, when tens of thousands of Indians were killed as military swept across rural Guatemala, systematically destroying villages. Guatemalan government's own count, campaign left 40,000 widows and 150,000 orphans. In late 1980s, Alpirez served as a senior official of an intelligence unit hidden within the general staff and became a paid agent of CIA who paid him tens of thousands of dollars a year. Intelligence unit, known as "Archivo," or archives, stands accused of assassination, infiltration of civilian agencies and spying on Guatemalans in violation of the nation's Constitution. Archivo works like the CIA. "It was also working as a death squad." New York Times, 3/25/1995

Guatemala, 1954-95. U.S. Undercover agents have worked for decades inside a Guatemalan army unit that has tortured and killed thousands of Guatemalan citizens, per the Nation weekly magazine. "working out of the U.S. Embassy and living in safe houses and hotels, agents work through an elite group of Guatemalan officers who are secretly paid by CIA and implicated personally in numerous political crimes and assassinations ''unit known as G-2 and its secret collaboration with CIA were described by U.S. and Guatemalan operatives and confirmed by three former Guatemalan heads of state. Colonel Julio Roberto Alpirez, Guatemalan officer implicated in murders of guerrilla leader Efrain Bamaca Velasquez — husband of an American lawyer — and rancher Michael Devine discussed in an interview how intelligence agency advises and helps run G-2. He said agents came to Central American country often to train G-2 men and he described attending CIA sessions at G-2 bases on "contra-subversion" tactics and "how to manage factors of power" to "fortify democracy" the Nation quoted U.S. and Guatemalan intelligence sources as saying at least three recent G-2 chiefs have been on CIA payroll — General Edgar Godoy Gatan, Colonel Otto Perez Molina and General Francisco Ortega Menaldo. `It would be embarrassing if you ever had a roll call of everybody in Guatemalan army who ever collected a CIA paycheck,'' report quoted Colonel George Hooker, U.S. DIA chief in Guatemala from 1985 to 1989, as saying. Human rights group Amnesty International has said Guatemalan army killed more than 110,000 civilians since 1978 with G-2 and another unit called Archivo known as main death squads. Reuters, 3/30/1995

Guatemala, 1960-90. Human rights groups say at least 40,000 Guatemalans "disappeared" in last three decades. Most were poor Indians. Anthropologists, led by Clyde Snow, dug away at a village site. Maria Lopez had a husband and a son in one grave. She said on morning of Valentine's Day 1982, members of anti-guerrilla militia took her husband and others. They had refused to join militias known as civil self-defense patrols and were killed. Six unknown clandestine graves in San Jose Pacho. Human rights groups blame most disappearances on army-run civil self-defense patrols set up under presidencies of General Lucas Garcia and Brig. Gen. Rios Montt. There are hundreds of clandestine graves filled with victims of the militias, right-wing death squads and brutal counterinsurgency campaigns. Washington Times, 8/5/1992, p. A9

Guatemala, 1970-95. Jennifer Harbury's story. Time, 4/3/1995, p. 48

Guatemala, 1981-95. DIA reports re MLN particularly disturbing, as they raise grave questions about extent of U.S. knowledge of MLN activities in earlier years when MLN leader Mario Sandoval Alarcon was tied to Reagan Administration's efforts to support Contras. Having come to power in 1954 with the CIA-backed overthrow of Colonel Jacobo Arbenze, MLN leader Sandoval was accused in 1980 by Elias Barahona, former press secretary to the Guatemalan Interior Minister, of having worked for CIA. Head of National Congress from 1970 to 1974, at which time he was made vice president, a position he kept until his term expired in 1978, Sandoval is widely regarded as father of Latin America's "death squads." In 1970's, he had a close relationship with Roberto D'Aubuisson, deputy chief of El Salvador's national security agency (Anseal). D'Aubuisson reportedly was behind El Salvador's death squads. Sandoval was so close to Reagan administration that he was one of only two Guatemalans invited to attend Reagan's inauguration. Intelligence — a computerized intelligence newsletter published in France, 4/24/1995, p. 1

Guatemala, 1984-95. Article, "Murder as Policy." Washington was supporting Guatemalan army in a number of ways: green berets trained Kaibul massacre force, the army's self-proclaimed "messengers of death." U.S. openly sold weapons to Guatemala — used in massacre in Santiago Atitlan. Hundreds of U.S. troops (mostly National Guard) helped civic action and road building in massacre zones. The Nation, 4/24/1995, pp. 547-8

Guatemala, 1985-93. CIA collected intelligence re ties between Guatemalan insurgents and Cuba — CIA passed the information to U.S. military, which was assisting Guatemalan army extinguish opposition. Washington Post, 3/30/1995, A1,10

Guatemala, 1985-95. Bombings against military-reformist Christian Democratic Party (DCG) of then President Vinicio Cerezo to topple Cerezo, who perceived as being too soft on rebels. A 10/1988 DIA intelligence report alerted American authorities that MLN, which was involved in "plotting a coup against Cerezo in the past," is "now apparently prepared to use violent tactics to undermine DCG government." MLN "is reportedly planning a bombing campaign directed against members of ruling DCG. MLN intends to use recently obtained explosives to target personal vehicles of DCG Congressional representatives in order to frighten them. After assessing their impact, MLN will consider initiating a second stage of its anti-DCG campaign that will include killing of various individuals. MLN has selected potential targets in Guatemala city. U.S. Army and DIA, getting regular, high-level intelligence from senior Guatemalan army officers and other sources about crimes, notably murder, being committed by Guatemalan army personnel. Source and depth of intelligence raises questions about what U.S. Government actually knew about Guatemalan army complicity in civilian murders in that country throughout the 1980s, including alleged involvement of Guatemalan Colonel Julio Roberto Alpirez, then a CIA agent, in 1990 and 1992 murders of American innkeeper Michael Devine and guerrilla fighter Efrain Bamaco Velazquez, husband of an American, Jennifer Harbury." Intelligence — a computerized intelligence newsletter published in France, 4/24/1995, p. 1

Guatemala, 1988-91. CIA station chief in Guatemala from 1988 to 1991 was a Cuban American. He had about 20 officers with a budget of about $5 million a year and an equal or greater sum for "liaison" with Guatemalan military. His job included placing and keeping senior Guatemalan officers on his payroll. Among them was Alpirez, who recruited others for CIA. Alpirez's intelligence unit spied on Guatemalans and is accused by human rights groups of assassinations. CIA also gave Guatemalan army information on the guerrillas. New York Times, 4/2/1995, A11

Guatemala, 1989. 25 students in two years killed by squads. Entire university student association has been silenced. U.S. backed governments in virtual genocide have more than 150,000 victims. AI called this genocide a "government program of political murder." The Nation, 3/5/1990, cover, p. 308

Guatemala, 1990-95. Member of House Intelligence Committee, Robert G. Torricelli (D- NJ.) said, in letter to President Clinton, that a Guatemalan military officer who ordered killings of an American citizen and a guerrilla leader married to a North American lawyer was a paid agent of CIA. CIA knew of killings, but concealed its knowledge for years. Another member of House Intelligence Committee confirmed Torricelli's claims. Torricelli wrote in letter to President that the "Direct involvement of CIA in the murder of these individuals leads me to the extraordinary conclusion that the agency is simply out of control and that it contains what can only be labeled a criminal element." Colonel Julio Roberto Alpirez, Bamaca, and Michael Devine. Tim Weiner, New York Times, 3/23/1995

Guatemala, 1990-95. Article, El Buki's Tale — Murder of Michael Devine. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Summer 1995, pp. 32-37

Guatemala, 1990-95. Article, The Agency, Off Target. Two Deaths, a Rogue CIA Informant and a Big Pot of Trouble. Re deaths of Michael Devine and Efrain Bamaca Velasquez — Harbury's husband. CIA paid Colonel Alpirez $43,000 after it learned of cover up of deaths. U.S. News & World Report, 4/10/1995, p. 46

Guatemala, 1990-95. Assassin of Michael Devine and of the husband of Jennifer Harbury, Colonel Julio Roberto Alpirez, was on CIA's payroll and had attended School of Americas (SOA) on two separate occasions. In January 1995 when State and NSC pieced together what CIA knew, the ambassador demanded removal of CIA's station chief. CIA fought to stop disclosure of its relationship with the Colonel. Administration officials began to mistrust what CIA was saying about the case. The Colonel first came to U.S. In 1970 as an army cadet at SOA. He returned to SOA in 1989, to take year long Command and General Staff course when he was already on CIA payroll. In 1990, Michael Devine, who ran a hotel, apparently stumbled on a smuggling operation involving Guatemalan military. He was killed. New York Times, 3/24/1995, A3

Guatemala, 1990-95. CIA last month removed its station chief in Guatemala for failing to report promptly information linking a paid CIA informer to the slaying of a Guatemalan guerrilla fighter married to Jennifer Harbury. Guatemalan army Colonel Julio Roberto Alpirez, was paid $44,000 by CIA in 1992 for secretly supplying intelligence on the civil war. At time of payment CIA had evidence linking him to the slaying of U.S. citizen Michael Devine (after he found about a military smuggling operation or because he had a weapon). Washington Post, 3/25/1995, A1,20

Guatemala, 1990-95. Clinton has threatened to fire anyone in CIA who withheld information from him about activities of its informant in Guatemala, Colonel Julio Roberto Alpirez. What is more likely to be agency's undoing is its failure to tell congress that only six months after he graduated from command-level courses at School of Americas Colonel Alpirez, a member of military intelligence on agency's payroll, ordered murder of a U.S. citizen, William Devine, and then torture-murder of husband of an American woman. White House officials, and President Clinton in particular, were very angry about Guatemalan affair but NSC Anthony lake was arguing that there is no evidence that CIA tried to deceive president. Los Angeles Times reported that late last year State Department found information about Devine murder in its files that appeared to have originated with CIA and had not been passed on to White House. This discovery prompted State Department and White House to ask CIA for more information. State initially asked CIA for information on rebel Commandante Efrain Bamaca Velasquez and received a few modest files. Several weeks later, State again asked CIA for information but this time on "Commandante Everardo," which was Commandante Bamaca's well-known nom de guerre. Only then did CIA produced incriminating data that it held solely under that name. CIA has tried to ease situation with a rare "leak" about itself to press. On 3/24, Los Angeles Times quoted "CIA sources" as saying Agency was only told after the fact that its Guatemalan informant, Colonel Alpirez, was present at killing in 1990 of Devine, a U.S. citizen who ran a popular tourist resort in Guatemala. CIA insisted to the paper that it cut ties with Colonel at that point, but, significantly, sources did not put a date on rupture. That gave it "wiggle room" to say it didn't find out about Colonel's involvement in March 1992 torture-murder of Bamaca until early this year. CIA gave Colonel Alpirez a "final payment" of $44,000 at about time of Bamaca's murder. Per National public radio commentator Daniel Schorr, CIA station chief in Guatemala has been fired for failing to relay information. But New York Times says he was reassigned to Langley in January, after U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala accused him of withholding information. CIA has assigned its inspector General, Fred Hitz, to investigate. CIA station chief in Switzerland, who held a top position at Department of Operations (DO) Latin American Division from 1990 to 1992, is now being questioned, as is Jack Devine, who headed division from January 1983 until last October. He was appointed Associate Deputy Director of Operations in October after John MacGaffin was removed from that post for secretly giving an award to a senior operative who had just been disciplined in Ames case. Devine's successor is a woman, first to direct a DO division. She is in her 50s, was previously station chief in El Salvador, and is said by officials outside CIA to be very forthcoming about case. Intelligence — a computerized intelligence newsletter published in France, 3/27/1995, p. 30

Guatemala, 1990-95. Guatemalan soldiers killed Michael Devine under orders from Colonel Mario Garcia Catalan, per convicted soldier, Solbal. He killed as the army convinced he had bought a stolen rifle. They tortured him before killing him. Solbal says Colonel Alpirez gave food and shelter to the killers. Washington Times, 5/15/1995, A13

Guatemala, 1990-95. Letter from Congressman Torricelli to President Clinton about involvement of CIA in two murders in Guatemala. 3/22/1995

Guatemala, 1990-95. Rep. Robert Torricelli, D-NJ., who is on the HPSCI, has requested an investigation from the Justice Department on role of the CIA in the murder of Michael Devine and Efrain Bamaca Velasquez. Request was made in a letter to President Clinton. Guatemalan intelligence officer who ordered the murders, Colonel Julio Roberto Alpirez, was a paid agent of the CIA. Torricelli claims that the NSA, CIA, State Department., and NSC covered up the involvement of a paid agent in the murders. Devine, who was killed in 1990, was an American citizen and Velasquez, who was killed in 1992, was married to an U.S. Citizen. CNN Headline News, 3/23/1995 and AP, 3/23/1995

Guatemala, 1990-95. Revelations about a CIA informer linked to two murders (Devine and Bamaca) in Guatemala helped exhume embarrassing relationship between U.S. military and intelligence personnel and a Central American regime notorious for human rights violations. Washington Post, 4/2/1995, A29

Guatemala, 1990-95. Tim Weiner article "A Guatemalan Officer and the CIA." Colonel is recalled as a "good soldier" and a murdering spy. New York Times, 3/26/1995

Guatemala, 1990-95. Two colonels suspended in Guatemala for covering up 1990 killing of Michael Devine. One was a paid CIA informant at time of killing. Colonel Mario Garcia Catalan also suspended. Washington Post, 4/27/1995, A29

Guatemala, 1990-95. Wife of Michael Devine discusses slaying of her husband. New York Times, 3/28/1995, A1,6

Guatemala, 1991-94. State Department reported in 1991, that "military, civil patrols and police continued to commit a majority of major human rights abuses, including extrajuridicial killings torture and disappearances." Guatemalan counterinsurgency campaign devised by U.S. counterinsurgency experts Caesar Sereseres and Colonel George Minas. Former served as a consultant to RAND Corporation and State Department's Office of Policy Planning. Minas served as military attache in Guatemala in early 1980s. Both encouraged population control such as Vietnam-style military-controlled strategic hamlets and civilian defense patrols. Today Guatemala is largest warehouse for cocaine transshipments to U.S. Drug trade run by military which tries to blame the leftists. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Spring 1994, pp. 28-33

Guatemala, 1991-95. U.S. Had information in 10/1991 linking a paid CIA informer in slaying of a U.S. citizen. Colonel Roberto Alpirez was dropped from CIA's payroll but remained a contact through 7/1992 — when he allegedly ordered another killing of Efrain Bamaca Velasquez — husband of Jennifer Harbury. Washington Post, 3/24/1995, A1,27

Guatemala, 1992. Rights abuses in Guatemala continue, paramilitary civilian patrols — self defense patrols — accused of campaign of terror, control rural areas. Patrols answer to military. Washington Post, 10/4/1992, A35

Guatemala, 1995. President Clinton said he would dismiss any CIA official who withheld information on death of Jennifer Harbury's husband. Rep Torricelli said CIA withheld information for years. Washington Times, 3/25/1995, A3

Guatemala, 1970-95. Discussion of Torricelli, Harbury, Devine, Bamaco, etc. The death of husband of Harbury not a rogue operation. This was standard operating procedure in El Salvador and Guatemala and elsewhere around the globe. CIA organized death squads, financed them, equipped them, trained them, etc. That's what the CIA does. Once in a decade the U.S. public hears about this. CIA should be abolished. The CIA mislead Congress about the Devine case. Getting rid of CIA is not enough — the CIA did not act alone. The National Security Agency and the Army may have been involved in Guatemala. The Progressive, 5/1995, pp. 8,9

Haiti: Watch List

Haiti, 1986-93. In 1986 the CIA funded the national intelligence service (SIN) under guise of fighting narcotics — but SIN never produced drug intelligence and used CIA money for political operations. Sin involved in spying on so-called subversive groups...they doing nothing but political repression...they targeted people who were for change. CIA used distorted data to discredit Aristide. NACLA (Magazine re Latin America), 2/1994, p. 35

Haiti, 1990-94. Emannuel Constant, leader of Haiti's FRAPH hit squad, worked for CIA and U.S. intelligence helped launch FRAPH. Haiti's dreaded attaches paid for by a U.S. Government-funded project that maintains sensitive files on Haiti's poor. The Nation, 10/24/1994, 458

Haiti, 1990-94. U.S. officials involved in refugee policy have backgrounds suggestive of Phoenix-like program activities. Luis Moreno, State Department, has background in counterterrorism. Gunther Wagner, senior intelligence officer at INS's southwest regional office, assigned to investigate repression against repatriated refugees. Wagner had served as public safety adviser to Vietnamese National Special Branch for 5 years and later advised Somoza's National Guard. INS database on all asylum interviews at Guantanamo. INS, on demand, gave State Department unrestricted access to all interview files. U.S. Officers hand Haitian authorities computer print-outs of names of all Haitians being repatriated. CIA funded service intelligence nacionale (SIN), who's de facto primary function was a war against popular movement — including torture and assassination — a fact admitted by a CIA officer to an official in Aristide's government. U.S. shares "anti-narcotics intelligence" with Haitian military. The Progressive, 4/1994, p. 21

Haiti, 1991-94. Asylum-promoting project gets family information that fed into a computer project that could be used to target for repression. The Progressive, 9/1994, pp. 19-26

Haiti, 1991-94. Seven chief attaches arranged killings and brought victims to houses. Four of the seven worked for Centers for Development and Health (CDS), funded by U.S. AID. One was Gros Sergo, and other was Fritz Joseph who chief FRAPH recruiter in Cite Soleil. Two others are Marc Arthur and Gors Fanfan. CDS files track every family in Cite Soleil. The Nation, 10/24/1994, p. 461

Haiti, 1994. AID programs for Haitian popular groups; Immigration and Naturalization service, with computerized files on 58,000 political-asylum applicants and army intelligence S-2 section of 96th Civil Affairs Battalion assigned to monitor refugees at Guantanamo Bay. Per Capt. James Vick, unit develops networks of informants and works with marine corps counterintelligence in "identifying ringleaders of unrest and in weeding out troublemakers." 96th's files enter military intelligence system. Gunther Wagner, a former Nazi, served with U.S. In Phoenix operation in Vietnam, and in Nicaragua — now heads State Department's Cuba-Haiti task force. Pentagon's Atlantic command commissioned Booz, Allen, Hamilton, to devise a computer model of Haitian society. Results of study given. Priority of study to build an "organized information bank...." no change expected in ruling clique of Haiti. Article by Allan Nairn. The Nation, 10/3/1994, pp. 344-48

Haiti: Death Squads

Haiti. CIA officer assigned 1973-75 Coordination with Ton-Ton Macoute, "Baby Doc" Duvalier's private death squad. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), 9/1980, p. 16

Haiti, 1985-93. CIA created an intelligence service in Haiti: National Intelligence Service, (SIN) from its initials in French, to fight cocaine trade, but unit became instrument of political terror whose officers engaged in drug traffic, killings and torture. Unit produced little drug intelligence. U.S. cut ties to group after 1991 military coup. New York Times, 11/14/1993 pp. 1,12

Haiti, 1986-93 INS database on all asylum interviews at Guantanamo. INS, on demand, gave State Department unrestricted access to all interview files. U.S. officers hand Haitian authorities computer print-outs of names of all Haitians being repatriated. CIA funded service intelligence nacionale (SIN), who's de facto primary function was a war against popular movement — including torture and assassination — a fact admitted by a CIA officer to an official in Aristide's government. U.S. shares "anti-narcotics intelligence" with Haitian military. The Progressive, 4/1994, p. 21

Haiti, 1990-94. Clinton administration denied report CIA helped set up Haiti's pro-army Militia — FRAPH. Officials refused to comment whether FRAPH leader Emmanuel Constant was a paid CIA informant. "Nation" article said Constant worked for both the CIA and the DIA. Colonel Collins of DIA and Donald Terry of CIA were his contacts. Collins urged Constant to set up FRAPH. Mr. Constant, per Washington Times, was a paid U.S. Informant on Haitian political activities and assisting anti-drug efforts. Relationship broken off early this year. FRAPH has been linked to murders, public beatings and arson. CIA officers in past worked with Haiti's national intelligence service. Washington Times, 10/7/1994, A16

Haiti, 1990-94. Emannuel Constant, leader of Haiti's FRAPH hit squad, worked for CIA and U.S. Intelligence helped launch FRAPH. Haiti's dreaded attaches paid for by a U.S. Government-funded project that maintains sensitive files on Haiti's poor. In 10/3/1994, issue of Nation carried Nairn's article "The Eagle is Landing," he quoted a U.S. official praising Constant as a young republican that U.S. Intelligence had encouraged to form FRAPH. Constant confirmed that account. He first said his handler was Colonel Patrick Collins, DIA attache in Haiti, and later claimed another U. S. official urged him to form FRAPH. Collins first approached Constant while he taught a course at HQs of CIA-run national intelligence service (SIN) and built up a computer data base at Bureau of Information and Coordination. FRAPH originally was called Haitian Resistance League. Constant was working for the CIA at SIN while it attacked the poor. The Nation, 10/24/1994, p. 458

Haiti, 1991-94. Emmanuel Constant (son of a Duvalier general), who had been on the CIA payroll since the mid-'1980s. With U.S. intelligence advice, formed FRAPH, a political front and paramilitary death squad offshoot of the Haitian army, that began to systematically target democratic militants and hold the country hostage with several armed strikes. On 10/11/1993, day U.S.S. Harlan County and U.S. and Canadian soldiers were to land, even though CIA had been tipped off, FRAPH organized a dockside demonstration of several dozen armed thugs. Ship turned around. U.S. asylum processing program hand-picked and exported almost 2,000 grassroots leaders. In three years after coup, 7,000-man army and its paramilitary assistants killed at least 3,000 and probably over 4,000 people, tortured thousands, and created tens of thousands of refugees and 300,000 internally displaced people. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Winter 1994/1995, pp. 7-13

Haiti, 1991-94. Haitian paramilitary chief spied for CIA. Emmanuel "Toto" Constant, head of Haiti's notorious FRAPH, secretly provided information to U.S. intelligence while his group killed people. Constant paid by CIA for giving intelligence officers information about Aristide beginning shortly after Aristide ousted in 9/1991 coup. CIA dropped him last Spring. Constant's organization blamed for killing hundreds of supporters of Aristide — and organizing demonstration that drove off U.S. troop-carrying Harlan County last October. In "Nation" article, U.S. Defense Attache, Colonel Patrick Collins, had encouraged Constant to form FRAPH. U.S. intelligence agencies had extensive penetration of Haitian military and paramilitary groups. Using Constant as source may explain why CIA's reporting on Aristide was skewed. FRAPH not formed until 8/1993, 9 months after Collins left Haiti. Washington Post, 10/9/1994, A1,30

Haiti, 1993. Young men kidnapped by armed thugs seldom reappear. Under de facto government, as many as 3000 may have been killed. Aristide negotiating his return with UN. The Nation, 5/3/1993, p. 580

Haiti, 1995. Interview with Allan Nairn, April 1995 "Criminal Habits." Z Magazine 6/1995, pp. 22-9

Honduras: Death Squads

Honduras, 1981-87. Florencio Caballero, who served as a torturer and a member of a death squad, said he was trained in Texas by the CIA. He said he was responsible for the torture and slaying of 120 Honduran and other Latin American citizens. The CIA taught him and 24 other people in a army intelligence unit for 6 months in interrogation. psychological methods — to study fears and weaknesses of a prisoner, make him stand up, don't let him sleep, keep him naked and isolated, put rats and cockroaches in his cell, give him bad food, throw cold water on him, change the temperature. Washington Post, 6/8/1988, B3

Honduras, circa 1982-87. Army Battalion 3/16, a special counterinsurgency force which many considered a kind of death squad, was formed in 1980. Florencio Caballero, a former battalion member, described a clandestine paramilitary structure for repressing leftists. Caballero, who studied interrogation techniques in Houston, said the CIA was extensively involved in training squad members. NACLA 2/1988, p. 15, from New York Times, 5/2/1987

Honduras, March 1986. Apart from CIA training of a battalion implicated in death squad activities and torture, Honduran army defector said CIA arranged a fabricated forced "confession" by kidnapped prisoner that he headed a guerrilla front and had planned attacks against U.S. installations. This in operation truth. Chomsky, N. (1988). The Culture of Terrorism, p. 239

Honduras. General G. Alvarez Martinez, CIA-Contra point man in Honduras, had death squad operation run by Ricardo Lau. Alvarez godfather to new CIA Chief of Station's daughter. Marshall, J., Scott P.D., and Hunter, J. (1987). The Iran-Contra Connection, pp. 78-9

Honduras, 1982-86. Zuniga told congressional staffers about the 316 Battalion established with the knowledge and assistance of the U.S. Embassy. By 1984 more than 200 Honduran teachers, students, labor leaders, and opposition politicians had been murdered. The CIA had knowledge of the killings. Zuniga killed in 9/1985. Mother Jones, 4/1987, p. 48

Honduras. Capt. Alexander Hernandez, a graduate of U.S. International Police services training program, has played a central role in Honduran death squad activities and the war in Nicaragua. Early 1986 New York Times reports that CIA was providing "training and advice in intelligence collection" to Hernandez' unit "as part of a program to cut off arms shipments from Nicaragua to leftist rebels in Honduras and El Salvador." New York Times also says that CIA knew of the assassinations but "looked the other way." The Nation, 6/7/1986, p. 793

Honduras, circa 1981-84. Honduran government established a secret unit that seized, interrogated, tortured, and murdered more than 130 people between 1981-84. Unit named Battalion 316. Unit operated with CIA supervision and training and received U.S. instruction in interrogation, surveillance and hostage rescue. Commander of unit in first years was a graduate of International Police Academy. NA, 2/20/1988, pp. 224-5 The clandestine houses and command post of 316 were visited by CIA agents. NA, 1/23/1988, p. 85

Honduras, Nicaragua, 1982. A Contra commander with the FDN admitted he helped organize a death squad in Honduras with the approval and cooperation of the CIA. Honduran government agreed to host the death squad and provide it with cover, since the group would kill Honduran dissidents at the government's request. The commander admitted he participated in assassinations. CIA "Colonel Raymond" congratulated the squad. The Progressive, 8/1986, p. 25

Honduras, Nicaragua, 1984-85. Honduran army investigators report that Contras have been involved in death-squad killings in Honduras. At least 18 Hondurans and an unknown number of Salvadorans and Nicaraguans have been killed by the Contras. Washington Post, 1/15/1985, A12

Honduras, 1980-83. Agents of Battalion 316, a Honduran death squad, received interrogation training in Texas from CIA in 1980. CIA agents maintained contact with unit in early 1980's, visiting detention centers during interrogation and obtaining intelligence gleaned from torture victims. See Americas Watch "Human Rights in Honduras" (May 1987). Dillon, S. (1991). Commandos, p. 101

Honduras, 1980-83. Gustavo Alvarez, formerly head of police, in 1981 a general running entire armed forces. Worked closely with U.S. on Contras. Alvarez had organized military intelligence Battalion 316 — first Honduran death squad. Argentines sent 15-20 officers to work with Alvarez on Contras. Senior officer Osvaldo Riveiro. Garvin, G. (1992). Everybody Has His Own Gringo, p. 41

Honduras, 1980-89. CIA and State Department worked with a Honduran military unit called Battalion 316 during the 1980s. Unit was responsible for cracking down on dissidents. AP, 6/12/1995. Honduran special prosecutor for human rights asking the U.S. to turn over classified information on Ambassadors John Negroponte and Chris Arcos and several CIA agents connected to the disappearance of dissidents in the 1980s. AP, 6/13/1995

Honduras, 1980-89. Colonel Gustavo Alvarez Martinez shot to death in 1989. Alvarez spent years networking with fascists and ultra right terrorists who in World Anti-communist League and its sister organization, the Latin American Anti-communist Confederation, or CAL. He most famous for streamlining Honduras's death squads and uniting them under his control. Alvarez gathered together the National Front for the Defense of Democracy, the Honduran Anti-communist Movement (MACHO), and the Anti-communist Combat Army — death squads all — and combined them with several governmental forces, including the Fuerzas de Seguridad Publica (FUSEP), Departmento Nacional de Investigaciones (DIN), and Tropas Especiales Para Selva y Nocturnas (TESON). With Director of Central Intelligence Casey, Alvarez and Negroponte turned Honduras into a staging ground for Contra incursions into Nicaragua. Honduran Congress issued Decree 33, which declared terrorist anyone who distributed political literature, associated with foreigners, joined groups deemed subversive by the government, damaged property, or destroyed documents. Alvarez's forces murdered upwards of 500 people. He ousted as Honduras's dictator in 1984 and became special consultant to RAND Corporation. Lies of our Time, 3/1994, pp. 3-5

Honduras, 1980-89. Eleven senior officers who are believed to have been involved with Battalion 316 have been convicted on charges of kidnapping, torturing and attempting to murder six students in 1982. Officers include one general, nine colonels, and one captain. AP, 7/25/1995

Honduras, 1980-89. See entry in Liaison from Baltimore Sun, 6/11-18/1995

Honduras, 1980-93. CIA-trained death squad issue in presidential campaign. In early 1980s, Battalion 3-16, of Honduran military whose members instructed by and worked with CIA "disappeared" scores of activists. Both candidates accusing other of connections to Battalion 3-16. In 1980 25-Honduran officers to U.S. for training per sworn testimony in International Court by Honduran intelligence officer who participated — Florencio Caballero. Group trained in interrogation by a team from FBI and CIA. Training continued in Honduras. U.S. Trainers joined by instructors from Argentina and Chile — sessions focused on surveillance and rescuing kidnap victims. Battalion 3-16 engaged in a program of systematic disappearances and murder from 1981 to 1984. By March 1984, 100-150 students, teachers, unionists and travelers picked up and secretly executed. Squads, according to Inter-American Court of Human Rights, belonged to 3-16. Squads modus operandi included weeks of surveillance of suspects followed by capture by disguised agents using vehicles with stolen license plates, interrogation, torture in secret jails followed by execution and secret burial. CIA's connection to 3-16 confirmed by General Alvarez, who created and commanded squad from 1980 through 1984. He later became chief of police and then head of the armed forces. Alvarez said CIA "gave good training, lie detectors, phone-tapping devices and electronic equipment to analyze intelligence." CIA men informed when 3-16 abducted suspected leftists. When bodies found, 3-16 put out story they killed by guerrillas. CIA looked other way. Ambassador Negroponte in 1982 denied existence of death squads. State Department was attacking as communist, anti-democratic and a terrorist group, Committee for Defense of Human Rights in Honduras that was exposing 3-16. In a barracks coup, Alvarez forced into exile in Miami and became paid consultant to Pentagon writing study on low-intensity conflict. Members of 3-16 still in positions of power in government. Congressional intelligence committee in 1988 looked into CIA's role with 3-16, but findings never published. Op-ed by Anne Manuel. Washington Post, 11/28/1993, C5

Honduras, 1982-83. Ex-guard Benito "Mack" Bravo reportedly killed dozens of Contra recruits at his La Ladosa training base near El Paraiso. Mack suspected many were Sandinista infiltrators. In one case, FDN ordered four ex-guardsmen executed for insubordination and allegedly selling arms to El Salvador's FMLN. They also had been accused of killing recruits. Honduran military participated in the execution. Dillon, S. (1991). Commandos, pp. 118-124

Honduras, 1988. Director human rights commission in Honduras and associate killed by assassins. The Progressive, 2/1990, p. 46

Honduras, 1988. Honduran human rights leader Ramon Custodio Lopez accused Battalion 3-16 of murdering a politician and a teacher on 14 January 1988. Custodio relied on testimony by former battalion member sergeant Fausto Caballero. In 11/30/1988. Honduras was condemned by Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 1988 for disappearance of Angel Manfredo Velazquez. Battalion 3-16, along with DNI (Directorate of National Intelligence), and FUSEP (National Police) were implicated, all of which have received training from CIA. Intelligence Parapolitics, 9/1988, p. 8

Honduras, 1988. Jose Isaias Vilorio, an intelligence officer and former death squad member, was shot dead on 1 January 1988. Isaias was to testify before Inter-American Court on Human Rights (New York Times, 20 January 1988). Human rights leader and legislator Miguel Pavon was killed on 14 January 1988 after testifying before Inter-American Court. Also killed was Moises Landaverde, a teacher who was riding in Pavon's car at the time of attack. Intelligence Parapolitics, 3/1988, p. 12

Honduras, Argentina, 1980-89. A survivor tells her story: treatment for a leftist — kicks and freezing water and electric shocks. In between, a visitor from CIA. CIA worked closely with the Honduran military while the military tortured and killed dissidents during the 1980s, human rights groups said. A government official also said Argentine military advisers, with U.S. support, were brought in to help monitor leftist activism. "At least nine Argentine military (officers), supported by the CIA, trained many Honduran officers to prevent communism from entering Honduras," said Leo Valladares of the government's human rights commission. Bertha Oliva, head of committee of relatives of the disappeared, claimed CIA knew of disappearances by Honduran security forces and that "the U.S. Embassy had absolute power in this country." in the first of a series of four articles, the Baltimore Sun reported Sunday that CIA and the State Department collaborated with a secret Honduran military unit known as Battalion 316 in the 1980s in cracking down on Honduras dissidents. Following a 14-month investigation. In order to keep up public support for Reagan administration's war efforts in Central America, U.S. officials misled congress and the public about Honduran military abuses. Collaboration was revealed in classified documents and in interviews with U.S. and Honduran participants. Among those interviewed by the Sun were three former Battalion 316 torturers who acknowledged their crimes and detailed the battalion's close relationship with CIA. Ramon Custodio, president of non-government human rights commission, said a former member of Battalion 316, Florencio Caballero, disclosed that CIA in early 1980s took 24 soldiers to the U.S. for training in anti-subversive techniques. At the time, Custodio said, "Honduras' policy was oriented to detaining and summarily executing those who did not please the government or the military." Battalion 316 was created in 1984 and its first commander was General Luis Alonso Discua, current armed forces chief. A government report subsequently blamed it in the cases of 184 missing people. Baltimore Sun, 6/15/1995

Honduras, Israel. During Contra war Honduran military intelligence officers on double salary from CIA and Colombian drug cartels, who saw advantage of using Honduran airstrips for transiting cocaine under cover of war effort. Israelis also trained Honduran death squads. Cockburn, A. and Cockburn, L. (1991). Dangerous Liaison, p. 225

Honduras, Assassinations, 1980-84. CIA and Contras accused of running Honduran death squads, killing over 200. CIA officials "looked the other way" when people disappeared. Violence tapered off after ouster of CIA backed military commander Alvarez. Ricardo Lau running Contra intelligence, also death squads. Accused arranging assassination Archbishop Romero in El Salvador. Marshall, J., Scott P.D., and Hunter, J. (1987). The Iran-Contra Connection, pp. 132-3

Indonesia: Watch List

Indonesia, 1963-65. U.S. trained unionist spies laid groundwork for post 1965 coup gestapu massacre of leftists by gathering intelligence on leftist unionists. Counterspy, Winter 1979, p. 27

Indonesia, 1965-66. "U.S. officials' lists aided Indonesian blood bath in '60s." U.S. officials supplied the names of thousands of members of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) to the army that was hunting them down and killing them in a crackdown branded as one of the century's worst massacres, former U.S. Diplomats and CIA officials say. Robert J. Martens, Former member of embassy's political section said, "it really was a big help to the army.... They probably killed a lot of people..." Martens said. He headed an embassy group of state Department and CIA officials that spent two years compiling the lists. He said he delivered them to an army intermediary. The lists were a detailed who's who of the leadership of the PKI that included names of provincial, city and other local PKI members and leaders of mass organizations. Ambassador Marshall Green, his deputy Jack Lydman, and political section chief Edward Masters admitted approving the release of the names. Army intermediary was an aide to Adam Malik. The aide, Tirta Kentjana Adhyatman, confirmed that he had met with Martens and received lists of thousands of names...given to Sukarno's HQs. Information on who captured and killed came to Americans from Suharto's HQs, according to former CIA deputy chief of station Joseph Lazarsky. Lazarsky said "we were getting a good account in Jakarta of who was being picked up,"..."the army had a 'shooting list' of about 4,000 to 5,000 people." Lazarsky said the check-off work was also carried out at CIA's intelligence directorate in D.C. By end of January 1966, "the checked off names were so numerous the CIA analysts in Washington concluded the PKI leadership had been destroyed." Washington Post, 5/21/1990, A5

Indonesia, 1965-66. In response to Kathy Kadane's May 21 article in Washington Post, Robert J. Martens responds "it is true I passed names of PKI leaders and senior cadre system to non-communist forces during the six months of chaos between the so-called coup and the ultimate downfall of Sukarno. The names I gave were based entirely on Indonesian communist press and were available to everyone. This was senior cadre system of the PKI few thousand at most out of the 3.5 millions claimed party members. I categorically deny that I headed an embassy group that spent two years compiling the lists." Washington Post, 6/2/1990, A18

Indonesia, 1985. Indonesia: years of living dangerously. CIA's role in bloody coup in Indonesia in 1965. Utne Reader. 2/1991, p. 38, two pages

Indonesia: Death Squads

Indonesia, 1965-66 Indonesian generals approached U.S. for equipment "to arm Moslem and nationalist youths for use in central Java against the PKI." Washington responded by supplying covert aid, dispatched as "medicines." Washington Post, 6/13/1990, A 22

Indonesia, 1965-66. Kathy Kadane's story for States News Service disclosed part played by CIA and State Department officials in 1965-66 blood bath in Indonesia. Kadane reported that U.S. officials in Jakarta furnished names of about 5,000 communist activists to the Indonesian army and then checked off the names as the army reported the individuals had been killed or captured. The Nation, 7/9/1990, p. 43

Indonesia, 1965. CIA and State Department officials provided name lists to Indonesian army that killed 250,000. The Progressive, 7/10/1990, p. 9

Indonesia, 1965. Ex-agents say CIA compiled death lists for Indonesians. San Francisco Examiner, 5/20/1990

Indonesia, 1965-66. Article by Michael Vatikiotis and Mike Fonte; Rustle of Ghosts. (1965 Indonesian coup). Far Eastern Economic Review, 8/2/1990, 2 pages

Indonesia, 1965-85. Death squads roam at will, killing subversives, suspected criminals by thousands. Blum, W. (1986). The CIA A Forgotten History, p. 221

Iran: Watch List

Iran, 1953-54. CIA gave Shah intelligence on Tudeh party facilitate anti-Tudeh Campaign. Gasiorowski, M.J. (1990). "Security Relations Between the United States and Iran, 1953-1978," p. 150

Iran, 1953-64. CIA station chiefs in regular contact with Shah and working level liaison relationship with SAVAK established by 5-man training team and smaller unit in SAVAK HQs for several years after training team left. CIA and SAVAK exchanged intelligence including information on Tudeh party. Gasiorowski, M.J. (1990). "Security relations between the United States and Iran, 1953-1978," pp. 255-56

Iran, 1953. CIA prepared an arrest list for the overthrow operation. Copeland, M. (1989). The Game Player, p. 190

Iran, 1953. U.S. Army colonel working for CIA under cover of military attache worked to organize and train intelligence organization for Shah. Trained on domestic security, interrogation. Primary purpose of (Bakhtiar's intelligence unit later to become SAVAK) to eliminate threats to Shah. Gasiorowski, M.J. (1990). "Security Relations Between the United States and Iran, 1953-1978" p. 150

Iran, 1954. Year after coup American cryptographic experts and CIA agent played important part in rooting out conspiracy army officers linked to Tudeh Party. Kwitny, J. (1984). Endless Enemies, p. 165

Iran. During Shah's reign, thousands people killed. Many killed at Shah's directive. Rafizadeh, M. (1987). Witness, p. 134

Iran, 1983. CIA identifies to Iranian government 200 leftists who were then executed. The Nation, 12/13/1986, p. 660

Iran, 1983. In 1983, when the Tudeh party was closed down, the CIA gave the Khomeni government a list of USSR KGB agents operating in Iran. Two hundred suspects were executed, 18 USSR diplomats expelled and Tudeh party leaders imprisoned. Washington Post, 1/13/1987, A1,8

Iran, 1983. To curry favor with Khomeni, the CIA gave his government a list of USSR KGB agents and collaborators operating in Iran. The Khomeni regime then executed 200 suspects and closed down the communist Tudeh party. Khomeni then expelled 18 USSR diplomats, and imprisoned the Tudeh leaders. Washington Post, 11/19/1986, A28

Iraq: Watch List

Iraq, 1963. CIA supplied lists of communists to Baath party group that led coup so that communists could be rounded up and eliminated. Cockburn, A. and Cockburn, L. (1991). Dangerous Liaison, p. 130

Israel: Death Squads

Israel. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir headed a special hit squad during his ten years in Mossad. Shamir headed the assassination unit from 1955-64 that carried out attacks on perceived enemies and suspected Nazi war criminals. Shamir recruited former members of the Stern Gang. Washington Times, 7/4/1992, A8

Israel, 1992. Article, "How Israeli Commandos Are Waging an Undercover War In Occupied Territories." In January 1992, Israeli army launched all-out offensive to end "Red Intifadeh." Undercover units "Arabized" produced a rash of deaths under controversial circumstances leading to claims commando units are death squads. Since Intifadeh began in 1987, 775 Palestinians killed; 680 more slain by their brethren mostly for collaboration. Human-rights organizations contend Sayarot shoot first and ask questions later. Time 8/31/1992, pp. 49-50

Israel, 1992. Israel's assassination squad, Duvdevan or Cherry has killed one of its own by mistake. Intelligence Newsletter, 7/23/1992, p. 5

Israel, 1992. Israeli army had discharged commander of undercover unit for issuing orders to shoot at Palestine activists. Unit code-named Samson has had three commanders fired or placed on trial within three years. More than 30 Palestinians killed this year by undercover troops, who usually dress as Arabs. Washington Post, 8/26/1992, A14

Israel, Honduras, 1981-89. In 1981 Leo Gleser, "co-owner" of International Security and Defense Systems (ISDS) — a leading Israeli "security" firm (Israeli Foreign Affairs 2/1987, 5/1987, /1987, 2/1988, 3/1989) identified repeatedly as an Israeli entity — began building Battalion 316, a unit of Honduran military intelligence which disappeared, tortured, then killed its victims. Honduran General Walter Lopez Reyes who C-I-C Honduran armed forces 1984-86, said "we had Israeli advisers in Special Forces. They seconded to Special Forces by Israeli mod, although they came officially as non-governmental." Their front [was] they [were] training security groups but [they really gave] special operations courses on how take over buildings, planes, hostages...Contras also taking courses... coordination between them and CIA. Israeli Foreign Affairs, 4/1989, p. 1,4

Israel, South Africa, 1986-91. Israel trained members of Inkatha hit squads aimed at African National Congress, a disillusioned former leader of Zulu organization has revealed. Israeli Foreign Affairs, 2/20/1992, p. 3

Israel. Ranks as fifth largest exporter of arms in world, according CIA estimates, and has become essential element global counterinsurgency business. "Hit lists" used by death squads in Guatemala have been computerized with Israeli assistance and Uzi machine guns the standard weapon of death squads. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Summer 1988, p. 5

Italy: Watch List

Italy, 1950-59. All Italian "SIFAR" counterespionage officers collected biographies on every deputy and senator. List increased to include Ecclesiastics: 45,000 dossiers on them alone, 157,000 altogether, 30,000 dealing with Italians in world of business and industry. Drop copies went to CIA. De Lorenzo's outfit to become a tool for CIA. Tompkins, P. (Unpublished manuscript). Strategy of Terror, pp. 8-12

Italy, 1959-67. Carabinieri drew up plan Piano Solo — for paramilitary to intervene in order to restore public order. Secret services had massive program of surveillance of Italian political and business figures. This partly intended to identify left-wing suspects who would be rounded up and imprisoned in concentration camps on Sardinia. Investigation revealed creation of personal intelligence dossiers began in 1959 and 157,000 files amassed. SIFAR (military intelligence) dossiers emphasized unfavorable significance. SIFAR dossiers routinely deposited at CIA HQs. SIFAR planed microphones in Papal apartments and President's Rome residence. Operation ordered by de Lorenzo at request of CIA station chief Colby. Some years earlier Rome CIA station chief Thomas Karamessines had asked General de Lorenzo, then head of SIFAR, for dossiers on [left-leaning] politicians and in particular for Moro's circle of collaborators. Willan, P. (1991). Puppetmasters, pp. 35-7

Italy, 1960-70. General de Lorenzo, whose SIFAR became SID, implemented new Gladio project to neutralize subversive elements. Known as parallel SID, it reached into nearly every institution. Group set up at request of Americans and NATO. Knights of Malta, as well as freemasonry, and its most notorious lodge — Propaganda Due, or P-2, far more influential. Licio Gelli, a knight. Joined U.S. Army's CIC. To ferret out dissidents, they prepared watch lists on thousands. 157,000 files found in Ministry of Interior. CIA obtained duplicates. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Summer 1994, p. 24

Italy, 1960-70. Operation Solo — a planned coup against a leftist government did not occur — but it was based on Operation Gladio. Giovanni de Lorenzo, as chief of secret services, compiled dossiers, including tapes and photos, on some 150,000 people — priests, politicians and unionists. He drew up plan to arrest many politicians, take over radio and TV, seize offices and newspapers of left-wing parties. De Lorenzo was organizing a duplicate of Operation Gladio in case left gained too much power. "Statewatch" compilation, filed June 1994

Latin America: Death Squads

Latin America, labor. AIFLD collected detailed information about Latin American labor leaders under pretext surveys necessary for AID-financed worker's housing projects. AIFLD able obtain personal and political history union members, with address and photos. Given CIA role in Chile, Uruguay and Brazil coups, among others, it probable this information passed to military regimes and their secret police. DL p. 238 from Lernoux, P. (1982). Cry of the People. pp. 212, 220

Liaison, 1960. Target lists maintained by all Western Hemisphere division stations. Maintain in case local government asks for assistance in preventive detention of dangerous persons. Agee, P. (1975). Inside the Company: CIA Diary, p. 114

Latin America. CIA organizes right wing terrorist organizations that attack and assassinate leftist politicians and others without implicating foreign governments. Groups include "La Mano Blanco" and "Ojo Por Ojo" (Guatemala), "La Banda" (Dominican republic), and "Death Squad" (Brazil). Counterspy, 3/1973, p. 4

Latin America. CIA trained assassination groups such as Halcones in Mexico, the Mano Blanca in Guatemala, and the Escuadron de la Muerte in Brazil. NACLA (magazine re Latin America) 8/1974, p. 11

Latin America, 1953-84. The activities of the death squads, formed under CIA sponsorship in 1954 Are loosely controlled by an international organization known as La Mano Blanco (the White Hand). The front group is the CAL, Latin American Anti-communist Federation, the Latin American affiliate of the World Anti-communist League. Jack Anderson, Washington Post, 1/13/1984

Latin America. Terrorist groups created in most countries. Groups such as "La Mano Blanco" attack and assassinate leftist politicians and others feared by military governments, doing so without implicating police or military. CIA implicated in attempts to organize the right into terrorist organizations. Counterspy, __/1973, p. 4

Latin America, 1960-95. Colonel Alpirez accused killer of American innkeeper and guerrilla leader, graduated from School of Americas in 1989. Other notable alumni include: Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos, former Panamanian strongmen; Roberto D'Aubuisson, leader of Salvadoran death squads; Roberto Viola and Leopoldo Galtieri, leaders of argentine dirty war; Michael Francois, former Haitian police chief; 19 of 27 Salvadoran officers cited for murder of six Jesuit priests; 10 of 12 Salvadoran officers involved in El Mozote massacre; 105 of 247 Colombian officers cited for human rights violations in 1992; and, former dictators of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. Time. 4/10/1995, p. 20

Latin America, 1976. An Argentinean told Scherrer, legal attache (FBI) Santiago, that Operation Condor, a nascent program among military intelligence services of some Latin American countries designed to locate and eliminate one another's fugitive terrorists and exiled dissidents. Ambitious leader of Chilean DINA trying to institutionalize process. Branch, T. and Proper, E. (1983). Labyrinth, p. 123

Latin America, Operation Condor, Paraguay, 1970-92. 12/1992 a Paraguayan judge in a police station found documentary history of decades of repression and U.S. intelligence cooperation with Paraguay and other regional dictatorships. Archives detail fates of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Latin Americans secretly kidnapped by right-wing regimes of the 1970s. Paper trail revealing elusive conspiracy among security services of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay to eliminate foes without regard to borders. Sketchy outlines of Operation Condor, can be partially filled in. Some of documents already disappeared. Finders had unearthed jumbled mountain of papers outlining police and military intelligence activities during recently overthrown Stroessner regime. HQs of Paraguayan technical police revealed more documents. 4 tons records. Data confirmed arrest and killing of politicians and exchange of prisoners with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Discovered documents a bombshell that led to arrest of some of Stroessner's old regime. Southern Cone repression killed 50,000, disappeared 30,000 — the majority in Argentina and 400,000 imprisoned. U.S. gave inspiration, financing and technical assistance for repression. CIA's technical services division (TSD), provided electrical torture equipment. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Fall 1994, pp. 7-13

Latin America, 1993. James Carroll wrote editorial about U.S. Army's School of Americas in Fort Benning. It is "the U.S. school that teaches militaries how to torture." Among renowned alumni are various Latin American strongmen, including dictators in Bolivia, Argentina, El Salvador and Panama. In Peru 6 of army officers charged with recent murders of 9 students were School of Americas alumni. In Honduras, 4 of the high-ranking officers who helped create "Battalion 316" death squad graduated from the school. In Columbia, the list of officers designated by human rights organizations as worst offenders reads like an honor roll from Fort Benning. In El Salvador, 2 of 3 officers cited for the assassination of Archbishop Romero, 3 of 5 convicted of killing 3 Maryknoll nuns and their lay associate, and 19 of the 26 officers implicated by United Nations. "Truth Commission" investigation of murder of Jesuits, were graduates. "For decades alumni of the School of Americas have helped fill morgues and mass graves of an entire continent." Colonel Louis Michel Francois has been most closely linked to Haiti death squads, and he is an alumni of the school just as is General Raoul Cedars one of those CIA agents. Z Magazine, 2/1994, p. 24

Mexico: Death Squads

Mexico, 1957-89. The Mexican DFS (Federal Security Directorate) like many Western-hemisphere intelligence organizations was creation of CIA. DFS has state of the art computer and records systems. Through DFS CIA able to keep tabs on all embassies in Mexico City. DFS works closely with U.S. In the suppression of leftists and political parties. In early 1970s, Nazar created the Brigada Blanca, a right-wing death squad that killed hundreds, probably thousands of Mexican students and political activists. Zacaris Osorio Cruz, a member of death squad, testified in Canada that, between 1977-82, he part of team that killed between 60-150 people. Penthouse, 12/1989

Mexico, 1977-89. U.S. looked the other way when Nazar, head of DFS used his infallible (interrogation) techniques on behalf American agencies while he carried out hundreds, perhaps thousands of political executions of Mexican leftists and political dissidents. DFS (Federal Security Directorate) administering drug traffic. Penthouse, 12/1989

Nicaragua: Watch List

Joseph Adams, a former Marine intelligence officer, who served as chief of security for Aldolfo Calero, helped maintain a list of civilians marked for assassination when Contra forces entered Nicaragua. The Progressive, 3/1987, p. 24

Nicaragua: Death Squads

Nicaragua, 1983-89. Enrique Bermudez, a Contra leader, said in Contra raids on economic targets in northern Nicaragua, particularly coffee plantations and farming cooperatives, any resistance brought brutal retribution. Commandantes in field authorized to select those to die. Bermudez ordered prisoners to have throats cut rather than waste bullets. Terrell, J., and Martz, R. (1992). Disposable Patriot, p. 149

Nicaragua, 1985-89. "Death squad" reports re Sandinistas first circulated by the CIA-funded Puebla Institute in 1991 as coming from the UN and OAS. When checked out, this proved to be not true. Unclassified, 9/1992, p. 14

Nicaragua, circa 1940-79. Under name Anti-Communist League Nicaragua. Conservative estimates say 30,000 died four decades prior 1978-79 civil war. Lernoux, P. (1982). Cry of the People. pp. 81, 94

Norway: Watch List

Norway, 1947-90. Operation Gladio, formed in 1947, kept track of communists and became part of intelligence service in 1948. Norwegian branch exposed in 1978, when an arms cache discovered. "Statewatch" compilation filed June 1994, p. 12

Panama: Watch List

Panama, 1989-90. U.S. says 90 prisoners now held in Panama. Most of those detained had been picked up by U.S. Forces based on wanted lists compiled by U.S. and Panamanian authorities. Washington Post, 1/19/1990, A16

Panama, 1989. Several hundred people on list Endarra government seeks to detain. They arrested by U.S. troops. Most political activists and labor leaders were wanted. The Nation, 1/29/1990, p. 115

Paraguay: Watch List

Paraguay, 1972-83. The Paraguayan government expelled an author and released a document supplied by the U.S. Embassy. The document, marked secret, includes the author among a list of Paraguayans said to have visited the USSR bloc. Washington Post 2/5/1983, A1,21

Philippines: Death Squads

Philippines. Article "Death Squads in the Philippines," by Doug Cunningham. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly), Winter 1988 pp. 22-3

Philippines. Military used hunter killer unit called scout rangers to find enemy and either attack or report back to battalion combat teams. Blaufarb, D.S. (1977). The Counterinsurgency Era, p. 28

Philippines. Probable U.S. support for vigilante death squads in the Philippines. Used in coordination with other programs making up a total low intensity conflict profile. National Reporter, Fall 1987, pp. 24-30

Philippines, 1950-54. Military man who helped Lansdale was Charles Bohannan and Lansdale's chief Filipino associate was Colonel Napoleon Valeriano whose "skull squadrons" beheaded suspected Huks. Karnow, S. (1989). In Our Image, p. 350

Philippines, 1969-83. Marcos' land reform failed and he approved creation of "Monkees" a group used to intimidate and even murder Marcos' rivals. Karnow, S. (1989). In Our Image. p.378

Philippines, 1973-83. In Philippines 1,166 persons were killed from 1972-83. Human rights groups say most of victims were opponents of President Marcos. Washington Post, 4/12/1984, A21

Philippines, 1986-87. "Vigilante Terror" a report of CIA-inspired death squads in the Philippines. National Reporter, Fall 1987, pp. 24-31

Philippines, 1986. See chapter "Direct U.S. Role in Counterinsurgency." includes psywar operations, vigilante and death squads. USIA anti-communist campaign of distributing films and written materials. Film "Amerika" shown. Use of Asian-American Free Labor Institute Operations. In 1985, AAFLI spent up to $4 million on organizational efforts, the money coming from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Bello, W. (1987). U.S. Sponsored Low Intensity Conflict in the Philippines

Philippines, March 1986. Reagan signs finding increasing CIA involvement in Philippine counterinsurgency operations. New Aquino government is allegedly perpetrating a purge of opposition, carried out by more than 50 death squads. Ramsey Clark, who investigated death squad activity in 1987, wrote in June that "the victims of vigilante violence are overwhelmingly poor farmers, workers, slum dwellers, and others who are pushing for significant land reform, wage increases and protection workers' rights, as well as those who oppose U.S. military bases." Upsurge in death squad activities are coincident with increased CIA aid and was preceded by visit to Philippines by Maj. Gen. John Singlaub. The Nation, 9/19/1987, pp. 259-60

Puerto Rico: Watch List

Puerto Rico. FBI has institutionalized repression. It created "subversive" lists with names of more than 150,000 "independentistas" who often find themselves thrown out of work. FBI agents organized and trained death squads within the Puerto Rican police department NACLA (magazine re Latin America), 8/1990, p. 5

Puerto Rico: Death Squads

Puerto Rico, 1978. "Puerto Rico's Death Squad Requiem on Cerro Maravilla: the Police Murders in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Government Cover-up." A book by Manuel Suarez reviewed in the Progressive, 12/1988, pp. 40-42

Russia: Watch List

Russia, 1994. FBI to open Moscow office with an eye on nuclear trafficking. FBI has about 20 posts abroad at U.S. Embassies with its agents serving as legal attaches. They range in size from one agent to as many as eight, plus support staff. FBI director Freeh said the FBI working to set up joint police/intelligence data base with authorities in Russia and Germany. Washington Times, 5/26/1994, A3

South Africa: Watch List

South Africa, 1962. A tip from a paid CIA informant led to 1962 arrest of Nelson Mandela leader of the African National Congress. A CIA officer claimed "we have turned Mandela over to the South African security branch." Washington Post, 6/11/1990, A18

South Africa: Death Squads

South Africa. Article, "South African Death Squad Plot: A Missing Piece to a Puzzle the Media Won't Solve," by Jane Hunter. Extra, 11/1992, p. 26 South Africa. See article "South African Death Squads." Covert Action Information bulletin (Quarterly) Summer 1990, pp. 63-66

South Africa, 1980-89. Details of South Africa's death squads by a former police Captain Dirk Coetzee. Group tracked and killed ANC activists in Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho. Newsweek, 11/27/1989, p. 56

South Africa, 1980-90. Apartheid's fiercest warriors in 1980s were South Africa's army special forces, police force known as Koevoet (crowbar), and Portuguese-speaking "buffalo" battalion who ran a campaign of assassination and sabotage against the African National Congress. Newsweek, 9/14/1992, p. 45

South Africa, 1991-92. 75 COSATU (labor union) members killed during past two years by security forces. Many other attacks. Briarpatch magazine (Canada), 10/1992, pp. 55-6

South Africa, 1992. Slaughter in South Africa. Newsweek 9/21/1992, p. 57

South America: Watch List

South America, 1970-79. U.S. Legal attache Buenos Aires, FBI agent Robert Scherrer, sent cable to D.C. Describing operation. Operation Condor the code-name for collection, exchange and storage intelligence re leftists, communists and Marxists. Established between cooperating intelligence services in South America to eliminate Marxist activities. Operation provided for joint operation against targets in member countries...third and secret phase of operation involves formation of special teams from member countries who travel anywhere in world to carry out sanctions up to assassination against terrorists from member countries. Special team from Operation Condor could be sent to locate and surveil target. When located, a second team would be sent to carry out sanction. 1979 Senate Report, based on CIA files, says "such a phase three operation planned in 1974 and planned on killing 3 European leftists" — one Carlos. Plot foiled when CIA discovered it and warned host countries — France and Portugal. U.S. military officers sent under auspices of AID oversaw formation of technical police. One folder of archives has correspondence between Paraguayan ministers and U.S. Army Colonel Robert Thierry, who was serving as "public administration adviser," who supervised formation of the technical police. Letters from FBI agent Scherrer advising Paraguayan police re targets. CIA also worked with Paraguayans. Deputy DCI, Vernon Walters, visited country in 1976 who apparently approved abortive effort to get false passports for 2 Chilean DINA agents — Armando Fernandez and Michael Townley — who en route to U.S. To assassinate Orlando Letelier. The case of Eugenio Berios. Covert Action Information Bulletin (Quarterly) 12, 57, 8, 9

South America: Death Squads

South America, 1976. Letelier killed by right wing Cuban exiles called "Gusanos" who are paid and trained by CIA and "Chilean Gestapo" DINA. Gusanos regularly engage in terrorism against Cuba and Latin American and Caribbean countries. Tactics include blowing up airplanes, embassies, fishing boats, and kidnappings. Gusanos connected with police of other right wing governments such as Venezuela. Certain gusano operations directed by CIA; Other unilateral operations of DINA. Counterspy, 12/1976, p. 10

Syria: Watch List

Syria, 1949. Following CIA coup of March 1949 CIA officer reported over "400 Commies" arrested. Middle East Journal 57

Syria, 1949. The Husni Za'im coup of 30 March result of guarantee CIA that once firmly in power, the U.S. would give de facto recognition with de jure to follow in a few days and pointed out targets to be seized. Gave him a list of all politicians who might be able to rally resistance. Copeland, M. (1989). The Game Player, p. 94

Thailand: Death Squads

Thailand, 1965. Death squads. Lobe, T. (1977). United States national security policy and aid to the Thailand police 67-70

Thailand, 1973-76. General Saiyut Koedphon, deputy head of CSOC and close ally of CIA, admitted that CIA was collaborating with a variety of Thai security agencies, including CSOC. Similarly, deputy director of police, Withun Yasawat, said he was receiving CIA advice and reports as late as 1974. American indoctrination of CSOC and border patrol police during 1960's produced U.S. desired objectives. "Nawaophon" created ISOC officers who in turn has close contacts with CIA, employed covert tactics to search out "subversive elements" within the Thai population. Counterspy, Summer 1980, p. 14

Thailand, 1973-76. The Krathin Daeng (Red Guars), were groups of rightist students with police support that had over 100,000 members including government employees, soldiers, policemen, etc. Group received support and assistance from the internal security command (where CIA had a presence) and the Thai Santiban aka Special Branch. The Red Guars implicated in numerous bombings, killings, shooting and harassment of labor leaders, peasant leaders, etc. Indochina Resource Center Study, 1/1977

Thailand, 1976. A high-ranking official of Seni Pramoj government told a foreign visitor few weeks before October 6 coup, both Nawapon and the Red Gaurs were being financed by CIA. Counterspy, 12/1976, p. 52

Thailand, 1976. Over 10,000 students, professors, political figures, labor and farm leaders arrested since coup. U.S. military aid increased. New junta used CIA-trained forces to crush student demonstrators during coup. 2 right-wing terrorist squads suspected for assassinations tied directly to CIA operations. Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars, v9 #3, 9/1977, p. 2

Thailand, 1976. Red Gaurs, an organization of the extreme right, staged provocations against progressive students and assassinations of activists of farmers' federation of Thailand. The number of assassinations by right wingers soared in April 1976 during parliamentary elections. Defense minister Pramarn Adireksan, leader of right wing Thai National party, openly proclaimed the slogan "the right kill the left." Syrokonski. (1983). International Terrorism and the CIA, p. 117-118

Thailand, 1976. Thai border police, element of police most involved in counterinsurgency and which CIA concentrated most of its efforts, carried out an assault by fire against essentially unarmed students, killing at least 100. Counterspy, 12/1976, p. 52

Turkey: Watch List

Turkey, 1971. Coup carried out by counter-guerrilla, the CIA, the Turkey military and Turkish military intelligence (MIT). CIA solely interested in protecting American interests. CIA assisted MIT in 1960-69 in drafting plans for mass arrests of opposition figures similar to the pattern followed in Thailand, Indonesia and Greece. In single night generals ordered 4000 professors, students, teachers and retired officers arrested. They tortured. Counterspy, 4/1982, p. 25

Uruguay: Watch List

Uruguay. CIA agent associated with death squads. Every CIA station maintained subversive control watch list of most important left wing activists. Gave names families and friends. Frankovich, A. (1980). On Company Business. TV transcript, 5/9/1980, pp. 51-3

Uruguay, liaison, 1964. Biographical data and photos. Uruguay has national voter registration that effective identity card system. From liaison service CIA station gets full name, date and place of birth, parents names, address, place of work, etc. and id photos. Information invaluable for surveillance operations, for subversive control watch list and for a variety of other purposes. CID-361

Uruguay: Death Squads

Uruguay, 1970-72. CIA operations officer used cover of AID public safety advisor to help set up Department of Information and Intelligence (DII). DII served as a cover for death squad. Counterspy, 5/1979, p. 10

USSR: Watch List

USSR, 1990 KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov said KGB to protect against anti-Communist forces. Said western intelligence exploiting current instability in USSR. Certain radical movements being masterminded by foreign support. Certain groups had written "blacklists" of people who must be neutralized. Washington Post, 12/12/1990, A18,20

USSR, 1990. KGB's Kryuchkov accuses CIA and other western intelligence agencies of gathering information on workers' movements. Washington Post, 12/23/1990, A1,22

USSR, East Germany, 1949-57. League of Free Jurists (UFJ) kept a blacklist of offenders against justice — particularly lawyers and police — and published their activities. Named were marked men, whether they came to West as refugees or as accredited representatives of East Germans. Hagan, L. (1969). The Secret War for Europe, p. 200

USSR, Iran, 1982. Vladimir Kuzichkin, a senior KGB officer in Tehran, defected to the British. CIA had a sharing agreement with MI6 and became privy to contents of two trunks full of documents. From those documents CIA prepared name lists of more than one hundred people, mostly Iranians, working as secret agents in Iran for the USSR. Casey allowed this list be handed to the Iranians — who executed them. Persico, J. (1991). Casey, p. 301

Vietnam: Watch List

Vietnam, 1965-68. U.S./Government of Vietnam create list of active NLF for assassination. After 1968 Tet offensive, names centralized to Phoenix coordinators. Collect names of tens of thousands NLF suspects. Military operations such as My Lai use Phoenix intelligence. By 1973, Phoenix generates 300,000 political prisoners in South Vietnam. Counterspy, May 1973, p. 22

Vietnam, 1965-70. Details re Vietnam. From 1965-68 U.S. and Saigon intelligence services maintained an active list of Viet Cong cadre marked for assassination. Phoenix program for 1969 called for "neutralizing" 1800 a month. About one third of Viet Cong targeted for arrest had been summarily killed. Security committees established in provincial interrogation centers to determine fate of Viet Cong suspects, outside of judicial controls. Green Berets and Navy Seals most common recruits for Phoenix program. Green Beret Detachment B-57 provided administrative cover for other intelligence units. One was Project Cherry, tasked to assassinate Cambodian officials suspected of collaborating with North Vietnamese, KGB. Another was Project Oak targeted against South Vietnamese suspected collaborators. They controlled by Special Assistant for Counterinsurgency and Special Activities, which worked with CIA outside of General Abrams's control. Stein. J. (1992). A Murder In Wartime, pp. 360-1

Vietnam, 1967-73 CIA developed Phoenix program in 1967 to neutralize: kill, capture or make defect Viet Cong infrastructure. Viet Cong infrastructure means civilians suspected of supporting Communists. Targeted civilians not soldiers. Phoenix also called Phung Hoang by Vietnamese. Due process totally nonexistent. South Vietnamese who appeared on black lists could be tortured, detained for 2 years without trial or killed. Valentine, D. (1990). The Phoenix Program, p. 13

Vietnam, 1967-73 District Intelligence Operations Coordination Center (DIOCC). Dien Ban center a model for all of Phoenix. Bldg 10' x 40'. Manned by two U.S. Soldiers, 2 Census Grievance, one Rural Development cadre, and one Special Branch. DIOCC intelligence clearinghouse to review, collate, and disseminate information. Immediate local reaction. Americans kept files of sources, Viet Cong infrastructure and order of battle. Reaction forces 100 police, 1 PRU unit, guides from census grievance. Marines screened civilian detainees using informants and DIOCC's blacklist. Valentine, D. (1990). The Phoenix Program, p.126

Vietnam, 1968-69. Until late 1968, Saigon had run a program under which 500,000 ID cards were issued. Viet Cong made fake ones and many stolen. Viet Cong during Tet assigned teams to go door-to-door to collect them. Saigon reissued cards in 10/1968. By 1 May 1969, number of cards issued was 1.5 million. Adams, S. (1994). War of Numbers, p. 181

Vietnam, 1968. Phoenix program quota of 1800 neutralizations per month. Viet Cong Infrastructure System (VCIS) fed 3000 names Viet Cong infrastructure into computer at Combined Intelligence Center political order of battle section. Beginning of computerized blacklist. In Saigon DIA, FBI and CIA used computers. Until 1970 computerized blacklist a unilateral American operation. Valentine, D. (1990). The Phoenix Program, 259

Vietnam, 1968. U.S. advisors worked with Government of Vietnam counterparts to establish a list of those who were active with the NLF and who were vulnerable to assassination. Counterspy, 5/1973, p. 21

Vietnam: Death Squads

Vietnam. Counterterror teams aka Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRU). Six or dozen men carried out carefully planned forays, capturing or killing identified communists. Blaufarb, D.S. (1977). The Counterinsurgency Era, pp. 210-11

Vietnam, 1960-93. Montagnards recruited in early 1960s by Special Forces to fight Viet Cong. Did not surrender until 1992, when they yielded weapons to UN forces in Cambodia and brought to U.S. About 600 live in North Carolina. Paul Campbell, former SF who first American to recruit them. Kay Reibold head of Vietnam highlands assistance project. Montagnards live in small apartments around Raleigh with low-paying jobs. In 10/1961 Campbell, then a SF Sergeant, sent by CIA to recruit Montagnards. They to form village security, but soon being used for long-range reconnaissance and in highly mobile strike forces that hunted Viet Cong for weeks at a time. "We killed many Vietnamese." Article by W. Booth. Washington Post, 12/27/1993

Vietnam, 1965. CIA station helped create census grievance units. CIA funded, trained and guided counter terror teams who per Chief of Station de Silva, were "to bring danger and death to Viet Cong functionaries." Corn, D. (1994). Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIA's Crusades, p. 175

Vietnam, 1966-71. Phoenix operation designed to help U.S. military reach crossover point, where dead and wounded exceeded Viet Cong's ability to field replacements. In April 1967, President Johnson announced formation of Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) for pacification. Robert Komer as deputy commander of MACV-CORDS. CORDS budget about $4 billion from 1968-71. CORDS the management structure for pacification programs. Personnel both military and civilian. By 1971, 3000 servicemen, advisers to ARVN, placed under CORDS. 1200 civilians by 1971. U.S. AID responsible for material aid. State and USIA also provided personnel. But CIA played the crucial role. CORDS reinstated civic action teams under name Revolutionary Development cadre. RD program formed teams of 59 South Vietnamese, divided into 3 11-man security squads and 25 civic action cadres. Teams to spend 6 months in a village to fulfill "Eleven criteria and 98 works for pacification." 1. Annihilation of ...cadre; 2. Annihilation of wicked village dignitaries; etc. System placed 40,000 two-way radios in villages. Land reform failed. (Photos of Phoenix propaganda material). Teams helped create Regional and Popular Forces (RF/PFs). Ruff-puffs, suffered high casualties. They represented half of South Vietnamese government forces, they had 55-66% of casualties. They inflicted 30% of Communist casualties. Underground paramilitary effort called Phoenix, which included a "census grievance," stay-behind. He actually a spy. All information fed into intelligence coordination and exploitation program. Vietnamese at Komer's request set up staff that, with CIA, was responsible for coordinating intelligence reports on Viet Cong Infrastructure. Information from census grievance, military, police reports. paramilitary units, including CIA's Provincial Reconnaissance Units and ruff-puffs. Arrestees — those not killed when captured — taken to Provincial Interrogation Centers (PIC). Also regional prisons and a national center. All financed by CIA. Problems of coordination and jealousy. Numerical quotas created saying how many VCI to be eliminated each month. Torture used in questioning. Manning, R., (ed), (1988). War in the Shadows: the Vietnam Experience, pp. 55-65

Vietnam, 1966. In 1966 recycled counter terrorists called Provincial Reconnaissance Units (PRU) and managed by CIA officer in CORDS RDC/O Office. Valentine, D. (1990). The Phoenix Program, p. 117

Vietnam, 1968. CIA issued two handbooks in June 1968. One "the Viet Cong Key Organization From Central Level Down to Village and Hamlet Levels." Second a manual of procedures from Saigon to DIOCCs. One report said "as DIOCCs and PIOCCs have refined data bases, gained experience, and mounted more operations against targeted individuals, the neutralization rate... over 1000 per month for last 4 months." Gia Dinh "has more than quadrupled monthly rate of killed, captured and rallied." Valentine, D. (1990). The Phoenix Program, p. 190





 

John Perkins was an Economic Hitman for the CIA and MI6 and America




Who Runs The World?
Solid Proof That A Core Group Of Wealthy Elitists .....
Is Pulling The Strings



Michael Snyder
Economic Collapse
Jan 30, 2013

Does a shadowy group of obscenely wealthy elitists control the world?  Do men and women with enormous amounts of money really run the world from behind the scenes?  The answer might surprise you.  Most of us tend to think of money as a convenient way to conduct transactions, but the truth is that it also represents power and control.  And today we live in a neo-fuedalist system in which the super rich pull all the strings.  When I am talking about the ultra-wealthy, I am not just talking about people that have a few million dollars.  As you will see later in this article, the ultra-wealthy have enough money sitting in offshore banks to buy all of the goods and services produced in the United States during the course of an entire year and still be able to pay off the entire U.S. national debt.  That is an amount of money so large that it is almost incomprehensible.  Under this ne0-feudalist system, all the rest of us are debt slaves, including our own governments.  Just look around – everyone is drowning in debt, and all of that debt is making the ultra-wealthy even wealthier.  But the ultra-wealthy don’t just sit on all of that wealth.  They use some of it to dominate the affairs of the nations.  The ultra-wealthy own virtually every major bank and every major corporation on the planet.  They use a vast network of secret societies, think tanks and charitable organizations to advance their agendas and to keep their members in line.  They control how we view the world through their ownership of the media and their dominance over our education system.  They fund the campaigns of most of our politicians and they exert a tremendous amount of influence over international organizations such as the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.  When you step back and take a look at the big picture, there is little doubt about who runs the world.  It is just that most people don’t want to admit the truth.
The ultra-wealthy don’t run down and put their money in the local bank like you and I do.  Instead, they tend to stash their assets in places where they won’t be taxed such as the Cayman Islands.  According to a report that was released last summer, the global elite have up to 32 TRILLION dollars stashed in offshore banks around the globe.
U.S. GDP for 2011 was about 15 trillion dollars, and the U.S. national debt is sitting at about 16 trillion dollars, so you could add them both together and you still wouldn’t hit 32 trillion dollars.
And of course that does not even count the money that is stashed in other locations that the study did not account for, and it does not count all of the wealth that the global elite have in hard assets such as real estate, precious metals, art, yachts, etc.
The global elite have really hoarded an incredible amount of wealth in these troubled times.  The following is from an article on the Huffington Post website
Rich individuals and their families have as much as $32 trillion of hidden financial assets in offshore tax havens, representing up to $280 billion in lost income tax revenues, according to research published on Sunday.
The study estimating the extent of global private financial wealth held in offshore accounts – excluding non-financial assets such as real estate, gold, yachts and racehorses – puts the sum at between $21 and $32 trillion.
The research was carried out for pressure group Tax Justice Network, which campaigns against tax havens, by James Henry, former chief economist at consultants McKinsey & Co.
He used data from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations and central banks.
But as I mentioned previously, the global elite just don’t have a lot of money.  They also basically own just about every major bank and every major corporation on the entire planet.
According to an outstanding NewScientist article, a study of more than 40,000 transnational corporations conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich discovered that a very small core group of huge banks and giant predator corporations dominate the entire global economic system…
An analysis of the relationships between 43,000 transnational corporations has identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with disproportionate power over the global economy.
The researchers found that this core group consists of just 147 very tightly knit companies…
When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a “super-entity” of 147 even more tightly knit companies – all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity – that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. “In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,” says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group.
The following are the top 25 banks and corporations at the heart of this “super-entity”.  You will recognize many of the names on the list…
1. Barclays plc
2. Capital Group Companies Inc
3. FMR Corporation
4. AXA
5. State Street Corporation
6. JP Morgan Chase & Co
7. Legal & General Group plc
8. Vanguard Group Inc
9. UBS AG
10. Merrill Lynch & Co Inc
11. Wellington Management Co LLP
12. Deutsche Bank AG
13. Franklin Resources Inc
14. Credit Suisse Group
15. Walton Enterprises LLC
16. Bank of New York Mellon Corp
17. Natixis
18. Goldman Sachs Group Inc
19. T Rowe Price Group Inc
20. Legg Mason Inc
21. Morgan Stanley
22. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc
23. Northern Trust Corporation
24. Société Générale
25. Bank of America Corporation
The ultra-wealthy elite often hide behind layers and layers of ownership, but the truth is that thanks to interlocking corporate relationships, the elite basically control almost every Fortune 500 corporation.
The amount of power and control that this gives them is hard to describe.
Unfortunately, this same group of people have been running things for a very long time.  For example, New York City Mayor John F. Hylan said the following during a speech all the way back in 1922
The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government, which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation. To depart from mere generalizations, let me say that at the head of this octopus are the Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests and a small group of powerful banking houses generally referred to as the international bankers. The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes.
They practically control both parties, write political platforms, make catspaws of party leaders, use the leading men of private organizations, and resort to every device to place in nomination for high public office only such candidates as will be amenable to the dictates of corrupt big business.
These international bankers and Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests control the majority of the newspapers and magazines in this country. They use the columns of these papers to club into submission or drive out of office public officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt cliques which compose the invisible government. It operates under cover of a self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.
These international bankers created the central banks of the world (including the Federal Reserve), and they use those central banks to get the governments of the world ensnared in endless cycles of debtfrom which there is no escape.  Government debt is a way to “legitimately” take money from all of us, transfer it to the government, and then transfer it into the pockets of the ultra-wealthy.
Today, Barack Obama and almost all members of Congress absolutely refuse to criticize the Fed, but in the past there have been some brave members of Congress that have been willing to take a stand.  For example, the following quote is from a speech that Congressman Louis T. McFadden delivered to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 10, 1932
Mr. Chairman, we have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks. The Federal Reserve Board, a Government board, has cheated the Government of the United States and the people of the United States out of enough money to pay the national debt. The depredations and iniquities of the Federal Reserve Board has cost this country enough money to pay the national debt several times over. This evil institution has impoverished and ruined the people of the United States, has bankrupted itself, and has practically bankrupted our Government. It has done this through the defects of the law under which it operates, through the maladministration of that law by the Federal Reserve Board, and through the corrupt practices of the moneyed vultures who control it.
Sadly, most Americans still believe that the Federal Reserve is a “federal agency”, but that is simply not correct.  The following comes from factcheck.org
The stockholders in the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks are the privately owned banks that fall under the Federal Reserve System. These include all national banks (chartered by the federal government) and those state-chartered banks that wish to join and meet certain requirements. About 38 percent of the nation’s more than 8,000 banks are members of the system, and thus own the Fed banks.
According to researchers that have looked into the ownership of the big Wall Street banks that dominate the Fed, the same names keep coming up over and over: the Rockefellers, the Rothschilds, the Warburgs, the Lazards, the Schiffs and the royal families of Europe.
But ultra-wealthy international bankers have not just done this kind of thing in the United States.  Their goal was to create a global financial system that they would dominate and control.  Just check out what Georgetown University history professor Carroll Quigley once wrote
[T]he powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basle, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world’s central banks which were themselves private corporations.
Sadly, most Americans have never even heard of the Bank for International Settlements, but it is at the very heart of the global financial system.  The following is from Wikipedia
As an organization of central banks, the BIS seeks to make monetary policy more predictable and transparent among its 58 member central banks. While monetary policy is determined by each sovereign nation, it is subject to central and private banking scrutiny and potentially to speculation that affects foreign exchange rates and especially the fate of export economies. Failures to keep monetary policy in line with reality and make monetary reforms in time, preferably as a simultaneous policy among all 58 member banks and also involving the International Monetary Fund, have historically led to losses in the billions as banks try to maintain a policy using open market methods that have proven to be based on unrealistic assumptions.
The ultra-wealthy have also played a major role in establishing other important international institutions such as the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.  In fact, the land for the United Nations headquarters in New York City was purchased and donated by John D. Rockefeller.
The international bankers are “internationalists” and they are very proud of that fact.
The elite also dominate the education system in the United States.  Over the years, the Rockefeller Foundation and other elitist organizations have poured massive amounts of money into Ivy League schools.  Today, Ivy League schools are considered to be the standard against which all other colleges and universities in America are measured, and the last four U.S. presidents were educated at Ivy League schools.
The elite also exert a tremendous amount of influence through various secret societies (Skull and Bones, the Freemasons, etc.), through some very powerful think tanks and social clubs (the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group, the Bohemian Grove, Chatham House, etc.), and through a vast network of charities and non-governmental organizations (the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, etc.).
But for a moment, I want to focus on the power the elite have over the media.  In a previous article, I detailed how just six monolithic corporate giants control most of what we watch, hear and read every single day.  These giant corporations own television networks, cable channels, movie studios, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, music labels and even many of our favorite websites.
Considering the fact that the average American watches 153 hours of television a month, the influence of these six giant corporations should not be underestimated.  The following are just some of the media companies that these corporate giants own…
Time Warner
Home Box Office (HBO)
Time Inc.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
CW Network (partial ownership)
TMZ
New Line Cinema
Time Warner Cable
Cinemax
Cartoon Network
TBS
TNT
America Online
MapQuest
Moviefone
Castle Rock
Sports Illustrated
Fortune
Marie Claire
People Magazine
Walt Disney
ABC Television Network
Disney Publishing
ESPN Inc.
Disney Channel
SOAPnet
A&E
Lifetime
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Buena Vista Theatrical Productions
Buena Vista Records
Disney Records
Hollywood Records
Miramax Films
Touchstone Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Pixar Animation Studios
Buena Vista Games
Hyperion Books
Viacom
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Home Entertainment
Black Entertainment Television (BET)
Comedy Central
Country Music Television (CMT)
Logo
MTV
MTV Canada
MTV2
Nick Magazine
Nick at Nite
Nick Jr.
Nickelodeon
Noggin
Spike TV
The Movie Channel
TV Land
VH1
News Corporation
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Fox Television Stations
The New York Post
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Beliefnet
Fox Business Network
Fox Kids Europe
Fox News Channel
Fox Sports Net
Fox Television Network
FX
My Network TV
MySpace
News Limited News
Phoenix InfoNews Channel
Phoenix Movies Channel
Sky PerfecTV
Speed Channel
STAR TV India
STAR TV Taiwan
STAR World
Times Higher Education Supplement Magazine
Times Literary Supplement Magazine
Times of London
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox International
20th Century Fox Studios
20th Century Fox Television
BSkyB
DIRECTV
The Wall Street Journal
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Interactive Media
FOXTEL
HarperCollins Publishers
The National Geographic Channel
National Rugby League
News Interactive
News Outdoor
Radio Veronica
ReganBooks
Sky Italia
Sky Radio Denmark
Sky Radio Germany
Sky Radio Netherlands
STAR
Zondervan
CBS Corporation
CBS News
CBS Sports
CBS Television Network
CNET
Showtime
TV.com
CBS Radio Inc. (130 stations)
CBS Consumer Products
CBS Outdoor
CW Network (50% ownership)
Infinity Broadcasting
Simon & Schuster (Pocket Books, Scribner)
Westwood One Radio Network
NBC Universal
Bravo
CNBC
NBC News
MSNBC
NBC Sports
NBC Television Network
Oxygen
SciFi Magazine
Syfy (Sci Fi Channel)
Telemundo
USA Network
Weather Channel
Focus Features
NBC Universal Television Distribution
NBC Universal Television Studio
Paxson Communications (partial ownership)
Trio
Universal Parks & Resorts
Universal Pictures
Universal Studio Home Video
And of course the elite own most of our politicians as well.  The following is a quote from journalist Lewis Lapham
“The shaping of the will of Congress and the choosing of the American president has become a privilege reserved to the country’s equestrian classes, a.k.a. the 20% of the population that holds 93% of the wealth, the happy few who run the corporations and the banks, own and operate the news and entertainment media, compose the laws and govern the universities, control the philanthropic foundations, the policy institutes, the casinos, and the sports arenas.”
Have you ever wondered why things never seem to change in Washington D.C. no matter who we vote for?
Well, it is because both parties are owned by the establishment.
It would be nice to think that the American people are in control of who runs things in the U.S., but that is not how it works in the real world.
In the real world, the politician that raises more money wins more than 80 percent of the time in national races.
Our politicians are not stupid – they are going to be very good to the people that can give them the giant piles of money that they need for their campaigns.  And the people that can do that are the ultra-wealthy and the giant corporations that the ultra-wealthy control.
Are you starting to get the picture?
There is a reason why the ultra-wealthy are referred to as “the establishment”.  They have set up a system that greatly benefits them and that allows them to pull the strings.
So who runs the world?
They do.  In fact, they even admit as much.
David Rockefeller wrote the following in his 2003 book entitled “Memoirs”
“For more than a century, ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure — one world, if you will. If that is the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.”
There is so much more that could be said about all of this.  In fact, an entire library of books could be written about the power and the influence of the ultra-wealthy international bankers that run the world.
But hopefully this is enough to at least get some conversations started.
So what do you think about all of this?  Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below…
 

This article was posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 5:41 am



Secret to Prism success: Even bigger data seizure

What makes Prism shine? National Security Agency's megadata collection from Internet pipeline


 
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Associated Press -
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FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2008, file photo President Bush waves after signing a 15-day extension of the Protect America Act after a speech in Las Vegas. Sternly prodding Congress, Bush told lawmakers they were jeopardizing the nation's safety by failing to lock in the government eavesdropping law. When the Protect America Act made warrantless wiretapping legal, lawyers and executives at major technology companies knew what was about to happen. They didn't know that its passage gave birth to a top-secret NSA program, officially labeled US-98XN. It was known as Prism. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In the months and early years after 9/11, FBI agents began showing up at Microsoft Corp. more frequently than before, armed with court orders demanding information on customers.
Around the world, government spies and eavesdroppers were tracking the email and Internet addresses used by suspected terrorists. Often, those trails led to the world's largest software company and, at the time, largest email provider.
The agents wanted email archives, account information, practically everything, and quickly. Engineers compiled the data, sometimes by hand, and delivered it to the government.
Often there was no easy way to tell if the information belonged to foreigners or Americans. So much data was changing hands that one former Microsoft employee recalls that the engineers were anxious about whether the company should cooperate.
Inside Microsoft, some called it "Hoovering" — not after the vacuum cleaner, but after J. Edgar Hoover, the first FBI director, who gathered dirt on countless Americans.
This frenetic, manual process was the forerunner to Prism, the recently revealed highly classified National Security Agency program that seizes records from Internet companies. As laws changed and technology improved, the government and industry moved toward a streamlined, electronic process, which required less time from the companies and provided the government data in a more standard format.
The revelation of Prism this month by the Washington Post and Guardian newspapers has touched off the latest round in a decade-long debate over what limits to impose on government eavesdropping, which the Obama administration says is essential to keep the nation safe.
But interviews with more than a dozen current and former government and technology officials and outside experts show that, while Prism has attracted the recent attention, the program actually is a relatively small part of a much more expansive and intrusive eavesdropping effort.
Americans who disapprove of the government reading their emails have more to worry about from a different and larger NSA effort that snatches data as it passes through the fiber optic cables that make up the Internet's backbone. That program, which has been known for years, copies Internet traffic as it enters and leaves the United States, then routes it to the NSA for analysis.
Whether by clever choice or coincidence, Prism appears to do what its name suggests. Like a triangular piece of glass, Prism takes large beams of data and helps the government find discrete, manageable strands of information.
The fact that it is productive is not surprising; documents show it is one of the major sources for what ends up in the president's daily briefing. Prism makes sense of the cacophony of the Internet's raw feed. It provides the government with names, addresses, conversation histories and entire archives of email inboxes.
Many of the people interviewed for this report insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss a classified, continuing effort. But those interviews, along with public statements and the few public documents available, show there are two vital components to Prism's success.
The first is how the government works closely with the companies that keep people perpetually connected to each other and the world. That story line has attracted the most attention so far.
The second and far murkier one is how Prism fits into a larger U.S. wiretapping program in place for years.
___
Deep in the oceans, hundreds of cables carry much of the world's phone and Internet traffic. Since at least the early 1970s, the NSA has been tapping foreign cables. It doesn't need permission. That's its job.
But Internet data doesn't care about borders. Send an email from Pakistan to Afghanistan and it might pass through a mail server in the United States, the same computer that handles messages to and from Americans. The NSA is prohibited from spying on Americans or anyone inside the United States. That's the FBI's job and it requires a warrant.
Despite that prohibition, shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, President George W. Bush secretly authorized the NSA to plug into the fiber optic cables that enter and leave the United States, knowing it would give the government unprecedented, warrantless access to Americans' private conversations.
Tapping into those cables allows the NSA access to monitor emails, telephone calls, video chats, websites, bank transactions and more. It takes powerful computers to decrypt, store and analyze all this information, but the information is all there, zipping by at the speed of light.
"You have to assume everything is being collected," said Bruce Schneier, who has been studying and writing about cryptography and computer security for two decades.
The New York Times disclosed the existence of this effort in 2005. In 2006, former AT&T technician Mark Klein revealed that the company had allowed the NSA to install a computer at its San Francisco switching center, a spot where fiber optic cables enter the U.S.
What followed was the most significant debate over domestic surveillance since the 1975 Church Committee, a special Senate committee led by Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho, reined in the CIA and FBI for spying on Americans.
Unlike the recent debate over Prism, however, there were no visual aids, no easy-to-follow charts explaining that the government was sweeping up millions of emails and listening to phone calls of people accused of no wrongdoing.
The Bush administration called it the "Terrorist Surveillance Program" and said it was keeping the United States safe.
"This program has produced intelligence for us that has been very valuable in the global war on terror, both in terms of saving lives and breaking up plots directed at the United States," Vice President Dick Cheney said at the time.
The government has said it minimizes all conversations and emails involving Americans. Exactly what that means remains classified. But former U.S. officials familiar with the process say it allows the government to keep the information as long as it is labeled as belonging to an American and stored in a special, restricted part of a computer.
That means Americans' personal emails can live in government computers, but analysts can't access, read or listen to them unless the emails become relevant to a national security investigation.
The government doesn't automatically delete the data, officials said, because an email or phone conversation that seems innocuous today might be significant a year from now.
What's unclear to the public is how long the government keeps the data. That is significant because the U.S. someday will have a new enemy. Two decades from now, the government could have a trove of American emails and phone records it can tap to investigative whatever Congress declares a threat to national security.
The Bush administration shut down its warrantless wiretapping program in 2007 but endorsed a new law, the Protect America Act, which allowed the wiretapping to continue with changes: The NSAgenerally would have to explain its techniques and targets to a secret court in Washington, but individual warrants would not be required.
Congress approved it, with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in the midst of a campaign for president, voting against it.
"This administration also puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we provide," Obama said in a speech two days before that vote. "I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom."
___
When the Protect America Act made warrantless wiretapping legal, lawyers and executives at major technology companies knew what was about to happen.
One expert in national security law, who is directly familiar with how Internet companies dealt with the government during that period, recalls conversations in which technology officials worried aloud that the government would trample on Americans' constitutional right against unlawful searches, and that the companies would be called on to help.
The logistics were about to get daunting, too.
For years, the companies had been handling requests from the FBI. Now Congress had given the NSA the authority to take information without warrants. Though the companies didn't know it, the passage of the Protect America Act gave birth to a top-secret NSA program, officially called US-98XN.
It was known as Prism. Though many details are still unknown, it worked like this:
Every year, the attorney general and the director of national intelligence spell out in a classified document how the government plans to gather intelligence on foreigners overseas.
By law, the certification can be broad. The government isn't required to identify specific targets or places.
A federal judge, in a secret order, approves the plan.
With that, the government can issue "directives" to Internet companies to turn over information.
While the court provides the government with broad authority to seize records, the directives themselves typically are specific, said one former associate general counsel at a major Internet company. They identify a specific target or groups of targets. Other company officials recall similar experiences.
All adamantly denied turning over the kind of broad swaths of data that many people believed when the Prism documents were first released.
"We only ever comply with orders for requests about specific accounts or identifiers," Microsoft said in a statement.
Facebook said it received between 9,000 and 10,000 demands requests for data from all government agencies in the second half of last year. The social media company said fewer than 19,000 users were targeted.
How many of those were related to national security is unclear, and likely classified. The numbers suggest each request typically related to one or two people, not a vast range of users.
Tech company officials were unaware there was a program named Prism. Even former law enforcement and counterterrorism officials who were on the job when the program went live and were aware of its capabilities said this past week that they didn't know what it was called.
What the NSA called Prism, the companies knew as a streamlined system that automated and simplified the "Hoovering" from years earlier, the former assistant general counsel said. The companies, he said, wanted to reduce their workload. The government wanted the data in a structured, consistent format that was easy to search.
Any company in the communications business can expect a visit, said Mike Janke, CEO of Silent Circle, a company that advertises software for secure, encrypted conversations. The government is eager to find easy ways around security.
"They do this every two to three years," said Janke, who said government agents have approached his company but left empty-handed because his computer servers store little information. "They ask for the moon."
That often creates tension between the government and a technology industry with a reputation for having a civil libertarian bent. Companies occasionally argue to limit what the government takes. Yahoo even went to court and lost in a classified ruling in 2008, The New York Times reported Friday.
"The notion that Yahoo gives any federal agency vast or unfettered access to our users' records is categorically false," Ron Bell, the company's general counsel, said recently.
Under Prism, the delivery process varied by company.
Google, for instance, says it makes secure file transfers. Others use contractors or have set up stand-alone systems. Some have set up user interfaces making it easier for the government, according to a security expert familiar with the process.
Every company involved denied the most sensational assertion in the Prism documents: that the NSA pulled data "directly from the servers" of Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, AOL and more.
Technology experts and a former government official say that phrasing, taken from a PowerPoint slide describing the program, was likely meant to differentiate Prism's neatly organized, company-provided data from the unstructured information snatched out of the Internet's major pipelines.
In slide made public by the newspapers, NSA analysts were encouraged to use data coming from both Prism and from the fiber-optic cables.
Prism, as its name suggests, helps narrow and focus the stream. If eavesdroppers spot a suspicious email among the torrent of data pouring into the United States, analysts can use information from Internet companies to pinpoint the user.
With Prism, the government gets a user's entire email inbox. Every email, including contacts with American citizens, becomes government property.
Once the NSA has an inbox, it can search its huge archives for information about everyone with whom the target communicated. All those people can be investigated, too.
That's one example of how emails belonging to Americans can become swept up in the hunt.
In that way, Prism helps justify specific, potentially personal searches. But it's the broader operation on the Internet fiber optics cables that actually captures the data, experts agree.
"I'm much more frightened and concerned about real-time monitoring on the Internet backbone," said Wolf Ruzicka, CEO of EastBanc Technologies, a Washington software company. "I cannot think of anything, outside of a face-to-face conversation, that they could not have access to."
One unanswered question, according to a former technology executive at one of the companies involved, is whether the government can use the data from Prism to work backward.
For example, not every company archives instant message conversations, chat room exchanges or videoconferences. But if Prism provided general details, known as metadata, about when a user began chatting, could the government "rewind" its copy of the global Internet stream, find the conversation and replay it in full?
That would take enormous computing, storage and code-breaking power. It's possible the NSA could use supercomputers to decrypt some transmissions, but it's unlikely it would have the ability to do that in volume. In other words, it would help to know what messages to zero in on.
Whether the government has that power and whether it uses Prism this way remains a closely guarded secret.
___
A few months after Obama took office in 2009, the surveillance debate reignited in Congress because the NSA had crossed the line. Eavesdroppers, it turned out, had been using their warrantless wiretap authority to intercept far more emails and phone calls of Americans than they were supposed to.
Obama, no longer opposed to the wiretapping, made unspecified changes to the process. The government said the problems were fixed.
"I came in with a healthy skepticism about these programs," Obama explained recently. "My team evaluated them. We scrubbed them thoroughly. We actually expanded some of the oversight, increased some of the safeguards."
Years after decrying Bush for it, Obama said Americans did have to make tough choices in the name of safety.
"You can't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience," the president said.
Obama's administration, echoing his predecessor's, credited the surveillance with disrupting several terrorist attacks. Leading figures from the Bush administration who endured criticism during Obama's candidacy have applauded the president for keeping the surveillance intact.
Jason Weinstein, who recently left the Justice Department as head of its cybercrime and intellectual property section, said it's no surprise Obama continued the eavesdropping.
"You can't expect a president to not use a legal tool that Congress has given him to protect the country," he said. "So, Congress has given him the tool. The president's using it. And the courts are saying 'The way you're using it is OK.' That's checks and balances at work."
Schneier, the author and security expert, said it doesn't really matter how Prism works, technically. Just assume the government collects everything, he said.
He said it doesn't matter what the government and the companies say, either. It's spycraft, after all.
"Everyone is playing word games," he said. "No one is telling the truth."
Associated Press writers Eileen Sullivan, Peter Svensonn, Adam Goldman, Michael Liedtke and Monika Mathur contributed to this report.
___
Contact the AP's Washington investigative team at DCinvestigations@ap.org
US whistleblower Edward Snowden 'will fight extradition'
 
Edward Snowden (picture courtesy of the Guardian) says he wants Hong Kong to decide his fate


How surveillance came to light
  1. 5 June: The Guardian reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting the telephone records of millions of US customers of Verizon under a top secret court order
  2. 6 June: The Guardian and The Washington Post report that the NSA and the FBI are tapping into US Internet companies to track online communication in a programme known as Prism
  3. 7 June: The Guardian reports President Obama has asked intelligence agencies to draw up a list of potential overseas targets for US cyber-attacks
  4. 7 June: President Obama defends the programmes, saying they are closely overseen by Congress and the courts
  5. 8 June: US director of national intelligence James Clapper calls the leaks "literally gut-wrenching"
  6. 9 June: The Guardian names former CIA technical worker Edward Snowden as the source of the leaks
Related Stories
  1. US spy leaker 'goes to ground'
  2. Tech firms urge security transparency
  3. Profile: Edward Snowden

The ex-CIA employee who leaked secret US surveillance details has vowed in an interview to fight any attempt to extradite him from Hong Kong.
Edward Snowden told the South China Morning Post: "I'm neither traitor nor hero. I'm an American."
It is the first interview he has given since disappearing from his hotel room in Hong Kong on Monday.
His leaks led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data.
Mr Snowden left Hawaii for Hong Kong shortly before the highly sensitive leaks surfaced.
Start Quote
I do not currently feel safe due to the pressure the US government is applying to Hong Kong”
Edward Snowden
"I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality," Mr Snowden told the Post, which said the interview was carried out in a secret location in Hong Kong.
"My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate."
US 'bullying'
The information leaked by Mr Snowden has undoubtedly angered the US government, but so far he has not been charged by the authorities, nor is he the subject of an extradition request.
Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the US, although analysts say any attempts to bring Mr Snowden to America may take months and could be blocked by Beijing.
The Post quoted Mr Snowden as saying that he had several opportunities to leave Hong Kong, but that he "would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong's rule of law."
He also accused Washington of "bullying the Hong Kong government".
"I do not currently feel safe due to the pressure the US government is applying to Hong Kong, but I feel that Hong Kong itself has a strong civil tradition that whistleblowers should not fear," he said.
And when asked whether he had been offered asylum by Russia, he replied: "My only comment is that I am glad there are governments that refuse to be intimidated by great power".
After Mr Snowden's leaks, which led to a series of articles in the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers, US officials confirmed the existence of a secret programme to draw data from the internet, codenamed Prism.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence gave details of the programme last week.
According to the office's statement, Prism is simply an internal computer system, and not a data-mining programme.
But Washington is coming under increasing pressure from many different quarters to end the practice.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, challenging the legality of the programme.
Separately, a coalition of more than 80 rights groups and internet companies have launched a website, StopWatching.Us, which has called on Congress to launch a full investigation.
And the EU's justice commissioner has written to the US attorney general, questioning him about Prism, and saying she was concerned America's efforts "could have grave adverse consequences for the fundamental rights of EU citizens".
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  1. About these results
  1. 10 JUNE 2013, US & CANADA
 
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Rory Cellan-Jones reports on what is known about Prism
It is believed the US is pursuing a criminal investigation, but no extradition request has yet been filed.
The Chinese territory has an extradition treaty with the US, although analysts say any attempts to bring Mr Snowden to America may take months and could be blocked by Beijing.
A petition posted on the White House website calling for Mr Snowden's immediate pardon has gathered more than 30,000 signatures.
However, an opinion poll commissioned by the Washington Post suggests a majority of Americans think government monitoring of phone records is acceptable if the aim is to fight terrorism.
Mr Snowden's revelations have led to allegations that the UK's electronic surveillance agency, GCHQ, used the US system to spy on British citizens.
US spy leaker Edward Snowden leaves Hong Kong hotel

“ ...I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded.....” Edward Snowden
  1. Profile: Edward Snowden
  2. Could Hong Kong shelter Snowden?
  3. Q&A: Prism and privacy

Major US security leaks
  1. Pentagon papers, 1971: Daniel Ellsberg leaks study showing the government had knowledge it was unlikely to win Vietnam war
  2. Watergate, 1972: Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reveal extent of cover-up over burglary at Democrat National Committee HQ
  3. Iran-Contra affair, 1986: Iranian cleric reveals illegal US arms sales to Iran, the proceeds of which are later used to fund Nicaraguan Contras
  4. Valerie Plame, 2003: Ms Plame is revealed to be an undercover CIA agent, ending her covert career
  5. Abu Ghraib, 2004: Publication of pictures showing abuse of detainees at Iraq prison by US officials turns initial media reports of abuse into full-blown scandal
  6. Bradley Manning, 2010: The soldier downloads thousands of classified documents from military servers and hands them over to Wikileaks
  1. US leaks that shook the world
  2. What can you learn from phone records?
  3. Just how much do the spooks know?

Beijing correspondent Damian Grammaticus says China would not want to deal with any extradition of Snowden to the US
11 June 2013 
An ex-CIA employee who leaked details of US top-secret phone and internet surveillance has disappeared from his hotel in Hong Kong.
World media reaction
  1. The Liberation Daily in China has harsh words for President Obama: "Five years ago, Obama came to power waving an anti-George W Bush banner. Five years later, he is still exactly the same as George W Bush on invasion of privacy issues."
  2. Russia's Izvestiya compares the revelations to a dystopian novel: "The frightening reality of the 21st Century is that the world has become a house with glass walls, notions of 'personal secrets' and 'confidential information' are turning into fiction before our very eyes."
  3. India's Tribune is more forgiving: "The 9/11 terrorist attacks have changed the environment where cyber snooping is now defendable, even acceptable."

Related Stories
  1. Q&A: Prism and privacy
  2. UK: Intelligence agencies within law
  3. How much do the spooks know?
Major US security leaks
  1. Pentagon papers, 1971: Daniel Ellsberg leaks study showing the government had knowledge it was unlikely to win Vietnam war
  2. Watergate, 1972: Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reveal extent of cover-up over burglary at Democrat National Committee HQ
  3. Iran-Contra affair, 1986: Iranian cleric reveals illegal US arms sales to Iran, the proceeds of which are later used to fund Nicaraguan Contras
  4. Valerie Plame, 2003: Ms Plame is revealed to be an undercover CIA agent, ending her covert career
  5. Abu Ghraib, 2004: Publication of pictures showing abuse of detainees at Iraq prison by US officials turns initial media reports of abuse into full-blown scandal
  6. Bradley Manning, 2010: The soldier downloads thousands of classified documents from military servers and hands them over to Wikileaks
  1. US leaks that shook the world
  2. What can you learn from phone records?
  3. Just how much do the spooks know?

Edward Snowden, 29, checked out from his hotel on Monday and his whereabouts are unknown, but he is believed to be still in Hong Kong.
Earlier, he said he had an "obligation to help free people from oppression".
His leaks led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data.
The programme, known as Prism, is run by the US National Security Agency (NSA).
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence gave details of the programme last week after Mr Snowden's leaks led to a series of articles in the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers.
According to the office's statement, Prism is simply an internal computer system, and not a data-mining programme.
However, such data seizures could break the laws of other countries, and could also break US law if they accidentally capture communications of US citizens.
Transatlantic fallout
Hong Kong's broadcaster RTHK said Mr Snowden checked out of the Mira hotel in Kowloon on Monday, and Reuters news agency quoted hotel staff as saying that he had left at noon.
Ewen MacAskill, one of the Guardian journalists who broke the story, told the BBC he believed Mr Snowden was still in Hong Kong.


Rory Cellan-Jones reports on what is known about Prism
It is believed the US is pursuing a criminal investigation, but no extradition request has yet been filed.
The Chinese territory has an extradition treaty with the US, although analysts say any attempts to bring Mr Snowden to America may take months and could be blocked by Beijing.
A petition posted on the White House website calling for Mr Snowden's immediate pardon has gathered more than 30,000 signatures.
However, an opinion poll commissioned by the Washington Post suggests a majority of Americans think government monitoring of phone records is acceptable if the aim is to fight terrorism.
Mr Snowden's revelations have led to allegations that the UK's electronic surveillance agency, GCHQ, used the US system to spy on British citizens.
Foreign Secretary William Hague cancelled a trip to Washington to address the UK parliament on Monday and deny the claims.
The journalists involved in the story were first contacted by Mr Snowden at the start of the year.
Filmmaker Laura Poitras told Salon Magazine how Mr Snowden sent her an email saying: "I want to get your encryption key and let's get on a secure channel.
"I have some information in the intelligence community, and it won't be a waste of your time."
Ms Poitras ultimately filmed the interview with two Guardian reporters.
Mr Snowden told the journalists: "The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting.
"I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things. I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded."
Booz Allen Hamilton confirmed in a statement Mr Snowden had been an employee for less than three months.
"If accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm," the statement said.
The first of the leaks came out on Wednesday night, when the Guardian reported a US secret court had ordered phone company Verizon to hand over to the NSA millions of records on telephone call "metadata".
The metadata include the numbers of both phones on a call, its duration, time, date and location (for mobiles, determined by which mobile signal towers relayed the call or text).
Under the Prism system, officials apply to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court (Fisa) to gain access to communications.
Officials are obliged to show the Fisa court that any "target" is outside of the US, and there is a "foreign intelligence purpose" for the seizure, such as terrorism or nuclear proliferation.
However, details of such targets and subsequent requests made to US technology companies are secret.
On Thursday, the Washington Post and Guardian said the NSA tapped directly into the servers of nine internet firms including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to track online communication in a programme known as Prism.
All the internet companies denied giving the US government "direct access" to their servers, and said they had never heard of the Prism programme.
But in separate statements the firms variously said they complied with lawful requests to supply information on an individual basis.
Prism was authorised under changes to US surveillance laws passed under President George W Bush, and renewed last year under Barack Obama.
Mr Obama has defended the surveillance programmes, saying that nobody was listening to calls between American citizens.
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Transatlantic fallout
Hong Kong's broadcaster RTHK said Mr Snowden checked out of the Mira hotel in Kowloon on Monday, and Reuters news agency quoted hotel staff as saying that he had left at noon.
Ewen MacAskill, one of the Guardian journalists who broke the story, told the BBC he believed Mr Snowden was still in Hong Kong.
"If accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm," the statement said.
The first of the leaks came out on Wednesday night, when the Guardian reported a US secret court had ordered phone company Verizon to hand over to the NSA millions of records on telephone call "metadata".
The metadata include the numbers of both phones on a call, its duration, time, date and location (for mobiles, determined by which mobile signal towers relayed the call or text).
Under the Prism system, officials apply to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court (Fisa) to gain access to communications.
Officials are obliged to show the Fisa court that any "target" is outside of the US, and there is a "foreign intelligence purpose" for the seizure, such as terrorism or nuclear proliferation.
However, details of such targets and subsequent requests made to US technology companies are secret.
On Thursday, the Washington Post and Guardian said the NSA tapped directly into the servers of nine internet firms including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to track online communication in a programme known as Prism.
All the internet companies denied giving the US government "direct access" to their servers, and said they had never heard of the Prism programme.
But in separate statements the firms variously said they complied with lawful requests to supply information on an individual basis.
Prism was authorised under changes to US surveillance laws passed under President George W Bush, and renewed last year under Barack Obama.
Mr Obama has defended the surveillance programmes, saying that nobody was listening to calls between American citizens.
More on This Story
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    10 JUNE 2013, US & CANADA
Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version
Rory Cellan-Jones reports on what is known about Prism
It is believed the US is pursuing a criminal investigation, but no extradition request has yet been filed.
The Chinese territory has an extradition treaty with the US, although analysts say any attempts to bring Mr Snowden to America may take months and could be blocked by Beijing.
A petition posted on the White House website calling for Mr Snowden's immediate pardon has gathered more than 30,000 signatures.
However, an opinion poll commissioned by the Washington Post suggests a majority of Americans think government monitoring of phone records is acceptable if the aim is to fight terrorism.
Mr Snowden's revelations have led to allegations that the UK's electronic surveillance agency, GCHQ, used the US system to spy on British citizens.
Foreign Secretary William Hague cancelled a trip to Washington to address the UK parliament on Monday and deny the claims.
The journalists involved in the story were first contacted by Mr Snowden at the start of the year.
Filmmaker Laura Poitras told Salon Magazine how Mr Snowden sent her an email saying: "I want to get your encryption key and let's get on a secure channel.
"I have some information in the intelligence community, and it won't be a waste of your time."
Ms Poitras ultimately filmed the interview with two Guardian reporters.
Mr Snowden told the journalists: "The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting.
"I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things. I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded."
 
Eric Holder says leak to AP was 'very serious'
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Eric Holder: "It put the American people at risk, and that is not hyperbole"
Related Stories
  1. Q&A: AP phone records seizure
  2. AP condemns US phone records seizure
US Attorney General Eric Holder has said the leak that prompted the seizure of Associated Press (AP) phone records put the US at risk.
The AP has said the justice department secretly seized records of outgoing calls from more than 20 phone lines.
The seizure is believed to be linked to a probe into whether an AP story about a foiled terror plot was based on a leak of classified information.
The news agency called the seizure a "massive and unprecedented intrusion".
On Tuesday, Mr Holder said he had removed himself early on from the investigation that led to the records subpoena out of "an abundance of caution", because he wanted to avoid any conflict of interest.
He said he had been interviewed by the FBI in June 2012 in connection with the investigation into a possible leak of classified information.
'No possible justification'
The phone records were obtained for April and May last year, covering a period when AP published an article about a CIA operation in Yemen disrupting an al-Qaeda plot to blow up a US-bound airplane around the anniversary of the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
Start Quote
It put the American people at risk, and that is not hyperbole”
Eric Holder
US Attorney General
The May 2012 story was potentially embarrassing to the US authorities, coming shortly after they had informed the public there was nothing to suggest any such attack had been planned, say correspondents.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the attorney general said: "I have been a prosecutor since 1976 and I have to say that this is among, if not the most serious, it is within the top two or three most serious leaks that I have ever seen.
"It put the American people at risk, and that is not hyperbole. It put the American people at risk. And trying to determine who was responsible for that I think required very aggressive action."
He told reporters the decision to go ahead with the Associated Press records subpoena was taken under the supervision of Deputy Attorney General James Cole after he removed himself from the inquiry.
The justice department has provided no specific explanation for the scope of the seizure. AP chief executive Gary Pruitt wrote in a letter there could be "no possible justification for such an overbroad collection".
In a response to Mr Pruitt on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney James Cole said such records were only subpoenaed after "all other reasonable investigative steps have been taken".
He said in the AP case this had included "conducting over 550 interviews and reviewing tens of thousands of documents".
Mr Cole said the content of the calls had not been part of the seizure.
Records for the phone lines of five reporters and an editor who were involved in the AP story were among those obtained.
AP said the seizure of records included general switchboard numbers and a fax line at its offices in New York, Hartford, in Connecticut, Washington DC and the US House of Representatives.
The story has prompted fierce criticism from both Republicans and President Barack Obama's Democrats in Washington, raising questions about how the White House is balancing the need for national security with privacy rights.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said earlier on Tuesday that Mr Obama had no knowledge of the justice department's actions on the AP subpoena other than what he had read in press reports.
Mr Carney said: "I can tell you that the president feels strongly that we need... the press to be able to be unfettered in its pursuit of investigative journalism.
"And he is also mindful of the need for secret and classified information to remain secret and classified in order to protect our national security interests."
News organisations are typically notified in advance if the government seeks such information and are given time to negotiate or go to court to block the seizure. The AP says it was first informed of the matter on Friday after the fact.
The Obama administration has aggressively investigated disclosures of classified information to the media, bringing more cases against people suspected of leaking such material than any previous administration, correspondents say.
Mr Holder himself appointed two US attorneys to investigate leaks related to national security, including the Yemen plot and cyberwarfare revelations in June 2012.
Some Republicans criticised the move as not enough, calling for the attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor.
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14 May 2013 
Associated Press condemns US telephone record seizure
pastedGraphic_60.pdf
The government would not say why it sought the Associated Press telephone records
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The Associated Press has described the US government's secret seizure of its journalists' telephone records as a "massive and unprecedented intrusion".
Chief executive Gary Pruitt said AP was told on Friday the justice department had gathered records of outgoing calls from more than 20 phone lines.
Mr Pruitt said there could be "no possible justification for such an overbroad collection".
The justice department has provided no explanation for the seizure.
However, officials have previously said the US Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia was conducting a criminal investigation into information contained in an AP story last year.
Published in May 2012, the article was about a CIA operation in Yemen that foiled an al-Qaeda plot to blow up a US-bound airplane.
Confidential sources
The story was embarrassing to the government, coming shortly after it had informed the public that there was nothing to suggest any such attack had been planned, says the BBC's David Willis in Washington.
Start Quote
I am very troubled by these allegations and want to hear the government's explanation”
Senator Patrick Leahy
Judiciary Committee chairman
Records for the phone numbers of five reporters and an editor who were involved in the AP story were among those obtained in April and May 2012.
AP said the seizure of records for general switchboard numbers and a fax line at its offices in New York, Hartford, in Connecticut, Washington DC and the House of Representatives was unusual and largely unprecedented.
"There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of the Associated Press and its reporters," Mr Pruitt wrote in a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder.
"These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations, and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know."
It is not clear if the records seized included incoming calls or the duration of the calls. Nor is it clear whether a judge or grand jury approved the subpoenas.
News organisations are normally notified in advance if the government is seeking such information and are given time to negotiate.
The Obama administration has aggressively investigated disclosures of classified information to the media, bringing more cases against people suspected of leaking such material than any previous administration, our correspondent adds.
'Press intimidation'
Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the investigative House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee, criticised the seizure of records.
"They had an obligation to look for every other way to get it before they intruded on the freedom of the press," he told CNN.
Senator Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement emailed to AP: "I am very troubled by these allegations and want to hear the government's explanation."
The American Civil Liberties Union accused the Obama administration of "press intimidation".
In a statement, the US Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia insisted it took seriously its obligations to "follow all applicable laws, federal regulations, and Department of Justice policies".
"Those regulations require us to make every reasonable effort to obtain information through alternative means before even considering a subpoena for the phone records of a member of the media," it said.
"Because we value the freedom of the press, we are always careful and deliberative in seeking to strike the right balance between the public interest in the free flow of information and the public interest in the fair and effective administration of our criminal laws," it added.
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Related Internet links
  1. Associated Press
  2. US Attorney's Office - District of Columbia


US spy chief Clapper defends Prism and phone surveillance

Mr Clapper said there were "numerous inaccuracies" in the report on internet servers being tapped
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US spy chief James Clapper has strongly defended government surveillance programmes after revelations of phone records being collected and internet servers being tapped.
He said disclosure of a secret court document on phone record collection threatened "irreversible harm".
Revelations of an alleged programme to tap into servers of nine internet firms were "reprehensible", he said.
Internet firms deny giving government agents access to their servers.
The director of US national intelligence said he wanted to reassure Americans that the intelligence community was committed to respecting their civil liberties and privacy.
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
  1. The Washington Post says one of the many things still unclear about the phone surveillance programme is why Americans didn't know about it. In an editorial, the paper says the public needs more explanation to be able to make a reasonable assessment of whether such programmes are worth the security benefits.
  1. The New York Times says President Barack Obama "is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it". The Patriot Act should be sharply curtailed if not repealed, it says.
  1. The Los Angeles Times says this week's disclosures underscore how US intelligence and law enforcement now "secretly glean vast amounts of information from communications technology".
  2. The San Francisco Chronicle says the collection of phone records "conducted with only the barest legal oversight" is "another policy disappointment from a president who came to office promising to ease the worst of the panicky, ill-considered policies launched after the Sept. 11 attacks 13 years ago".
  1. What can you learn from phone records?
  2. US media review: NSA revelations
He issued a strong-worded statement late on Thursday, after the UK's Guardian newspaper said a secret court order had required phone company Verizon to hand over its records to the National Security Agency (NSA) on an "ongoing daily basis".
That report was followed by revelations in both the Washington Post and Guardian that US agencies tapped directly into the servers of nine internet firms to track people in a programme known as Prism.
The reports about Prism will raise fresh questions about how far the US government should encroach on citizens' privacy in the interests of national security.
The NSA confirmed that it had been secretly collecting millions of phone records. But Mr Clapper said the "unauthorized disclosure... threatens potentially long-lasting and irreversible harm to our ability to identify and respond to the many threats facing our nation".
The article omitted "key information" about the use of the records "to prevent terrorist attacks and the numerous safeguards that protect privacy and civil liberties".
He said reports about Prism contained "numerous inaccuracies". While admitting the government collected communications from internet firms, he said the policy only targets "non-US persons".
'Variety of threats'
Prism was reportedly developed in 2007 out of a programme of domestic surveillance without warrants that was set up by President George W Bush after the 9/11 attacks.
Analysis
Technology correspondent
What this highlights is the way we now entrust our data and our privacy almost entirely to American companies, storing it in their "clouds" - vast data centres located in the US.
  1. Read more from Rory
Prism reportedly does not collect user data, but is able to pull out material that matches a set of search terms.
Mr Clapper said the communications-collection programme was "designed to facilitate the acquisition of foreign intelligence information concerning non-US persons located outside the United States".
"It cannot be used to intentionally target any US citizen, any other US person, or anyone located within the United States," he added.
Mr Clapper said the programme, under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, was recently reauthorised by Congress after hearings and debate.
Start Quote
If the government has a broader voluntary national security program to gather customer data we don't participate in it”
Microsoft statement
"Information collected under this program is among the most important and valuable foreign intelligence information we collect, and is used to protect our nation from a wide variety of threats," he added.
But while US citizens were not intended to be the targets of surveillance, the Washington Post says large quantities of content from Americans are nevertheless screened in order to track or learn more about the target.
The data gathered through Prism has grown to become a major contributor to the president's daily briefing and accounts for almost one in seven intelligence reports, it adds.
The Washington Post named the nine companies participating in the programme as Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube and Apple.
I may have been wiretapped
In 2006 I was a plaintiff in an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the government over a domestic spying programme. Other plaintiffs include the late Christopher Hitchens, and James Bamford, the author of a book, The Shadow Factory, about the NSA.
The lawsuit stated that NSA officials may have eavesdropped on us illegally - and that the warrantless wiretapping programme should come to a halt. In 2007 an appeals court said that we could not prove that our calls had been monitored. As a result it did not have standing. The suit was dismissed.
-Tara McKelvey
  1. Read more
Microsoft said in a statement to the BBC that it only turned over customer data when given a legally binding order, and only complied with orders for specific accounts.
"If the government has a broader voluntary national security program to gather customer data we don't participate in it," Microsoft said.
Meanwhile, Yahoo, Apple and Facebook said they did not give the government direct access to their servers.
In a statement, Google said: "Google does not have a 'back door' for the government to access private user data."
On Wednesday, it emerged that the NSA was collecting the phone records of tens of millions of Americans, after the Guardian published a secret order for the Verizon phone company to hand over its records.
What the NSA found out
  1. The numbers of both people on the phone call
  2. How long the call lasts
  3. The time that the call is placed
A senior congressman, House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers, told reporters that collecting Americans' phone records was legal, authorised by Congress and had not been abused by the Obama administration.
He also said it had prevented a "significant" attack on the US "within the past few years", but declined to offer more information.
The order requires Verizon - one of the largest phone companies in the US - to disclose to the NSA the metadata of all calls it processes, both domestic and international, in which at least one party is in the US.
Such metadata includes telephone numbers, calling card numbers, the serial numbers of phones used and the time and duration of calls. It does not include the content of a call or the callers' addresses or financial information.
As surveillance practices come under scrutiny in the US, a new system to monitor phone and internet connections in India is being criticised as "chilling" by New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The Central Monitoring System (CMS) enables authorities to follow all online activities, phone calls text messages and social media conversations.
The Indian government said in December 2012 the system would "lawfully intercept internet and telephone services". But HRW says the system by-passes service providers in a country that has no privacy law to protect people from arbitrary intrusions.
In the UK on Wednesday, a committee of MPs criticised a decision to allow Chinese firms such as Huawei to become embedded in British network infrastructure without the knowledge and scrutiny of ministers.
Huawei - which denies close ties with the Chinese state - signed a 2005 telecoms deal with BT to supply equipment for a £10bn major network upgrade.

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  1. What can you learn from people's phone records?
    07 JUNE 2013, US & CANADA
  2. Cellan-Jones: Outsourcing privacy?
    07 JUNE 2013, TECHNOLOGY
  3. Why for the NSA every call matters
    06 JUNE 2013, WORLD
  4. US confirms phone records collection
    06 JUNE 2013, US & CANADA
  5. Holder: AP leak was 'very serious'
    15 MAY 2013, US & CANADA
  6. Q&A: AP phone records seizure
    15 MAY 2013, US & CANADA
Comments

Comment number
615. Corky
7TH JUNE 2013 - 16:17 As an outsider looking in, the USA always promotes itself as a free and righteous country. An ardent counterbalance to the old totalitarian socialist regimes in the Soviet Union.

In reality, the USA appears to be run by a cabal of paranoid, authoritarian tyrants. When these people say it's a free country, they mean some people [them] are "more free" than others.


Comment number
579. Stephen of Woking
7TH JUNE 2013 - 15:37 The state needs the surveillance tools to deal on our behalf with very dangerous people. The people need to remain free from the suffocation of an over-bearing state. Where is the right balance in respect of the Internet? There probability isn't one. So I believe we need to be more interested in defining the checks and balances than precisely what gets monitored.


Comment number
574. Wandalust1956
7TH JUNE 2013 - 15:34 This, is what you get if you demand to know why "our" police/security services "allow" people who may be extermists to go about their business and then attack a man in the street with machetes. Be careful what you wish for....and "mind how you go"...


Comment number
106. Minnie Q Mouse
7TH JUNE 2013 - 10:45 We, the common people, ARE the state, and we must never hand over our rights to all-powerful, all-knowing rulers.
In Soviet Russia, in East Germany, freedom was seriously curtailed in the name of state security.
Of course we fear terrorism, but we have more to fear from power-crazed poiticians. History tells us so.


Comment number
45. Sally says you are free
7TH JUNE 2013 - 9:59 Without a warrant, regardless if you're innocent, we're going to open your personal letters. So much for "The Land of the Free"
What did Washington, Jefferson and Paine fight for?!

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
~William Pitt, youngest ever British Prime Minister.
Speech in the House of Commons, 1783.

8 May 2012
Al-Qaeda Yemen plane bomb plot foiled by 'insider'
 
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White House counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan refused to reveal how the bomb plot was broken up
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A plot by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to attack a US-bound plane using an updated "underwear bomb" was foiled by an insider infiltrating a terror cell, US officials say.
The seized device is being examined by the FBI in Quantico, Virginia, while the source is said to have left Yemen.
The White House says the bomb was never an "active threat".
Meanwhile, a senior US congressman has linked the plot to an al-Qaeda leader killed in Yemen on Sunday.
Fahd al-Quso, a senior figure in Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was killed by a drone strike.
In a separate development on Tuesday a Pentagon spokesman said the US had restarted military training with security forces in Yemen, which had been put on hold because of political unrest.
"We have begun to reintroduce small numbers of trainers into Yemen," Captain John Kirby told reporters, adding that they had been sent for "routine military-to-military co-operation".
Saudi tip
Speaking on Tuesday, White House counter-terrorism chief John Brennan would not be drawn on the nature of the operation to seize the device, instead describing the aim of the FBI investigation into the device.
"Now we're trying to make sure that we take the measures that we need to prevent any other type of IED [improvised explosive device], similarly constructed, from getting through security procedures," Mr Brennan said.
Without giving specifics, the US says multiple overseas intelligence agencies were involved in the operation to seize the device.
'Bomb plot': Unanswered Questions
  1. Unclear who the would-be bomber is or whether he/she is in custody
  2. Country where alleged device was seized as yet unspecified
  3. No information on how the alleged plot was intercepted
  4. Exact composition of alleged device unclear, although said to contain no metal parts and designed to escape detection by magnetometers at airport security
Reports did not detail which foreign agencies the insider was working with.
However, reports have linked the device to a Saudi-born al-Qaeda bomb-maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, previously named as a key figure in the 2009 underwear bomb plot.
A US intelligence source told CNN the latest plan was thwarted two weeks ago following a tip from Saudi Arabia, heightening suggestions that Saudi intelligence operatives could have been involved.
Senior Yemeni officials say the government in Sanaa has no information on this particular plot, Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday.
As details of the plot emerged in the US, officials said it appeared that AQAP leaders in Yemen had instructed a suicide bomber to board any flight of his choosing to the US with the bomb under his clothes.
However, he had been stopped before reaching an airport.
Reports say no target had been chosen and no plane tickets purchased by the time the alleged plot was foiled.
Christmas Day attack
Speaking late on Monday, Republican Congressman Peter King said late on Monday that the operation was linked to the strike that killed al-Quso.
"I was told by the White House that they are connected, that they are part of the same operation," he said.
 
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The US said the Detroit 2009 attack could have caused major damage
Al-Quso was a leader of AQAP based in Yemen, and the US offered a $5m (£3.1m) reward for information leading to his capture or death.
US officials told ABC News that that al-Quso was planning an attack similar to a failed 2009 attempt to blow up a passenger plane.
The alleged device seized from the Yemen cells shares some features with the bomb sewn into the underwear of would-be suicide bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab during that attempt, officials said.
The Nigerian was arrested when his device failed to explode fully while on a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.
A US intelligence official said the latest device bore the "hallmarks" of the 2009 underwear bomb, which was built by the Saudi militant Ibrahim al-Asiri.
Reports said it was an improved model, with a more effective detonation system; it has no metal parts and probably would not have been detected by most airport security magnetometers.
It is not even clear if it would have been found by the body scanners that have been installed in some US airports after that attempted attack three years ago.
The US Transport Security Administration has sent reminders to some international airports and airlines that liquid explosives or regular explosives could be hidden inside people's bodies, clothes or in printer cartridges, the Associated Press reports.
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From other news sites
  1. ITV.com 'Double agent' would-be bomber
  2. Reuters UK Would-be suicide bomber was informant
  3. Deccan Herald Double agent used to foil terror attack: reports
  4. Yahoo! UK and Ireland Would-be suicide bomber was planted,
  5. Zambia Post US 'foils new underwear bomb plot' by al-Qaeda in Yemen 

  1. US: Syria 'used chemical weapons'
    Syrian forces under President Bashar al-Assad have used chemical weapons "on a small scale" against the opposition rebels, the White House says.
  1. US Supreme Court bans DNA patents 
  2. FBI head pledges action over leaks

13 June 2013

US Supreme Court says human DNA cannot be patented
 
Around 40% of the human genome is subject to patents, researchers say
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Human genes may not be patented, but artificially copied DNA can be claimed as intellectual property, the US Supreme Court has ruled unanimously.
The court quashed patents held by a Utah-based firm on two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer.
The opinion said DNA came from nature and was not eligible for patenting.
The US biotechnology industry had warned any blanket ban on such patents would jeopardise huge investment in gene research and therapies.
"We hold that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in Thursday's opinion.
But his ruling said that synthetic molecules known as complementary DNA can be patented "because it is not naturally occurring".
'Different chemical structure'
Myriad Genetics, the company at the heart of the lawsuit, saw its shares rise after Thursday's compromise decision.
Analysis
Jason Palmer
Science reporter, BBC News
The key to Thursday's ruling is an interpretation of how much modification of a natural product makes it an invention. But what is at stake is the development of an industry that makes good use of our genetic material. Absolute dominion over the use of a snippet of genetic information might stifle competition, but leaving it as a gift of nature free of commerce could deter innovation.
Yet the ruling leaves it possible to patent "artificial DNA". A number of results in recent years have shown how adept scientists have become at synthesising these genetic titbits - making them from scratch and even seeing them "evolve" in the lab. In the nascent field of what is called synthetic biology, this kind of research may offer just as much potential access to the inner workings of our cells, and those of every living thing.
The legal battle was prompted by a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 2009 that centred on whether companies should be able to patent genes.
Currently, researchers and private companies work to isolate genes in order to use them in tests for gene-related illnesses, and in emerging gene therapies.
The genes at the centre of the lawsuit are linked to breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad Genetics developed a pioneering test to look for mutations in those genes that might increase the risk of developing cancer.
Myriad, based in Salt Lake City, argued that the genes in question had been "isolated" by the company, making them products of human ingenuity and therefore patentable.
But the ACLU argued that genes are products of nature, and therefore cannot be patented under US laws.
In 2010 a New York federal court ruled in favour of the ACLU.
But an appeals court on two separate occasions sided with Myriad. It said DNA isolated from the human body had a "markedly different chemical structure" from other human genetic material.
Thursday's Supreme Court ruling largely sided with the ACLU.
"Genes and the information they encode are not patent eligible... simply because they have been isolated from the surrounding genetic material," Justice Thomas wrote.
 
The Supreme Court's ruling trumps those by an appeals court in favour of Myriad Genetics
In a concurring opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote "the portion of the DNA isolated from its natural state sought to be patented is identical to that portion of the DNA in its natural state".
Sandra Park, a lawyer for the ACLU, welcomed the decision.
"Because of this ruling, patients will have greater access to genetic testing and scientists can engage in research on these genes without fear of being sued," she said.
Universities and medical research firms have been able to claim intellectual property over human genes for nearly three decades.
According to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in the US, patents now cover some 40% of the human genome.
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From other news sites
  1. Reuters UK UPDATE 4-U.S. top court bars patents on human genes unless synthetic 
  2. Individual.com Supreme Court rejects idea of patenting natural human genes 
  3. Yahoo! UK and Ireland U.S. top court bars patents on human 
  4. Telegraph US Supreme Court rules businesses cannot patent human genes 
  5. Financial Times* US court rules synthetic genes patentable


5 May 2013
Q&A: AP phone records seizure
Washington is in uproar after it emerged US justice officials secretly obtained phone records belonging to one of the world's largest news agencies. What exactly is going on?
What records did the US Department of Justice seize?
It obtained records listing the outgoing calls for the work and personal telephone numbers of five reporters and an editor who were involved in an Associated Press (AP) story about a foiled terror plot, according to the news agency's lawyers.
They say the seizure included general switchboard numbers and a fax line for its offices in New York, Hartford, in Connecticut, Washington DC and the US House of Representatives.
The US justice department has said it did not seek the actual content of any calls. In total, records of 20 telephone lines for April and May last year were obtained.
Why did they do that?
It is understood that the records were seized as part of a justice department investigation into whether someone leaked classified information to AP for its article about the foiled terror plot.
In June 2012, a month after the report's publication, US Attorney General Eric Holder ordered two prosecutors to pursue separate leak inquiries, the subject of which he did not identify.
The launch of those investigations followed calls by Congress to crack down on national security leaks after the AP article in question, and following a New York Times expose on a computer virus that sabotaged Iran's nuclear centrifuges.
What was AP's story about?
On 7 May 2012, AP published an article about a CIA operation to disrupt an al-Qaeda plot in Yemen to blow up a US-bound airplane, close to the one-year anniversary of Osama Bin Laden's death.
The AP story - sourced to unnamed "US officials" - said the plot was an "upgrade" of the failed underwear plane bombing plot over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. The news agency said officials had asked it not to publish the report.
It came after the White House told the public it had "no credible information that terrorist organisations, including al-Qaeda, are plotting attacks in the US to coincide with the anniversary of Bin Laden's death".
Was there a plot?
It appears so. In February this year, CIA Director John Brennan was questioned about the matter by the Senate intelligence committee.
He said "we had inside control of the plot and the device was never a threat to the American public".
US and European authorities later said the conspiracy had been exposed because of an informant planted by MI5, Britain's counter-terrorism agency.
Is the phone records seizure unusual?
Yes. AP said it first learned what had happened through a letter it received from the US Attorney for the District of Columbia last week.
Generally, news organisations are approached before the seizure of such records, and given an opportunity to negotiate or attempt to quash the subpoena on legal grounds. No such warning was issued in this case.
The office of the US Attorney for DC said it was common to notify a news organisation of a subpoena in advance, "unless doing so would pose a substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation".
How is AP responding?
AP wrote a letter of protest on 13 May to the justice department, accusing it of a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how media organisations gather news.
AP's chief executive has demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all copies. The justice department refused. The reporters who worked on the Yemen article are not covering the current story.
The former chief of AP's Washington bureau, Ron Fournier, told MSNBC: "These folks at the Associated Press are now going to double down on investigating the White House. They're not going to be intimidated."
Is the leak inquiry big?
Apparently so. The justice department said its investigators had conducted more than 550 interviews and reviewed tens of thousands of documents, even before seizing AP's phone records.
Mr Holder said he was questioned by the FBI in June 2012. The US attorney general removed himself "early on" from the inquiry out of "an abundance of caution", to avoid any conflict of interest, he said.
CIA Director John Brennan acknowledged during his Senate confirmation hearing he had also been interviewed by investigators. He told Congress he had not disclosed any classified information.
Why the focus on leaks?
The Obama administration has taken a hard line on revealing classified government information. Six officials have been prosecuted, compared with three under all previous US presidents combined.
They include a former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, who was convicted in February 2012 of leaking details about the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, a suspected al-Qaeda financier.
The US attorney general said AP's Yemen story was a "very grave leak". Republicans are calling for him to quit, but last year they demanded a crackdown on leaks, accusing the White House of leaks to boost Mr Obama's national security credentials before November's election.

6 June 2013

US confirms Verizon phone records collection

 
The court order was described by one civil rights group as "beyond Orwellian"
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The US National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of Americans, US officials have confirmed.
The practice, first reported by the Guardian newspaper, has been used to stop a "significant" terrorist attack on the US, a senior congressman said.
On Wednesday, the newspaper published the secret order directing the Verizon company to hand over telephone data.
Civil liberties groups said the details of the report were "stunning".
Senior US Senator Dianne Feinstein on Thursday confirmed the secret court order was a three-month renewal of an ongoing practice.
US House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers told reporters collecting Americans' phone records was legal, authorised by Congress and had not been abused by the Obama administration.
He said it had prevented a "significant" attack on the US "within the past few years" but declined to offer more information.
Later, White House spokesman Josh Earnest described the practice as a "critical tool" enabling US authorities to monitor suspected terrorists.
'Indefensible'
Analysis
 
Paul Adams
BBC News, Washington
After years of allegations, lawsuits and sporadic, vaguely-worded warnings from members of Congress, finally there is a piece of hard evidence, a window into the reality of post-9/11 intelligence surveillance.
The breadth of this dragnet is breathtaking. The thought that the phone records of millions, this reporter included, have been collected on an order of the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is a little creepy, to say the least.
Should we demand action to stop it? Some civil rights activists say absolutely.
Such behaviour, they argue, simply runs counter to the letter of the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, which says there has to be "probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized", before any of this can happen.
The reality is that since 9/11, the national security establishment and telecommunications firms, with the aid of Congress, have constructed a new surveillance environment.
We just haven't been told about it.
The security agencies and Verizon have not commented.
The document published by the Guardian was signed by Judge Roger Vinson of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on 25 April and lasts until 19 July.
It falls under a section of the Bush-era Patriot Act, which allows access to business records for "foreign intelligence and international terrorism investigations".
The order requires Verizon - one of the largest phone companies in the US - to disclose to the NSA the metadata of all calls it processes, both domestic and international, in which at least one party is in the US.
Such metadata includes telephone numbers, calling card numbers, the serial numbers of phones used and the time and duration of calls. It does not include the content of a call or the callers' addresses or financial information.
The White House has emphasised the court order did not authorise US government agents to listen in on Americans' telephone conversations.
But the government could request a wiretap of specific suspicious numbers from the court, which would allow the government to monitor the calls in real time, record and store them.
The measure also contains a gagging order, requiring that "no person shall disclose to any other person that the FBI or NSA has sought or obtained tangible things under this Order".
Reaction for and against the practice has cut across party lines.
"To simply say in a blanket way that millions and millions of Americans are going to have their phone records checked by the US government is to my mind indefensible and unacceptable," Senator Bernie Sanders, a liberal independent, said.
Republican Senator Rand Paul said in a statement he would introduce a bill to prevent security agencies from searching phone records without probable cause on Friday.
But Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he had no problem with the practice.
"If we don't do it, we're crazy," he said. "If you're not getting a call from a terrorist organisation, you've got nothing to worry about."
'Millions of people'
The court order
 
  1. Verizon is required to hand over data "on an ongoing, daily basis" until 19 July
  2. Covers all local and domestic US phone calls, and calls from the US abroad, but not calls made wholly in foreign countries
  3. Metadata to be provided includes telephone numbers, handset identifying numbers, calling cards used and the time and duration of calls
  4. Prohibits disclosure of the order's existence
Mark Rumold, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the BBC the court order covered the telephone calls of "millions and millions of people".
He said the law provided for narrower ways for US officials to gain access to the calls of persons of interest and those who contact them.
"This isn't that," Mr Rumold said.
"I believe the NSA has a running map of domestic communications" enabling officials to track the phone calls of foreign targets to US numbers and then any subsequent calls placed from those numbers.
The EFF has suspected authorities had been conducting such surveillance for years. A report appeared in the USA Today newspaper in 2006.
Mr Rumold believes the firms do not challenge these orders.
The US government has previously said obtaining metadata does not require a warrant because it does not constitute personal information.
But rights groups have fiercely criticised the order, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) describing it as "beyond Orwellian".
"It provides further evidence of the extent to which basic democratic rights are being surrendered in secret to the demands of unaccountable intelligence agencies," said Jameel Jaffer, ACLU's deputy legal director.
'Stunned'
Two Democratic senators have been pressing the Obama administration to clarify the scope of its public surveillance.
Last year, Mark Udall and Ron Wyden wrote to US Attorney General Eric Holder saying they believed "most Americans would be stunned" by the government's "secret legal interpretations" of the Patriot Act.
The White House came under heavy criticism last month after papers were leaked showing it had gathered the phone records of journalists at the Associated Press.
The story prompted questions from both Republicans and Democrats in Washington about how the White House was balancing the need for national security with privacy rights.
The Obama administration has aggressively investigated disclosures of classified information to the media, bringing more cases against people suspected of leaking such material than any previous administration, correspondents say.

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Drake: 'Wheels came off' the US intelligence programme
 
Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version
8 May 2013 Last updated at 12:30
Thomas Drake is a former senior official at the highly-secretive National Security Agency.
He was accused of passing on information to a journalist about a government computer programme he considered wasteful.
After the government's case against him fell through, he pleaded guilty to a minor charge of overstepping his authorisation when using a government computer and was sentenced to one year's probation.
Mr Drake said that following the 9/11 attacks, laws passed against the electronic surveillance of US citizens without a warrant, except under certain circumstances, were bypassed.
"Not only did the wheels came off, we were in an entirely different vehicle," he said. He added that "aspects of a secret surveillance state have begun to manifest" in the US.
You can watch the full interview on BBC World News on Wednesday 8 May at 14:30 and 20:30 GMT and on the BBC News Channel on Thursday 9 May at 00:30 BST.
Is the US government at war with whistleblowers?
By Tom Burridge
BBC News, Washington
16 July 2011
 
Bradley Manning, accused of passing secret files to Wikileaks, is in a military prison
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The Obama administration is facing criticism for prosecutions brought under the US Espionage Act against government employees accused of leaking sensitive information. Some accuse the US government of over-reacting, following the release of files by Wikileaks.
When Steve Rosen spotted two men walking up his drive early one morning in August 2004, he thought they were evangelicals from a local church.
In fact, they were FBI agents who had come to his home in the US state of Maryland to inform him he was being prosecuted for receiving and passing on classified information.
''You could have knocked me over with a feather," Mr Rosen said. ''I hadn't the remotest clue what they were talking about.''
At the time he was working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a powerful Washington DC-based pro-Israel lobbying group.
The FBI had been following him for five years and monitoring his conversations.
'Sham'
One of his sources, included in the charges against him, was Pentagon intelligence analyst Lawrence Franklin.
 
Thomas Drake, former NSA employee, was the latest to be prosecuted under the Espionage Act
Five years later, the Department of Justice's case against Steve Rosen and his Aipac colleague and co-defendant Keith Weisman collapsed. The prosecution was unable to show they had criminal intent.
"If we had had a trial we would have been able to show in great detail what a sham this prosecution was," he said.
"They tried to criminalise innocent, constitutionally protected activity and it was very wrong what they did."
Mr Rosen's prosecution came under the Bush administration.
But Mark Feldstein, professor of media at the University of Maryland, sees a worrying trend of espionage prosecutions since President Obama took office.
"To everyone's surprise, the Obama administration has escalated the war against whistleblowers and the attacks on information that journalists and the public were depending on to get evidence of wrongdoing by powerful institutions and individuals," Prof Feldstein says.
'Vindictive and malicious'
On Friday, Thomas Drake, a former senior official at the National Security Agency, a highly secretive US spy agency, was sentenced to one year's probation, after the Department of Justice's case against him collapsed.
He had been accused of passing on information to a journalist about a government computer programme he considered wasteful.
Start Quote
So much information is improperly classified ”
Abbe Lowell
Lawyer
After the government's case against him fell through, he pleaded guilty to a minor charge of overstepping his authorisation when using a government computer.
Outside court, Mr Drake said the government's prosecution had been "vindictive and malicious".
According his lawyer Jesselyn Radack, the charge that he passed on secret information was a ''bald-faced lie''.
Critics say the US classification system is often arbitrary, with documents often often stamped ''classified'' when the content is not secret or that sensitive. The system is now under review by the US government.
'No real purpose'
Last year Steven Kim, an employee with a US state department contractor, was accused of leaking top secret information about US policy toward North Korea to a journalist.
His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, says the information his client is accused of passing on wasn't eye-catching, let alone secret.
US Espionage Act
  1. Set up in 1917, the statute is US equivalent of UK's Official Secrets Act
  2. The law was designed to prohibit wrongful distribution of information related to national defence
  3. Department of Justice, especially under Obama administration, has interpreted Espionage Act in broader terms
  4. Espionage Act was always meant to deal with classic espionage
  5. Unclear if Act was meant to deal with cases of benign leaks by whistleblowers
Source: Steve Vladeck, professor of law, American University
''The US government has a very legitimate interest in protecting the real national security secrets of our nation," Mr Lowell said.
"The problem is that so much information is improperly classified that you can't distinguish between the real national secrets and those that just have a stamp on it that says secret."
Even PJ Crowley, a former spokesman at the US state department says too much government information is classified.
In March, Mr Crowley resigned from the government after he publicly criticised the Pentagon for its treatment of Bradley Manning, a US soldier currently held in a military prison on charges he passed thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks.
Mr Crowley draws a strong distinction between Wikileaks, a website that has published tens of thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, and whistleblowing.
He believes Mr Assange's website irresponsibly published vast amounts of information and that much of it had no real purpose.
'Government's paranoia'
The whistleblowing issue is being discussed at the heart of the US government. In April Mr Obama held a meeting with several groups campaigning for greater transparency in government.
Espionage Act prosecutions
  1. 2004 Aipac officials Steve Rosen and Keith Weisman arrested, case later collapses
  2. 2009 State Department analyst Steven Kim
  3. 2010 Former NSA employee Thomas Drake
Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, attended the meeting and said she was had felt generally positive about Mr Obama's tone.
But she said that when she raised her concerns about prosecutions against potential whistleblowers, he leaned forward and told her he disagreed.
The Department of Justice said government employees concerned about national security policies have official channels for complaint available to them.
But campaigners for greater transparency in government worry that legitimate leaking by government officials may be one of the unintended victims of the Wikileaks case.
Prof Feldstein of the University of Maryland says it has ''stoked the government's paranoia on national security'' and empowered the Obama administration ''to feel more justified in going after whistleblowers.''
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Related Stories
  1. 'Wikileaks' soldier to be moved 19 APRIL 2011, US & CANADA
  1. Who is Julian Assange? 01 JULY 2011, ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS

'Wikileaks' soldier Bradley Manning to be moved
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19 April 2011 Last updated at 23:36
The US soldier accused of leaking secret government documents later published by the Wikileaks website is to be moved to a military prison in Kansas.
Pte First Class Bradley Manning has been held pending court martial at a Marine Corps base in Virginia.
At a press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, defence department general counsel Jeh Johnson said he would be moved to Fort Leavenworth imminently.
July 2011 Last updated at 10:59

Who is Julian Assange?
By Nick Bryant
BBC News, Sydney
 
Stainless Steel Rat is an outside-the-courtroom drama
Related Stories
  1. Assange supporters' camera claim
Who is Julian Assange?
That nettlesome question - which has intrigued and perplexed since the founder of WikiLeaks first gained global prominence - lies at the heart of a play about his life which has just opened in Sydney.
Is he merely a geek with a flair for computer programming or the most consequential revolutionary Australian of our time? Or both?
In a theatre strewn with mock-ups of thousands of leaked classified documents, Stainless Steel Rat challenges the audience to decide for themselves.
The play tells the story through the lens of a band of fictional film-makers shooting a movie about Mr Assange's life.
It assembles a cast of characters that includes US President Barack Obama, Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson.
Bradley Manning - the US soldier who is alleged to have passed tens of thousands of classified documents to Assange - is also featured.
Other characters include Mr Assange's mother, Christine, and his son, Daniel, both of whom live in Australia, the land of Mr Assange's birth.
Written by Melbourne playwright Ron Elisha, the play focuses on eight months of his life during which he is fighting extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault allegations.
This is not a courtroom drama, but rather an outside-the-courtroom drama.
Platinum blond
From a cell in Wandsworth prison to the bedroom of the Australian prime minister in Canberra, it explores the motives of those determined to silence him and of those who view him as a champion of free speech and transparency.
 
Stainless Steel Rat runs at Sydney's York Theatre until 17 July
Assange is portrayed as a megalomaniac - paranoid, self-righteous, weirdly charismatic, angry, fragile and chronically vain.
When he discovers, for instance, that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, has been selected as Time magazine's Person of the Year, he explodes.
Not lacking in self-confidence, he believes he is one of the most significant figures of the past 500 years.
"My life is about depriving government of its chief means to power," he says at one point in the play - and he clearly believes he has achieved that goal.
The play's star, Darren Weller, has dyed his hair platinum white in preparation, and says he is regularly mistaken in the street for Julian Assange.
Start Quote
What the playwright has done is present a whole range of factors or elements that make up Julian Assange - and you put it together yourself”
Wayne Harrison
Director
He has also tried to capture the different shades of Assange's enigmatic personality, and many of the internal contradictions.
The play has been called rapid response theatre - an attempt to transfer a story from the headlines to the stage as quickly as possible.
What the play isn't is judgemental.
"What the playwright has done is present a whole range of factors or elements that make up Julian Assange - and you put it together yourself," says the director Wayne Harrison.
'"Most people, when they come to see the play, will be pro-him or anti-him in some way. And maybe we can alter that perception in some way, or reinforce it."
Perhaps the most powerful scenes in the play come in the sharp interchange between Assange and his lawyer Geoffrey Robertson.
Played out in a cell in Wandsworth prison, it becomes a duel in which Assange's digital fluency and hi-tech know-how are pitted against Robertson's erudition and droll humour.
Elusive figure
Theatre critics might have problems with the device that the playwright has deployed - the idea of actors playing actors, playing the main protagonists.
The play portrays Mr Obama in a very negative light and is merciless in its rendering of Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister.
There are laughs aplenty and, in parts, the scripting is quite brilliant.
"This isn't Facebook," says this fictional Assange at one point.
"I'm not in the business of making friends."
In another exchange, Geoffrey Robertson notes: "In cyberspace, nobody can hear you leak."
Assange, meanwhile, remains an elusive figure with the script never quite managing to corner him.
Who is Julian Assange? This play provides many of the answers, but by no means all.
More on This Story
Related Stories
  1. Assange supporters' camera claim 16 JUNE 2011, UK
Related Internet links
  1. Stainless Steel Rat
6 June 2013


Who, what, why: What can you learn from people's phone records?
 
The National Security Agency has been tracking the phone calls of millions of Americans. So what can they learn about people using this information?
Verizon has been handing over records of their customers to the National Security Agency (NSA).
In response, some customers are checking their Call History screens. They are trying to sort out who has called them and when.
The answer
  1. The numbers of both people on the phone call
  2. How long the call lasts
  3. The time that the call is placed
They are also wondering what the government can find out about them?
The Guardian article is based on a top-secret court order. The court order states that Verizon has to relinquish information that reveals approximately where calls are made, as well as how long the calls last and the phone numbers of both parties on the line.
It is unclear whether text messages are included.
In addition, officials will not examine the content of the calls - or what people are talking about on the phone.
"The order reprinted in the article does not allow the government to listen in on anyone's telephone calls," a senior government official explained.
The content of phone conversations - what people say to each other when they are on the phone - is protected by the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, which forbids unreasonable searches.
But if information is shared with a third party, such as a phone company, it is fair game, says Robert Chesney, a University of Texas School of Law professor who specialises in national security.
That means that information about phone calls - such as their timing and duration - can be scooped up by government officials.
NSA officials could (at least in theory) determine the kinds of businesses that an individual calls - and how often. These officials could also develop a picture of an individual's daily life, based on their phone activity.
It is unlikely that analysts will examine data from individuals, though. The analysts are instead likely to look at the information in a broad way, studying the data to see if they can find patterns of phone calls in a geographic area or during a specific time frame.
The collection of this information is legal. It falls under the 2001 Patriot Act, which was written to help prevent another terrorist attack.
Government officials believe that the collection of information from Americans - even personal data such as phone calls - is a useful tool.
"Getting phone information from phone companies - I wouldn't say it's routine, but it's done frequently during investigations," says Richard Wolf, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in Baltimore.
"This programme was used to stop a terrorist attack in the US," said Mike Rogers, chairman of the House intelligence committee, describing the NSA activities. "We know that."
Stephen Saltzburg, a law professor at George Washington University in Washington DC, says that officials can use the information from phone records to detect patterns of behaviour.
I may have been wiretapped
In 2006 I was a plaintiff in an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the government over a domestic spying programme. Other plaintiffs include the late Christopher Hitchens, and James Bamford, the author of a book, The Shadow Factory, about the NSA.
The lawsuit stated that NSA officials may have eavesdropped on us illegally - and that the warrantless wiretapping programme should come to a halt. In 2007 an appeals court said that we could not prove that our calls had been monitored. As a result it did not have standing. The suit was dismissed.
-Tara McKelvey
  1. Read more
These patterns could help show where terrorists may be hiding out - and reveal if they are planning an attack.
NSA officials may, for example, could look at phone calls from people in the US to individuals in Yemen and Pakistan, Saltzburg explains, naming two countries that counterterrorism officials have paid close attention to in recent years.
US-directed drone strikes have killed dozens of terrorists in these regions under the Obama administration.
Experts say that information gleaned from phone records could help in counterterrorism efforts.
"You've got to believe that there is a telephone list that's like a no-fly list," Saltzburg says. In other words, officials may be looking for certain kinds of phone numbers.
"They have very sophisticated software and have probably worked out ways to identify patterns," he says.
Moreover, Saltzburg says, US analysts may be working with intelligence agencies in Saudi Arabia and in other countries to see if they can track down terrorists through the phone records.
Still, most of the information that is collected is probably not necessary.
"No-one would believe that they are identifying a high percentage of conversations that involve a threat to the US," says Saltzburg. "But even a small percentage can be helpful."
Who, what, why?
 
A part of BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer questions behind the headlines
Despite the claims of officials that the programme is an effective way to fight terrorists, some people are unconvinced.
"Many people get alarmed if they think the government is keeping track of phone numbers - there is the fear of Big Brother," says Saltzburg. "In truth the government doesn't have the resources to act that way."
And many people - like Saltzburg - are taking the news of the NSA programme in stride. When a journalist asks the best way to reach him, for example, he rattles off a number.
"That's my cell phone," Saltzburg says, "and you can give it to the government, if you want."

Why for the NSA every call matters

The revelation that the National Security Agency (NSA), America's eavesdropping organisation, had asked mobile phone operator Verizon for phone information relating to millions of customers highlights the growing importance of "communications data" in intelligence and forensics work.
Critical to an understanding of these techniques, which have been in use by the NSA on a large scale since 2005, and which the British security authorities would like to employ on the same scale, is that these methods do not in the main relate to what is being said, simply to the details of communications such as which phone number was called by a particular subscriber and for how long.
It was in Iraq, acting in support of the secret Joint Special Operations Command, that the NSA started to record the details of every phone call made in the country. They did not have enough translators to listen to the vast majority of these calls or to assess their possible value, that was not the point.
What they found was that within months their bulk database of call details would allow them to break open terrorist networks with dramatic speed.
Landing by helicopter to raid a target, teams from Delta Force or the SAS would find telephones, sometimes prized from the hands of dead men dressed in suicide vests.
The number might never have been registered before as one of interest, but within seconds NSA experts could discover every call made on it for months before, mapping the dead bomber's connections with other individuals. This was only possible because of the blanket recording of all call details.
The use of what special operators in Iraq referred to simply as "the database" quickly grew so refined that software was developed to map networks (spotting that some numbers relevant to only one member, for example, might be family members) and that a portable, laptop-sized, terminal tapping into it started to be carried on raids.
By 2006 teams of special operators using the terminal could hit one member of an al-Qaeda cell, and hunched over the computer in a half destroyed Iraqi house, find other members through the database, fix the location of these phones and perform a "bounce on", jumping back into their helicopters to raid the next target.
Seeing the extraordinary effects of these techniques in the field, the NSA sought to apply them to domestic communications from 2006 onwards. Since the recording of this data does not include the content of the conversations, it can be extended to US citizens more easily and does not require a warrant.
It soon became apparent to people at the eavesdropping organisation that collecting information on this scale, relating to tens of millions of calls each day, and then keeping it for months or even years would require a vast new data centre to store the information.
So it began work on its $2bn Utah facility, where a ribbon cutting ceremony was held this week.
British intelligence people working in Iraq with the UK special operators (the task forces codenamed Black, Knight, and Spartan) saw these techniques and were duly impressed. They too wanted to apply them in the domestic counter-terrorist or criminal arenas.
It had in fact been the practise for many years (since the 1984 Telecommunications Act, for example) for British operators to keep customers' "billing information" for access by the government and for this to be possible without the same level of legal proof or suspicion as eavesdropping on the calls themselves.
The moves to put broad categories of "communications data" into the so called "snoopers' charter" represents an evolution of this.

Diplomatic and defence editor, Newsnight
  1. More from Mark
17:41 UK time, Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Newsnight's defence editor Mark Urban explains why a measure once advertised as a means of getting people around the negotiating table has become a way of prolonging the Syria conflict.

Comments
 
  1. All Comments (29)

  1. Comment number
    29. daliaga
    8TH JUNE 2013 - 0:16 I believe NSA surveillance powers (the dream of any left or right wing dictator) at this point have become an existential challenge to American freedom!


    28. Rik
    7TH JUNE 2013 - 20:15 Go offline, reject FB, remove Skype, FB video calling, Yahoo, Google, IE, Microsoft, anything that has anything to do with the American spies. Reject all things USA and to do with internet. They are watching, and you are not one of the, free of that land. I am ashamed that I speak the same language. The big tuneout, watch these internet conivers tumble, sell your shares in all of them, switch off.


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    Comment number
    27. Andrew
    7TH JUNE 2013 - 19:52 The US has a written Constitution, the Fourth amendment to which requires not just judicial approval but probable cause for search and seizure. Since there can be no "probable cause" for mass surveillance, it violates the Constitution, and is thus illegal.



    26. anna
    7TH JUNE 2013 - 18:26 There is nothing stopping the "authorities" to go from monitoring to whom calls are made to looking at the content of the calls themselves. It's more than likely that this is already happening. Since one knows certain people in these agencies, one observes that they are not always the sort of people one would trust. In other words, who is to determine who is trustworthy enough to have info.



    Comment number
    25. blitzkrieg11
    7TH JUNE 2013 - 17:47 This makes complete sense and is not a snooper's charter. You are not spying on communications, you are observing communications networks. Most of us just phone Aunt Molly, or bro & sis & a few friends, so what have we got to worry about.

Edward Snowden Is Completely Wrong

 National Journal 
Is he a hero—the most important whistle-blower in U.S. history, as Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg called him? Or is Edward Snowden a flat-out traitor and a very deluded young man? The 29-year-old contractor at the center of the biggest national security scandal in years is eloquent and impressively intelligent, having risen from high school dropout and security guard at the National Security Agency to uber systems administrator at the CIA. Snowdenalso appears to have acted genuinely out of conscience, because it’s clear he could have sold what he knows for quite a lot of money, taken down “the surveillance structure in an afternoon” (as he declared in an interview), or revealed undercover assets that might “have cost lives. Instead, Snowden, a product of the federal government ecosystem who grew up in the D.C. suburbs, says he has sacrificed his own “very comfortable” life to expose what he calls Washington’s “architecture of oppression.”
What’s not clear is why Snowden thought that revealing the NSA’s surveillance methods would change very much in our government or society, except to make it much harder for the NSA, the CIA, and defense and intelligence contractors to hire anyone like him in the future.
That process, if little else, must now change. Snowden will likely be charged with espionage, or worse. Washington will massively revamp its vetting procedures, especially for giant contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton, which has grown fat on a diet of government work and appeared to hire Snowden in Hawaii at a generous salary of $120,000 almost as an afterthought. Contracts like the one he worked on—to help the government analyze an overwhelming stream of data—represented 99 percent of its revenue, most of them related to the NSA.
Other than tightened security clearances, though, the startling revelations of the past several days will probably alter very little in the lives of Americans or the way the government works in a data-driven world. That’s not just because, apart from a few outraged senators—Democrats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado and libertarian Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky—almost the entire U.S. government, from the White House to Congress to the judiciary, has come out in support of the NSA program of collecting troves of telephone data and personal Internet information, using the servers and telecommunications systems of America’s biggest companies. If the mandarins of official Washington don’t amend their conduct, it’s because Americans aren’t asking them to.

A NEW CONCEPT OF PRIVACY

The reason may not be entirely obvious at first. In the past decade, our very concept of privacy has changed to the point that we’re less likely to see information-sharing as a violation of our personal liberty. In an era when our daily lives are already networked, we have E-ZPasses that give us access to the fast lane in exchange for keeping the government informed about where we drive. We shop online despite knowing that the commercial world will track our buying preferences. We share our personal reflections and habits not only with Facebook and Google but also (albeit sometimes inadvertently) with thousands of online marketers who want our information. All of this means Americans are less likely to erupt in outrage today over one more eye on their behavior. “One thing I find amusing is the absolute terror of Big Brother, when we’ve all already gone and said, ‘Cuff me,’ to Little Brother,” jokes John Arquilla, an intelligence expert at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
The latest Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll bears this out. Americans are vaguely aware of these slowly eroding walls of privacy, and 55 percent say they are worried about the overall accumulation of personal information about them “by businesses, law enforcement, government, individuals, and other groups.” The survey also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe that business, government, social-media sites, and other groups are accessing their most personal information without their consent. Even so, for the most part, they accept it as an unavoidable modern phenomenon. Most younger and college-educated people—in contrast to Snowden—take a benign view of these changes.
Despite the press treatment of the NSA story, which judging from editorial opinion has come out largely on Snowden’s side, most Americans appear relatively unperturbed. A Pew Research Center/Washington Post poll conducted last weekend found that 56 percent of Americans believe NSA access to the call records of millions of Americans is an “acceptable” way for the federal government to investigate terrorism. An even bigger majority, 62 percent, said it was more important for the government to investigate terrorist threats than it was to safeguard personal privacy. That explains why soft queasiness has not congealed into hard political outrage.
Another problem for the alarmists: No evidence suggests that the worst fears of people like Snowden have ever been realized. In his interview with The Guardian, which broke the story along with The Washington Post, Snowden warned that the NSA’s accumulation of personal data “increases every year consistently by orders of magnitude to where it’s getting to the point where you don’t have to have done anything wrong. You simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from somebody.”
In a state with no checks and balances, that is a possibility. But even the American Civil Liberties Union, which has called NSA surveillance “a stone’s throw away from an Orwellian state,” admits it knows of no cases where anything even remotely Orwellian has happened. Nor can any opponent of NSA surveillance point to a Kafkaesque Joseph K. who has appeared in an American courtroom on mysterious charges trumped up from government surveillance. Several civil-liberties advocates, asked to cite a single case of abuse of information, all paused for long seconds and could not cite any.
There is also great misunderstanding about how the NSA system works and whether such abuse could even happen in the future. It’s unclear if the government will be capable of accessing and misusing the vast array of personal data it is accumulating, as Snowden predicts. The NSA appears primarily to use computer algorithms to sift through its database for patterns that may be possible clues to terrorist plots. The government says it is not eavesdropping on our phone calls or voyeuristically reading our e-mails. Instead, it tracks the “metadata” of phone calls—whom we call and when, the duration of those conversations—and uses computer algorithms to trawl its databases for phone patterns or e-mail and search keywords that may be clues to terrorist plots. It can also map networks by linking known operatives with potential new suspects. If something stands out as suspicious, agents are still required by law to obtain a court order to look into the data they have in their storehouses. Officials must show “probable cause” and adhere to the principle of “minimization,” by which the government commits to reducing as much as possible the inadvertent vacuuming up of information on citizens instead of foreigners—the real target of the NSA’s PRISM program. The program, according to Director ofNational Intelligence James Clapper, has had success. He told NBC that tracking a suspicious communication from Pakistan to a person in Colorado allowed officials to identify a terrorist cell in New York City that wanted to bomb its subway system in the fall of 2009.
Indeed, the scandal is perhaps narrower in scope than it’s made out to be. “The only novel legal development that I see in that area is the government says, ‘We know there’s relevant information in there—if we don’t get it now it will be gone; we won’t be able to find it when we need it. So we’ll gather it now and then we’ll search it only when we have a good basis for the search to be done,’ ” says Stewart Baker, who was the first assistant secretary for policy at the Homeland Security Department and is a former NSA general counsel. “The courts are still involved. They say, ‘You put it in a safe place, lock it up, come to me when you want to search it.’ If you’re serious about ways to make [counterterrorism] work and still protect privacy, it seems like a pretty good compromise.”
Baker says the government built in as many controls and oversights as it could think of. “Two different presidents from two different parties with very different perspectives. Two different Intelligence committees led by two different parties. A dozen judges chosen from among the life-appointed judiciary. None of them thought this was legally problematic,” Baker says. “And one guy says, ‘Yeah, I disagree, so I’m going to blow it up.’ If the insistence is, ‘It only satisfies me if it’s out in public,’ then we’re not talking about intelligence-gathering. We’re not even talking about law enforcement. We’re talking about research. And I’m not sure you can run a large country in a dangerous world just by doing open-source research.”
Other advocates of the NSA operation say the sheer vastness of the program is what helps shield citizens. “Individuals are protected by the anonymity granted by the quantity of information,” says Eric Posner, a University of Chicago law professor. “It’s just too difficult to spy on such a vast number of people in a way that’s meaningful.”

THE CULTURE OF INTRUSION

Behavioral research shows that, like the proverbial frog in the pot of water who doesn’t notice the rising temperature, Americans have grown inured to the “culture of intrusion” in today’s world of continuous data exchange. “There are undeniable changes in behavior we have been observing in the past 10 years or so, with the birth and rise of social media,” says Alessandro Acquisti, an economist at Carnegie Mellon University who has studied the effects. “There is evidence that people will give away personal data for very small rewards, such as the psychological benefit of sharing with others, or even for a discount coupon,” he says. “For instance, on social media, people quite openly talk, without containing their audience only to their Facebook friends, about dating, eating, going out, success, and failures—something that 10 years ago you would have disclosed only to your direct friends.”
The Michigan-based Ponemon Institute, which conducts independent research on privacy and data collection, has found that a relatively small number of Americans, only about 14 percent, care enough about their privacy on a consistent basis to change their behavior to preserve it. These are the people who will not buy a book on Amazon because they would have to surrender information about themselves, or don’t go to certain websites if they fear they’re going to be behaviorally profiled, or won’t contribute to political campaigns for the same reason. By contrast, a substantial majority of Americans, about 63 percent, say they care about their privacy, but “there’s no evidence to suggest they’re going to do anything different to preserve it,” says Larry Ponemon, who runs the institute. (Some 23 percent care so little about the issue they are known as “privacy complacent,” Ponemon says.)
People are blithe even as they discover how much their online behavior can hurt them personally, on everything from job and college applications to terrorist investigations. “People are losing jobs because of things they posted on their Facebook page,” says Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, who refuses to use Facebook or Twitter or even conduct potentially controversial searches on Google. “I just had a feeling all along that by the time people realized how vulnerable they were, it would be too late. There would be too much information about them online.”
There is a difference, to be sure, between government and private-sector abuses of privacy. “Even I recognize that it’s one thing for Google to know too much, because they aren’t putting me in jail. It’s another thing for government, because they can coerce me,” says Michael Hayden, who as director of the NSA from 1999 to 2006 was a primary mover behind the agency’s transformation from Cold War dinosaur to a post-9/11 terror-detection leviathan with sometimes frightening technical and legal powers. “But if we weren’t doing this, there would be holy hell to raise.”
That is likely true, too. Defenders of the program say, as Hayden does, that the government had no choice. “This is about taping foreign telecommunications transmissions that just happen to pass through the United States because of the way the Internet architecture is designed,” Thompson says. “It really doesn’t have anything to do with spying on Americans; it’s about spying on foreigners the easy way.” At first this meant finding the right communications hardware. The USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf-class submarine, was modified to tap into the trunk lines, but there are really only a handful of major Internet conduits to the Middle East, Thompson says. Eventually, someone probably said, “Jeepers, most of this traffic passes through the U.S. anyway. Why don’t we just talk to Verizon?”
Hayden admitted this, surprisingly, in an open session of the House Intelligence Committee way back in 2000, telling the members that this monitoring was needed to enable the NSA to get in front of the data. No one listened right way, but after 9/11 and the passage of the USA Patriot Act, the mood shifted dramatically in favor of more aggressive surveillance. “This agency grew up in the Cold War. We came from the world of Enigma [the Nazi encryption device whose code was broken by the Allies], for God’s sake. There were no privacy concerns in intercepting German communications to their submarines, or Russian microwave transmissions to missile bases,” Hayden says today. Now, “all the data you want to go for is coexisting with your stuff. And the trick then, the only way the NSA succeeds, is to get enough power to be able to reach that new data but with enough trust to know enough not to grab your stuff even though it’s whizzing right by.” The demonization of the NSA now is ironic, he says, considering that in late 2002 the Senate Intelligence Committee (which included Wyden), in its joint 9/11 report with the House, criticized the agency for its “failure to address modern communications technology aggressively” and its “cautious approach to any collection of intelligence relating to activities in the United States.”
Most Americans, based on the polls, seem willing to make the trade-off between what President Obama called “modest encroachments on privacy” and safety from terrorists. “There is a lot of authoritarian overreach in American society, both from the drug war and the war on terror,” David Simon, the writer and producer of the hit HBO shows The Wire and Treme, wrote in his blog this week, in a scathing blast at Snowden and the pundits who have lionized him. “But those planes really did hit those buildings. And that bomb did indeed blow up at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. And we really are in a continuing, low-intensity, high-risk conflict with a diffuse, committed, and ideologically motivated enemy. And for a moment, just imagine how much bloviating would be wafting across our political spectrum if, in the wake of an incident of domestic terrorism, an American president and his administration had failed to take full advantage of the existing telephonic data to do what is possible to find those needles in the haystacks.”

HOW WE SURRENDER PRIVACY

Every time you go online, you’re a target. Advertisers are searching for you—maybe not by name, but through your interests and your assessed income and even your health symptoms, all based on your search-engine terms and the cookies deposited on your computer to watch you surf the Internet and report back on your habits. Sites may have an agreement with advertisers, which can target their messages to you. And they likely sell this information to third-party brokers who can do what they want with it.
A sweeping Wall Street Journal investigation in 2010 found that the biggest U.S. websites have technologies tracking people who visit their pages, sometimes upwards of 100 tools per site. One intrusive string of code even recorded users’ keystrokes and transmitted them to a data-gathering firm for analysis. “A digital dossier over time is built up about you by that site or third-party service or data brokers,” says Adam Thierer, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center’s Technology Policy Program at George Mason University. “They collect these data profiles and utilize them to sell you or market you better services or goods.” This is what powers the free Internet we know and love; users pay nothing or next to nothing for services—and give up pieces of personal information for advertisers in exchange. If you search for a Mini Cooper on one website, you’re likely to see ads elsewhere for lightweight, fuel-efficient cars. Companies robotically categorize users with descriptions such as “urban upscale” to “rural NASCAR” to tailor the advertising experience, says Jim Harper of the libertarian Cato Institute. “They’ll use ZIP codes and census data to figure out what their lifestyle profile is.”
As a result of these changes, the government’s very concept of privacy has grown ever narrower and more technical. “Too often, privacy has been equated with anonymity; and it’s an idea that is deeply rooted in American culture,” Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, said in 2007 as Congress was busy debating new rules for government eavesdropping. That’s quickly fading into history, Kerr said. The new version of privacy is defined by enough rules affecting the use of data that Americans’ constitutionally enumerated rights (privacy not among them) will be safe. “Protecting anonymity isn’t a fight that can be won. Anyone that’s typed in their name on Google understands that.” We’ve already given up so much privacy to the government, Kerr said back then, that it can be protected only by “inspectors general, oversight committees, and privacy boards” that have become staples of the intelligence community.
Clapper seems to be relying on a similar concept. The United States, he said in an interview with NBC, can put all the communications traffic that passes through the country in a massive metaphorical library. Presumably, the “shelves” contain the phone numbers of Americans, the duration of their calls, and their e-mail correspondence. “To me, collection of U.S. persons’ data would mean taking the book off the shelf, opening it up, and reading it,” Clapper said. Instead, the government is “very precise” about which “books” it borrows from the library. “If it is one that belongs or was put in there by an American citizen or a U.S. person, we are under strict court supervision, and have to get permission to actually look at that. So the notion that we’re trolling through everyone’s e-mails and voyeuristically reading them, or listening to everyone’s phone calls, is on its face absurd. We couldn’t do it even if we wanted to, and I assure you, we don’t want to.”
Critics say the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, designed to guard against unreasonable searches and seizures, should impede the government’s access to personal data—even if that information is available in the commercial sphere. “If Google has it, that says nothing about whether the government should have it,” says Cato’s Harper. “It’s not reasonable to collect information without probable cause or reasonable suspicion.”
For most Americans, the reassurance that the government won’t gratuitously pursue them may well be enough. For Snowden and his defenders, it clearly is not. In explaining his daring act, he said he hoped to provoke a national debate about surveillance and secrecy, and added: “The greatest fear that I have regarding the outcome for America of these disclosures is that nothing will change.”
That fear is likely to be realized. Snowden offered a valuable window into a top-secret world The Washington Post wrote about in great detail three years ago, when it published a series on a clandestine intelligence-industrial complex that “has become so large, so unwieldy, and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it, or exactly how many agencies do the same work.” Perhaps the country should thank Snowden for reopening that issue, even as it prosecutes him for what is plainly a violation of his oath of secrecy. But after the thanks are offered, we will probably just get back to business.
  1. Whether Edward Snowden is a “traitor,” as House Speaker John Boehner called him, or a whistle-blower trying to prevent his country’s descent into “turnkey tyranny,” as he claimed in an interview, is simultaneously a legal and a moral question – and the answers may not overlap in this case, legal experts say.
    Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News - Jun 14 08:08am
  2. By Matt Miller Edward Snowden was appalled. “They quite literally can watch your ideas form as you type,” the then-anonymous Snowden told reporters as his leaks first emerged. ...
    The Mckeesport Daily News - 11 hours ago


  1. National Journal via Yahoo! News   Jun 15 01:32am
    Is he a hero—the most important whistle-blower in U.S. history, as Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg called him? Or is Edward Snowden a flat-out traitor and a very deluded young man? The 29-year-old contractor at the center of the biggest national security scandal in years is eloquent and impressively intelligent, having risen from high school dropout and security guard at the National ...
  2. Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News   Jun 14 08:08am
    Whether Edward Snowden is a “traitor,” as House Speaker John Boehner called him, or a whistle-blower trying to prevent his country’s descent into “turnkey tyranny,” as he claimed in an interview, is simultaneously a legal and a moral question – and the answers may not overlap in this case, legal experts say.
  3. Los Angeles Times   Jun 15 06:49pm
    The self-declared NSA leaker says he has faith in Hong Kong justice at a time when some in the territory say freedoms are being 'stifled.' HONG KONG — It's probably for the best that Edward Snowden didn't turn up at a weekend rally in support of him here in this former British colony. Having declared that he has faith in Hong Kong's rule of law, and that he believes the courts and people of the ...
  4. Tracking Snowden’s reversals of fortune

    Seattle Times   Jun 15 06:07pm
    How Edward Snowden made the leap from underemployed security guard to well-paying CIA employee remains a mystery.
  5. Business Insider via Yahoo! Finance   Jun 15 07:51am
    The American public has known that the NSA has extensive Internet-spying programs since 2000.
  6. Sky News via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News   Jun 15 09:56pm
    A demonstration has taken place outside the US consulate in Hong Kong in support of American whistleblower Edward Snowden who is still believed to be in the region.
  7. The Atlantic Wire via Yahoo! News   Jun 14 08:08am
    Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker who has turned the United States intelligence apparatus upside-down, said that he won't be extradited back home without a fight. That fight won't take him to Britain in the meantime, but it does apparently involve letting the Chinese government know that he has information on the United States "using technical exploits to gain unauthorised access to civilian ...
  8. WKBT La Crosse   Jun 15 01:20pm
    When U.S. citizen Edward Snowden decided to flee to Hong Kong because of its "spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent," he may not have anticipated that some in the city would launch a protest backing him.
  9. Toronto Star   Jun 14 02:49pm
    I don’t like reading about whistleblower Edward Snowden, for the simple reason that information about this young man distracts me from the overwhelming scale of the government surveillance he has described. He did indeed unfold a tale whose lightest word would harrow up the soul, and so on. Finally I understand what Hamlet’s dad was going on about on the ramparts — isn’t it weird that a 16th ...
  10. The Week via Yahoo! News   Jun 14 12:25am
    The NSA leaker reportedly just walked out of work with some of America's big secrets on a thumb drive in his pocket

    1. Who is Edward Snowden?

      Brisbane Times   Jun 14 05:13pm
      Edward Snowden was once a 'cheeky' teenager into video games, anime and girls, who went by the nicknames "The True HOOHA" and "Phish".        
    2. CNN   Jun 15 05:44am
      What do you think of Edward Snowden? By leaking classified documents to the media and revealing that the National Security Agency has been monitoring our phone and Internet usage, is he a traitor or a hero? Could he simply be a narcissist looking to get famous? Or do you not care about either him or the NSA surveillance programs?
    3. CBS News   Jun 15 06:06pm
      Hundreds turned out to rally in support of Edward Snowden in Hong Kong, the city he claims was a target of NSA spying. In a local newspaper, Snowden has alleged that hundreds of NSA hacking operations focused on Hong Kong and mainland China, while a group of Chinese lawmakers demand to know how the U.S. hacked into Chinese computers. Seth Doane reports.
    4. Hong Kong Civic Groups Plan March in Support of Snowden

      Bloomberg   Jun 14 08:37pm
      Hong Kong civic groups will today march in support of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who is at risk of extradition from the city after he revealed a secret U.S. surveillance program.
    5. Why Edward Snowden, NSA whistleblower, is more hero than traitor: Burman

      Toronto Star   Jun 15 06:52am
      Daniel Ellsberg, take your leaked Pentagon Papers and step aside. There’s a new gunslinger in town: Edward J. Snowden — former CIA employee, 29 years of age and now whistleblower on the run. Whether Snowden ends up jailed in the U.S., dead in some dumpster overlooking Hong Kong’s harbour, or — even worse — if he winds up as a regular contributor to CNN or Fox News, we will be hearing about him ...
    6. Column: Edward Snowden and the selective targeting of leaks

      Reuters via Yahoo! News   Jun 12 08:30am
      By Jack Shafer (Reuters) - Edward Snowden's expansive disclosures to the Guardian and the Washington Post about various National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance programs have only two corollaries in contemporary history; the classified cache Bradley Manning allegedly released to WikiLeaks a few years ago and Daniel Ellsberg's dissemination of the voluminous Pentagon Papers to the New York ...
    7. CBS News   Jun 14 08:00am
      CBS News' John Miller explains why the U.S. may be facing a long fight to extradite NSA leaker Edward Snowden from Hong Kong, where he is believed to be living
    8. Chicago Tribune   Jun 15 09:19am
      HONG KONG (Reuters) - A few hundred rights advocates and political activists marched through Hong Kong on Saturday to demand protection for Edward Snowden, who leaked revelations of U.S. electronic surveillance and is now believed to be holed up in the former British colony.        
    9. The Washington Times   Jun 14 10:13am
      Edward Snowden did not have enough high-level access at the National Security Agency to obtain the kind of information that would compromise America's place among other nations, House Intelligence Committee members said Thursday. "He was lying," said Chairman Mike Rogers, Breitbart reported. "He clearly has over-inflated his position, he has ...
    10. Reuters via Yahoo! News   Jun 15 10:28am
      By Grace Li and Venus Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) - A few hundred rights advocates and political activists marched through Hong Kong on Saturday to demand protection forEdward Snowden, who leaked revelations of U.S. electronic surveillance and is now believed to be holed up in the former British colony. Marchers gathered outside the U.S. consulate shouting slogans denouncing alleged spying ...

      1. Edward Snowden: Whistle-blowing protections most likely won't help

        The Christian Science Monitor   Jun 14 10:03am
        While Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor, and others portray him as a heroic whistle-blower, his decision to make top secret documents public severely limits his legal protections, analysts say.
      2. ABC News   Jun 12 12:38pm
        Alleged NSA leaker Edward Snowden claimed today to have evidence that the U.S. government has been hacking into Chinese computer networks since at least 2009 – an effort he said is part of the tens of thousands of hacking operations American cyber spies have launched around the world, according to a Hong Kong newspaper.        
      3. Who is Edward Snowden? Many questions remain.

        The Christian Science Monitor   Jun 12 09:26pm
        In interviews Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who revealed details of the government's collection of data, has also revealed details about himself. Some question his descriptions and the facts that are known paint an unclear picture of the leaker, currently hiding in Hong Kong. 
      4. Los Angeles Times   Jun 14 06:02pm
        Each carries risk, and analysts say Beijing is playing it savvy by doing nothing right now regarding the man who disclosed the NSA cyber surveillance program. BEIJING — WithEdward Snowden in Hong Kong dribbling out morsels on U.S. cyber surveillance activities to the press, Chinese authorities have several choices for dealing with him.        
      5. Washington Examiner   Jun 15 09:32am
        Hundreds of people marched to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong on Saturday in support ofEdward Snowden, an American citizen who leaked top-secret information about U.S. surveillance programs.
      6. Guardian Unlimited   Jun 15 06:47am
        Demonstrators call on government to protect NSA whistleblower and attack US over internet spying programmes Hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Hong Kong despite heavy rain to support the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and press the US to change its surveillance policies. The gathering on Saturday came hours before Hong Kong's chief executive, CY Leung, broke days of silence ...
      7. ABC News   Jun 14 09:57am
        NSA leaker Edward Snowden has reached hero status for many Chinese internet users. His Chinese fans on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, have posted Snowden’s old modelling photos and “Snowden Handsome” is the first result to come back when his last name is entered...        
      8. CNN   Jun 14 06:51am
        China remains tight lipped about NSA leaker Edward Snowden, holed up in Hong Kong, who claims U.S. intel agents have hacked global networks for years.
      9. Agence-France Presse via Yahoo! New Zealand Sport   Jun 15 10:56am
        Hundreds of protesters staged a rally in rain-hit Hong Kong Saturday to urge the city's government not to extradite former spy Edward Snowden, and slam the United States for its surveillance programmes.
      10. Peoria Journal Star   Jun 13 10:05am
        A supporter holds a picture of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret information about U.S. surveillance programs, outside the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong Thursday, June 13, 2013. The news of Snowden's whereabouts, revealed by an editor of a local newspaper that interviewed him Wednesday, is the first since he went to ground Monday after checking out of his hotel in ...

        1. Associated Press via Yahoo! News   Jun 14 09:23am
          The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allow EdwardSnowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom. A travel ...
        2. ABC News via Yahoo! News   Jun 14 10:21am
          NSA leaker Edward Snowden has reached hero status for many Chinese internet users. His Chinese fans on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, have posted Snowden’s old modelling photos and “Snowden Handsome” is the first result to come back when his last name is entered...
        3. Los Angeles Times   Jun 13 10:52am
          WASHINGTON -- Former National Security Agency contract employee Edward Snowdenused a computer thumb drive to smuggle highly classified documents out of an NSA facility in Hawaii, using a portable digital device supposedly barred inside the cyber spying agency, U.S. officials said.        
        4. Denver Post   Jun 14 01:21am
          LONDON—The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allowEdward Snowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.
        5. ABC News via Yahoo! News   Jun 15 01:25pm
          Demonstrators Blew Their Whistles Saying They 'Were All Whistle-Blowers Today'
        6. ABC News   Jun 13 09:56am
          U.S. intelligence officials on the trail of rogue contractor Edward Snowden are now treating the National Security Agency leak case as a possible foreign espionage matter, raising fears that the 29-year-old computer whiz may be attempting to defect to China with a trove of America's most sensitive secrets, according to two U.S. officials.        
        7. The Huffington Post   Jun 14 07:46am
          BANGKOK — The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allowEdward Snowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom.
        8. ABC News   Jun 13 10:07am
          The possibility that NSA leaker Edward Snowden could defect to China – or cooperate in any way with Chinese authorities – is a top concern for U.S. intelligence officials. For the ABC/Yahoo Power Players interview series, I did a “Politics Confidential” interview this morning with a...        
        9. ABC News   Jun 13 01:38pm
          Since he revealed himself as the source of the National Security Agency leaks, little by little, the details of Edward Snowden's life have emerged, providing a picture of a smart kid who dropped out of high school only to embark on his own patchwork college education on his way to working for one of the most shadowy espionage agencies in the world. Here's what we know so far:        
        10. The Washington Times   Jun 13 06:14am
          Edward Snowden, who fled the United States on the heels of releasing sensitive information about National Security Agency surveillance, may now try to present himself as a serious protector of American rights. But go back a few years, and he was — as he touted in a 2002 biographical profile ...

          1. New York Times   Jun 15 08:23am
            Protesters in Hong Kong urged that Edward J. Snowden be allowed to stay in the city without being turned over to the United States.
          2. Daily Telegraph   Jun 12 12:33pm
            Edward Snowden, the whistleblowing former CIA employee, on Wednesday night vowed to fight any attempt to extradite him from Hong Kong and said he would use the city as a base to reveal more "criminality".        
          3. Edward Snowden: Don't fly NSA whistleblower to UK, airlines told

            Guardian Unlimited   Jun 14 10:52am
            British government issues travel alert to airlines around the world saying Snowden likely to be refused entry to UK The British government is reported to have warned airlines around the world not to allow the National Security Agency whistleblower EdwardSnowden to fly to the UK. A travel alert, dated Monday 10 June on a Home Office letterhead, said carriers should not allow Snowden to board ...
          4. Portland Press Herald   Jun 14 05:15am
            Edward Snowden, an American citizen, has yet to be charged with any crime and no warrants have been issued for his arrest.
          5. The Atlantic via Yahoo! Finance   Jun 10 05:08pm
            Photos of Edward Snowden printed on the front page of Hong Kong newspapers. ( Reuters ) No matter how you feel about Edward Snowden's decision to dish on the government's spying habits, there's at least ...
          6. Peoria Journal Star   Jun 14 11:35am
            The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allow EdwardSnowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom.
          7. Associated Press via Yahoo! News   Jun 14 09:23am
            LONDON (AP) — The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allowEdward Snowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom.
          8. VOA News   1 hour, 2 minutes ago
            Hundreds of people rallied in Hong Kong Saturday in support of former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden, who fled to the semi-autonomous Chinese city last month after confessing to leaking documents on two top secret U.S. surveillance programs. To many, the case raises questions about Snowden’s choice of Hong Kong as a haven as he fights an expected legal battle against extradition, and ...
          9. The Lookout via Yahoo! News   Jun 11 12:04pm
            Edward Snowden, the former defense contractor who blew the whistle on the National Security Agency's massive domestic surveillance program, is being hailed as a hero by many for exposing the government's controversial spy operations. "Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he [...]
          10. Toronto Star   Jun 14 07:01am
            BANGKOK—The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allowEdward Snowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom. A travel alert, dated Monday on a Home Office letterhead, said carriers should deny Snowden boarding because “the individual is highly likely to be refused entry to the UK.” The Associated Press ...

            1. Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune   Jun 15 08:25am
              FORT MEADE, Md. — In the suburbs edged by woods midway between Baltimore and the nation's capital, residents long joked that the government spy shop next door was so ultra-secretive its initials stood for "No Such Agency."
            2. Los Angeles Times   Jun 15 11:15pm
              Previous employees have said that the cyber-spying agency is tracking Americans' communications. Intelligence officials maintain that is not the case. WASHINGTON — Mathematician William Binney worked for the National Security Agency for four decades, and in the late 1990s he helped design a system to sort through the digital data the agency was sucking up in the exploding universe of bits and ...
            3. Daily Telegraph   Jun 13 10:58am
              Edward Snowden, the former CIA analyst who admitted exposing secret US surveillance programmes, harmed national security, the FBI director has said, adding that the US government are taking "all necessary steps" to prosecute him.        
            4. The Atlantic Wire via Yahoo! News   Jun 13 11:58am
              Investigators have figured out that Edward Snowden took classified documents from the National Security Agency with a thumb drive — which means they "know how many documents he downloaded and what server he took them from," an official told the Los Angeles Times' Ken Dilanian. But they still don't know how Snowden got the secret court order compelling Verizon to give three months of metadata on ...
            5. Associated Press via Yahoo!7 News   Jun 15 03:05pm
              In the suburbs edged by woods midway between Baltimore and the nation's capital, residents long joked that the government spy shop next door was so ultra-secretive its initials stood for "No Such Agency." But when Edward Snowden grew up here, the National Security Agency's looming presence was both a very visible and accepted part of everyday life.
            6. Denver Post   Jun 15 12:35am
              The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allow EdwardSnowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom.
            7. Independent   Jun 14 04:29am
              The ex-CIA employee and whistleblower Edward Snowden posted hundreds of messages on a public internet forum railing against citizen surveillance and corporate greed, it was revealed today. Related Stories Syria civil war: US will arm moderate rebels, says Barack Obama, confirming use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al-Assad's regime Rupert Murdoch's media empire thrown into doubt as he ...
            8. Toronto Star   Jun 11 05:43am
              HONG KONG—Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance programs, has been fired from his job. Booz Allen Hamilton said Tuesday that Snowden “was terminated for violations of the firm’s code of ethics.” Snowden had worked for Booz Allen for less than three months and earned $122,000 a year, the company said. It posted his job, that of a systems ...
            9. Snowden may be working with China, lawmakers say

              UPI   Jun 14 01:18am
              WASHINGTON, June 14 (UPI) -- Rogue ex-contractor Edward Snowden may be cooperating with the Chinese government, U.S. lawmakers briefed on National Security Agency surveillance programs say.
            10. The New Zealand Herald   Jun 13 10:50am
              Edward Snowden, the whistleblowing former CIA and NSA employee, says that the United States has mounted massive hacking operations against hundreds of Chinese targets in the past four years.Snowden vowed to fight any attempt to...

              1. CNBC   Jun 16 01:31am
                Rights advocates and political activists marched through Hong Kong on Saturday to demand protection for Edward Snowden.
              2. CBC.ca   Jun 13 05:57am
                Edward Snowden tells the South China Morning Post that the U.S. has long been attacking a Hong Kong university that routes all Internet traffic in and out of the semiautonomous Chinese region.
              3. The Atlantic Wire via Yahoo! News   Jun 11 09:10am
                There is a lot of fan fiction swirling around right now about Edward Snowden, the man who leaked the NSA's programs to collect all phone calls and all email. The NSA's surveillance programs, even if you wholeheartedly support them, are the more important story since it reveals that the government has computing power so awesome that it borders on sci-fi. But pundits prefer the personal and since ...
              4. Edward Snowden: Who is he, and what kind of life is he leaving behind?

                Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News   Jun 11 02:58pm
                In the interest of revealing what he saw as the privacy violations of millions of Americans by their own government, Edward Snowden, 29, has likely forfeited his future at an age when most young adults are still shaping the arc of their lives.
              5. The Atlantic Wire via Yahoo! News   Jun 10 09:55am
                Edward Snowden is the most sought-after leaker of national security secrets in the world right now — maybe ever — except that, well, it appears that nobody has any idea where on earth he actually is. The 29-year-old former Booz Allen defense contractor working with the National Security Agency, reportedly in Hong Kong and trying to get out, has gone AWOL, and the chase is on, for sleuths both ...
              6. CNN   Jun 10 05:27pm
                Edward Snowden, the former technical assistant for the CIA who has leaked details of a top-secret American program, has checked out of a Hong Kong hotel where he was holed up for three weeks.
              7. Boston Globe   Jun 15 08:15am
                FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — In the suburbs edged by woods midway between Baltimore and the nation's capital, residents long joked that the government spy shop next door was so ultra-secretive its initials stood for "No Such Agency." But when Edward Snowden grew up here, the National Security Agency's looming presence was both a very visible and accepted part of everyday life.        
              8. Quartz via Yahoo! Finance   Jun 10 04:00pm
                For anyone wondering how a disgruntled and relatively junior official like Edward Snowdencould gain access to some of the US government’s most treasured secrets and leak them, the answer comes down to ...
              9. consortiumnews.com   Jun 13 06:58am
                The mainstream media’s assault on Edward Snowden’s character has begun, with columns in outlets like the Washington Post and The New Yorker calling him “narcissistic” and reckless.
              10. Los Angeles Times   Jun 12 08:48pm
                The former U.S. government contractor who says he leaked NSA secrets is planning 'to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide' his fate. BEIJING — Edward Snowden, the former U.S. government contractor who says he leaked National Security Agency secrets, told Hong Kong media Wednesday that he intended to remain in the self-ruled Chinese territory and fight extradition to the United States.

                1. Edward Snowden, NSA leaker, says he’ll fight extradition to the U.S.

                  TheCelebrityCafe.com   Jun 12 12:49pm
                  Edward Snowden, the man who leaked the information on the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, is still holed up in Hong Kong and he plans to fight extradition to the U.S. in court. read more
                2. Hong Kong Groups Plan Protest to Support Edward Snowden

                  Bloomberg   Jun 12 09:30pm
                  Hong Kong civic groups will march in support of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who disclosed a U.S. surveillance program and said he will fight any attempt to extradite him.
                3. CBS News   Jun 14 02:05am
                  AP: London warns carriers in travel alert to bar NSA leaker from boarding because he's highly likely to be kept out of Britain
                4. Business Insider   Jun 14 03:22am
                  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While working for U.S. intelligence agencies, Edward Snowdenhad another secret identity: an online commentator who anonymously railed against citizen surveillance and corporate greed.
                5. Quartz via Yahoo! Finance   Jun 13 11:57am
                  Chinese officials haven’t officially commented on the Edward Snowden case and the US’s PRISM spying program, but inside China, state media are making the most of it. China’s foreign ministry has been careful ...
                6. Independent   Jun 14 07:36am
                  The ex-CIA employee and whistleblower Edward Snowden posted hundreds of messages on a public internet forum railing against citizen surveillance and corporate greed, it was revealed today. Related Stories Edward Snowden posted comments attacking citizen surveillance while working for CIA Syria civil war: US will arm moderate rebels, says Barack Obama, confirming use of chemical weapons by ...
                7. Daily Telegraph   Jun 12 07:34am
                  Edward Snowden, the whistleblowing former CIA employee, has spoken out for the first time since vanishing from his Hong Kong hideout on Monday, vowing to fight extradition to the US and to continue his battle to expose "criminality".        
                8. Washington Post   Jun 15 03:24pm
                  “I wouldn’t want God himself to know where I’ve been,” the former NSA contractor wrote online in 2003.
                9. Takepart.com via Yahoo! News   Jun 11 04:37pm
                  Edward Snowden was employed by an intelligence firm working for the National Security Agency (NSA) and disclosed documents about a secret program that he reasonably believed violated the law. His revelations are performing a vital public service. As a nation, we are now entering into a more informed national debate about what sacrifices Americans are willing to make to enhance their actual ...
                10. National Journal via Yahoo! News   Jun 12 08:32am
                  National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is contributing to Chinese complaints that the United States is engaged in acts of cyberespionage against Beijing.

                  1. Deseret News   Jun 13 05:49am
                    NSA leaker Edward Snowden says the NSA's 61,000 hacking targets include Hong Kong and mainland China
                  2. Los Angeles Times   Jun 13 04:59am
                    BEIJING -- Officially, the Chinese government has nothing at all to say about EdwardSnowden.        
                  3. The Malaysian Insider   Jun 14 06:54am
                    SAN FRANCISCO, June 13 – Long before Edward Snowden became known worldwide as the National Security Agency contractor who exposed top-secret US government surveillance programs, he worked for a Japanese anime company run by friends and went by the nicknames “The True HOOHA” and “Phish”. In 2002, he was 18 years old, a high school dropout, and his ...        
                  4. Guardian Unlimited   Jun 12 10:49am
                    NSA whistleblower says he is not in Hong Kong to 'hide from justice' and alleges US hacked hundreds of targets in China The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden vowed on Wednesday to fight any move by the US to have him extradited from Hong Kong, saying he was not there to "hide from justice" and would put his trust in its legal system. In his first comments since revealing his identity in the ...
                  5. The Hindu   Jun 15 03:11am
                    Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who disclosed America’s secret surveillance programme, may have been working with the Chinese Government to reveal intelligence secrets, a US lawmaker has alleged...
                  6. Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News   Jun 10 11:47am
                    The person who leaked classified US documents on sweeping surveillance programs to the press has now leaked his own identity. Edward Snowden, a young computer system professional for a National Security Agency contractor, revealed on Sunday that he provided information on two NSA programs to The Guardian and Washington Post newspapers. He said his motive was to expose the extent of US electronic ...
                  7. Bloomberg   Jun 15 11:05pm
                    Hong Kong residents would oppose any demand for extradition of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who fled to the city after exposing a U.S. surveillance program, according to a poll published today.
                  8. International Herald Tribune   Jun 15 05:27am
                    People called on the American government to allow Edward J. Snowden, who is accused of leaking documents about surveillance programs, remain in Hong Kong.
                  9. Edward Snowden currently in hiding in Hong Kong

                    WJXT Jacksonville   Jun 12 12:09pm
                    U.S. intelligence agents have been hacking computer networks around the world for years, apparently targeting fat data pipes that push immense amounts of data around the Internet, NSA leaker Edward Snowden claimed Wednesday to the South China Morning Post newspaper.
                  10. The Saratogian   Jun 13 11:21am
                    Edward Snowden soon will be prosecuted by federal authorities for disclosing top secret Government surveillance programs. While he styles himself a whistleblower, he is really something far more radical: He represents a new — and in my view, welcome — version of civil disobedience. He’s the calm before the storm.

                    1. Los Angeles Times   Jun 13 09:58pm
                      He used a simple thumb drive to transfer information from the National Security Agency. In 1945, a tissue box was used to sneak files to the Soviets. WHITMORE VILLAGE, Hawaii — Sure, Edward Snowden just used a simple thumb drive to smuggle classified information out of the National Security Agency.        
                    2. New York Post   Jun 15 09:59pm
                      The feds are investigating a report that former National Security Agency employee EdwardSnowden is turning over classified data to the Chinese, according to The Sunday Times of London. Snowden, 29, is in Hong Kong and has said he would not jeopardize US interests. But the South China Morning Post...
                    3. Baltimore Sun   Jun 15 06:11am
                      HONG KONG (Reuters) - A few hundred rights advocates and political activists marched through Hong Kong on Saturday to demand protection for Edward Snowden, who leaked revelations of U.S. electronic surveillance and is now believed to be holed up in the former British colony.
                    4. The Christian Science Monitor   Jun 10 04:10pm
                      Edward Snowden and his decision to speak out as the leaker of classified national security documents have deflected attention from President Obama. The political odd couples defending and opposing the programs also insulate the president.
                    5. Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News   Jun 10 05:48am
                      Edward Snowden, the man who leaked NSA secrets to The Guardian newspaper, has chosen either luckily or on extremely good advice by seeking refuge in Hong Kong from possible prosecution.
                    6. Stuff   Jun 15 10:18pm
                      A few hundred rights advocates and political activists marched through Hong Kong to demand protection for Edward Snowden, who leaked revelations of US electronic surveillance and is now believed to be holed up in the former British colony.
                    7. National Post   Jun 12 07:31am
                      Edward Snowden was nowhere to be found Wednesday, despite being the central figure in the biggest news story in the world
                    8. CNN   Jun 15 06:46am
                      Unable to contact friends or risk being recognized, few can know the fear NSA leakerEdward Snowden has. But Christopher Boyce can.
                    9. Reuters via Yahoo! News   Jun 13 06:56pm
                      By John Shiffman, Mark Hosenball and Kristina Cooke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While working for U.S. intelligence agencies, Edward Snowden had another secret identity: an online commentator who anonymously railed against citizen surveillance and corporate greed. Throughout the eight years that Snowden worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency contractors, he posted ...
                    10. BusinessWeek   Jun 10 10:23am
                      Where in Hong Kong is Edward Snowden? We know from the Guardian that the 29-year-old former CIA employee is somewhere in the former British colony. From what he said in the interview , Snowden seems to be staying in a nice hotel on the Hong Kong side of Victoria Harbor.

                      1. BusinessWeek   Jun 10 10:23am
                        Where in Hong Kong is Edward Snowden? We know from the Guardian that the 29-year-old former CIA employee is somewhere in the former British colony. From what he said in the interview , Snowden seems to be staying in a nice hotel on the Hong Kong side of Victoria Harbor.
                      2. The Huffington Post   Jun 12 08:32pm
                        By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - U.S. government investigators began an urgent search for Edward Snowden several days before the first media reports were published on the government's secret surveillance programs, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
                      3. Adelaide Now   Jun 14 11:50am
                        THE British government has warned airlines around the world not to allow NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to fly to the United Kingdom.
                      4. Opposing Views   Jun 12 03:55pm
                        Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who previously exposed the National Security Agency's (NSA) spying on U.S. citizens via phones and the web, dropped another bombshell today. Now, Snowden claims that the U.S. government has been hacking into computers in Hong Kong and China since 2009. Snowden gave an interview to the South China Morning Post in a secret location that was not disclosed ...
                      5. Daily Telegraph   Jun 15 07:12am
                        Hero or traitor? That's the debate raging across America over Ed Snowden, the 29-year old NSA consultant-turned-leaker now holed up somewhere in Hong Kong, writes John Avlon.        
                      6. Q13 FOX Seattle   Jun 13 12:42pm
                        By Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON — Former National Security Agency contract employee Edward Snowden used a computer thumb drive to smuggle highly classified documents out of an NSA facility in Hawaii, using a portable digital device supposedly barred …
                      7. The Christian Science Monitor   Jun 10 02:10pm
                        Edward Snowden and his decision to speak out as the leaker of classified national security documents have deflected attention from President Obama. The political odd couples defending and opposing the programs also insulate the president.
                      8. Los Angeles Times   Jun 11 10:03am
                        WASHINGTON – Consulting giant Booz Allen Hamilton said Tuesday that it had firedEdward Snowden “for violations of the firm’s code of ethics and firm policy” after the 29-year-old admitted he leaked secrets of the U.S. government’s surveillance programs to the news media.        
                      9. Forbes   Jun 10 09:22am
                        Edward Snowden yesterday revealed himself as the whistleblower behind the now infamous NSA leaks. Snowden, a former worker at the CIA and most recently an employee of private contractor Booz Allen, has worked on NSA related projects for the past four years. Amongst the statements made by Snowden, and at least partially supported by the leaked documents, is the claim the US government has ...
                      10. WJXT Jacksonville   Jun 12 07:39am
                        Edward Snowden, the man who's admitted to leaking details about secret American surveillance programs, has been interviewed by the South China Morning Post newspaper.

                        1. ABC News   Jun 12 08:38am
                          Alleged NSA leaker Edward Snowden claims spies pushed banker to drink and drive.        
                        2. National Journal via Yahoo! News   Jun 11 05:08am
                          Edward Snowden: Hero or traitor? Whisteblower or leaker?
                        3. Bloomberg   Jun 10 05:57pm
                          If everything Edward Snowden says is true, he is a criminal whose actions may have endangered American lives. He is also a conscientious citizen, risking career and liberty to expose what he believes to be grave wrongdoing. This is the paradox underlying government surveillance programs in general, and in particular the shaky foundations of the U.S. national security apparatus.
                        4. MSNBC   Jun 11 10:25am
                          The self-identified source who leaked documents to The Guardian and The Washington Post regarding top-secret government surveillance programs may face limited options if he is charged and the United States tries to extradite him.Edward Snowden, 29, has been called a hero and a traitor since his name became attached to the high-profile disclosure of classified documents to reporters. A three ...
                        5. BetaNews   Jun 15 01:05am
                          The South China Morning Post is the next stop on Snowden’s media tour. Not to discuss the NSA’s surveillance on American citizens, but the agency’s work in China. You read that right, that’s not a typo. Snowden tells the (semi) independent Hong Kong paper that the NSA’s PRISM program is used against companies and people within China, and that the US government is and has been hacking into ...
                        6. CNN   Jun 13 06:54pm
                          China remained tight-lipped Thursday about its stance on NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who is believed to be holed up in a safe house somewhere in the semiautonomous territory of Hong Kong.
                        7. BBC News   Jun 14 05:18pm
                          Edward Snowden, Clinton and Kanye in 140 characters
                        8. The Hill   Jun 13 02:48am
                          Lawmakers in both parties Wednesday said they do not view Edward Snowden as a hero. Read more...
                        9. Daily Mail   Jun 12 11:55pm
                          Long before he became known worldwide as the NSA contractor who exposed top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, Edward Snowden was a Japanese anime enthusiast who marveled at his self-proclaimed 'girlish figure' and his ability to attract 'nubile young girls.'
                        10. Edward Snowden's explosive NSA leaks have US in damage control mode

                          Guardian Unlimited   Jun 10 10:33am
                          White House refers Snowden's case to Justice Department while Republicans in Congress call for whistleblower's extradition Washington was struggling to contain one of the most explosive national security leaks in US history on Monday, as public criticism grew of the sweeping surveillance state revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Political opinion was split, with some members of Congress ...
                          1. The Inquisitr   Jun 13 02:29pm
                            We know Edward Snowden as the whistleblower who blew the lid off the NSA’s domestic spying program, but what was he like during his teen years? Whether you regard Snowdenas a hero or a traitor, he was just your average warm-blooded American male during his teen years. A look into his online history revealed [...] Edward Snowden’s Teen Years: NSA Whistleblower Loved Krispy Kremes After Sex is a ...
                          2. AFP News via Yahoo! Philippines News   Jun 14 12:48pm
                            The British government asked Malaysia's national airline to block former spy EdwardSnowden from boarding flights to the United Kingdom, the carrier told AFP Friday, after he leaked details of Washington's secret surveillance programmes.
                          3. Mashable   Jun 12 08:40am
                            Edward Snowden said he wants "the courts and people of Hong Kong" to decide his fate in a new interview published Wednesday. "I have had many opportunities to flee Hong Kong, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong’s rule of law," Snowden told the South China Morning Post . SEE ALSO: NSA Leaker Edward Snowden: a Timeline On ...
                          4. WJXT Jacksonville   Jun 12 07:39am
                            Edward Snowden, the man who's admitted to leaking details about secret American surveillance programs, has been interviewed by the South China Morning Post newspaper.
                          5. Seattle Times   Jun 14 09:27am
                            The British government has warned airlines around the world not to allow EdwardSnowden, who leaked information on top-secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to fly to the United Kingdom.
                          6. Asian Correspondent   Jun 15 10:32pm
                            By Nicholas Olczak Members of the Hong Kong public on Saturday afternoon braved heavy rain to march in support of the whistleblower Edward Snowden who this week chose the city as the place from which he would make revelations about the US National Security Agency’s online surveillance. Several hundred people, including large numbers of journalists, lawmakers,
                          7. Baltimore Sun   Jun 11 08:27am
                            Edward Joseph Snowden, the government contractor who revealed the National Security Agency's massive telephone- and Internet-surveillance program, has left few public clues about his life growing up in Crofton and Ellicott City.        
                          8. ABC News   Jun 15 05:19pm
                            The father of the girlfriend of Edward Snowden, the man who says he's behind the National Security Agency leaks, says he's been intermittently in touch with his daughter and she is "trying to regroup" and although he's "shocked" by Snowden's decision to leak the top secret information Snowden was always motivated by a sense of "justice."    







How MI6, CIA spend tax money on propping up drug production

Annie Machon is a former intel­li­gence officer for the UK's MI5, who resigned in 1996 to blow the whistle. She is now a writer, public speaker and a Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Published time: May 07, 2013 10:48
An Afghan farmer collects raw opium as he works in a poppy field in Khogyani District of Nangarhar province on April 29, 2013. (AFP Photo)
An Afghan farmer collects raw opium as he works in a poppy field in Khogyani District
 
With both the CIA and MI6 secretly providing 'ghost money' bribes to the Afghan political establishment, it’s likely that Afghans will increasingly support a resurgent Taliban and the drug trade will be further propped up.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, has recently been criticized for taking 'ghost money' from the CIA and MI6. The sums are unknown – for the usual reasons of 'national security' – but are estimated to have been in the tens of millions of dollars. While this is nowhere near the eye-bleeding $12 billion shipped over to Iraq on pallets in the wake of the invasion a decade ago, it is still a significant amount.

And how has this money been spent?  Certainly not on social projects or rebuilding initiatives.  Rather, the reporting indicates, the money has been funneled to Karzai's cronies as bribes in a corrupt attempt to buy influence in the country.

None of this surprises me. MI6 has a long and ignoble history of trying to buy influence in countries of interest.  In 1995/96 it funded a 'ragtag group of Islamic extremists,' headed up by a Libyan military intelligence officer, in an illegal attempt to try to assassinate Colonel Gaddafi.  The attack went wrong and innocent people were killed. When this scandal was exposed, it caused an outcry.

Yet a mere 15 years later, MI6 and the CIA were back in Libya, providing support to the same 'rebels,' who this time succeeded in capturing, torturing and killing Gaddafi, while plunging Libya into apparently endless internecine war. This time around there was little international outcry, as the world's media portrayed this aggressive interference in a sovereign state as 'humanitarian relief.'

And we also see the same in Syria now, as the CIA and MI6 are already providing training and communication support to the rebels – many of whom, particularly the Al Nusra faction in control of the oil-rich north-east of Syria are in fact allied with Al-Qaeda in Iraq.  So in some countries the UK and USA use drones to target and murder "militants" (plus villagers, wedding parties and other assorted innocents), while in others they back ideologically similar groups.
fghan policemen destroys a poppy field in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province on March 20, 2013. (AFP Photo)
fghan policemen destroys a poppy field in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province on March 20, 2013. (AFP Photo)
Recently, we have also seen the Western media making unverified claims that the Syrian regime is using chemical weapons against its own people, and our politicians leaping on these assertions as justification for openly providing weapons to the insurgents.
Other reports are now emerging that indicate it was the rebels themselves who have been using sarin gas against the people. This may halt the rush to war, but not doubt other support will continue to be offered by the West to these war criminals.
So, how is MI6 secretly spending UK taxpayers' money in Afghanistan? According to Western media reporting, it is being used to prop up warlords and corrupt officials. This is deeply unpopular amongst the Afghan people, leading to the danger of increasing support for a resurgent Taliban.
There is also a significant overlap between the corrupt political establishment and the illegal drug trade, up to and including the president's late brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai. So, another unintentional consequence may be that some of this unaccountable ghost money is propping up the drug trade.
Afghanistan is the world's leading producer of heroin, and the UN reports that poppy growth has increased dramatically. Indeed, the UN estimates that acreage under poppy growth in Afghanistan has tripled over the last 7 years.  The value of the drug trade to the Afghan warlords is now estimated to be in the region of $700 million per year.  You can buy a lot of Kalashnikovs with that.
On the one hand, we have Western governments bankrupting themselves to fight the 'war on terror,' breaking international laws and murdering millions of innocent people across North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, while at the same time shredding what remains of our hard-won civil liberties at home.
On the other hand, we apparently have MI6 and the CIA secretly bankrolling the very people in Afghanistan who produce 90 percent of the world's heroin. And then, of course, more scarce resources can be spent on fighting the failed 'war on drugs,' and yet another pretext is used to shred our civil liberties.
This is a lucrative economic model for the burgeoning military-security complex. However, it is a lose-lose scenario for the rest of us.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
 
 

Ghost money from MI6 and CIA may fuel Afghan corruption, say diplomats

Failure of peace initiatives raises questions over whether British eagerness for political settlement may have been exploited
 
  • The Guardian, Tuesday 30 April 2013
  • Hamid Karzai in Helsinki
    Hamid Karzai with the Finnish prime minister, Jyrki Katainen, in Helsinki. Photograph: Lehtikuva/Reuters
     
    The CIA and MI6 have regularly given large cash payments to Hamid Karzai's office with the aim of maintaining access to the Afghan leader and his top allies and officials, but the attempt to buy influence has largely failed and may have backfired, former diplomats and policy analysts say.
    The Guardian understands that the payments by British intelligence were on a smaller scale than the CIA's handouts, reported in the New York Times to have been in the tens of millions, and much of the British money has gone towards attempts to finance peace initiatives, which have so far proved abortive.
    That failure has raised questions among some British officials over whether eagerness to promote a political settlement may have been exploited by Afghan officials and self-styled intermediaries for the Taliban.
    Responding to the allegations while on a visit to Helsinki on Monday, Karzai said his national security council (NSC) had received support from the US government for the past 10 years, and the amounts involved were "not big" and were used for a variety of purposes including helping those wounded in the conflict. "It's multi-purpose assistance," he said, without commenting on the allegations that the money was fuelling corruption.
    Yama Torabi, the director of Integrity Watch Afghanistan said that the presidency's low-key response to the reports had "outraged people".
    "As a result, we don't know what was the amount of money that was given, what it was used for and if there was any corruption involved. Money when it is unchecked can be abused and this looks like one. In addition, it can be potentially used to corrupt politicians and political circles, but there is no way to know this unless there is a serious investigation into it," Torabi told The Guardian.
    Kabul sources told the Guardian that the key official involved in distributing the payments within the NSC was Ibrahim Spinzada, a close confidant of the president known as Engineer Ibrahim. There is, however, no evidence that Spinzada personally gained from the cash payments or that in distributing them among the president's allies and sometimes his foes he was breaking Afghan law.
    Officials say the payments, referred to in a New York Times report as "ghost money", helped prop up warlords and corrupt officials, deepening Afghan popular mistrust of the Kabul government and its foreign backers, and thereby helped drive the insurgency.
    The CIA money has sometimes caused divisions between the various branches of US government represented in Kabul, according to diplomats stationed in Kabul, particularly when it helped give the CIA chief of station in Kabul direct access to Karzai without the US ambassador's knowledge or approval.
    One former Afghan budgetary official told the Guardian: "On paper there was very little money that went to the National Directorate of Security [NDS, the Afghan intelligence service], but we knew they were taken care of separately by the CIA.
    "The thing about US money is a lot of it goes outside the budget, directly through individuals and companies, and that opens the way for corruption."
    Khalil Roman, who served as Karzai's deputy chief of staff from 2002 until 2005, told the New York Times: "We called it 'ghost money'. It came in secret, and it left in secret."
    One American official told the newspaper: "The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan was the United States."
    Sources said the MI6 aid was on a smaller scale, and much of it was focused on trying to promote meetings between Karzai's government and Taliban intermediaries, as was embarrassingly the case in 2010 when MI6 discovered a would-be Taliban leader in talks with Karzai was an impostor from the Pakistani city of Quetta.
    The British payments have also been designed to bolster UK influence in Kabul, in what a source described as "an auction with each country trying to outbid the other" in the course of an often fraught relationship with the Karzai government.
    Vali Nasr, a former US government adviser on Afghanistan, said: "Karzai has been lashing out against American officials and generals, so if indeed there has been funding by the CIA, you have to ask to what effect has that money been paid. It hasn't clearly brought the sort of influence it was meant to."
    Nasr, now dean of the Johns Hopkins school of advanced international studies and author of a new book criticising US policy in Afghanistan, The Dispensable Nation, said: "If the terms of such payments are not clear, the question is how well do they tag with US policy … The CIA has a narrow, counter-terrorism purview that involved working with warlords, but that is quite a different agenda, on how we conduct the war or how we build a government."
    The CIA has also been heavily criticised for conducting drone attacks against suspected militants over the border in Pakistan and for calling in air strikes inside Afghanistan while on joint operations with NDS units, leading to civilian casualties. A report on Monday by the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a thinktank in Kabul, said the latest such NDS-CIA operation, in Kunar province on 13 April, killed 17 civilians.
    Kate Clark, one of the network's analysts, said: "It is one thing to conduct covert operations in a hostile country. I'm flabbergasted that the CIA is running these kind of covert operations in a friendly country. It runs counter to accountability, democracy and the rule of law, and is damaging what the US is trying to do.
    "The CIA puts certain things as a priority – whether someone is against al-Qaida, for example – and damn the rest."
     
     
    Our Man in Iran: How the CIA and MI6 Installed the Shah

    By Leon Hadar

    February 25, 2013 "Information Clearing House" - (Reason) -  Both the critics and the admirers of the Central Intelligence Agency have tended to portray it as an all-knowing, all-powerful, invulnerable entity and to exaggerate the ability of America's spies to determine the outcome of developments around the world. An American reporter interviewing an ordinary citizen—or an official—in Cairo, Buenos Aires, or Seoul may hear that “everyone knows” that the CIA was behind the latest rise in the price of vegetables or the recent outbreak of flu among high-school kids. It’s like you Americans aren't aware of what's obvious (wink, wink).
    New histories of the agency, drawing on recently released classified information and memoirs by retired spies, provide a more complex picture of the CIA, its effectiveness, and its overall power, suggesting that at times Langley was manned not by James Bond clones but by a bunch of keystone cops. My favorite clandestine CIA operation, recounted in Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes, involves its 1994 surveillance of the newly appointed American ambassador to Guatemala, Marilyn McAfee. When the agency bugged her bedroom, it picked up sounds that led agents to conclude that the ambassador was having a lesbian love affair with her secretary. Actually, she was petting her two-year-old black standard poodle.
    But the CIA's history does include efforts to oust unfriendly regimes, to assassinate foreign leaders who didn't believe that what was good for Washington and Wall Street was good for their people, and to sponsor coups and revolutions. Sometimes the agency succeeded.
    Topping the list of those successes—if success is the right word for an operation whose long-term effects were so disastrous—was the August 1953 overthrow of Iran's elected leader and the installment of the unpopular and authoritarian Shah in his place. Operation Ajax, as it was known, deserves that
    by a Hollywood scriptwriter peddling anti-American conspiracies.
    Ervand Abrahamian isn't a Hollywood scriptwriter but a renowned Iranian-American scholar who teaches history at the City University of New York. With The Coup, he has authored a concise yet detailed and somewhat provocative history of the 1953 regime change, which the CIA conducted with the British MI6. If you don't know anything about the story, The Coup is a good place to start. If you've already read a lot about Ajax and the events that led to it, the book still offers new insights into this history-shattering event.
    Abrahamian constructed his narrative by analyzing documents in the archives of British Petroleum, the British Foreign Office, and the State Department as well as the memoirs of the main characters in the drama. These characters—British spies and business executives, American diplomats and journalists, Soviet agents, Communist activists, Nazi propagandists, Shiite mullahs, Iranian crime bosses—have double or even triple agendas to advance as they jump from one political bed to another and back, lying, cheating, stealing, and killing. It all makes the CIA-led extraction of the American hostages in Iran, depicted in the film Argo, look kind of, well, boring.
    On one side there was Muhammad Mossadeq, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, a secular, liberal, and nationalist leader who wanted to join the “neutralist” camp that disavowed commitment to either of the superpowers during the Cold War. An aristocratic and eccentric figure who welcomed foreign officials into his house wearing pajamas, Mossadeq introduced many progressive social and economic reforms into the traditionally Shiite society, and sent shock waves across the world when he moved to nationalize Iran's oil industry, which had been under British control since 1913 through the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.
    On the other side there was Kermit “Kim” Roosevelt, Jr., Teddy's grandson, a legendary spymaster, a self-promoter who dined with major world leaders and business executives but also befriended power-hungry Iranian military generals, corrupt politicians, merchants in the bazzar, and quite a few thugs, who helped him achieve what became Washington's goal: to remove Mossadeq and his political allies, which included liberals, social democrats, and Communists, from power; to return the oil industry into British hands (with more American presence in Iran’s oil business); and to place reliable pro-western politicians in power.
    It seemed to work beautifully. The United States gained a key strategic ally in the Middle East. American companies received a considerable share of Iran’s enormous oil wealth. Other oil-producing Middle Eastern nations got a lesson in what might happen if they nationalized. At a time when the Americans were facing challenges from nationalists such as Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser and were trying to contain the so-called Soviet threat in the Middle East, Our Man in Tehran welcomed American soldiers and investors (and purchased a lot of American weapons). It all looked good until it didn’t.
    While the coup did set back the nationalization of the oil resources in the Middle East, the delay ended in the 1970s. In that decade, Abrahamian writes, one country after another—not just radical states such as Libya, Iraq, and Algeria, but conservative monarchies such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia—“took over their oil resources, and, having learned from the past, took precautions to make sure that their oil companies would not return victorious.”
    At the same time, the coup decimated the secular opposition, leaving Shiite clerics as the most viable political force when the Iranian Revolution deposed the Shah in 1979. The pro-American puppet gave way to a radical and anti-American Islamic Republic where the secular and liberal opposition remains weak and leaderless. That, as they say in Langley, is blowback.
    The coup also intensified what Abrahamian calls the “intense paranoid style prevalent throughout Iranian politics.” While the Iranian clerics worry that Washington wants to do a rerun of the 1953 regime change, many members of the opposition are counting on that to happen. In Tehran, they still think the CIA makes the world turn around.
    The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations, by Ervand Abrahamian, The New Press, 277 pages, $26.95.
     
     
     
     
    What's the difference between MI5 and MI6? What happened to MI1 - MI4 and are there agencies with higher numbers (MI7, MI8, etc.)?
    Matt Denham, Dorchester UK
    • I believe the difference is like the FBI and CIA in the USA - one is for domestic intelligence and one is for international intelligence. But I'm not sure which one is which. I also think that some of the other numbers may have been active in intelligence and of the like during the world wars.
    Benjy Arnold, London UK
    • MI (Military Intelligence) had agencies numbered up to 19, but not all at the same time. Most were folded into MI5, MI6 or GCHQ after the war. I've found the following after a few web searches: MI1 (Codebreaking), MI2 (Russia and Scandinavia), MI3 (Eastern Europe), MI4 (Aerial Reconnaisance), MI8 (Military Communication Interception), MI9 (Undercover operations), MI10 (Weapons analysis) MI14 and MI15 (German specialists), MI19 (PoW debriefing), MI17 (Military Intelligence "Head Office"). Conspiracy theorists will have you believe that there is still a clandestine MI7 dealing with matters extraterrestrial.
    Allan, Wimbledon UK
    • MI5 deals with threats inside the UK, and MI6 combats overseas threats, as anyone who has seen a recent James Bond film knows from the shots of MI6 headquarters at Vauxhall in London.
    James, London UK
    • MI5 - Domestic intelligence, MI6 - foreign intelligence. Interestingly, that makes James Bond a member of MI6.
    J R Scott, Aberdeen
    • MI5 is formally known as the Secret Service, and deals with matters internal, and MI6 should be known as the Secret Intelligence Sevice and deals with extrenal affairs.
    JB, London
    • MI5 is the British security service while MI6 is the British foreign intelligence service. Crudely, MI6 are "our" spies while MI5 is there to catch "their" spies. It gets a little more complicated in that MI6 has its own "counter-intelligence" section. "MI5/MI6" were the original designations when both organisations came under the War Office, now the MOD - "MI" stands for military intelligence. Their official names (acquired in the 30s) are the Security Service (MI5) and SIS, the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). The former is responsible to the Home Office and the latter to the Foreign Office.
    John Burnes, Manchester Lancashire
    • MI5 investigates matters of national security in the UK (investigates terrorists, counterinsurgency, etc). Equivalent to the US National Security Agency (NSA). MI6 (now SIS) gathers intelligence pertenant to the UK's international affairs - spying on Iraq for example. Equivalent to the US's CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) NCIS (national criminal investigation squad) are top ranking police officers dealing with high profile crimes, and have little to do with intelligence, though often co-operate with intelligence agencies for practical reasons. Equivalent to FBI.
    Anonymous,
    • Anonymous' contention that NCIS stands for National Criminal Investigation Squad is a load of old tosh. NCIS is the National Criminal Intelligence Service, and far from being merely "top ranking police officers dealing with high profile crimes" it busies itself with identifying new criminal trends, acting as a clearing house for information from police forces around the UK, and liaising with Interpol, Europol, and various intelligence service around the world.
    Paul Bartholomew, Harrogate England
    • Also contrary to Anonymous' reply, MI5 is more equivalent to the US FBI. The UK equivalent of the NSA (National Security Agency) would be GCHQ.
    David, Madrid Spain
    • According to an American PBS documentary on the Allied Prisoners of War held in Colditz Castle during the Second World War, MI9 existed primarily to aid the escape of British soldiers held captive. One of the principal techniques MI9 used was to mail contraband to prisoners hidden in Red Cross care parcels. German money was hidden inside a Monopoly board, and decks of playing cards were sent containing military-grade maps of Germany.
    Christopher, Boston, Massachusetts USA
    • MI-8 was a cover name for S.O.E.--Special Operations Executive, the ad hoc covert ops and dirty tricks organization during WW2. See M.R.D. Foot's SOE, The Special Operations Executive 1940 - 1946. As mentioned above, MI-9 was the escape and evasion apparat. (Mr. Foot has apparently also written a book on that entity.)
    John C.Watson, Amherst, MA U.S.A.
    • They're all coming to get me...
    Bob, Exeter, UK
    • MI5 and MI6 were originally part of the Military Operations and numbered MO5 and MO6, lower numbers dealing with various administrative matters. They kept the same numbers when Military Intelligence was formed. I think that MI7 dealt with censorship.
    Jim Gilbert, Santa Ynez California
    • Well here is the list I've managed to come up with from searching on the net, no clues for what MI12 or MI18 were/are though. MI1 Codebreaking, MI2 Russia and Scandinavia, MI3 Eastern Europe, Germany? MI4 Aerial Reconnaisance MI5 domestic intelligence MI6 foreign intelligence MI7 Propaganda MI8 Military Communication Interception, MI9 Undercover operations, /POW escape MI10 Weapons analysis MI11 Field security police MI12 ??? MI13 Reconnaissance MI14 and MI15 German specialists, Mi16 royal secret service MI17 Military Intelligence "Head Office". MI18 ??? MI19 PoW debriefing,
    T Swindells, Hampshire
    • A full list of Miliary Intelligence (MI) Departments during world war 2 can be found on pages 147 and 148 of "Codebreaker in the Far East" by Alan Stripp, published in 1989 by Oxford University Press. This goes numerically up to MI19 plus MIL, MIR and MIX. The author says that the whole series has now been replaced anyway.
    Alastair Thomson, Northampton, UK
    • MI1-director of military intelligence; also cryptography MI2-responsible for Russia and Scandinavia MI3-responsible for Germany and eastern Europe MI4-Aerial reconnaissance during world war two MI5-domestic intelligence and security MI6-foreign intelligence and security MI8-interception & interpretation of communications MI9-clandestine operations (escape and evasion) MI10-weapons and technical analysis MI11-field security police MI14-German specialists MI17-secretariat body for MI departments MI19-POW debriefing unit
    Matt, Bracknell, Berkshire
    • Contrary to the above answers likening MI5 to the FBI, that's rubbish too. The FBI is not an intelligence service AT ALL. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the US Intelligence services and is simply the "Federal Bureau of Investigation". The FBI is a national and federally empowered police force - to investigate crime. They do NOT collect clandestine intelligence or have anything to do with the military. The NSA is the nearest equivalent to MI5 but GCHQ's role may well overlap in terms of jurisdiction. GCHQ collaborates with all the British intelligence services on a daily basis, both cross-checking information or providing useful intelligence for the MI community. GCHQ regularly recruit analysts, and have large teams who can understand and verify whether information is up to date, or translate documents and coded messages. GCHQ are experts on things like terrorist groups, and can almost immediately decide whether a groups' claim to an attack is genuine.
    John, London
    • At which time we the british empire have been called upon to defend itself, its allies and dependancies it became nessacery to form a number of departments and agencies. Over the years these dapartments have served a number of different roles and purposes. in answer to the above question: MI1 Code breaking, MI2 Russia and Scandinavia, MI3 Easton Europe, MI4 Aerial Reconnaissance, MI5 Domestic Intelligence, now The Security Service, MI6 Foreign Intelligence, now the Secret Intelligence service, MI7 Propoganda and censorship, MI8 Signals Intelligence, MI9 Undercover operations supporting POW, MI10 Weapons and technical Analysis, MI11 Field Intelligence, MI12 Military Censorship, MI13 Remains Classified, MI14 German Intelligence, MI15 Aerial Photography, MI16 Scientific Intelligence, MI17 Secretarial section, MI18 Remains Classifed, MI19 Extraction of information from foreign POWs MI20 - MI25 remain Classified. It is important to also remember that most of these where small departments and at the end of world war 2 they were mostly all merged into MI5, MI6, GCHQ and other agencies. most british intelligence agencies still remain classified to the general public x the only reason this information has been released is that these agencies have all now terminated activity and new agencies have replaced them. Captain S.S DG of MI section 25
    Captain S, England
    • I love these responses. I am watching a movie call MI-5. Excellent intelligence movie of our brothers over the Atlantic.
    Jay Casiano, Albany, NY, USA
    • By-the-way: NCIS stands for National Criminal Investigative Service. NCIS is a team of federal law enforcement professionals dedicated to protecting the people, family, and assets of the US Navy and the Marine Corps worldwide.
    Jay Casiano, Albany, NY, USA
    • The FBI does have a counter intelligence section and they work very closely with the CIA and other intelligence agencies in the US like the NIA (Naval Intelligence Agency) and DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency).
    John Smith, Chicago, United States
    • Minus one.
    Francisco Scaramanga, Secret Island, Carribean
    • To John C.Watson. Thanks for the info. Having lived and studied in Amherst, I'm wondering how you can possess such a deep and correct knowledge of matters military while in 'the valley', an area not exactly conducive, but rather hostile, to that region of scholarship. Hats off to you.
    Tom Roberts, Tokyo, Japan
    • In the United States, NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We do not have an agency called the National Criminal Investigative Service, because we have many federal agencies that investigate crimes nationally. Some of these are the FBI, DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency, ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), U. S. Postal Inspectors, and U. S. Marshal's Service. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has the Criminal Investigation Division to investigate tax fraud. Now included in the Department of Homeland Security (which was created in 2003) are these federal investigative agencies: CBP (U. S. Customs and Border Protection), ICE (U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), U. S. Coast Guard, and U. S. Secret Service. The Transportation Security Administration also is within DHS. Finally, all federal agencies have Offices of Inspectors General (OIG) who have special agents with law enforcement responsibility and authority to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse within and against each agency. Law enforcement in the United States is very fragmented. There are many federal law enforcement agencies, each state has various investigative agencies (the number depends on the individual states), and of course every town and city has local police agencies. Every county in the U. S. has a sheriff's department to investigate crimes in the counties that are outside the jurisdiction of local police departments. Even many public school districts now have their own independent police departments and most colleges and universities of any size now have their own police departments. Altogether there are approximately 850,000 full-time law enforcement officers in the United States.
    J. R. Price, Arlington, Texas
    • No wonder conspiracy theories etc abound - I simply went to the source www.mi5.gov.uk and there all is explained. I never really understood the expression 'get a life' but now browsing the responces to this query, it has relevance.
    James, Newcastle upon Tyne UK
    • The binary distinction between MI5 and MI6 presented in some of the answers above is incorrect. As displayed on the MI6>FAQs and on the MI5 website>about us>myths sections, "SIS (MI6) collects secret intelligence overseas on behalf of the British Government. MI5, the Security Service, is the UK's security intelligence agency responsible for protecting the UK, its interests and citizens against major threats to national security." However, these 2 distinct roles entail actual operational overlap and thus "the scope of national security extends beyond the British Isles and may involve the protection of British interests worldwide, e.g. diplomatic premises and staff, British companies and investments and British citizens living or travelling abroad. Security threats to British interests anywhere in the world fall within the scope of our functions as set out in the Security Service Act 1989. In dealing with security threats overseas we co-operate closely with the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), who are responsible for gathering intelligence overseas, and with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office." Simples.
    Vinesh Patel, London, England
    • For John in London: The FBI is in fact partly an inteligence service. FBI has jurisdiction within the continental US while CIA has responsibilities over seas, NSA has ability now to monitor communications both domestically and over seas. Like our UK Counter Parts they are unsung heroes, who allow us to keep our freedom!!
    Jack Zalenski, Beverly, New Jersey, USA
    • Thanks for the info, guys.
    Manaal Basit, Budgam, India
    • dosent matter casue the usa is the best! go seal teams
    RYAN, rakin cille USA
    • "Question" I need to ask is: does anyone know if MI9 existing after WW2 in to the 50s & possibly 60s?My Canadian father was in R.C.A.F. Intelligence Services back then,served and married my mother in England in fifties,also served in France in fifties, I was told even though he was Canadian, he also worked for the British, is it possible that he could have worked for M19 after the War 2, I am trying to validate information I have been learning on him.Some older close associates have mentioned to me M19..He was recently killed while in Turks & Caicos Islands shot in isolated location, no weapon found or bullet or casing etc. Because of his past with the military, I am trying to connect some dots prior to and around the time of his death, local police kind, and still investigating, but not all are well educated,the Islands were bankrupt and political corruption caused The Queen to provide a temporary Governor till next elections: recently Britain has supplied T&C with additional police experts, investigations etc. I also read recently that there is an Interpol office located on the Islands as well. I am no expert in any of these matters..Just curious to see if there is any possible chance my father could have ever been linked with Britain's MI9, since his death people I'm connecting with are telling me he previously served with MI9: he was very brilliant and a serious intellectual.Advice would be appreciated.Thanking you for your assistance.
    ann, toronto canada
    • Mmm some interesting answers!! You are right that MI originally stood for Military Intelligence (followed by Department 1, 2, 3 etc). The current Security Service and Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) are still sometimes referred to as MI5 and MI6 respectively, though technically they are no longer 'military' being staffed by civil servants. You can find out more about the MI5/MI6 designations on their websites www.MI5.gov.uk etc - it is not a secret!
    GJB, Bishops Stortford UK
    • Mi5 is about affairs that happen on British soil. Mi5 is often referred to as security service or ss. On the other hand Mi6 deals with current affairs overseas and are often referred to as secret intelligence service or sis kind of like the FBI but the sis does not shed names or appearance of their agents.
    Euan McMurtrie, Glasgow Scotland
    • Having spent 21 years finding out about Lockerbie, I have some familiarity with various US, UK and Iranian and other agencies. The CIA and MI5 cooperate closely, though MI5 tries to prevent some of the FBI's more absurd plot ideas, like attributing the destruction of Pan Am 103 to the Irish. MI6 looks down on the CIA as the johnny-come-lately with too much firepower, the child of SOE and OSS. The Agency will do wet jobs - it helped blow up Pan Am 103 - while the SIS does not kill people, and there is a rule to that effect. The CIA London officer attends the first half of the JSC meeting every week in London, and the feeling that the UK should always take its lead from the US often grates to the British horribly. GCHQ is the child of BP is still respected by the NSA. The NSC is despised by all, as simply being the porthole by which the White House tells the world how it wishes to see things. Everyone detests the DIA, and BAFTA are regarded as fools and buffoons. The US security estate is far bigger than the UK one, but slow, bureaucratic and always fighting the last war but one. No-one liked the French, DST and DGSE, the Russians are still feared and the Germans uncooperative.
    Charles Norrie, London, UK
    • There are some very good answers here. However, I do believe that the most important department in British security has been overlooked. Not surprisingly it is only natural that, as all CI5 operations are very secretive and carried out by professionals, they are kept extremely quiet. George Cowley - Head of CI5
    George Cowley, London, UK
    • During WWII MI-9 was the organisation responsible for establishing networks behind enemy lines that assisted POW's and downed airmen in escaping or evading capture.
    Stuart Kohn, Maplewood, NJ US
    • Originally all MI, Military Intelligence was in one building. Each department had it's own 'Room'. The numbers following the letters MI refereed to room or door number.
    Paladin, Moncton Canada
    • There seems to be so many acronyms for NCIS so I googled it NCIS Naval Criminal Investigative Service NCIS National Coroners Information System (Australia) NCIS Nebraska Career Information System NCIS National Crime Intelligence Service NCIS National Coalition of Independent Scholars NCIS National Crop Insurance Service (gathers crop-hail statistics) NCIS Nuclear Criticality Information System NCIS NATO Common Interoperability Standards NCIS Navy Cost Information System NCIS New Century Infusion Solutions (Brea, CA) NCIS Naval Criminal Intelligence Command NCIS NATO Common Interface Standard NCIS No Change in Status NCIS National Coordinated Industry Survey (Australia) NCIS National Crime Investigation Squad
    jamo, Castletown Isle of Man
    • I think there all different
    Tee, Nashville TN USA
    • Adding to Stu Kohan's answer, MI9 was also called "Escape and Evade," and the American MIS-X was modeled after the British MI9.
    Bill Streifer, Inwood, NY USA
    • MI5 specializes in identifying and neutralizing domestic threats or security threats emanating from within UK while MI6 is tasked with combing and neutralizing external threats.
    Wycliffe, Eldoret Kenya
    • MI1: Codes and cyphers. Later merged with other code-breaking agencies and became Government Code and Cypher School (now known as Government Communications Headquarters). MI2: Information on Middle and Far East, Scandinavia, USA, USSR, Central and South America. MI3: Information on Eastern Europe and the Baltic Provinces (plus USSR, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia after Summer 1941). MI4: Geographical section — maps (transferred to Military Operations in April 1940). MI5: Liaison with Security Service, following the transfer of Security Service to the Home Office in the 1920s. MI6: Liaison with Secret Intelligence Service and Foreign Office. MI7: Press and propaganda (transferred to Ministry of Information in May 1940). MI8: Signals interception and communications security. MI9: Escaped British PoW debriefing, escape and evasion (also: enemy PoW interrogation until 1941). MI10: Technical Intelligence worldwide. MI11: Military Security. MI12: Liaison with censorship organisations in Ministry of Information, military censorship. MI13: Not used (except in fiction). MI14: Germany and German-occupied territories (aerial photography until Spring 1943). MI15: Aerial photography. In the Spring of 1943, aerial photography moved to the Air Ministry and MI15 became air defence intelligence. MI16: Scientific Intelligence (formed 1945). MI17: Secretariat for Director of Military Intelligence from April 1943. MI18: Used only in fiction. MI19: Enemy PoW interrogation (formed from MI9 in December 1941).
    Chris Meadow, Middleton, US
    • M15 is a secret Intelligent unit primarily deals with internal affairs but terrorists unusually and The Great MI6 deals with foreign affairs which has to do with the UK or not. M07 become MI7 in 1916 after the War.Which is responsible for information and press or propaganda. MI8 is the Radio Security Service (RSS).MI4 now the JARIC agency. In short you can be made to believe that MI1-M14 still exist after the second world war.
    Kwame Akonnor, Sakyikrom-Nsawam, Ghana
    • NCIS stands for NAVAL Criminal Intelligence Service. The word is not "national."
    Carole Parkinson, Portland United States
    • Firstly, NCIS does not refer to US Naval version it's referred to the UK National Criminal Investigative Service now known as SOCA (Serious Organized Crime Agency) this agency took over most of the MI5 responsibilities leaving matter of counter-intelligence and foreign diplomatic services up to MI6 which really no longer exist as an agency only unto itself. It may have a website etc, but any MI (Military Intelligence) office is overseen by the Foreign Secretary. Years ago the "operatives" used in Clandestine Services were reassigned and renamed under Her Majesty's Customs and Excise via Home Office. MI5 Secret Service is domestic only. Handles British territories with some travel. Most of the foreign embassies in the world have Diplomatic Protection Officers in them. Ian Flemming's Bond is loosely based on the association of these two agencies but they are not related and quite honestly MI5 is nothing more than an Interpol type office conducting mostly anti-terrorism operations where as SOCA is chiefly responsible for national investigations and policing. It can be argued because there is not substantial information available to the general public as to what or how each foreign service office or officer are assigned or their duties. As to what has happened to the other MI's they have been re-titled UKSF and INTCORP or ICA Intelligence Corp Association.
    P. M. Skellen, Herefordshire United Kingdom
    • All I can say is Thank God for the United Kingdom, the english language the principals of law and the rich heritage we have recieved from them. God bless all of our english speaking cousins around the world. Thank you.
    Robin L. Garces, Newberg Oregon, USA
    • Pretty much MI5 and MI6 have absolved all the other sections MI's activities. MI5 works closely with the Police as well in the UK. Now my next question is... What does MI6 do in this peace time activities. I have heard what the CIA is doing? MI6 is very secretive and am pretty sure that their actions are passive rather than active. Is there a secret hatchet unit that's unsanctioned by the British Government known as Section 20? Basically under the CIA, this is called Blake Ops. If there is one, then Sec 20 is the creme de la creme of international law enforcement.
    Dominic W S Chan, Shah Alam Malaysia
    • I believe that the closest to MI5 is the US Department of Homeland Security
    Harold Basa,
    • Contrary to John London's post, the FBI, like the CIA, is a member of the US Intelligence Community.
    Carson, Virginia US
    • My dad worked for MI8 at one point just after the war. It involved sitting in the back of a army waggon listening to Russian morse and transcribing it. He had no Russian language translation skills, that duty belonged to someone else. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but at least it sounded good....
    Nik, Leigh UK
    • In response to what the American NCIS stands for, it's not NATIONAL, but Naval Criminal Investigative Service. I believe the UK one is National. And I'm also watching MI-5, know in the UK as Spooks. I wanted to get a handle on the different intelligence agencies. To my understanding, MI-5 deals with domestic intelligence, but not equivalent to our FBI because of their clandestine nature (I would say equivalent to the NSA). And MI-6 is international intelligence, like the CIA. So can anyone elaborate more on GCHQ? Or what their American equivalent would be if there is one?
    Ike, San Diego, California USA
    • A big thank you for your post. Want more.

    No need for secret justice say CIA spies: U.S. 'would never hold back terror intelligence from Britain'

    By Tim Shipman, Deputy Political Editor

    | UPDATED: 07:37, 6 April 2012

    Former CIA officers have dismissed claims that the U.S. will not share information with British intelligence chiefs without secret hearings.

    It had been alleged that the Central Intelligence Agency withheld details of a terror plot from British spies because of concerns that their sources could be exposed in our courts.

    The claim was leaked by security sources in London to build support for holding  terrorist hearings behind closed doors – but it has also been used by ministers as an excuse to demand secret hearings in a huge range of civil cases that have nothing to do with terrorism.

    Michael Scheuer

    Spy row: The CIA has accused MI5 and MI6 of lying about the need for secret courts in Britain. Former officer Michael Scheuer (right) said the CIA would never hold back important information from British spies

    However, officials with knowledge of intelligence in London and Washington have said the practice of passing information across the Atlantic remains as common as ever.

    Former CIA officer Michael Scheuer claimed the organisation would ‘never hold back’ information from British spies that was ‘important to their domestic security’.

    Asked if U.S. intelligence agencies had been nervous about sharing information with Britain, Mr Scheuer said: ‘I think less than with  anyone else. There’s always a nervousness when you share a piece of intelligence with anyone, but the relationship between Britain and the United States, especially on the issue of terrorism, is exceedingly close and, more than that, important to the security of both countries.’

     

    Mr Scheuer, who led the hunt for Osama Bin Laden during his 22-year career with the CIA, admitted: ‘I think that there’s a nervousness in the CIA about the use of our information in American courts, so it would not be surprising that we would be nervous about what’s going on in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.’

    However, he made clear that ties with Britain remain extremely close. ‘There are certainly things, for example, that we share with Britain, Canada and Australia and no one else, because of the closeness and the duration of that relationship,’ he said.

    MI6 Headquarters on River Thames: London leaked the claim that CIA bosses refused to pass to Britain full details of a 'Mumbai-style' terrorist plot targeting London

    MI6 Headquarters on River Thames: London leaked the claim that CIA bosses refused to pass to Britain full details of a 'Mumbai-style' terrorist plot targeting London

    His views echoed those of a U.S. government official authorised to speak to the Press on intelligence matters, who said: ‘There has been no deterioration in the relationship, which remains as strong as ever on a wide range of issues.’

    A former CIA officer and counter-terrorism expert who maintains close relationships with the Obama administration added: ‘I am not aware of any problems at all.’

    In London, a senior government source described allegations that co-operation has been damaged as ‘seriously overblown’.

    They added: ‘There is an issue, but it has all been greatly overdone. There are always sensitivities about these sort of things but there’s no serious issue as far as I am aware.’

    Embarrassment: MI5 and MI6 want secret court hearings to prevent a repeat of the Binyam Mohamed case

    Embarrassment: MI5 and MI6 want secret court hearings to prevent a repeat of the Binyam Mohamed case

    Another British source said: ‘The U.S. has never given us all the information, down to the identity of sources. But we work very closely with them.’  Tory MP David Davis, a former shadow home secretary, accused Britain’s intelligence agencies of engaging in a ‘smoke and mirrors’ PR campaign to restrict public scrutiny of their activities, and effectively writing the Government’s plans by dictating to ministers. ‘This was all designed in Vauxhall Cross [MI6’s headquarters] and Thames House [MI5’s]. Providing disinformation is what they do for a living,’ he said.

    MI5 and MI6 want secret court hearings to prevent a repeat of the Binyam Mohamed case, which saw two MI5 officers called to give evidence about what they knew of the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner’s maltreatment when he sought to sue the Government for complicity in torture.

    'Smoke and mirrors': former shadow home secretary David Davis, accused Britain's intelligence agencies of engaging in PR campaign to restrict public scrutiny of their activities

    'Smoke and mirrors': former shadow home secretary David Davis, accused Britain's intelligence agencies of engaging in PR campaign to restrict public scrutiny of their activities

    Ministers tried to conceal U.S. documents disclosing his alleged torture, but were overruled by the courts.

    Lawyer Clive Stafford Smith of the pressure group Reprieve, who has represented Guantanamo Bay inmates, said: ‘The security services need to remember that their very purpose is to help preserve our liberties, not dismantle them.’

    Referring to recent proposals that would have granted British spies the power to pry on our internet use, he added: ‘They have been demanding the right to snoop on all of us secretly, while refusing any meaningful oversight of their own misconduct.

    ‘When they anonymously represent that the U.S. is curtailing intelligence, and current or former CIA officials say “that is nonsense”, that illustrates the need for greater transparency, rather than less.’

    Tim Weiner, author of a highly respected history of the CIA, said: ‘The UK-U.S. intelligence relationship is so deep that a legal issue of this kind would not destroy it.’

    Of the laws introduced in the U.S. following the 9/11 attacks, he said:  ‘We went through a rather wrenching experience over the last 10 years, with secret law and secret prisons, and we don’t want to go back down that road.

    ‘Secret hearings lead to secret law and secret law is something that cannot be conscienced in a democracy. Secret trials are a star chamber.’

    David Anderson QC, the Government’s terrorism watchdog, claimed there had been a ‘diminution’ of intelligence-sharing, but insisted that the Government’s ‘well-founded fears’ should not be used as a ‘scare tactic’ to introduce secret trials in ‘unrelated’ civil cases.

    Security sources in London had leaked the claim that CIA bosses refused to pass on full details of a ‘Mumbai-style’ terrorist plot targeting London.

    They said the CIA told MI6 about Al Qaeda plans against several cities in Europe, which suggested that the seizing and killing of hostages could be involved, 18 months ago – but stopped short of passing on everything they knew.



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    Britain's MI6 operates a bit differently than CIA

     
    By Walter Pincus
    Tuesday, November 2, 2010; 3:55 AM

     

     

    "The most draining aspect of my job is reading, every day, intelligence reports describing the plotting of terrorists who are bent on maiming and murdering people in this country."

    Those words, spoken last week, come from the first public speech given by a director of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Instead of Dame Judi Dench, who plays the role in James Bond films, Sir John Sawers, the real director of the legendary 101-year-old spy service, appeared before the Society of Editors in London. Early in his career, Sawers was an MI6 operative in the Middle East.

    It's worth looking at his precise presentation for its similarities and differences with what CIA Director Leon Panetta might say in a similar circumstance.

    While the U.S. intelligence community is made up of 16 agencies, including CIA and those in the Pentagon, "three specialised services form the [United Kingdom] intelligence community," said Sawers, 55, a Foreign Service diplomat. He listed MI5, which is a domestic service somewhat like the FBI; and GCHQ, the government's electronic eavesdropping agency, which is much like the Pentagon-based National Security Agency. Each also has the lead in the cyber world. Sawers' own service, like the CIA, operates outside the British homeland, gathering information primarily from human sources.

     
    SYRIA: CIA-MI6 Intel Ops and Sabotage
     
    SYRIA:  CIA-MI6  Intel Ops and Sabotage
     
    This incisive article by veteran war correspondent  Felicity Arbuthnot was published by Global Research a year ago, on February 2, 2012.
    You will not read it in the New York Times.
    At a time of  mounting media fabrications –when “objective truths are fading” and  “lies are passing into history”– this analysis reveals the diabolical modus operandi of US-NATO terrorism and  how covert intelligence ops are applied to trigger conditions which are conducive to the collapse of nation states. One of these “conditions” is the outright killing of  innocent civilians as part of a cover operation and then blaming president Bashar Al Assad of  having committed atrocities against his own people
    Michel Chossudovsky,  Global Research , January 27, 2012

     
    “In order to facilitate the action of liberative (sic) forces, …a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. …[to] be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention, …
    Once a political decision has been reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS (MI6) will attempt to mount minor sabotage and coup de main (sic) incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals. …Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus …
    Further : a “necessary degree of fear .. frontier incidents and (staged) border clashes”, would “provide a pretext for intervention… the CIA and SIS [MI6 should use … capabilitites in both psychological and action fields to augment tension.” (Joint US-UK leaked Intelligence Document, London and Washington, 1957)

    “'The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history."
    (George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1950.)
    For anyone in two minds about what is really going on in Syria, and whether President Assad, hailed a decade ago as “A Modern Day Attaturk”, has become the latest megalomaniacal despot, to whose people a US-led posse of nations, must deliver “freedom”, with weapons of mass, home, people, nation and livelihood destruction, here is a salutary tale from modern history.
    Have the more recent sabre rattlings against Syria* been based on US-UK government papers, only discovered in 2003 - and since air brushed (or erroneously omitted) from even BBC timelines, on that country?(i)
    In late 2003, the year of the Iraq invasion, Matthew Jones, a Reader in International History, at London’s Royal Holloway College, discovered “frighteningly frank” documents:1957 plans between then UK Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, and then President, Dwight Eisenhower, endorsing: “a CIA-MI6 plan to stage fake border incidents as an excuse for an invasion (of Syria) by Syria’s pro-western neighbours.” (ii)
    At the heart of the plan was the assassination of the perceived power behind then President Shukri al-Quwatli. Those targeted were: Abd al-Hamid Sarraj, Head of Military Intelligence; Afif al-Bizri, Chief of Syrian General Staff: and Khalid Bakdash, who headed the Syrian Communist Party.
    The document was drawn up in Washington in the September of 1957:
    “In order to facilitate the action of liberative (sic) forces, reduce the capabilities of the regime to organize and direct its military actions … to bring about the desired results in the shortest possible time, a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals.
    “Their removal should be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention, and in the light of circumstances existing at the time.”
    In the light of President Assad’s current allegations of foreign forces and interventions, cross border incursions (as Colonel Qadafi’s before him, so sneered at by Western governments and media – and, of course, ultimately proved so resoundingly correct.) there are some fascinating, salutary phrases:
    “Once a political decision has been reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS (MI6) will attempt to mount minor sabotage and coup de main (sic) incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals.
    “Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus … care should be taken to avoid causing key leaders of the Syrian regime to take additional personal protection measures.”
    Further : a “necessary degree of fear .. frontier incidents and (staged) border clashes”, would “provide a pretext for intervention”, by Iraq and Jordan - then still under British mandate.
    Syria was to be: “made to appear as sponsor of plots, sabotage and violence directed against neighbouring governments … the CIA and SIS [Her Majesty's Secret International Serivce, MI6] should use … capabilities in both psychological and action fields to augment tension.”
    Incursions in to Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, would involve: “sabotage, national conspiracies, and various strong arms activities”, were, advised the document, to be blamed on Damascus.
    In late December 2011 an opposition “Syria National Council” was announced, to “liberate the country”, representatives met with Hilary Clinton. There now seems to be a US – endorsed “Syrian Revolutionary Council.”
    The Eisenhower-Macmillan plan was for funding of the: “Free Syria Committee” and “arming of political factions with paramilitary or other actionist capabilities”, within Syria.
    CIA-MI6, planned fomenting internal uprisings and replacing the Ba’ath-Communist-leaning government, with a Western, user-friendly one. Expecting this to be met by public hostility, they planned to: “probably need to rely first on repressive measures and arbitrary exercise of power.”
    The document was signed off in both London and Washington. It was, wrote Macmillan in his diary: “a most formidable report.” A Report which was: “withheld even from British Chiefs of Staff …”
    Washington and Whitehall had become concerned at Syria’s increasingly pro-Soviet, rather than pro-Western sympathies – and the Ba’ath (Pan Arab) and Communist party alliance, also largely allied within the Syrian army.
    However, even political concerns, were trumped by Syria then controlling a main pipeline from the Western bonanza of Iraq’s oil fields, in those pre-Saddam Hussein days.
    Briefly put: in 1957, Syria allied with Moscow (which included an agreement for military and economic aid) also recognized China – and then as now, the then Soviet Union warned the West against intervening in Syria.
    Syria, is unchanged as an independent minded country, and the loyalties remain. It broadly remains the cradle of the Pan Arab ideal of Ba’athism, standing alone, since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
    In 1957, this independent mindedness caused Loy Henderson, a Senior State Department official, to say that:“the present regime in Syria had to go …”
    Ultimately, the plan was not used, since, British mandate or not, neighbouring countries refused to play. However, the project, overtly, bears striking similarity to the reality of events over the last decade, in Syria – and the region.
    In a near 1957 re-run, Britain’s Foreign Minister, William Hague has said President Assad “will feel emboldened” by the UN Russia-China vote in Syria’s favour.
    Hilary (“We came, we saw, he died”) Clinton, has called for: “friends of a democratic Syria”, to unite and rally against the Assad government:
    “We need to work together to send them a clear message: you cannot hold back the future at the point of a gun”, said the women filmed purportedly watching the extrajudicial, illegal assassination of may be, or may be not, Osma Bin Laden and others – but certainly people were murdered – by US illegal invaders – at the point of lots of guns.
    Supremely ironically, she was speaking in Munich (5th February) historically: “The birth place of the Nazi party.”
    The Russia-China veto at the UN on actions against Syria, has been condemned by the US, varyingly, as: “Disgusting”, ‘shameful”, “deplorable”, “a travesty.”
    Eye opening, is the list of US vetoes to be found at (iii). Jaw dropping double standards can only be wondered at (again.).
    Perhaps the bottom line is: in 1957, Iraq’s oil was at the top of the agenda, of which Syria held an important key. Today, it is Iran’s – and as Michel Chossudovsky notes so succinctly: “The road to Tehran is through Damascus.”(iv)
    Notes
     
     
     
    MI6 (The Secret Intelligence Service/SIS)
    'The majority of terror organizations in the world are intelligence agencies.' ----
    [Chief of the Illuminati secret polices.  Mass murder a speciality.  Read Hitler was a British Agent by Greg Hallett to get some of the picture.  The Tavistock Institute  is the mind control arm.]
    See: MI6 MI5  CIA NSA FBI  Mossad  GCHQ

    Isis The I (EYE) acts as the MIRROR of the S (symbolic with the S on either side of it, not literally mirrored obviously) it also resonates ISIS and the occult $(caduceus) if you lay the letters on top of each other SIS (and ISIS) in their own font you get $, numerological S=19 and I=9 so 19919, which vaguely resonates 9/11 to me. MI6 Mind Control Experiments and Salvador Dali
    [2013] PRINCESS MARGARET, AN MI6 DIRECTOR FORCED TO RESIGN AND A SECRET THAT COULD HAVE BROUGHT DOWN THE ROYAL FAMILY BY GIOVANNI DI STEFANO  On 15 January 1973, Rennie's son was arrested for an alleged involvement in the importation of large quantities of heroin from Hong Kong. The Director General resigned immediately. The letters and photographs remained highly secret and scandal kept quiet.
    [2012 Dec] WHAT WAS MI6 TEAM DOING IN PARIS THE NIGHT PRINCESS DIANA DIED?   RUSSIAN intelligence agents in France had become suspicious of the sudden arrival of three senior MI6 officers in Paris before Princess Diana’s death
    [2012 Jan] Libya rendition claims to be investigated by UK police  Abdel Hakim Belhadj, a commander of the rebel forces in Libya, says he was tortured after being arrested in 2004. He says he was taken from Bangkok to Libya by a joint CIA and MI6 operation which was set up to help Col Muammar Gaddafi round up his enemies.
    [2010 Jan] General Ivashov: “International terrorism does not exist”   Only secret services and their current chiefs – or those retired but still having influence inside the state organizations – have the ability to plan, organize and conduct an operation of such magnitude. Generally, secret services create, finance and control extremist organizations. Without the support of secret services, these organizations cannot exist – let alone carry out operations of such magnitude inside countries so well protected. Planning and carrying out an operation on this scale is extremely complex.  Osama bin Laden and “Al Qaeda” cannot be the organizers nor the performers of the September 11 attacks. They do not have the necessary organization, resources or leaders. Thus, a team of professionals had to be created and the Arab kamikazes are just extras to mask the operation.
    [2009] Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger  At that time, I interviewed Tim Laxton, who had attended every day of the inquiry as  auditor of companies taken over by MI6 and other secret agencies as vehicles for the illegal arms trade with Saddam Hussein. Had there been a full and open criminal investigation, Laxton told me, “hundreds” would have faced prosecution. “They would include,” he said, “top political figures, very senior civil servants from right throughout Whitehall … the top echelon of government.”
    [2007] Hookers, spies, cases full of dollars...how BP spent £45m to win 'Wild East' oil rights   BP executives working for Lord Browne spent millions of pounds on champagne-fuelled sex parties to help secure lucrative international oil contracts. The company also worked with MI6 to help bring about changes in foreign governments, according to an astonishing account of life inside the oil giant. ...."It was full of prostitutes and many of us, including me, used them on a regular basis, although we quickly established they all worked for the KGB. ...."If we went back to the rooms, not only were they bugged, but the girls would quiz us closely about what we were doing and where we were going, and reported straight back to their handlers.
    Some of Mr Abrahams' most intriguing claims surround the alleged co-operation between BP and the British intelligence services to secure a more pro-Western, pro-business regime in the country. ....He says the operation, masterminded by Scarlett in Moscow, contributed to the coup in May 1992 which saw President Ayaz Mutalibov toppled by Abulfaz Elchibey, and then to a second change a year later which saw Haydar Aliyev take power.
    [2006] MI5 'helped IRA buy bomb parts in US'  A FORMER British Army mole in the IRA has claimed that MI5 arranged a weapons-buying trip to America in which he obtained detonators, later used by terrorists to murder soldiers and police officers. ...The British Irish Rights Watch report will also put the focus back on the alleged MI6 agent 'J118'. Army intelligence officer turned whistleblower Martin Ingram has alleged 'J118' was Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinnesss.
    [2005] Spies warned of Tube attack  A leaked four-page report by the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), which oversees all spying, is the first definitive evidence that the intelligence services expected terrorists to strike at the Underground.
    [2002] Neo-Nazi leader 'was MI6 agent' Germany's most notorious postwar neo-Nazi party was led by an intelligence agent working for the British, according to both published and unpublished German sources.
    [2002] British Press Gagged on Reporting MI6's £100,000 bin Laden Payoff  By Paul Joseph Watson  The British media have been gagged from reporting sensational courtroom evidence of former MI5 spy David Shayler ( 36-year-old former MI5 officer), including his alleged proof that the British secret service paid $270,000 for al Qaeda terrorists to assassinate Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 1986
    Quotes
     Britain’s overseas intelligence MI-6 is the Illuminati’s chief intelligence agency. Bloodlines of the Illuminati  8. Onassis
    MI-6 and MI-5 got very excited in the early days of WWI when they suddenly realised that mastery of the air provided them with a whole new environment in which to stage accidents. No longer would they have to rely on people falling down gang-planks, poisoned by a Chief Steward, crushed by a cistern falling off a ship's toilet wall, or eaten by a shark. Now there was a whole new environment brimming with possibilities, completely at their beck-and-call. Hitler was a British Agent by Greg Hallett
    Monica Lewinsky graduated with an MA in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics, which is where MI-6 trains its foreign saboteurs. Her thesis was 'In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third-person effect and Pre-Trial Publicity'. The Lewinsky Affair was initiated, operated, and protected by Israel. Monica was a Polish Jew and when the Mossad rings, all they want to know is "How high do I jump?" Monica Lewinsky was a Mossad asset Further proof came when Israel announced it was looking after her phone security [2010] THE SEX COLLECTORS - How the World is run on Shame - Vol. III, HEROIN TICKET by Greg Hallett
    The New York Times of Sept. 22, states that the only one Israeli died in the WTC 9-11 tragedy. He was visiting the WTC on business. Considering 199 are listed dead from Columbia and 428 from the Philippines, and some Jews have reported that they were tipped off prior to the attack, it looks to me like this was a Mossad operation on behalf of the Illuminati perhaps using Moslems. The Mossad, by the way, takes orders daily from MI-6, who in turn are hand-in-glove with the Illuminati. Both M’s have Moslem assets.  The bigger picture is why you will find Jesuit educated Shimon Peres (the Israeli leader) having stock (2.46%) in the PLO’s public phone company Paltel along with the Bin Ladens (40%) and Arafat (40%). This is why the Bush family and the Bin Ladens are connected in business together, for instance, the Carlyle group. (Well, it’s reported the Bin Ladens recently pulled out of the Carlyle Group.) It’s no different than when Bush’s grandfather aided Hitler financially, and Brown Bros. Harriman made big bucks. Fritz Springmeier  6 DEC ’01 LETTER TO SPIRITUAL MANNA RECIPIENTS
    MI6 was intimately involved in the creation of the CIA and MOSSAD. And MI6 is the guiding hand behind those two organizations. British Intelligence was integrated under the title British Security Coordination which was the world’s largest and most powerful intelligence beast in the world. This beast has been under total control by the Illuminati since its beginning. Since 1940 when the BSC was set up in New York the Americans have worked for the British. But the intelligence community in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, NZ has gone a step beyond the secret intrigue of intelligence agencies secretly controlling other intelligence agencies. They have actually signed formal agreements which completely make all these acronym monsters into one intelligence agency. There is The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) and the ABCA Agreement which concerns intelligence information exchange in the areas of defense research and development. The ABCA Agreement concerns military intelligence. The BRUSA Agreement on May 17, 1943 established exchange of personnel and the most intimate cooperation at the highest levels by the various national intelligence agencies of all high-grade COMINT.B loodlines of the Illuminati Van Duyn
    A Secret Treaty of 1947 linked all the major commonwealth and American intelligence groups. This is just one of countless agreements, most secret, for the exchange of information. At that point in time, levels of secrecy were ULTRA (very secret), Pearl (moderately secret), and Thumb (secret). Pearl and Thumb later became Pinup. On 17 February 1972 a National Security Council Intelligence Directive (NSCID)-6 directed the NSA to be the principal US SIGINT agency, with the FBI and CIA basically working for the NSA. Although some people are claiming that their is friction between the NSA and its front organizations the FBI & CIA, it is hard to picture that this friction is anything serious because many people in these front organizations work for the NSA. The CIA, MI6 and the Mossad all worked through the BCCI which was scandalized recently, although the elite kept the lid on the scandal. Together the UKUSA intelligence community (or what is better termed the NWO’s intelligence world-wide intelligence agency, of which MI5, MI6, CIA, NSA, FBI, NZSIS, RCMP, SIS, ASIO, GCHQ, NRO, DIA & the SASB are simply departments, have together at least 300,000 people employed full time. If there was in the 1968 time period a Van Duyn serving as the liaison between these various intelligence "departments’, he would be a very powerful man. (There is a way open to me to confirm this about a Van Duyn if I get the time.) Bloodlines of the Illuminati Van Duyn
    British MI6 has been a major vehicle for the Satanic hierarchy working behind the secret veil of Freemasonry to control world events.3   British MI6 is the most secret intelligence organization in the world.4 (It is properly known as British Secret Service not to be confused with the U.S. agency by that name but performing a different function entirely.) Bloodlines of the Illuminati Merovingian
    "A Force" was MI-6’s group that carried out deception. They would have their double agents pass out CHICKEN FEED (which is what they call classified information that can be thrown out to the public) to establish their double-agents’ credentials (BONA FIDES) as agents against the British. Today, there are numerous anti-NWO people who are actually double agents. They are distributing chicken feed to make people think they are legitimate. By the way, it is interesting to note for those who realize how important carousels are to programming that MI-6 (HO in Vauxhall Cross, Eng., with a training ctr. at Ft. Monckton, near Gosport, so. Eng.) is nicknamed (actually its cryptonym) "Carousel" by its daughter organization Mossad (officially aka Central Intelligence Collection Agency). An example of a double-agent who is popular among Christians is an Illuminati witch named Gretchen Passantino, who tours around to Christian conferences belittling the idea of mind-control. Dr. Loreda Fox reports in The Spiritual and Clinical Dimensions of MPD that 74% of women abused by SRA come from "Christian homes." The Christian churches are heavily infiltrated.Deeper Insights into the Illuminati Formula by Fritz Springmeier & Cisco Wheeler
    Tavistock, England--This has been the primary programming center for England. The Rothschild programmers work out of Tavistock. A large number of slaves in America have been programmed there. Tavistock has been doing mind-control since before W.W.II. Under the supervision of London’s W Board & 20 Committee MI6 and MI5’s Section BIA ran double agents and mind-controlled spies/couriers during W.W. II.  MI6 has had an office at Century House, No. 100, Westminster Bridge Road. MI5 offices have been in part on Curzon St. MI5 has operated behind a number of fronts, incl. their fake travel agency Casuro Holidays. MI-5’s address for mail is Room 055, The War Office, London. Special Intelligence Service (SIS) dealt with all types of mind control. Tavistock was under SIS.  The British government has had their own telephone exchange with a 222 prefix, which was later linked to another secret exchange YTAN. Outsiders could dial 222 8080 to get into the secret govt. exchange.
        The Royal Free Hospital at the University of London works with Tavistock Clinic, as well as the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) of Sussex University. A large number of Britian’s psychologist, social workers and police get their training at Tavistock. Tavistock has set themselves up as the authority on ritual abuse and MPD (DID). In other words, the primary programming site, is pretending to be the leading institution trying to solve the problem! That’s a good cover.  The Illuminati Formula Appendix I: The Programmers 
     

    Britain's MI6 operates a bit differently than CIA

     
    By Walter Pincus
    Tuesday, November 2, 2010
     
    "The most draining aspect of my job is reading, every day, intelligence reports describing the plotting of terrorists who are bent on maiming and murdering people in this country."
    Those words, spoken last week, come from the first public speech given by a director of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Instead of Dame Judi Dench, who plays the role in James Bond films, Sir John Sawers, the real director of the legendary 101-year-old spy service, appeared before the Society of Editors in London. Early in his career, Sawers was an MI6 operative in the Middle East.
    It's worth looking at his precise presentation for its similarities and differences with what CIA Director Leon Panetta might say in a similar circumstance.
    While the U.S. intelligence community is made up of 16 agencies, including CIA and those in the Pentagon, "three specialised services form the [United Kingdom] intelligence community," said Sawers, 55, a Foreign Service diplomat. He listed MI5, which is a domestic service somewhat like the FBI; and GCHQ, the government's electronic eavesdropping agency, which is much like the Pentagon-based National Security Agency. Each also has the lead in the cyber world. Sawers' own service, like the CIA, operates outside the British homeland, gathering information primarily from human sources.
    British Defense Intelligence remains inside its Defense Ministry and under the chief of defense intelligence, normally a three-star general. He coordinates intelligence gathering and analysis for all the military services. Sawers made clear, however, that in Afghanistan his operatives "provide tactical intelligence that guides military operations and saves our soldiers' lives."
    Most different from the United States is management of Britain's MI6. Where the CIA "reports" to the director of national intelligence, the agency takes direction from the White House through the National Security Council, although the president, himself, must authorize its covert operations.
    MI6 "does not choose what it does," Sawers said. Under a 1994 law, cabinet ministers who make up the British National Security Council "tell us what they want to know, what they want us to achieve ... [and] we take our direction from the National Security Council," which is chaired by the prime minister. Other permanent members are the deputy prime minister, the chancellor of the exchequer, the secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs, the home secretary, the secretary of state for defence, the secretary of state for international development and the security minister.
    Individually, Sawers said, "I answer directly to the foreign secretary," unlike the CIA's Panetta. MI6 submits plans for operations to the foreign secretary and "he approves most, but not all, and those operations he does not approve do not happen."
    "When our operations require legal authorization or entail political risk, I seek the foreign secretary's approval in advance. If a case is particularly complex, he can consult the attorney general," Sawers said.
    The three British intelligence agencies in the next five years "will see us intensifying our collaboration to improve our operational impact and to save money," Sawers said. "Yes, even the intelligence services have to make savings," he added, reflecting another issue in common with the Americans.
    Oversight of the U.S. intelligence community is done within both the executive and legislative branches. There is the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, a group of up to 16 members appointed from outside the federal government, who are given assignments by the White House, and there are also inspectors general within the intelligence agencies.
    On Capitol Hill, the House and Senate intelligence committees provide oversight but other panels can investigate when intelligence operations fall under their jurisdiction.
    In Britain oversight is performed both by members of Parliament and by judges. There is the single Intelligence and Security Committee, now chaired by Conservative Party member Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who was appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron. The committee traditionally includes other senior politicians, many of them former ministers. "They hold us to account and can investigate areas of our activity," Sawers said.
    In addition, two former judges have full access to MI6 files, as intelligence commissioner and interception commissioner. "They make sure our procedures are proper and lawful," Sawers said.
    As with U.S. intelligence, terrorism is central for the British services. "Over one-third of SIS resources are directed against international terrorism," Sawers said, making it "the largest single area of SIS's work." MI6 tries to penetrate terrorist groups.
    There are other ways in which the countries' two agencies differ. Like the CIA, MI6 has a website, but while the U.S. agency site is only in English, MI6's is also in Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish and Chinese. Another sign of British sophistication: while the CIA site has games and quizzes for kids, the MI6 site gives short tests to allow potential recruits to assess their analytical and administrative skills.
    Sawers spoke of matters that I doubt Panetta would include. Based on his experience in the Islamic world, he spoke out on ways to combat terrorism that fell into the policy field. For example, he talked about countries in the Middle East "moving to a more open system of government ... one more responsive to people's grievences" as one way to curtail the growth of terrorists. He then added this bit of advice to policymakers: "But if we demand an abrupt move to the pluralism that we in the West enjoy, we may undermine the controls that are now in place, and terrorists would end up with new opportunities."
    His look into the future was more characteristic of intelligence chiefs. "Whatever the cause or causes of so-called Islamic terrorism, there is little prospect of it fading away soon," he said.
     


    Bruce Alexander
    inlnews@aim.com


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Bruce Alexander <inlnews@aol.co.uk>
    To: inlnews <inlnews@aol.co.uk>
    Sent: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:55
    Subject: Britain's MI6 operates a bit differently than CIA

     

    Britain's MI6 operates a bit differently than CIA

     
    By Walter Pincus
    Tuesday, November 2, 2010
     
    "The most draining aspect of my job is reading, every day, intelligence reports describing the plotting of terrorists who are bent on maiming and murdering people in this country."
    Those words, spoken last week, come from the first public speech given by a director of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Instead of Dame Judi Dench, who plays the role in James Bond films, Sir John Sawers, the real director of the legendary 101-year-old spy service, appeared before the Society of Editors in London. Early in his career, Sawers was an MI6 operative in the Middle East.
    It's worth looking at his precise presentation for its similarities and differences with what CIA Director Leon Panetta might say in a similar circumstance.
    While the U.S. intelligence community is made up of 16 agencies, including CIA and those in the Pentagon, "three specialised services form the [United Kingdom] intelligence community," said Sawers, 55, a Foreign Service diplomat. He listed MI5, which is a domestic service somewhat like the FBI; and GCHQ, the government's electronic eavesdropping agency, which is much like the Pentagon-based National Security Agency. Each also has the lead in the cyber world. Sawers' own service, like the CIA, operates outside the British homeland, gathering information primarily from human sources.
    British Defense Intelligence remains inside its Defense Ministry and under the chief of defense intelligence, normally a three-star general. He coordinates intelligence gathering and analysis for all the military services. Sawers made clear, however, that in Afghanistan his operatives "provide tactical intelligence that guides military operations and saves our soldiers' lives."
    Most different from the United States is management of Britain's MI6. Where the CIA "reports" to the director of national intelligence, the agency takes direction from the White House through the National Security Council, although the president, himself, must authorize its covert operations.
    MI6 "does not choose what it does," Sawers said. Under a 1994 law, cabinet ministers who make up the British National Security Council "tell us what they want to know, what they want us to achieve ... [and] we take our direction from the National Security Council," which is chaired by the prime minister. Other permanent members are the deputy prime minister, the chancellor of the exchequer, the secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs, the home secretary, the secretary of state for defence, the secretary of state for international development and the security minister.
    Individually, Sawers said, "I answer directly to the foreign secretary," unlike the CIA's Panetta. MI6 submits plans for operations to the foreign secretary and "he approves most, but not all, and those operations he does not approve do not happen."
    "When our operations require legal authorization or entail political risk, I seek the foreign secretary's approval in advance. If a case is particularly complex, he can consult the attorney general," Sawers said.
    The three British intelligence agencies in the next five years "will see us intensifying our collaboration to improve our operational impact and to save money," Sawers said. "Yes, even the intelligence services have to make savings," he added, reflecting another issue in common with the Americans.
    Oversight of the U.S. intelligence community is done within both the executive and legislative branches. There is the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, a group of up to 16 members appointed from outside the federal government, who are given assignments by the White House, and there are also inspectors general within the intelligence agencies.
    On Capitol Hill, the House and Senate intelligence committees provide oversight but other panels can investigate when intelligence operations fall under their jurisdiction.
    In Britain oversight is performed both by members of Parliament and by judges. There is the single Intelligence and Security Committee, now chaired by Conservative Party member Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who was appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron. The committee traditionally includes other senior politicians, many of them former ministers. "They hold us to account and can investigate areas of our activity," Sawers said.
    In addition, two former judges have full access to MI6 files, as intelligence commissioner and interception commissioner. "They make sure our procedures are proper and lawful," Sawers said.
    As with U.S. intelligence, terrorism is central for the British services. "Over one-third of SIS resources are directed against international terrorism," Sawers said, making it "the largest single area of SIS's work." MI6 tries to penetrate terrorist groups.
    There are other ways in which the countries' two agencies differ. Like the CIA, MI6 has a website, but while the U.S. agency site is only in English, MI6's is also in Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish and Chinese. Another sign of British sophistication: while the CIA site has games and quizzes for kids, the MI6 site gives short tests to allow potential recruits to assess their analytical and administrative skills.
    Sawers spoke of matters that I doubt Panetta would include. Based on his experience in the Islamic world, he spoke out on ways to combat terrorism that fell into the policy field. For example, he talked about countries in the Middle East "moving to a more open system of government ... one more responsive to people's grievences" as one way to curtail the growth of terrorists. He then added this bit of advice to policymakers: "But if we demand an abrupt move to the pluralism that we in the West enjoy, we may undermine the controls that are now in place, and terrorists would end up with new opportunities."
    His look into the future was more characteristic of intelligence chiefs. "Whatever the cause or causes of so-called Islamic terrorism, there is little prospect of it fading away soon," he said.




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        The global drug trade is controlled and run by the intelligence agencies CIA Mosaad MI5- MI6 
          James Casbolt has worked for MI6 'black ops' cocaine trafficking IRA Mossad – London & Brighton

    http://iraqwar.mirror-world. ru/article/126995

    MI6 (w. Mossad,CIA) Are The Lords Of The Global Drug Trade
    By: Crack_Smoke_Republican on: 05.05.2007 [21:31 ] (718 reads)

    Always treat the International Drug Trade and Drug Money Laundering as actual Terrorist Acts.

     

    MI6 Are The Lords Of The Global Drug Trade 

    International Politics 
    Commentary by James Casbolt, Former MI6 Agent 
    2 May 2007 

    It may be a revelation to many people that the global drug trade is controlled and run by the intelligence agencies. In this global drug trade British intelligence reigns supreme. As intelligence insiders know MI5 and MI6 control many of the other intelligence agencies in the world (CIA, MOSSAD etc) in a vast web of intrigue and corruption that has its global power base in the city of London, the square mile. 

    My name is James Casbolt and I worked for MI6 in 'black ops' cocaine trafficking with the IRA and MOSSAD in London and Brighton between 1995 and 1999. My father Peter Casbolt was also MI6 and worked with the CIA and mafia in Rome, trafficking cocaine into Britain. 

    My experience was that the distinctions of all these groups became blurred until in the end we were all one international group working together for the same goals. We were puppets who had our strings pulled by global puppet masters based in the city of London. Most levels of the intelligence agencies are not loyal to the people of the country they are based in and see themselves as 'super national'. It had been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the CIA has been bringing in most of the drugs into America for the last fifty years (see ex LAPD officer Michael Rupert's 'From the wilderness' website for proof). 

    The CIA operates under orders from British intelligence and was created by British intelligence in 1947. The CIA today is still loyal to the international bankers based in the city of London and the global elite aristocratic families like the Rothchilds and the Windsor's. Since it was first started, MI6 has always brought drugs into Britain. They do not bring 'some' of the drugs into Britain but I would estimate MI6 bring in around ninety percent of the drugs in. They do this by pulling the strings of many organised crime and terrorist groups and these groups like the IRA are full of MI6 agents. 

    MI6 bring in heroin from the middle east, cocaine from south America and cannabis from morocco as well as other places. British intelligence also designed and created the drug LSD in the 1950's through places like the Tavistock Institute in London. By the 1960's MI5, MI6 and the CIA were using LSD as a weapon against the angry protestors of the sixties and turned them into 'flower children' who were too tripped out to organise a revolution. Dr Timothy Leary the LSD guru of the sixties was a CIA puppet. Funds and drugs for Leary's research came from the CIA and Leary says that Cord Meyer, the CIA agent in charge of funding the sixties LSD counter culture has "helped me to understand my political cultural role more clearly". 

    In 1998, I was sent 3000 LSD doses on blotting paper by MI5 with pictures of the European union flag on them. The MI5 man who sent them told my father this was a government 'signature' and this LSD was called 'Europa'.

    This global drugs trade controlled by British intelligence is worth at least 500 billion a year. This is more than the global oil trade and the economy in Britain and America is totally dependent on this drug money. 

    Mafia crime boss John Gotti exposed the situation when asked in court if he was involved in drug trafficking. He replied"No we can't compete with the government".

    I believe this was only a half truth because the mafia and the CIA are the same group at the upper levels.

    In Britain, the MI6 drug money is laundered through the Bank of England, Barclays Bank and other household name companies.

    The drug money is passed from account to account until its origins are lost in a huge web of transactions. The drug money comes out 'cleaner' but not totally clean. 

    Diamonds are then bought with this money from the corrupt diamond business families like the Oppenheimers. These diamonds are then sold and the drug money is clean. MI6 and the CIA are also responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic in Britain and America. In 1978, MI6 and the CIA were in south America researching the effects of the natives smoking 'basuco' cocaine paste. This has the same effect as crack cocaine. They saw that the strength and addiction potential was far greater than ordinary cocaine and created crack cocaine from the basuco formula. MI6 and the CIA then flooded Britain and America with crack. Two years later, in 1980, Britain and America were starting to see the first signs of the crack cocaine epidemic on the streets. 

    On August 23, 1987, in a rural community south of Little Rock in America, two teenage boys named Kevin Ives and Don Henry were murdered and dismembered after witnessing a CIA cocaine drop that was part of a CIA drug trafficking operation based at a small airport in Mena, Arkansas. Bill Clinton was the governor of Arkansas at the time. Bill Clinton was involved with the CIA at this time and $100 million worth of cocaine was coming through the Mena, Arkansas airport each month. For proof see the books 'Compromise' and 'Dope Inc'. 

    On my father's international MI6 drug runs, whatever fell off the back of the lorry so to speak he would keep and we would sell it in Britain. As long as my father was meeting the speedboats from Morocco in the Costa del Sol and then moving the lorry loads of cannabis through their MI6, IRA lorry business into Britain every month, British intelligence were happy. As long as my father was moving shipments of cocaine out of Rome every month, MI5 and MI6 were happy. If my father kept a bit to sell himself no one cared because there was enough drugs and money to go round in this 500 billion a year global drugs trade. 

    The ones who were really paying were the people addicted. Who were paying with suffering. But karma always catches up and both myself and my father became addicted to heroin in later years and my father died addicted, and poor in prison under very strange circumstances. Today, I am clean and drug-free and wish to help stop the untold suffering this global drugs trade causes. 

    The intelligence agencies have always used addictive drugs as a weapon against the masses to bring in their long term plan for a one world government, a one world police force designed to be NATO and a micro chipped population known as the New World Order. As the population is in a drug or alcohol-induced trance watching 'Coronation Street', the new world order is being crept in behind them. To properly expose this global intelligence run drugs trade we need to expose the key players in this area:... 

    Continue reading for "the names" below... 

    1. Tibor Rosenbaum — a MOSSAD agent and head of the Geneva based Banque du Credit international. This bank was the forerunner to the notorious Bank of Credit and Commerce international (BCCI) which is a major intelligence drug money laundering bank. 'Life' magazine exposed Rosenbaum's bank as a money launderer for the Meyer Lansky American organised crime family and Tibor Rosenbaum funded and supported 'Permindex' the MI6 assassination unit which was at the heart of the John F. Kennedy assassination. 

    2. Robert Vesco — sponsored by the Swiss branch of the Rothchilds and part of the American connection to the Medellin drug cartel in Columbia. 

    3. Sir Francis de Guingand — former head of British intelligence, now living in south Africa (and every head of MI5 and MI6 has been involved in the drug world before and after him). 

    4. Henry Keswick — chairman of Jardine Matheson which is one of the biggest drug trafficking operations in the world. His brother John Keswick is chairman of the bank of England. 

    5. Sir Martin Wakefield Jacomb — Bank of England director from 1987 to 1995, Barclays Bank Deputy Chairman in 1985, Telegraph newspapers director in 1986 (This is the reason why this can of worms doesn't get out in the mainstream media. The people who are perpetrating these crimes control most of the mainstream media. In America former director of the CIA William Casey is head of the council of the media network ABC. Many insiders refer to ABC as 'The CIA network.) 

    6. George Bush, Snr. — former President and former head of the CIA and America's leading drug baron who has fronted more wars on drugs than any other president, which in reality is just a method to eliminate competition. A whole book could be written on George Bush's involvement in the global drug trade but it is well-covered in the book 'Dark Alliance' by investigative journalist Gary Webb. Gary Webb was found dead with two gunshot wounds to the back of his head with a revolver. The case was declared a 'suicide'. You figure that out. Gary Webb as well as myself and other investigators, found that much of this 'black ops' drug money is being used to fund projects classified above top secret. These projects include the building and maintaining of deep level underground bases in Dulce in New Mexico, Pine gap in Australia, Snowy mountains in Australia, The Nyala range in Africa, west of Kindu in Africa, next to the Libyan border in Egypt, Mount Blanc in Switzerland, Narvik in Scandinavia, Gottland island in Sweden and many other places around the world (more about these underground bases in my next issue). 

    The information on this global drugs trade run by the intelligence agencies desperately needs to get out on a large scale. Any information, comments or feedback to help me with my work would be greatly welcomed. 

    James Casbolt- St Ives, Cornwall-02/5/07 
    E-mail 
    jamescasbolt@hotmail.co.uk 

    http://www.friendsofliberty. com/modules.php?name=News& file=article&sid=3117

     

    This is an old news, but yeah... GWB was snorting the very same coke his daddy  was murdering people in South/Central America to harverst and ship to the US. 
    But again, my amazement is not with the degree of crimes of these NWO, part II  folks, but rather with the idiocy of the US dweller. THat's where one's brain  just stops. 911, 3000 murdered by own gov't. They don't fucking care. Oaklahoma. 
    Kids bombed by gov't, torn to shreds. They don't care. FBI stands down cops  and lets some nutter kill 30 kids in some school. They don't care. The animal  just doesn't care. I mean zebras and wildebeast care more about one another  in the herd than yanks. This NWO monster keeps offing them for fun, on TV,  make jokes about it, and they keep grazing like nothing's happening. Grazing  on their diseased burger madcow swill and guzzling aspertame tainted cokes. 
    There can't be a dumber animal in the whole of the jungle than that.

    ...London and it's vast finance industry is the world largest money laundry machine. 
    Imagine a state becomes a criminal institutions and pretends to be justified by it's voters. 

    We need to introduce the fourth power the people, otherwise we have no stake.

    The MI6, Mosad and CIA are just the mules that do the work BUT THE MONEY GOES TO ROYAL CEFFERS and to the Bush clan.  The problem with USA people now IS THAT THEY LOST 100% THEIR FREEDOM TO THE POINT THAT THEY ARE SLAVES TO THEIR DEBT AND PAY CHEQUE! 

    They have no voice, no say, no thinking, no intelligent conversations or discussions. Because if they do THEY WILL LOSE THEIR JOB and therefore they will be in the black list of FBI. Their career will be over. 

    Long time ago I posted the concept of SLAVERY INDEX related to freedom of thinking. If you have deep pockets, you are at your own and can care less about conforming. Rothschild said if he can control the money he can care less about the law. 

    On the other hand, if you have nothing, then there is nothing more than you can lose. In fact biggest changes in human thinking seem to always come from clean-pocket people like Christ, Gandhi, and many others. 

    The other interesting group is the gypsies; they are no where in the tax radar and this is why Hitler killed them massively. Native people also are free to think because they are quite out of the consumer vicious circle. They have their own micro economy and a bartering system therefore they can care less about scam currencies. The problem for these societies though is that they do not have enough gun to defend their way of life. 

    In between these two extremes are those who must work to make a living by renting themselves out and therefore they must compromise their freedom by conforming to rules: starting with dressing code, behavior code, social style code and evolving into a complete surrender of your own social and political dreams and your own soul if you end up in the army, CIA, FBI! Therefore, as the USA society is based on consume beyond their means, their people are the most indebted people on earth and consequently the people that have lost most of their inner freedom. 

    Q.E.D. 


    Comments:

    yeah by poiuytr on 06.05.2007

    This is an old news, but yeah... GWB was snorting the very same coke his daddy  was murdering people in South/Central America to harverst and ship to the US. 
    But again, my amazement is not with the degree of crimes of these NWO, part II  folks, but rather with the idiocy of the US dweller. THat's where one's brain 
    just stops. 911, 3000 murdered by own gov't. They don't fucking care. Oaklahoma.  Kids bombed by gov't, torn to shreds. They don't care. FBI stands down cops 
    and lets some nutter kill 30 kids in some school. They don't care. The animal  just doesn't care. I mean zebras and wildebeast care more about one another  in the herd than yanks. This NWO monster keeps offing them for fun, on TV,  make jokes about it, and they keep grazing like nothing's happening. Grazing 
    on their diseased burger madcow swill and guzzling aspertame tainted cokes.  There can't be a dumber animal in the whole of the jungle than that...

    One thing is true... by gmmonko on 06.05.2007

    ...London and it's vast finance industry is the world largest money laundry machine. 
    Imagine a state becomes a criminal institutions and pretends to be justified by it's voters. 

    We need to introduce the fourth power the people, otherwise we have no stake

    but the money goes higher up to royalties! by CANUKISTAN_VIEW on 06.05.2007

    The MI6, Mosad and CIA are just the mules that do the work BUT THE MONEY GOES TO ROYAL CEFFERS and to the Bush clan. 

    The problem with USA people now IS THAT THEY LOST 100% THEIR FREEDOM TO THE POINT THAT THEY ARE SLAVES TO THEIR DEBT AND PAY CHEQUE! 

    They have no voice, no say, no thinking, no intelligent conversations or discussions. Because if they do THEY WILL LOSE THEIR JOB and therefore they will be in the black list of FBI. Their career will be over. 

    Long time ago I posted the concept of SLAVERY INDEX related to freedom of thinking. If you have deep pockets, you are at your own and can care less about conforming. Rothschild said if he can control the money he can care less about the law. 

    On the other hand, if you have nothing, then there is nothing more than you can lose. In fact biggest changes in human thinking seem to always come from clean-pocket people like Christ, Gandhi, and many others. 

    The other interesting group is the gypsies; they are no where in the tax radar and this is why Hitler killed them massively. Native people also are free to think because they are quite out of the consumer vicious circle. They have their own micro economy and a bartering system therefore they can care less about scam currencies. The problem for these societies though is that they do not have enough gun to defend their way of life. 

    In between these two extremes are those who must work to make a living by renting themselves out and therefore they must compromise their freedom by conforming to rules: starting with dressing code, behavior code, social style code and evolving into a complete surrender of your own social and political dreams and your own soul if you end up in the army, CIA, FBI! Therefore, as the USA society is based on consume beyond their means, their people are the most indebted people on earth and consequently the people that have lost most of their inner freedom. 

    Q.E.D


    Lieutenant General Sir Robert Fry

    Lieutenant General Sir Robert Alan Fry KCB, CBE employed by MI5 and MI6  is Executive Chairman of the McKinney Rogers Group of companies. Before joining McKinney Rogers, Fry served over 30 years on military operations from Kosovo, the Gulf and Iraq and was later a Vice President of Hewlett Packard. He remains an advisor to HP and a number of other companies in the defense and banking sectors.

    He is a member the Royal United Services Institute executive council and a trustee of Help for Heroes.

    Early career

    After taking a degree in economics at the University of Bath and working for a period in commerce in New York, Fry joined the Royal Marines in 1973.[1]

    Attendance at the Army Staff College was followed by tours in the Ministry of Defence and Directorate of Special Forces, a sequence punctuated in the 1986/7 academic year when he studied for an MA (Distinction) in War Studies at King's College London.

    Senior Military Career

    In 1989, Fry was appointed Chief of staff, HQ 3 Commando Brigade and subsequently took part in Operation Haven in Northern Iraq. This was followed by a return to the Ministry of Defence before taking command of 45 Commando in 1995. In 1997, in the rank of brigadier, he became the Director Naval Staff in the Ministry of Defence, after which he took over command of 3 Commando Brigade in 1999 and deployed to Kosovo.[2]

    He was also Director of Operations in the Ministry of Defence advising the prime minister on the military strategic direction of the UK’s response to the 11 September attacks.

    He was appointed Commandant General Royal Marines in 2001;[3] a year later he took up the new and concurrent job of Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces, in which capacity he deployed as the UK Maritime Component Commander for operations in the Gulf, completing a novel double of command of both land and maritime forces at formation level.

    He assumed the post of Chief of Staff at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood in May 2002 and remained in the job throughout the planning for and conduct of operations against Iraq. He took over the job of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) in July 2003 and was deployed as Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq in March 2006.[4] He retired in 2007.[1]

    In 1989, Fry was appointed Chief of staff, HQ 3 Commando Brigade and subsequently took part in Operation Haven in Northern Iraq. This was followed by a return to the Ministry of Defence before taking command of 45 Commando in 1995. In 1997, in the rank of brigadier, he became the Director Naval Staff in the Ministry of Defence, after which he took over command of 3 Commando Brigade in 1999 and deployed to Kosovo.[2]

    He was also Director of Operations in the Ministry of Defence advising the prime minister on the military strategic direction of the UK’s response to the 11 September attacks.

    He was appointed Commandant General Royal Marines in 2001;[3] a year later he took up the new and concurrent job of Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces, in which capacity he deployed as the UK Maritime Component Commander for operations in the Gulf, completing a novel double of command of both land and maritime forces at formation level.

    He assumed the post of Chief of Staff at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood in May 2002 and remained in the job throughout the planning for and conduct of operations against Iraq. He took over the job of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) in July 2003 and was deployed as Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force, Iraq in March 2006.[4] He retired in 2007.[1]

    Later career

    Fry was a Vice President of Hewlett Packard where he ran its $1.5 billion Europe, Africa and Middle East defense business.[1] They were responsible for the IT infrastructure of the entire British military. Fry is currently executive chairman of global business consultancy McKinney Rogers.[5]

    Fry is an established essayist[6] and has been widely published internationally (including prominent articles in the Wall Street Journal[7][8][9][10]). He is also a Visiting Professor atReading University and a visiting fellow at Oxford University.

    Awards

    He is married to Liz and they have two daughters. He maintains his military links as Colonel, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment and is a Freeman of the City of London.

    References

    PINCHAS TIBOR ROSENBAUM

    http://www.shalom-magazine.com/Article.php?id=420311

    By Menachem Michelson *

    Budapest, 18 January 1945. Near the “Glass House”, a Russian soldier enters a surplus goods store through the smashed door, casts his eye about and having found a trumpet on the ground, blows it with all his strength in the snow-filled street. This is his way of announcing the liberation. On this day, PINCHAS TIBOR ROSENBAUM can finally rid himself of his war outfit, the uniform of the “Nilasz”, the members of the Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross. With unalloyed joy he takes it off, folds it and puts it on a stool in the “Glass House”, which is steadily emptying of its occupants. The uniform has something depressing about it and at the same time something reassuring. He runs his fingers lightly over it, daydreaming how after all, innumerable Jews owed their life to this disguise that the son of the Rabbi of Kleinwardein (Kisvarda, in north east Hungary) had been wearing for several months. 



    Yehuda Ashkelon is there, at his side, watching him. During their time in the labor camp, this youngster gave Pinchas a leg up, thus helping him to escape. Pinchas glances at his friend and says to him softly, “Yehuda, I’ve done my duty.” On that, he leaves, with his meager bundle, leaving behind the Nilasz uniform. Exiting the building, he crosses the courtyard, goes through the gate and comes into the street, without a backward glance. He moves off towards an uncertain future. He is not yet 22, but misfortune has already scarred him deeply. 



    Walking down the street, thoughts jostle each other in his head, names, dates, places and landscapes that have just been written in history in letters of fire. Many faces loom up, those of the many friends who did not manage to live till this much wished for day, and especially of his parents, his bothers and sisters, who disappeared in the turmoil, in the smoke of the crematoria, not leaving him even a grave at which to cry. These dreadful images mix with memories of a happy childhood, his time in yeshiva, discovering the “Bnei Akiva” youth movement, the talmudic training he received from his father in Kleinwardein, the very active time in Budapest. Then everything collapsed, forced labor in the camp, the audacious escape, his dangerous activities under cover of his Arrow Cross uniform, the fight against the clock to beat the Angel of Death, the impossible missions, the Danube red with Jewish blood and the two shots from his own weapon one dark night, which left the bodies of two real Nilasz lying in the street. He remembers everything. And today the long-awaited liberation. 

    That’s a thumbnail sketch of Pinchas Rosenbaum’s story, the man who endangered his life for months on end and managed to save hundreds of Jews, individuals and families, during the darkest days of the Second World War in Hungary. 



    Pinchas Rosenbaum was born on 2 November 1923 (23 Cheshvan 5684) in Kleinwardein, Hungary, the progeny of a long line of rabbis. His forebears were disciples of the Chatam Sofer and direct descendants of the Maharal of Prague. Among them could be counted eminent scholars, spiritual guides and community leaders, commentators on the Torah, and authors of works on Halachah and Aggadah. His grandfather, the author of Lechem Rav on the siddur, the Jewish Prayer Book, was the rabbi of Kleinwardein. At his death, Pinchas’s father, Rav Shmuel Shmelke Halevi, succeeded him in the post. Rav Shmuel Shmelke, the last rabbi of Kleinwardein before the Shoah, was deported together with his family and community to Auschwitz. Pinchas was the only one of this illustrious family to escape. 



    A remarkable Torah scholar in his own right, Pinchas had been ordained for the Rabbinate at the age of 18 by leading Hungarian rabbis. During his time studying in yeshiva he joined the “Bnei Akiva” youth movement, and enthusiastically adopted the Zionist principles of “Torah and work”. Within a very short time he had become one of the national leaders of “Bnei Akiva” in Hungary. 

    During the Nazi occupation, Pinchas was involved body and soul in the organization of Jewish youth who mounted rescue and escape missions to snatch Jews from the Nazis’ grasp. Together with his companions he managed to save hundreds of his coreligionists, sometimes complete families, finding them shelter and providing for their needs. 



    Pinchas risked his life 24 hours a day. Hiding behind noms de guerre and thanks to his Aryan appearance, he succeeded in fooling the Hungarian Nazi authorities and sometimes even his fellow Jews. More than once, learning that a family was about to be taken, he would burst in himself, wearing the dreaded uniform of the Nilasz and chase them out of their apartments with shouts and curses, the unfortunates being pushed and shoved with threats into the black cars of the Arrow Cross. That was so that the non-Jewish neighbors thought these Jews had been taken by the Nazis. He brought them to the “Glass House”, the famous shelter on Vadatz Street, where thousands of Jews lived on false certificates. Pinchas was also involved in producing these documents. It was not until he had brought them safe and sound to the “Glass House” that Pinchas at last revealed himself, apologizing to his brethren for having terrorized them, explaining, “It was the only way to save you.” These men, women and children, who had just escaped a real round-up, clearly understood his behavior and thanked him effusively, realizing the danger had put himself in. If he was caught, there could be no doubt that he would get a bullet in the head straight away. 



    His actions became increasingly audacious, beggaring the imagination. One evening, coming down from the attic of the “Glass House”, he was went up to his friend Avigdor Friedman, known as Viki, and said to him, “Viki, you are going to have lend me your suit for this evening.” “My suit?” exclaimed Viki. “Yes”, explained Pinchas. “Tonight there is a party at the Hungarian police and I must make a good impression there. I can’t go in military uniform. If I am not uncovered, I’ll give you back your suit of course. If they take me, well, then you’ll have lost your suit…” Faced with Pinchas’s black humor, Viki could not repress a bitter smile. Without asking any questions he tool off his good suit, the only one he still had, and gave it to his friend. “Good luck”, muttered Viki. “With G-d’s help”, replied Pinchas as usual. Without ado he put on the suit, arranged his appearance and left the “Glass House” for his secret destination. The next morning he was back, pale and exhausted. Viki rushed up to him. “Thank G-d, there you are. But why are you so pale, what did they do to you?” Pinchas eased himself heavily into a chair and replied, “Listen, I spent the night drinking with them, I had no choice. While they were drinking, one of them let slip the name of the Jewish family they were preparing to round up in the early hours of the morning. I waited till they were completely tipsy so that I could slip out. I ran to the address they had mentioned and managed to warn the family. Now I’m tired, I must sleep, good night. Oh yes, I forgot, your suit is still in one piece, I’ll give it back when I wake up.” With those words he sunk into a deep sleep. 



    In November 1944 the underground resistance and rescue organization found itself in great danger. Zvi (Zeidi) Zeidenfeld had been arrested by the Gestapo. Zeidi, whose assumed name was Kovacs, had International Red Cross certificates on him, hundreds of blanks ready to be forged. The Nazis intended to interrogate him to extract the names of the other members of the resistance and find out the source of the documents. Zeidi refused to speak and he was horribly tortured, but the Gestapo endeavored nonetheless to keep him alive. Zeidi survived the first round of interrogations without revealing what he knew. Before starting the second round, the Nazis gave him a few days respite. When his comrades from the “Glass House” learnt of his arrest, he was already in hospital, his body broken by torture. It was a makeshift hospital at 44, Vessleny Street. The place had once served as a Jewish elementary school that had been requisitioned by the authorities. During a meeting that ran into the small hours of the morning at the “Glass House”, it was decided to get into the hospital to get Zeidi out. The group had never undertaken such a risky operation. Several young members of various Zionist organizations volunteered. After careful thought, the choice fell on Pinchas and Yossi, a young member of “Hashomer Hatza’ir”. They went out into the cold, rainy night at three in the morning. Under their SS uniforms and long leather coats that covered them, they carried loaded submachine guns. In front of the hospital was a guard, who it turned out was a Jew in convalescence. “Gestapo,” they told him. “Take us straight to the Jewish prisoner, room 243 on the second floor. We have some accounts to settle with him.” “I’m not allowed to let anyone leave. I’m just the night watchman, I have to pass on your request to my superiors,” replied the terrified guard. Pinchas looked him straight in the eyes and asked brusquely, “Are you a Jew?” “Yes”, muttered the other, terrified that the two Nazis would kill him on the spot. “We too, we are also Jews”, whispered Pinchas in a Yiddish that left no doubt as to their identity. “We have come to get a comrade out of here, otherwise the Gestapo will kill him. You have to help us.” “But if I let him into your hands, I’m the one they’ll kill.” “Don’t worry,” Pinchas reassured him, we’ll take you with us, to a safe place where you won’t need to worry any more. Go get our patient now.” The guard disappeared into the interior of the hospital, leaving Pinchas and Yossi at the entrance. A few minutes later two SS men could be seen dragging a half-conscious patient, with another man who was holding a small black leather bag scurrying behind them. Anyone in the street at that hour was not surprised. This type of thing happened often, the SS going into the hospital, emerging with a wounded or sick person, who was never seen alive again. The little group moved rapidly in the direction of the “Glass House”, where they arrived around 4.30 in the morning. The gate swung open and Zeidi was taken in hand straightaway by the medical team. He and the documents he had were saved. 



    If we wanted to relate all the courageous actions that Pinchas Rosenbaum took part in, it would require a thick volume. Pinchas himself never made much of it. Occasionally, on his travels around the world, he would meet a man or woman who owed him their life, and when such a person started telling about what he had done, his heroism and courage, Pinchas listened intently, as though they were talking about someone else…

     

    At the end of the war Pinchas Rosenbaum married Stephanie Stern and settled in Geneva, where he worked in banking. They had three children, two sons and a daughter, and all three live today in Israel. Alongside his finance activities, he was a dynamic, militant Zionist, working with all his strength for the State of Israel, even carrying out a few missions for the Mossad and for Israeli security. He died on 23 October 1980 (13 Cheshvan 5741), when he was only 57, and was buried in the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem. 



    His memory survives through his acts of courage, but especially through the hundreds and thousands of sons and daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren brought into the world by Jews saved by his audacity and tenacity, and who without him would never have seen the light of day. 

    * Menachem Michelson is a journalist on the Israeli daily newspaper, Yedioth Aharonoth. He is currently writing a major biography of Pinchas Tibor Rosenbaum zl, which will soon be published in Hebrew and English. 

     

    PINCHAS TIBOR ROSENBAUM

    Robert Vesco

    Robert Lee Vesco (December 4, 1935 – November 23, 2007[1]) was a fugitive United States financier. After several years of high stakes investments and seedy credit dealings, Vesco was alleged guilty of securities fraud. He immediately fled the ensuing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation by living in a number of Central American and Caribbean countries that did not haveextradition laws.[2]

    Vesco was notorious throughout his life, attempting to buy a Caribbean island from Antigua in order to create an autonomous country and having a national law in Costa Rica made to protect him from extradition. A 2001 Slate.com article labeled Vesco "the undisputed king of the fugitive financiers."[3] After settling in Cuba in 1982, Vesco was charged with drug smuggling in 1989. In the 1990s he was indicted by the Cuban government for "fraud and illicit economic activity" and "acts prejudicial to the economic plans and contracts of the state" in 1996.[4]

    Vesco was sentenced to 13 years in jail by Cuba. Five months after his death in November 2007 the New York Times reported he succumbed to lung cancer at a hospital in Havana, Cuba.[1]

    http://www.graumarktinfo.de/gm/grauestars/firmen/dickedinger/:IOS-%26%23x2013%3B-Investors-Overseas-Services--Die-Mutter-aller-Dachfonds-und-ihre-genialen-Schachzuege/493266.html

    IOS – Investors Overseas Services

    Die Mutter aller Dachfonds und ihre genialen Schachzüge

    Von Nadine Oberhuber 

    1956 - 1973

    Es gibt ein Firmengeflecht, das seit Jahrzehnten als Blaupause für Graue Stars dient. Es war die Firmengruppe, die mit dem ersten Dachfonds der Geschichte Furore machte, später zu einer der größten Fondsverwaltungsgesellschaften der Welt aufstieg und am Ende einen Abgang hinlegte, bei dem Anleger in vielen Ländern den Atem anhielten. Besonders in Deutschland, denn hier sammelte die Firmengruppe rund die Hälfte der 2,5 Milliarden US-Dollar Anlegergelder ein. Kurzum, das Geschäftsmodell der IOS, der "Investors Overseas Services" war ziemlich genial ausgeheckt.

    Er war schon immer alles andere als ein normaler Vertriebsmann. Er war ein Stratege. Am Anfang hatte der Amerikaner Bernard Cornfeld, genannt "Bernie", nur eine Idee: Er wollte in Europa amerikanische Investmentfonds verkaufen. Der junge Cornfeld arbeitete als Vertriebsmitarbeiter bei einer Anlagegesellschaft in Manhattan und ging mit dieser Idee zu seinem http://www.graumarktinfo.de/pix/fms/icon_aktie_ausgabe.gif Boss. Die 800.000 US-Soldaten, die seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg noch in Europa stationiert waren, seien doch eine attraktive Zielgruppe für Anlageprodukte, fand er. Hinzu kamen noch etliche amerikanische Zivilisten in europäischen Ländern. Daraus müsse sich doch ein Geschäft machen lassen. Cornfelds http://www.graumarktinfo.de/pix/fms/icon_aktie_ausgabe.gif Boss sah das anders und ging nicht auf den Vorschlag seines Untergebenen ein. Also kündigte der junge Mann kurzerhand und ging auf eigene Faust nach Europa.

    Im Jahr 1956 siedelte Bernie Cornfeld nach Paris über, gründete den IOS und begann, US-Aktienfonds zu verkaufen. Anfangs noch als reines Haustürgeschäft. Schnell merkte er aber, darin steckte mehr Potenzial. Er suchte sich für den Verkauf etliche hauptberufliche Vermittler.

    Wie man einen Strukturvertrieb aufbaut, hatte er schließlich noch in den USA gelernt. Nämlich von Walter Benedick: Dessen IPC-Fonds hatte Cornfeld auch als erstes Produkt in seine Angebotspalette aufgenommen. Später nahm Cornfeld auch Dreyfuss-Fonds hinzu. Weil deren Wert ab Ende der 50er Jahre geradezu explodierte, bekam auch Cornfelds Geschäft mächtig Schub. Es wuchs und wuchs.

    Probleme mit der französischen Finanzaufsicht trieben den regen Geschäftsmann aber schon 1958 aus dem Land: Die Behörden vermuteten, dass Cornfeld seine Fonds nicht nur an Amerikaner, sondern auch an französische Staatsbürger verkaufte. Das war per Gesetz verboten. Doch bevor die Franzosen groß einschreiten konnten, hatte Cornfeld den Sitz seines Unternehmens schon nach Genf verlegt. Dort erweiterte er dann auch den Geschäftsbetrieb: IOS wurde vom reinen Vertriebsunternehmen zur Fondsverwaltungsgesellschaft und legte wenig später eigene Fonds auf. Weil sich mit dem Geschäft erheblich mehr Geld machen lasse, wie Cornfeld richtig ahnte.

    Letztlich gründete IOS sogar eine eigene Bank in Luxemburg und stieg in das Immobilien- und Versicherungsgeschäft ein. Ein weiterer cleverer Schachzug von Gründer Cornfeld: Er ließ IOS im April 1960 als Aktiengesellschaft eintragen, mit Sitz im Steuerparadies Panama, und belohnte seine erfolgreichen Vertreter reichlich mit Aktienoptionen. So band er sie eng an die Firma. Denn die Aussicht, die Optionen bei einem Börsengang des Unternehmens mit großem Gewinn verkaufen zu können, beflügelte die Truppe.

    Der Dachfonds ist der Durchbruch

    Der Durchbruch aus unternehmerischer Sicht war aber die Erfindung des ersten Dachfonds, den Cornfeld 1962 auf den Markt brachte. Der Gedanke hinter dem "Fund of Funds" (FoF) war genauso einfach wie geschickt: Wenn man einen Fonds strickte, der in mehrere Unterfonds investierte, würde der noch mehr Profit abwerfen. Denn die Fondsmuttergesellschaft könnte für die Verwaltung mehrerer Subfonds kräftig Gebühren abkassieren.

    Anfangs investierte der FoF noch in Fonds von Drittanbietern, doch ab 1967 verteilte er das Geld dann auf IOS-Fonds. Wenn man nämlich als Dachfondsanbieter sowohl die Unterfonds als auch den Dachfonds und zusätzlich die darübergestülpte Verwaltungsgesellschaft selber besitze, ließe sich dadurch wohl die beste Marge erzielen, dachte sich Cornfeld: Der Fondsinitiator kassierte einfach auf allen Ebenen Gebühren ab. Freilich aber so versteckt, dass es keinem Anleger sofort auffallen würde. Nur den Aufsichtsbehörden entgingen die Tricksereien des IOS-Netzwerkes nicht. Sie bereiteten dem Unternehmen schon ab Mitte der 60er Jahre immer mehr Probleme.


    Wie Cornfeld die Probleme mit Behörden umschifft ... »

    http://www.therealcuba.com/Page11.htm

    Robert Vesco (Michigan)  He is charged in the United States for bilking mutual funds investors of $224 million. Vesco fled to Costa Rica and later to Cuba, where he started several joint ventures with the Castro regime, but was later sent to jail by Castro when he tried to become more independent and cut the Cuban regime out of the deals.

    This is  a list of fugitives that the FBI believes are currently living in Cuba under the protection of the Castro regime.  Some of them have been accused of murder, others of terrorism, air piracy and financial crimes

    1.V ictor Gerena (New York)  one of the FBI's Top Ten, is wanted for the 1983 robbery of a Wells Fargo armored truck depot in

    West Hartford, Connecticut. The FBI says on September 12, 1983, Gerena took hostage two of his fellow Wells Fargo employees

    escaped with $7 million dollars.

    2. Joanne Chesimard is wanted for escaping from prison in Clinton, New Jersey, while serving a life sentence for murder. On May 2, 1973,

    Chesimard, who was part of a revolutionary activist organization known as the Black Liberation Army, and two accomplices were stopped

    for a motor vehicle violation on the New Jersey Turnpike by two troopers with the New Jersey State Police. At the time, Chesimard was

    wanted for her involvement in several felonies, including bank robbery. Chesimard and her accomplices opened fire on the troopers,

    seemingly without provocation. One trooper was wounded and the other was shot and killed execution-style at point-blank range. Chesimard

    fled the scene, but was subsequently apprehended. One of her accomplices was killed in the shoot-out and the other was also apprehended and

    remains in jail.

    3. Robert Vesco (Michigan)  He is charged in the United States for bilking mutual funds investors of $224 million. Vesco fled to Costa Rica

    and later to Cuba, where he started several joint ventures with the Castro regime, but was later sent to jail by Castro when he tried to become more

    independent and cut the Cuban regime out of the deals.

    4. Michael Finney(California) [Republic of New Africa] See this article: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/cuba/hill.htm
    Ralph Goodwin (Illinois) See this article: http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y00/feb00/07e17.htm

    Charlie Hill  (Maryland) [Republic of New Africa, killed a cop in New Mexico]
    James  Patterson (Michigan) Air Piracy
    William Palm (Missouri) ESCAPE; AIDING & ABETTING
    Clinton Smith (Cuba) Air Piracy
    Richard Linares (Cuba) Escape
    John  Marques (Louisiana)

    Theresa Grosso (California)
    William Lee Brent shot two police officers and hijacked a plane in June 1969
    Oreste Bello (Cuba)
    Cosme  Iglesia (Cuba)
    Barbara Alvarez (Cuba)
    Ofelia Bernardo (Cuba)
    Jose  Bernardo Tunon (Cuba)
    Ernest Ferrero (Cuba)
    Fidel Rego Otano  (Cuba)
    Vincente Rego Otano (Cuba)
    Nacasio Delgado (Cuba)
    Miguel  Sanchez (Cuba)
    Ricardo Coro (Cuba)
    Rosalino Rodriguez Cabria  (Cuba)
    George Wright Virginia
    Jose Montero (Cuba)
    Hector Ochoa  (Cuba)
    William Potts (unknown)
    Mario Fonseca (Cuba)
    Divaldo Rojas  Reyes (Cuba)
    Wilfredo Oquendo (Cuba)
    Eduardo Salgado (Cuba)
    Roberto  Salgado (Cuba)
    Carlos Arias Valdez (Cuba)
    Marino Samon (Cuba)
    Rolando  Cadenas (Cuba)
    Silvio Cabrera (Cuba)
    Crecencio Zamora (Cuba)
    Sergio  Rojas (Cuba)
    Juan Garcia (Cuba)
    Robert Gracial (Cuba)
    Ciro Granda  (Cuba)
    Santiago Guerra Valdez (Cuba)
    Patrick Latortue (unknown)
    Ramon  Delgado (Cuba)
    Hector Gonzalez (Cuba)
    Daniel Abad (Cuba)
    Brian  Wilson (Cuba)
    Joaquin Babin Estrada (Cuba)
    Miguel Aguiar  (Cuba)
    Rogelio Leyva (Cuba)
    Roberto Aguiar (Cuba)
    Jose Caballero  (Cuba)
    Eduardo Jiminez (Colombia)
    Gilberto Calero (Cuba)
    Ambrosa  Montfort (Georgia)
    Luis Soltren (Puerto  Rico)
    Catherine Kerkow (Oregon)
    Antajares Payano (Dominican  Republic)
    Ishmael Ali (Virgin Islands) [convicted of multiple murders in the  Virgin Islands]
    Cheri Dalton (New York)
    Miguel Toledo (Cuba)
    Nelson  Molina (Cuba)
    Rafaele Minichiello (Italy)
    Felix Coolin (Dominican  Republic)
    Manuel Vargas Agueros (Cuba)
    Armando Diaz La Rossa  (Cuba)
    Esmeraldo Ramirez Castaneda (Cuba)
    Jose Garcia Sanchez  (Cuba)
    Pedro De Quesada (Cuba)
    Rigoberto Gonzalez Sanchez  (Cuba)
    Ramon Martin (Cuba)
    Jesus Armenteros (Cuba)
    Gilberto Carrazana Y  Gonzalez (unknown)
    Donald Rider (North Dakota)
    Francis Teroll (New York)

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24471922/ns/world_news-americas/t/master-disguises-believed-dead-cuba/#.UObGqm83uVo

    'Master of disguises' believed dead in Cuba

    Con man and American fugitive Robert Vesco reportedly died in Nov.

    Robert Vesco, shown in 1971, evaded the law during a quarter-century odyssey through the Caribbean and Central America after fleeing the U.S. in 1972.

     Robert Vesco, the American fugitive who cooked up moneymaking schemes that allegedly involved everyone from Colombian drug lords to the families of U.S. presidents, died in Cuba and was buried almost six months ago, according to an official document.

    A burial record at Havana's Colon Cemetery shows that a man with the same name and birthdate — Dec. 4, 1935 — died on Nov. 23 from lung cancer and was buried the next day in a private plot. He was 72.

    In his lifetime, Vesco was accused of looting millions from a Swiss mutual fund, attempting to find U.S. planes for Libya and inventing a drug that he claimed could cure AIDS.

    He was linked to Latin American presidents, Soviet spies, smugglers of high-technology equipment — even the CIA. ...And he was good at hiding.

    Still alive but hiding? 
    Writer Arthur Herzog, who once interviewed Vesco in Cuba for a biography, called him "a master of disguises," noting the infamous con man had long employed elaborate schemes to escape justice. "I don't know for sure, but I'm not certain he's dead," Herzog said from his home in New York. He said he recently spoke with a contact in Havana who indicated he had talked with Vesco in recent weeks. Vesco was so crafty, a DNA test on the buried corpse would be necessary to know for certain it was him, Herzog said.

    U.S. officials in Cuba said Monday they were unaware of Vesco's death.

    Vesco evaded American justice during a quarter-century odyssey through the Caribbean and Central America after fleeing the U.S. in 1972.

    It was Cuban courts that finally put him in prison in 1996, convicting him of marketing a drug, which he claimed could cure cancer and AIDS, without government permission. His business partner Donald A. Nixon Jr. — the nephew of former President Nixon — was detained along with Vesco, but was later released.

    Vesco ended up serving most of his 13-year sentence, though it was not clear when he was released.

    Vesco is still wanted in the United States on charges of looting $224 million from a investors in a Swiss-based mutual stock fund.

    He also was indicted for allegedly contributing $200,000 to Nixon's 1972 campaign to try to head off a probe by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Two Nixon Cabinet members were later tried and acquitted.

    Renounced his U.S. citizenship 
    Vesco renounced his American citizenship and traveled around the Caribbean and Central America in a yacht and various private planes — including a custom Boeing 707 equipped with a sauna.

    He settled in Costa Rica, but was kicked out after a new president took office there in 1978.

    Vesco moved to the Bahamas, but fled in 1981 aboard his U.S. $1.3 million yacht just before Bahamian authorities issued orders to deport him. In the United States, prosecutors accused him of plotting to pay a kickback to Billy Carter, brother of President Jimmy Carter, to win U.S. permission for Libya to buy C-130 military planes.

    Vesco surfaced on the small Caribbean isle of Antigua in 1982 with a plan to buy half of Barbuda, Antigua's small sister island, and establish a principality called the Sovereign Order of New Aragon.

    By the fall of that year he was living in Nicaragua. U.S. drug officials later said he collaborated with the Sandinista government to bring cocaine into the United States.

    At the end of 1982, he came to Cuba, where he lived off the island of Cayo Largo aboard his yacht with his wife and children. The couple eventually separated and Vesco lived for years with a Cuban woman.

    Vesco remained safe from U.S. justice in Cuba, which for decades has been at odds with the United States and refused repeated American requests to extradite him.

    Cuban President Fidel Castro said in 1985 that his country allowed Vesco to come for medical treatment, accusing U.S. officials of persecuting the fugitive. "Is it right to harass a man like that?" he asked.

    But Cuban officials began distancing themselves from him in the early 1990s after a U.S. federal indictment accused Vesco of working with Carlos Lehder, then reputed head of Colombia's Medellin drug cartel, to win Cuban permission for drug flights over the island.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4068973n

    The Legend Of Robert Vesco

    May 3, 2008 5:37 PM

    Fugitive Robert Vesco is wanted by the FBI, CIA and SEC for various crimes. Vesco is believed to be dead& or he may have pulled off another masterful escape. Priya David reports.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/world/americas/03vesco.html

    A Last Vanishing Act for Robert Vesco, Fugitive
    Vesco reportedly died of lung cancer in November 2007 and was buried at Colon Cemetery in Havana.
    However, these reports of his death have been disputed.


     

    By MARC LACEY and JONATHAN KANDELL

    Published: May 3, 2008

    Robert L. Vesco in 1974. He fled the United States in 1971 to avoid legal problems, and after a long odyssey avoiding American justice, friends say he died in November from lung cancer.

    Robert L. Vesco in 1974. He fled the United States in 1971 to avoid legal problems, and after a long odyssey avoiding American justice, friends say he died in November from lung cancer.

    Robert L. Vesco in 1973.

    HAVANA — Robert L. Vesco, the fugitive financier who spent most of his life eluding American justice, might even have managed to die on the sly. Mr. Vesco, who was sentenced to a long prison term in Cuba in 1996 and was wanted in the United States for crimes ranging from securities fraud and drug trafficking to political bribery, died more than five months ago, on Nov. 23, from lung cancer, say people close to him. If so, it was never reported publicly by the Cuban authorities, who said Friday that they considered him a “nonissue.” American officials said Friday they knew nothing about his death.

    “We don’t know that it occurred,” an American official said.

    If Mr. Vesco indeed eluded the American authorities until his final day, it was the fitting end to his nearly four decades on the run. He was wanted for, among other things, bilking some $200 million from credulous investors in the 1970s, making an illegal contribution to Richard M. Nixon’s 1972 presidential campaign and trying to arrange a deal during the Carter administration to let Libya buy American planes in exchange for bribes to United States officials.

    Mr. Vesco last made the news a decade ago when he was sentenced to prison in Cuba, where he had taken sanctuary, for a financial scheme. He emerged in recent years and lived a quiet life in Havana until he contracted lung cancer. After about a week in a hospital, friends say, he died and was buried in an unmarked grave.

    Given the controversial nature of the man, none of his friends dared be identified for fear of running afoul of the Cuban authorities. While word of Mr. Vesco’s death could be the final ruse of a 72-year-old modern-day buccaneer who had every reason to drop off the radar, it would have to be an elaborate one.

    Records at Colón Cemetery in Havana indicate that a Robert Vesco was buried there on Nov. 24, and photographs and videos viewed by The New York Times show a man resembling him in a casket with his longtime Cuban companion looking over him.

    Other photos show him coughing and clearly in pain in a hospital bed on what a friend said was the day before he died. There are also photos of a small group of people attending his burial.

    His last days, a friend said, were in marked contrast to his ebullient pre-prison phase, when he partied lavishly, chain smoked and talked big.

    Some of those who knew Mr. Vesco said it would not surprise them if he had orchestrated a fake death, to slip away one more time. “He could have died,” said Arthur Herzog, an author who interviewed Mr. Vesco in Cuba for a biography. “But Bob has used disguises in the past.”

    On top of that, Mr. Herzog said, an intermediary who lives on the island had left the impression that he was in contact with Mr. Vesco in Cuba within the last month.

    After a criminal odyssey that began on Wall Street, Mr. Vesco fled the United States in 1971, along the way repeatedly demonstrating the power of money to overcome any ideology.

    His associates and protectors included democratically elected presidents in Costa Rica, the left-wing Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the cocaine barons of Colombia, the terrorism-tainted government in Libya, and, finally, the Communist government of Fidel Castro.

    Whereas the American government considered Mr. Vesco to be an American fugitive, he had apparently somehow gained Italian citizenship. A friend provided a copy of an Italian passport issued in 2006 that bore Mr. Vesco’s name and photograph.

    The friend said representatives from the Italian Embassy had visited Mr. Vesco while he was in jail and had assisted with his funeral arrangements. An Italian Embassy official did not return calls seeking comment.

    Having lived comfortably in Havana for more than a dozen years, Mr. Vesco was convicted and jailed there for fraud in 1996 after reportedly double-crossing Fidel Castro’s relatives in a bogus wonder-drug deal.

    How much truth there was to the allegation was impossible to know for certain because accusations against the shadowy financier have always seemed to mix rumor and fact.

    At the height of his notoriety in the 1970s, Mr. Vesco looked like a tough guy out of Hollywood central casting — tall, craggy-faced, with a mustache, long sideburns and sunglasses. He liked to burnish his image as an unpredictable rogue driven as much by perverse pride as by crass profit.

    He also delighted in thumbing his nose at Cuban agents who were on his trail. They responded by suggesting that Mr. Vesco was the mastermind behind every sort of money-laundering, narcotics and smuggling plot in the Caribbean.

    “With even a fraction of what he was supposed to have stolen he could have disappeared,” wrote Mr. Herzog, in his 1987 biography, “Vesco: From Wall Street to Castro’s Cuba, The Rise, Fall and Exile of the King of White Collar Crime.” Instead, Mr. Vesco seemed to have a compulsion to call attention to himself from his places of exile. A self-made man, he seemed hardly able to help it.

    A high school dropout from Detroit, he lied about his age to get a job on an automobile assembly line. At 21, he moved to New Jersey to work for a struggling manufacturer of machine tools.

    He took over the company when it went bankrupt, rebuilt it and renamed it the International Controls Corporation. By the age of 30, Mr. Vesco was a millionaire.

    He later turned his sights on a Switzerland-based mutual fund company, Investment Overseas Services (I.O.S.). When that, too, ran into trouble, Mr. Vesco offered to rescue the company and was embraced as a white knight by investors terrified of losing their savings.

    He bought I.O.S. in 1970 for less than $5 million, gaining control of an estimated $400 million in funds. The accounting at the company had been so chaotic that Mr. Vesco, by adding a few subterfuges of his own, was able to plunder its holdings at will.

    After numerous complaints, the United States Securities and Exchange Commissioncarried out an investigation. In 1972, the commission charged Mr. Vesco and others in a civil suit with stealing more than $224 million.

    But Mr. Vesco had already fled, first to the Bahamas and then to Costa Rica. There, he established a close friendship with President José Figueres, plowing some $11 million into his adopted country.

    “I wish more Vescos would come to Costa Rica — we need them,” said Mr. Figueres on television in response to criticism that he was harboring a criminal.

    Mr. Vesco also befriended Donald A. Nixon Jr., a nephew of President Richard M. Nixon, and gave $200,000 to the Nixon campaign, apparently hoping the president would help quash the investigation against him.

    It was to no avail. But to the frustration of the F.B.I. Mr. Vesco remained tantalizingly out of reach in Costa Rica, where he passed himself off as a progressive dairy and cattle rancher, and an investor in high-tech projects.

    Eventually, one of his high-tech brainstorms — a factory to make machine guns, which included President Figueres’s son as a partner — became his undoing.

    A public and political outcry ensued, and by 1978 he was forced to leave for the Bahamas, the beginning of years of hopscotching that included stops in Antigua and Nicaragua, before Cuba finally accepted him for “humanitarian” reasons.

    “We don’t care what he did in the United States,” Fidel Castro said. “We’re not interested in the money he has.”

    In Cuba, Mr. Vesco grew a beard, donned a white guayabera shirt and passed himself off as a Canadian citizen named Tom Adams. He and his family lived in a suburban Havana house that was modest by United States standards but lavish for Cubans. Within a few years, allegations began to circulate about Mr. Vesco’s involvement in narcotics trafficking, and he was named as a co-conspirator in the trial in Florida of Carlos Lehder Rivas, a reputed leader of Colombia’s biggest drug cartel.

    Mr. Vesco eventually ran afoul of the Castro government with a scheme to produce a wonder drug that supposedly cured cancer, AIDS, arthritis and even the common cold. He was accused of defrauding a state-run biotechnology laboratory run by Fidel Castro’s nephew, Antonio Fraga Castro, and sentenced to 13 years. After serving most of his time in a private cell in a large prison in eastern Cuba, Mr. Vesco was quietly released in 2005 and lived so simply in recent years in Havana that a friend said he did not know what had happened to his fortune.

    Marc Lacey reported from Havana, and Jonathan Kandell from New York.

    http://anticorrupcioncr.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/don-pepe-vesco-y-los-confites/

    Don Pepe, Vesco y los confites.

    Posted on 

    Políticos, gobernantes, empresarios de cualquier ralea: todos han encontrado en su camino el sutil y penetrante hedor de la corrupción. Desde la antigua civilización mesopotámica, donde la reciprocidad regalo-favor era una costumbre consolidada, hasta las irresueltas cuestiones morales de nuestros días.

    Para hacer una recopilación histórica sobre la corrupción en Costa Rica (en tiempos modernos), es necesario retroceder y hablar de una gran figura de la política costarricense como fue Jose Maria Figueres Ferrer (don Pepe).

    No se trata de en éste caso de querer ensuciar su nombre, ni restarle méritos a lo que fue su obra en éste país, porque los hechos y la historia están ahí, y es a él a quien debemos gran parte de los logros de nuestra sociedad, pero también fue él, quien pudo iniciar (a nuestro  parecer) con la corrupción estatal. Es importante tener claro que no todo los actos de corrupción se llegan a conocer, pero resulta fácil suponer que si se descubrieron algunos, existía una tendencia a cometer ese tipo de actos y quizá efectivamente sí existieron otros que nunca se conocieron.

    A continuación, lo que exponemos es tomado de Wikipedia :

    Una grabación entre el expresidente de Estados Unidos Richard Nixon y John Ehrlichman, uno de sus más cercanos asesores en la Casa Blanca, reveló en el año 1999, que el cuestionado hombre de negocios Robert Vesco fue protegido por el gobierno de José Figueres Ferrer. Ver diario La Nación, marzo 1999

    Esta revelación estaba contenida en la conversación que Nixon tuvo con Ehrlichiman. La Fundación Nixon hizo pública la transcripción completa de aquella conversación en el año 1999. La conversación se produjo entre el expresidente Nixon y Ehrlichman, entre las 3 p. m. y 5 p. m. del 16 de marzo de 1973. Según la grabación, Ehrlichman explica a Nixon que Vesco se refugiaría en Costa Rica, ya que “había comprado al Presidente.” El expresidente estadounidense, preguntó después si se refería al entonces presidente Figueres, a lo que su asesor se lo confirma. Ver diario La Nación, marzo 1999

    Robert Vesco llegó a Costa Rica en el año 1972 como inversionista y planeaba crear un distrito financiero. El 10 de junio de 1972, el Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) le concedió la condición de residente. Y cinco meses más tarde, surgió en Estados Unidos la primera acusación formal contra él. La presunta defraudación era de $224 millones en perjuicio de la conmpañia Investors Overseas Services (IOS). Vesco solicitó la nacionalidad costarricense, pero el Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones se la denegó. El 7 de junio de 1973, la Embajada de los Estados Unidos solicitó la extradición del fugitivo, pero nunca se extraditó en los gobiernos de Figueres Ferrer (1970-1974) ni de Daniel Oduber Quirós. (1974-1978) Ver diario La Nación, marzo 1999. Don Pepe dijo en una ocasión : “Ojalá vinieran más Vescos a Costa Rica”.

    Fue durante la administración de Rodrigo Carazo Odio que después de uno de sus viajes, no se le permitió ingresar más a Costa Rica, aunque durante la administración  de Luis Alberto Monge que volvió a hacer un nuevo intento por regresar, pero tampoco se le permitió.

    En 1973 mientras ejercía su tercer mandato presidencial, José Figueres Ferrer compra tres fincas y las pone a nombre de una asociación. Las fincas pasarían a manos de la Orquesta Sínfónica Juvenil, una vez que la asociación las traspasara. La historia de dichas fincas empezó con una donación depositada en 1973 en una cuenta personal del entonces presidente José Figueres Ferrer durante su tercera administración. En declaraciones al diario costarricense La Nación, Figueres declaró que era para crear el patrimonio de la orquesta nacional y que los donantes fueron dos señores “muy musicales” del Banco de Bahamas, donde tenía inversiones el fugitivo Robert Vesco. En 1974, el mismo diario le preguntó por el dinero y él respondió: “Digan que gasté los $60.000 en confites”. Ver diario La Nación, septiembre 2007 Las tres fincas las puso a nombre de una asociación que al extinguirse las entregaría a la Orquesta. Pero la asociación se extinguió en 1986 y las fincas se traspasaron a una segunda asociación presidida por él. Al extinguirse ésta, se traspasaron a otra asociación, presidida en el año 2008 por su hija Kirsten Figueres.Ver diario La Nación, diciembre 2008

    http://www.tributes.com/obituary/photos/Robert-Vesco-83731306
    Robert Vesco...Rogue on the Run
    ....
    supported by influential respectable powerful people and networks around the world..doing their dirty work so Robert Vesco gets all the bad publicity and they can all hide behind people like Robert Vesco ... in return people like Robert Vesco life a grand lifestyle being able to buy anything he wants that other rich and famous people can live...
    Respected researches believe that there is every chance Robert Vesco did not die and has again able to live on in hiding with everyone believing he is dead...these people like Robert Vesco use these sorts of ruses by paying a lot of money in countries like Cuba and Columbia to fake their death..... and simply carry on under another name and a new identity until they eventually die on naterual causes and everyone eventually does...




    Robert Vesco

    December 4, 1935 - November 22, 2007 
    | Age 71

    Fugitive American financier reported to have died in November 2007

    http://upstart.bizjournals.com/multimedia/slideshows/2008/01/Robert-Vesco.html

    Where's Vesco?

    January 14, 2008

    Robert Vesco is escorted into court on November 13, 1973, to face extradition from the Bahamas.

    Robert Vesco is escorted into court on November 13, 1973, to face extradition from the Bahamas. The S.E.C. had warned the State Department that Vesco "may be attempting to insulate himself from the jurisdiction of the United States courts."

    Vesco's Cuban home.

    Vesco's Cuban home. An influential Cuban American who visited Miami in November spoke to "some people who should know" and was told that Vesco "is serving a sentence under house arrest" and that "they do not expect him to be released alive."

    The family man in Connecticut, 1960.

    Vesco with his wife and sons in Connecticut, 1960. Married at 17 and a father of three by 26, Vesco juggled engineering and middle-management jobs in the automobile industry with a variety of odd pursuits: running small-stakes-gambling operations and bingo parlors, as well as a highway bar called the Powder Mill Inn.

    New York Post

    Vesco at his Costa Rican retreat, 1974.

    Vesco at his Costa Rican retreat, 1974. With his slick black hair, beady eyes, and dastardly pencil mustache, Vesco attained legendary status: the original "fugitive financier."

    A.P. Photo

    Vesco's private plane (grounded).

    Vesco's private plane (grounded). He lived the most ostentatious kind of exile: crowning Latin American beauty queens, waxing defiant via satellite to Walter Cronkite, declaring victory outside the Caribbean courthouses where he staved off extradition.

    Vesco's yacht (impounded).

    Vesco's yacht (impounded).

    Bettmann/Corbis


    Bernard Cornfeld and friends, 1974. Cornfeld, the original jet-setting investment scammer, bitterly derided Vesco as "that hoodlum."

    Bernard Cornfeld

    Bernard Cornfeld and friends, 1974.

    Bernard Cornfeld and friends, 1974. Cornfeld, the original jet-setting investment scammer, bitterly derided Vesco as "that hoodlum."

    Dave Gerrard

    Fidel Castro in 1985.

    Fidel Castro in 1985. By 1982, having worn out his welcome in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Antigua, Vesco had relocated to Cuba. "If he wants to live, let him live here," Castro told an interviewer. "We don't care what he did in the United States."

    Bob Strong

    Vesco is interviewed for ABC News, 1974.

    Vesco is interviewed for ABC News, 1974.

    Bettmann/Corbis

    Vesco's compound in Costa Rica, 1974.

    Vesco's compound in Costa Rica, 1974.

    Lynn Pelham

    Nixon explains Watergate, 1973.

    Nixon explains Watergate, 1973. Inside the White House, Vesco's indictment stirred little alarm. "The way this will probably end up," adviser John Ehrlichman correctly predicted in a taped conversation with Nixon on March 16, 1973, Vesco "will go to Costa Rica, where he has bought the president."

    Bettmann/Corbis

    Vesco leaves a Cuban court, convicted of crimes against the state and sentenced to 13 years in jail, 1996.

    Vesco leaves a Cuban court, convicted of crimes against the state and sentenced to 13 years in jail, 1996. He hasn't been heard from since.

    Sven Creutzmann

    http://gawker.com/5002530/why-joanne-lipman-should-go

    Why Joanne Lipman Should Go

    The February issue of Portfolio, which just hit newsstands, has a superficially fascinating account of fugitive fraudster Robert Vesco, who ran Bernie Cornfeld's bogus mutual fund in the early 1970s, and then escaped to Cuba. Except the profile, based on a poorly-sourced book by a Fox News correspondent called James Rosen, is as hollow as the investment empire Vesco ran. For Conde Nast's embattled business magazine, which staffers jokingly call Fort Polio, the article is an embarrassment; for the title's wobbly editor, Joanne Lipman, who forced through the piece against the objections of her colleagues, the publication is an indictment. How flawed is the piece? Here's how.

    First of all, we're used to magazines rehashing old stories, and presenting them as new. But this isn't just dusty, it's ancient. Here's Portfolio's intro: "The Watergate era's second-most memorable crook, Robert Vesco, started out with nothing, enjoyed his brief moment as a low-life financial genius, and ended up imprisoned at home. In Cuba. We think." Now here's another feature, in Fortune: "Stalking Robert Vesco: Once America's most famous rascal, the fugitive embezzler now lives in Havana in modest seclusion, surrounded by armed guards." Sound familiar? That profile, by Arthur Herzog, was from 1986, twenty years ago.

    At least Herzog managed to track down Cornfeld's notorious henchman. Fox reporter James Rosen, who adds very little to the earlier story, had to rely on second-hand sources. At least Portfolio's head of research came from the prissy New Yorker, and the fact checkers must have checked out the notes and documentation. But we hear that the author said that he'd lost the material "in a flood". (I'll have to remember that excuse.)

    So why would Joanne Lipman publish an old story which didn't even check out? Before being picked by S.I. Newhouse's Conde Nast to launch its $100m business magazine, ran the soft, weekend section of the Wall Street Journal. The brittle editrix is famously, almost proudly ignorant of business journalism, preferring fiction. The Vesco story was news to her. That's fine. Portfolio is lifestyle pap for rich men, not an investigations unit. Sure, Rosen's rehash gets no play on the front cover; and the intro is extremely tentative ("In Cuba. We think.") — as it should be. The magazine is a team: even if Lipman doesn't have much judgment when it comes to business journalism, her colleagues do. Too bad, then, that she went ahead against universal opposition. The result is a fiasco for a magazine that, with lagging newsstand sales and poor buzz, really can't really afford one — and one for which Portfolio's vulnerable editor carries sole responsibility.

    http://wvw.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/mayo/03/pais1523107.html

    NOTICIA DIVULGADA AYER POR ‘THE NEW YORK TIMES’

    Fugitivo Robert Vesco habría muerto de cáncer en Cuba

    http://wvw.nacion.com/disenos/v7/images/cuerpo/bullet-bajada.gif Periódico dice que fallecimiento ocurrió por tumor pulmonar hace cuatro meses

    http://wvw.nacion.com/disenos/v7/images/cuerpo/bullet-bajada.gif Vesco se refugió en Costa Rica entre 1972-1978 por fraude en EE. UU.

    MARCELA CANTERO Y VANESSA LOAIZA | mcantero@nacion.com

    Imagen de Robert Vesco cuando se promocionaba como un inversionista en Costa Rica, donde vivió en la década de los setentas. Archivo.

    UN PROTEGIDO

    En el país: Robert Lee Vesco llegó a Costa Rica en 1972 para establecer un distrito financiero internacional.

    Apadrinado: Pese a las críticas de la prensa costarricense y la posición política, los gobiernos de José Figueres Ferrer (1970-1974) y Daniel Oduber Quirós (1974-1978) lo protegieron en sus años acá.

    Buscado: En 1972, Estados Unidos lo acusó por el fraude de $224 millones en contra de la firma Investors Overseas Services. Entonces, se suponía que Vesco había diluido los fondos en una compleja red de empresas falsas, 88 de las cuales estaban inscritas acá.

    Salida: En 1978, bajo el gobierno de Rodrigo Carazo, Vesco viajó a Bahamas. Luego, Carazo le impidió su reingreso.

    El fugitivo estadounidense, Robert Lee Vesco, quien vivió en Costa Rica entre 1972 y 1978, habría muerto hace cuatro meses por un cáncer de pulmón en Cuba, informó anoche el periódico The New York Times .

    Sin identificar la fuente de su información, el diario sostiene que Vesco, nacido en 1935, habría fallecido el 23 de noviembre.

    “Murió hace más de cuatro meses, el 23 de noviembre, después de una lucha contra el cáncer de pulmón, dijeron personas cercanas a él”, dijo el rotativo.

    The New York Times intentó confirmar su información con autoridades cubanas, que dijeron que el caso no es “relevante”.

    Por su parte, fuentes estadounidenses negaron conocer algún detalle sobre la supuesta muerte.

    “Nosotros no sabemos si eso ocurrió”, dijo un oficial estadounidenses, quien no estaba autorizado a discutir el asunto.

    Vesco llegó a Costa Rica en 1972 huyendo de Estados Unidos, donde se le acusó por un fraude de $224 millones contra inversionistas.

    Aquí, contó con la ayuda de los gobiernos de José María Figueres Ferrer y Daniel Oduber.

    El fugitivo incluso pretendió crear acá un “distrito financiero internacional” para darle “estatuto jurídico de excepción” a los capitales sin nacionalidad. El 5 de diciembre de 1972, en cadena nacional de televisión, Figueres Ferrer dijo que el financista ya había invertido en Costa Rica $13 millones y que planeaba inyectar otros $42 millones.

    En 1978, el gobierno de Rodrigo Carazo lo expulsó del país y, en 1982, el estadounidense se atrincheró en Cuba gracias a su relación con el dictador Fidel Castro.

    En 1996, sin embargo, fue detenido en La Habana y encarcelado bajo sospecha de ser “un provocador y un agente de servicios especiales extranjeros”. Se le condenó a 13 años de prisión.

    Otras informaciones citan que, en realidad, Vesco intentó un fraude contra Raúl Castro.

    Ahora, archivos del cementerio Colón, en La Habana, consultados por el diario The New York Times , indican que Vesco fue incinerado el 24 de noviembre.

    “Fotografías y videos vistos por The New York Times muestran a un hombre parecido a él en un cofre”, dice el diario.

    “Otras fotos lo muestran tosiendo y claramente con color en una cama de hospital donde un amigo dice que estuvo un día antes de que el muriera. También hay fotos de un pequeño grupo que acudió a su incineración”.

    http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/v/robert_l_vesco/index.html

    Robert L. Vesco

    Robert L. Vesco, who was sentenced to a long prison term in Cuba in 1996 and was wanted in the United States for crimes ranging from securities fraud and drug trafficking to political bribery, died in November 2007 from lung cancer.

    Mr. Vesco, shown here arriving at a Havana court in 1996, eluded the American authorities until his final day, a fitting end to his nearly four decades on the run. He was wanted for, among other things, bilking some $200 million from credulous investors in the 1970s, making an illegal contribution to Richard M. Nixon’s 1972 presidential campaign and trying to arrange a deal during the Carter administration to let Libya buy American planes in exchange for bribes to United States officials.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/world/americas/09vesco.html?_r=0

    Robert Vesco, ’70s Financier, Is Dead at 71

    By MARC LACEY Published: May 9, 2008

    MEXICO CITY — The death of the financier Robert L. Vesco, confirmed by documents and interviews, has closed the books on one of Washington’s longest and most prominent fugitive hunts.

    A death certificate filed in Cubaconfirms reports in recent days that he died in November. His wife, Lidia Alfonso Llaguer, also confirmed the death to the Spanish news agency EFE.

    She said she did not know the whereabouts of the fortune that Mr. Vesco is said to have bilked from investors in the United States before fleeing in 1972. “I met him without money,” Ms. Alfonso told EFE from Havana.

    Mr. Vesco was accused of swindling investors out of $200 million in the 1970s, illegally contributing to Richard M. Nixon’s 1972 presidential campaign and trying to induce the Carter administration to let Libya buy planes in exchange for bribes to United States officials. He also was charged with drug trafficking.

    American officials said Thursday that they had not dropped the charges. “We’ve heard the reports of his death, and we’re gathering information on it,” a Justice Department official said.

    After time in Costa Rica and the Bahamas, Mr. Vesco went to Cuba, where he was given sanctuary, then ran afoul of the authorities. He spent a decade behind bars for his role in a scam to market a supposed miracle drug, then lived quietly in recent years.

    “We tried to get him out of Costa Rica, but he escaped,” said Robert A. Pastor, a professor of international relations at American University who worked in the Carter administration.

    Mr. Vesco’s death on Nov. 23 was not reported by Cuban authorities and surprised American officials who had long sought his extradition. He was just shy of his 72nd birthday and died from lung cancer, people close to him said.

    The New York Times viewed photographs and videotapes of Mr. Vesco coughing in his hospital bed on Nov. 22 and in a coffin at his funeral. Cemetery records show a Robert Vesco, with the same birth date, buried at Colón Cemetery in Havana.

    Biography

    Vesco was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he grew up and attended, and then dropped out of, Cass Technical High School. Vesco was the son of a Detroit autoworker. He dropped out of engineering school while he was in his early twenties to go to work for an investment firm. After a short period he struck out independently with an $800 stake matching buyers and sellers in the aluminum market, until he eventually acquired a portion of the profits of a floundering aluminum plant. By 1965, he was in a position to borrow enough money to acquire International Controls Corporation. Through aggressively hostile expansions and debt-financed takeovers of other businesses he grew ICC quickly. By 1968 the company owned an airline and several manufacturing plants, and Vesco held shares totaling US$50 million.[5]

    IOS scandal

    In 1970, Vesco began a successful takeover bid for Investors Overseas Service, Ltd., a mutual fund investment firm with holdings of $1.5 billion run by financier Bernard Cornfeld, who had run into trouble with the SEC. When his firm ran into financial difficulty, no "white knight" was willing to get involved. Vesco saw his chance and began a protracted battle to assume control of the company, opposed by Cornfeld and others. The battle quickly turned nasty; Cornfeld was thrown into jail in Switzerland and Vesco was accused of looting the company of hundreds of millions of dollars. Many prominent figures in global business, finance, and royalty were tied to the mess, receiving money from one party or the other for support. Among the accusations against Vesco were that he parked funds belonging to IOS investors in a series of dummy corporations, one of which had an Amsterdam address that was later linked to Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, and that he broke into a Swiss bank vault to obtain shares. These allegations are unproven, as Vesco fled the country and spent the next fifteen years hopping between countries that lacked extradition treaties with the United States.[2][6][7]

    In February 1973, with criminal charges against him imminent, Vesco took the corporate jet and fled to Costa Rica along with about $200 million worth of IOS's investments, according to SEC allegations. Vesco would continue to wage a legal battle from Costa Rica and the Bahamas to try to maintain control over his 26 percent of ICC stock, but, with five outstanding indictments for securities fraud against him, he could not return to the United States. It was not until 1981 that ICC had completely become free of Vesco's control, after paying out almost $12 million to him and his family.[8]

    Nixon scandal

    Among the charges that emerged in the years after Watergate, the SEC accused Vesco of embezzling $220 million from four different IOS funds. In 1973, Vesco fled to Costa Rica. Shortly before his departure, hoping to shut off the SEC investigation into his activities, Vesco routed substantial contributions to Richard Nixon through his nephew, Donald A. Nixon.

    Vesco was also investigated for a secret $200,000 contribution made to the 1972 campaign to re-elect Nixon. As counsel to International Controls Corporation, New Jersey lawyerHarry L. Sears delivered the contribution to Maurice Stans, finance chairman for the Committee to Re-elect the President. Vesco had wanted Attorney General John N. Mitchell to intercede on his behalf with SEC chairman William J. Casey. While Vesco fled the country, Stans, Mitchell, and Sears were indicted for obstruction of justice, though charges against all three were dismissed.[9]

    "Vesco law"

    In Costa Rica, Vesco donated $2.1 million to Sociedad Agricola Industrial San Cristobal, S.A., a company founded by President José Figueres. Figueres passed a law to guarantee that Vesco would not be extradited. Figueres' constitutional term ended in 1974. Vesco remained in Costa Rica until 1978, when President Rodrigo Carazo (1978–1982) repealed what was popularly referred to as the "Vesco Law."[10]

    In 1978 Vesco moved first to Nassau and then to Antigua. While in Antigua he tried unsuccessfully to buy the sister island Barbuda and establish it as a sovereign state.[3] The Costa Rican government blocked his attempt to return in 1978, under President Rodrigo Carazo's administration. In 1982 Vesco tried again to return to Costa Rica, but PresidentLuis A. Monge denied his entry.[11]

    He lived in Nicaragua for a while, while the Sandinista government was in power. Each of these countries accepted him, hoping that his great wealth would finance local development projects. However, this worked poorly for everybody involved, although Vesco was reputed to have stolen over $200 million, and appeared several times on the Forbes list of the wealthiest people in the world.[12]

    Nixon scandal, Pt. II

    In 1982 he moved to Cuba, a country that could provide him with treatment for his painful urinary tract infections, and which would not extradite him to the U.S. Cuban authorities accepted him on the condition that he would not get involved in any financial deals. He married Lidia Alfonso Llauger.[4]

    Vesco was indicted in 1989 on drug smuggling charges.[3]

    In the 1990s, Vesco became involved once again with Donald A. Nixon after Nixon went to Cuba seeking to partner with the government in conducting clinical trials on a substance he claimed to boost immunity, called trixolan or TX.[citation needed] Vesco introduced Nixon to Fidel Castro and his brother, Raúl Castro, and the Cuban government agreed to provide laboratory facilities and doctors to conduct the trials. Results from the studies were claimed to be positive, however on or about May 31, 1995, Vesco attempted to defraud Nixon and Raúl Castro, and Cuban authorities seized control of the project and arrested Vesco and his wife. Nixon was detained for questioning and was released thirty days later.

    At the time of Vesco's arrest the Cuban Foreign Ministry said he had been taken into custody "under suspicion of being a provocateur and an agent of foreign special services," or intelligence agencies. However, he was formally charged with "fraud and illicit economic activity" and "acts prejudicial to the economic plans and contracts of the state."[4] In 1996 the Cuban government sentenced Vesco to thirteen years in jail on charges stemming from the scandal. He was scheduled for release in 2009, when he would have been 74. Vesco's wife Lidia was convicted on lesser charges and got out in 2005.[3][4]

    Vesco reportedly died of lung cancer in November 2007 and was buried at Colon Cemetery in Havana. However, these reports of his death have been disputed.[1]

    A similar figure who combined political and financial shenanigans, Allen Stanford, developed extensive ties in Antigua. In 2012 a Texas court sentenced Stanford to 110 years for fraud.

    References

    1. ^ a b c Lacey, M. and Kandell, J. (2008) "A Last Vanishing Act for Robert Vesco, Fugitive", New York Times. May 3, 2008. Retrieved 5/3/08.
    2. ^ a b Herzog, A. (1986) "Stalking Robert Vesco", CNN. Retrieved 5/3/08.
    3. ^ a b c d Noah, T. (2001) "Know Your Fugitive Financiers!", Slate.com. Retrieved 5/3/08.
    4. ^ a b c d Rohter, R. (1996) "Robert Vesco, the Fugitive Financier, Goes on Trial in Cuba on Fraud Charges", The New York Times. August 2, 1996. Retrieved 5/3/08.
    5. ^ Anreder, S.S. (1978) "Vesco's legacy: International Controls Corp. hopes to live it down," Barron's. April 17, 1978. p. 9, 16-18.
    6. ^ Herzog, A. (1987) Vesco, His Rise, Fall and Flight. Retrieved 5/3/08.
    7. ^ (1981) "Life after Vesco," Barron's. September 7, 1981. p. 34-35.
    8. ^ Burgess, W.H. (1982) "The remarkable recovery of the company Vesco left behind," Management Review. May 1982. p. 31-32.
    9. ^ Sullivan, Joseph F. (1976-10-01). "Sears Is Suspended as a Lawyer For Transmitting '72 Vesco Gift". The New York Times.
    10. ^ (1979) "Learning to love exile", Time magazine. February 9, 1976. Retrieved 5/3/08.
    11. ^ "Denuncian protección a Vesco", La Nación Digital. March 4, 1999, in Spanish. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
    12. ^ Rosen, J. (2008) "Rogue on the Run", Conde Nast Portfolio magazine. February 2008. Retrieved 5/3/08.

    Further reading

    • Herzog, A. (2003) Vesco: From Wall Street to Castro's Cuba. ISBN 0-595-27209-6
    • Eisenhauer, A.L., Moore, R. and Flood, R.J. (1976) The Flying Carpetbagger. ISBN 0-523-00985-2
    • Dyer, Dery (2006). "Robert Vesco: ‘The Whale in the Puddle’" (The Tico Times on Vesco in Costa Rica), p. S9


    Ind. man with 47 guns arrested after school threat


    Associated Press

    CEDAR LAKE, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana man who allegedly threatened to "kill as many people as he could" at an elementary school near his home was arrested by officers who later found 47 guns and ammunition hidden throughout his home.

    Von. I. Meyer, 60, of Cedar Lake, was arrested Saturday after prosecutors filed formal charges of felony intimidation, domestic battery and resisting law enforcement against him. He was being held Sunday without bond at the Lake County Jail, pending an initial hearing on the charges, police said in a statement.

    Cedar Lake Police officers were called to Meyer's home early Friday after he allegedly threatened to set his wife on fire once she fell asleep, the statement said.

    Meyer also threatened to enter nearby Jane Ball Elementary School "and kill as many people as he could before police could stop him," the statement said. Meyer's home is less than 1,000 feet from the school and linked to it by trails and paths through a wooded area, police said.

    Police said in the statement that they notified school officials and boosted security at all area schools Friday — the same day 26 people, including 20 students, were shot and killed at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

    On Saturday, officers served warrants at Meyer's home and arrested him. The statement said police had learned that Meyer kept many weapons in his older, two-story home and "is a known member of the Invaders Motorcycle Gang."

    Officers searched the home, finding 47 guns and ammunition worth more than $100,000 hidden throughout the home. Many of the weapons were collector's guns.

    Cedar Lake is about 45 miles southeast of Chicago.

    A dispatcher with Cedar Lake Police said that the police chief was not available for interviews until Monday.

    Lake County police spokeswoman Patti Van Til said Sunday that a SWAT team from the department assisted in serving Saturday's warrants.



    Jacintha Saldanha's Death: Australian DJs Behind Royal Prank May Face Police Probe

    The two Australian DJs who pulled the prank call on the U.K. hospital where Kate Middleton was staying are now in hiding and may soon have to face police after the death of a nurse caught in the hoax.


    Kate Middleton and Indian-born mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, is thought to have taken her own life. 

     
    2Day FM hosts, Michael Christian and Mel Greig.


    Questions have been raised by members of the Australian public whether MI5, MI6 and/or their well known murder partners Mossad where involved somehow in the death of  Indian-born mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who the UK media are claiming that she took her own life...
    and it is noted that all media reports coming from the United Kingdom only ever call it a suspected suicide... but was it a murder by  MI5, MI6 and/or their well known murder partners Mossad 
    to make and example of the nurse who gave out the private information about
     Kate Middleton  who was in a U.K. hospital...



    Australian readers of  INLNews.com and awn.bz who have read all about the murder of Thomas Allwood,
     

    INL News Under-Cover Investigative Journalist  and co producer with Stephen Carew-Reid and
      the INL News Group of Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Shows Have, on the 21st June, 2012 in  Broxburn Scotland which is about an hour's drive from Edinburgh... and how the Scottish Lothian Borders Police and the Scottish Prosecution known in Scotland  as the Procurator Fiscal's Office  and the world's media are clearly not looking closely enough the evidence brought out at the recent trial of Kyle Montgomery heard from the 19th November to the 26th November 2012 in Scotland's High Court in Livingston, who had been charged by the Scottish Lothian Borders Police for the murder of Thomas Allwood ..the evidence clearly indicates strongly that Thomas Allwood was not murdered by Kyle Montgomery who locals in Broxburn say is a well known local mentally depressed Scitzophrenic  at around 2.20am on the 21st July, 2012 ... as implied by his father John Montgomery in his  sworn evidence at by Kyle Montgomery's  trial... when the much more believable independent evidence from two next door neighbours who have a common wall with John Montgomery's house in Galloway Cresent, Broxburn was produced at the trial that say they both heard and felt an enormous bang on their bedroom wall that felt like their bedroom wall was about to cave in...coming from John Montgomery's house at about 3.15 am on the 21st June, 2012.... which was the loudest bang that they had ever heard coming from John Montgomery's house which they stated was like living next door to a pub with drinking, shouting, arguing and fighting went on all the time all hours of the day and night... they said in evidence that before the enormous bang there was loud shouting, screaming, arguing and fighting coming from John Montgomery's house... however as soon as the enormous bang happened that felt like their bedroom wall was about to cave in... there was complete silence coming from John Montgomery's house... and then they heard the back door quietly open and close ... which was first time that that door was ever opened and close without being slammed for the last couple of years since they lived next door to John Montgomery's house..... John Montgomery had given sworn evidence at his sons trial that after his son grabbed a bread knife from his kitchen draw and ran out the back door after Thomas Allwood, who was unarmed when he left the house a few minutes before, and that his son Kyle Montgomery came back into the house a few minutes later with blood on the bread knife admitting to his Dad, John Montgomery, that he had just done something bad... John Montgomery then said he took to bread knife with blood on it from his Son, Kyle Montgomery and calmly placed it back into the draw still with the blook on it... then Kyle Montgomery left the house and John Montgomery calmly had another drink and then fell asleep on the lounge and did not wake up until the police turned up and arrested him at about 5 am on the 21st June, 2012... another person who was at John Montgomery's house that early morning on the 21st June, 2012 was a lady known as Maggie whose name is Margaret Shedden (Galloway being her birth name- a very well connected and influential family in Scotland with a famous politician George Galloway and a Freemason Scottish Police Officer Hugh Galloway  of 7 Tower Place Johnstone Renfrewshire Renfrewshire 791 being member of the family)...John Montgomery's family also are well connnected and respected in Scotland with war heros in the family and a Freemason Police Officer Alexander Montgomery  51 Parkhead Rd Glen Village by Falkirk Stirlingshire 484

    also a member of the Montgomery Family.... so it does not seem believable that John Montgomery would not have been awake and/or woken up with the enormous bang coming from his house at about 3.15 that the next door neighbours say was the loudest bang they had ever heard from John Montgomery's house and felt like their bedroom wall was going to cave in... so this clearly indicates along with other evidence that John Montgomery had lied on the witness stand and in doing so has implicated his Kyle Montgomery as the person who was likely to have made a fatal six inch stab wound in the right chest of Thomas Allwood through cloths with a bread knife that would have cerated edge and no sharp point for stabbing anyone through clothing which is only suitable for a sawing acting rather that a stabbing action...however at the same time implicating Kyle Montgomery as the likely person who made the fatal six inch stab wound in Thomas Allwood's right chest that cut through a main archery causing the death of Thomas Allwood... John Montgomery gave evidence which is believed by the jury could get his son off the murder charge his Son Kyle Montgomery was facing and to try and convince the jury that his son

     Kyle Montgomery was only guilty of culperable homicide... which is like an accident homicide crime that resulted in the death of a person without intent in a drunken fight that got out of hand ... even though the bar maid gave evidence at the trial that Thomas Allwood was only drinking soft drinks that night... and Kyle Montgomery had been alcohol drinking heavily since about 1pm on the 20th June, 2012.....and so was his father John Montgomery drinking alcohol heavily since at least 8pm and likely most of the day since he received his government benefit cheque  that day... in fact the jury based mainly on his father's evidence... very conveniently  for all those Scottish Government officials  involved in the investigation into the murder of Thomas Allwood.... and others...  found Kyle Montgomery not guilty of the murder of Thomas Allwood and found Kyle Montgomery guilty of the lesser charge of Culperable homicide (accidental death) of Thomas Allwood....now the evidence that came out at the trial of Kyle Montgomery seems to clearly indicate that there were at least four people... maybe more in the house of Kyle Montgomery from 10pm on the 2oth June, 2012 and about 3.30 am on the 21st June, 2012... and in fact at least voices coming from John Montgomery's house that night and early morning were heard by the next door neighbours ....these seem to include...Thomas Allwood, John Montgomery, Kyle Montgomery and Margaret Shedden (Galloway being her birth name) and maybe others who did not want to make themselves known and kept reasonable quiet while at John Montgomery's house... the evidence seems to clearly indicate that at 2am to 2.30 am on the 21st June, 2012 when John Montgomery states was the time frame when his son Kyle Montgomery was meant to have gone out the back door and meant to have stabbed Thomas Allwood with a bread knife and came back with blood on the knife admitting he has just done something bad...making it fairly obvious to the at least three people left at the house which at the least included John Montgomery, Kyle Montgomery and Margaret Shedden (Galloway being her birth name)... that Kyle Montgomery had just stabbed Tomas Allwood outside in the back yard and/or a nearby street .. and that Thomas Allwood would be likely have been badly hurt from a stab wound and would have needed urgent medical attention.... regardless if  was considered that stabbing of Thomas Allwood by Kyle Montgomery deliberate and/or in self defense... either way it would have been clear to these three people and anyone else that may have been at John Montgomery's house at that time, that they should call an ambulance and the police immediately to make sure that Thomas Allwood obtained urgent medical attention which if had been done then could well have saved the life of Thomas Allwood... sure the fact that neither of these people bothered to ring the police and/or an ambulance to try and get urgent help for Thomas Allwood at around 2.20-2.30 am...if what John Montgomery says id true.... they all should be charged with being responsible for the murder and/or death of Thomas Allwood as they seemed to just let him die on the street or the back yard.. and under Australian law could well be charged as accessories after the fact and at least charged with some serious charge that resulted in the death of Thomas Allwood... very similar to walking away from a serious car accident where it is clear someone had been seriously hurt and not calling the police and/or an ambulance....

    Now... when one looks at the evidence of the two next door neighbours that say they both heard and felt an enormous bang on their bedroom wall that felt like their bedroom wall was about to cave in...coming from John Montgomery's house at about 3.15 am on the 21st June, 2012.... which was the loudest bang that they had ever heard coming from John Montgomery's house... then the more believable  truth is that at about 3.15 am Thomas Allwood was king hit by someone and/or some people with either a fist or fists and/or a hard object that was enough to knock out Thomas Allwood.. then the body of Thomas Allwood was carried outside while Thomas Allwood was still unconscious ...then someone stabbed Thomas Allwood... not with a bread knife but a sharp pen knife which made the deep six inch stab wound into the right chest of Thomas Allwood that cut a main archery so that Thomas Allwood was never wake up and would bleed to death... and then quietly they carried Thomas Allwood body to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left the body  there at about 3.30 am where the body was found at about 4.45 am by three boys walking past at that time...the neighbour that had a window open looking right over where Thomas Allwood's body was found says you can hear a pin drop in her street and there was not one sound or noise in her street that early morning... and the only noise that was heard was the sound of the police at about 5am looking at the body and the murder scene... so it is clear that there was not fighting in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning and so screaming or cries for help from Thomas Allwood in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning.. why?... because Thomas Allwood was obviously carried and left there and was already unconscious having been knocked out before he was stabbed with the six inch stab wound and then stabbed and then carried to to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left there... private investigators employed by friends and family of Thomas Allwood have a strong belief that the evidence clearly suggests that Thomas Allwood was not murdered and/or even killed by Kyle Montgomery with a bread knife but was murdered by a contract killer well trained to know where and how to stab a person with one six inch stab wound with a very sharp and pointed pen knife which is designed to be able to kill some with just one stab wound.... the people in the world that are well known to be able to know how to murder someone with just one stab wound are agents and/or assets of MI5, MI6 and Mossad... and it is well known they work as agents for the state of the United Kingdom and the UK Prime Minister's Office to carry out murders of people like Thomas Allwood who was an undercover INL News Investigative Journalist who was working on a story to expose state of the United Kingdom and the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron and their Treasury Solicitors and Barristers for knowing being involved with having a false and fraudulent UK Border Agency document and having that false and fraudulent document presented to the High Court of Justice to stop Thomas Allwood from successfully claiming £500 million in damages claim for the wrongful arrest of USA Comedian Ronnie Prouty by the UK Border Agency on the 27th April, 2011 as a favour for the powerful Rupert and James Murdoch and their all powerful media group News Corporation as a way of commercially sabotaging the planned filming of the pilot fo the Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Show in Edinburgh in April- May 2011 being co-produced by Thomas Allwood, Stephen Carew-Reid (the author of the well known bboks The Triumph of Truth -Who Is Watching the Watchers? and the original founder of the INL News Group-formerly known as the Australian Weekend News Publishing Group) and the INL News Group to create an international showcase of talented entertainers that perform at the 60 year old Edinburgh Fringe Festival each year... which has become the biggest arts festival in the world with over 3,000 Fringe shows being performed during August each year in Edinburgh....

    Below is some the transcripts of what was said at a court hearing in London's High Court of Justice heard on the 24th July, 2012 where applications were originally listed to be heard by Thomas Allwood prior to his murder on the 21st June, 2012 in Broxburn, Scotland for criminal contempt applications to be heard against  David Cameron the UK Prime Minister, George Osborne, the UK Chancellor, the UK Government, the UK Border Agency and their treasury solicitors  for knowingly having prepared a false and fraudulent UK Border Agency document and presenting such false and fraudulent UK Border Agency document to the High Court of Justice to try to stop Thomas Allwood from suing David Cameron the UK Prime Minister, George Osborne, the UK Chancellor, the UK Government, the UK Border Agency for £500 million in damages caused to the filming of the Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Show by the wrongful arrest of USA Comedian Ronnie Prouty on the 27th April, 2012 at Heathrow Airport as favour David Cameron and George Osborne's good friends at the time...Rupert and James Murdoch and their all powerful multi- billion media group known as News Corporation..the murder of Thomas Allwood on the 21st June, 2012 meant that would stop Thomas Allwood continuing with his criminl contempt applications against suing David Cameron the UK Prime Minister, George Osborne, the UK Chancellor, the UK Government, the UK Border Agency and their treasury solicitors and well as other criminal contempt applications taken out against barristers and solicitors involving another legal fight Thomas Allwood and his de-facto partner Valerie Butler where involved with at the High Court of Justice in their fight over their 25 acre family farm known as Haywicks Farm, Haywicks Lane, Hardwicke, Gloucester in the UK... where Thomas Allwood alleged that powerful and well connected s Freemason solicitors and barrister in Gloucester that Thomas Allwood called the Gloucestershire Legal Mafia (GLM) were involved with the preparing a false will in the name of Valerie Butler's father Herbert Butler and presenting that false will for a wrongful grant of probate so that partners of the Gloucestershire Legal Mafia (GLM) could wrongly obtain the title deed of their 25 acre family farm known as Haywicks Farm, Haywicks Lane, Hardwicke, Gloucester in the UK which they had planned to turn into a multi-million luxury real estate development ... Thomas Allwood also had a firm belief and was not scared to openly say...that Valerie Butler's father Herbert Butler was also murdered as part of the conspiracy he alleged to defraud his de-facto partner Valerie Butler of her rightful ownership of Haywicks Farm..

    Some of the reasons why the Private Investigation Team employed by friends and family of the late Thomas Allwood to investigate who and why Thomas Allwood was murdered on the 21st June. 2012 in Broxburn, Scotland strongly believe that the powerful agents of the State of the United Kingdom such as MI5, MI6 and/or Mossad and/or some other professional contract murdered was and/or were involved in the murder of Thomas Allwood on the 21st June, 2012 include:

    1. The Scottish Lothian Borders Police and the Scottish Prosecution known in Scotland  as the Procurator Fiscal's Office  and the world's media are clearly not looking closely enough the evidence brought out at the recent trial of Kyle Montgomery heard from the 19th November to the 26th November 2012 in Scotland's High Court in Livingston, who had been charged by the Scottish Lothian Borders Police for the murder of Thomas Allwood ... seem to be risking their worldwide good  reputation by quite openly protecting those at the house of John Montgomery on the evening of the 20th June, 2012 and the early morning of the 21st June, 2012 who according to the evidence of John Montgomery, and including John Montgomery knew that Thomas Allwood was likely badly wounded from a stab wound at about 2.20 am and did niot ring the police of an ambulance and simply went to sleep and left Thomas Allwood to die on the road just a street away from John Montgomery's house

    2.  Why is there a complete worldwide media block out.. except for one lone Scottish Journalist Vic Roderick who was the only journalist to cover the trial... who has now been silenced by the world mainstream  media with what is called a "D Notice" on the reporting of the murder/death of Thomas Allwood who was an undercover INL News Investigative Journalist, Poet and TV Shows producer of the Fringe Shows have Talent TV Show...

    3. Why is the a mentally sick person such as Kyle Montgomery whom the locals say is a well known Scitzophrenic which is capable to believing and/or repeating any story he is told is the truth.. being made a patsy for the death of Thomas Allwood.. .at about 2.20 am when  the evidence clearly indicates that Thomas Allwood was knocked unconscious in the house of John Montghomery at about 3.15 am on the 21st June, 2012 and then carried out of the house and then stabbed with a six inch wound in the right chest cutting a main archery nd then carried to be let to die on Clarkson and Pyothall Road, Broxburn

    With the more believable  truth is that at about 3.15 am Thomas Allwood was king hit by someone and/or some people with either a fist or fists and/or a hard object that was enough to knock out Thomas Allwood.. then the body of Thomas Allwood was carried outside while Thomas Allwood was still unconscious ...then someone stabbed Thomas Allwood... not with a bread knife but a sharp pen knife which made the deep six inch stab wound into the right chest of Thomas Allwood that cut a main archery so that Thomas Allwood was never wake up and would bleed to death... and then quietly they carried Thomas Allwood body to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left the body  there at about 3.30 am where the body was found at about 4.45 am by three boys walking past at that time...the neighbour that had a window open looking right over where Thomas Allwood's body was found says you can hear a pin drop in her street and there was not one sound or noise in her street that early morning... and the only noise that was heard was the sound of the police at about 5am looking at the body and the murder scene...

    so it is clear that there was not fighting in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning and so screaming or cries for help from Thomas Allwood in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning.. why?... because Thomas Allwood was obviously carried and left there and was already unconscious having been knocked out before he was stabbed with the six inch stab wound and then stabbed and then carried to to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left there... private investigators employed by friends and family of Thomas Allwood have a strong belief that the evidence clearly suggests that Thomas Allwood was not murdered and/or even killed by Kyle Montgomery with a bread knife but was murdered by a contract killer well trained to know where and how to stab a person with one six inch stab wound with a very sharp and pointed pen knife which is designed to be able to kill some with just one stab wound.... the people in the world that are well known to be able to know how to murder someone with just one stab wound are agents and/or assets of MI5, MI6 and Mossad...

    Part of the transcripts of hearing before Justice Vos at High Court of Justice in London on the 24th July, 2012

    Miss Love: The Border Agency matter.

    Mr Justice Vos: I know, but I do not have any of the core papers in the Border Agency matter. What is the action no?

    Miss Love: My Lord, it is HC11C04395

    Mr Justice Vos: You see that is why, I have been through all the cases, and I do not have any papers in that except your letter and the correspondence.

    Miss Love: Right

    Mr Justice Vos: If I just pick it up. I have this much stuff on the UKBA, but it really is just your letter and a lot of historical material, and material concerning the famous INL News Group.

    Miss Love: Mr Lord, we can remedy that situation _ I am sure your Lordship does not particularily want further copies of the correspondence, but certainly of the original claim form_

    Mr Justice Vos: That is what I would like. So there was an application, was there, in that matter that was returnable today?

    Miss Love: There was....

    Mr Justice Vos: To do what?

    Miss Love: If I could just start the procedural history, the claim by Mr Carew-Reid, which in essense was apparently a claim for damages in respect of treatment by the UK Border Agency of an individual known as Mr Prouty was issued on 9th December, 2011...

    Page 6:

    Miss Love: as you will see, it appears to be some hybrid of striking out and appealing the order of Master Bowles, an application for the cross-examination of myself and Mr Spanton, who was acting Treasury Solicitor and a generalised, if I might respectfully say so, rather difficult to grasp criminal contempt application..

    Mr Justice Vos: It is another criminal contempt

    Page 8:

    Mr Geis: But the point was that Mr Prouty was refused entry into the UK and I've seen the forms that Mr Carew-Reid had, and there was one form which did not have a signature on. Now, I think this does cause for a bit of alarm and I think you should carefully consider this point and. if necessary, make an adjournment.

    Mr Justice Vos: Thank you, Mr Gies...

    Miss Lean: My Lord may have seen in the more recent correspondence from Mr Reid and INL that clearly they have concerns that this was a murder effected by MI5 or Mossad and/or other agents of the State, but as  far as we are aware it is being dealt with as a criminal murder charge (murder of Thomas Allwood)

    Mr Justice Voss: Yes, and who was Mr Allwood- apart from being a party to litigation, did he occupy some important position?....

    Miss Lean: My Lord, for completeness, I should mention I am afraid among the many letters and emails from members of the INL News Group I do not have that one. I think I have seen some reference in the correspondence to Mr Allwood being involved with the INL News Group in some capacity so that may be the...

    Mr Justice Voss: Right, but he was a associate and friend of Mr Carew-Reid, that is what it comes to?.... Right, thank you. Well Mr Carew-Reid himself says he was a friend of Mr Carew-Reid's side, I do not think we need to go further than that.....

    Jacintha Saldanha's Death: Australian DJs Behind Royal Prank May Face Police Probe

    The two Australian DJs who pulled the prank call on the U.K. hospital where Kate Middleton was staying are now in hiding and may soon have to face police after the death of a nurse caught in the hoax.

    This morning, there are also new questions about whether DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, radio shock jocks at Sydney's 2Day FM broke laws after they recorded the private conversation when they pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

    British police have also contacted Australian police about a possible probe into the prank call, The Associated Press reported Sunday.

    Rhys Holleran, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of Sydney's 2Day FM radio station said no laws were broken. The prank had been cleared by the Australian radio station's lawyers. Holleran said the DJs followed the company's procedures before broadcasting the call. "I think the more important question here is that we're very confident that we haven't done anything illegal. Our main concern at this point in time is what has happened is incredibly tragic and we're deeply saddened and we're incredibly affected by that," Holleran said Saturday. The hoax has caused public outcry after the death of a nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, who connected the pair to the Duchess' room.

    Saldanha was found dead Friday morning after police were called to an address near the hospital to "reports of a woman found unconscious," according to a statement from Scotland Yard. Circumstances of her death are still being investigated, but are not suspicious at this stage, authorities said earlier. Lord Glenarthur, the chairman of King Edward VII's Hospital, the U.K. hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was receiving treatment, condemned the prank Saturday in a letter to the Max Moore-Wilton, chairman of Southern Cross Austereo, the Australian radio station's parent company.

    Glenarthur said the prank humiliated "two dedicated and caring nurses," and the consequences were "tragic beyond words," The Associated Press reported. Max Moore-Wilton, the chairman of Southern Cross Austereo, said in a letter to Lord Glenarthur Sunday that the company is reviewing the station's broadcast policies, the AP reported. "I can assure you we are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast and processes involved," Moore-Wilton said in the letter. "As we have said in our own statements on the matter, the outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable." Saldanha came to England from India nine years ago, with her husband and two children. On Facebook, her 14-year-old daughter wrote this weekend, simply: "I miss you, I loveeee you."

    Saldanha worked as a nurse at King Edward VII private hospital for four years. Her family lives 100 miles away in Bristol, but while on shift she slept in a residence for nurses. With no receptionist on duty overnight she answered the prank call and put it through. The hospital called her a "first-class nurse" and "a well-respected and popular member of the staff" and extended "deepest sympathies" to family and friends, saying that "everyone is shocked" at this "tragic event."

    The duchess spent three days at the hospital undergoing treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, severe or debilitating nausea and vomiting. She was released from the hospital Thursday morning. The hospital apologized for the mistake.

    A man who stabbed a photographer to death in a drunken street brawl was caught after police found a blood-stained knife in a cutlery drawer.

    http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/203156-killer-who-stabbed-man-to-death-had-bloody-knife-in-cutlery-drawer/


    A man who stabbed a photographer to death in a drunken street brawl was caught after police found a blood-stained knife in a cutlery drawer.

    Kyle Montgomery, 24, denied murdering Thomas Allwood after a late-night drinking session but was found guilty of culpable homicide by a jury on Wednesday.

    Jurors at the High Court in Livingston took four and a half hours to return a guilty verdict on the lesser charge.

    Sentence on the first-time offender, of Winchburgh, West Lothian, was deferred until December 20 for background reports.

    Mr Allwood, a 56-year-old photographer who worked for the Australian-based INL News Group, was stabbed in the chest during an incident on June 21.

    Giving evidence in his own defence, Montgomery claimed he grabbed the knife to frighten Mr Allwood after being attacked by him at a house in Broxburn, West Lothian.

    He said the killing was an accident and that he did not know the blade had sliced through the victim's chest and severed a major artery as he struggled with the victim.

    Police who were called to the scene followed a trail of blood from Mr Allwood's body to Montgomery's father’s home. They found the knife, still stained with blood, in a cutlery drawer.

    Montgomery was detained as he returned to the house from a nearby shop.

    Mr Allwood was a photographer with the Australian-based INL News Group. Although he was born in Scotland, his family emigrated when he was a child and he spent most of his live in Australia.


    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/murder-trial-told-dna-of-victim-1453803

    Murder trial told DNA of victim and alleged killer found on kitchen knife

    24 Nov 2012 00:01

    THE knife was found in the kitchen of the dad of Kyle Montgomery, who denies murdering Thomas Allwood.

    THE DNA of a murder victim and his alleged killer were found on a kitchen knife, a court heard yesterday.

    The High Court in Livingston was told the odds of the DNA matching anyone other than the deceased, Thomas Allwood, were 28,600,000-1.

    Blood samples lifted from the blade were a billion-to-one match for 24-year-old Kyle Montgomery, who denies murdering Thomas in Broxburn on June 21.

    The knife was found in Montgomery’s dad’s kitchen.

    Forensic scientist Kirsty McTurk told the jury: “The findings are consistent with Kyle Montgomery having assaulted Thomas Allwood.”

    The trial was adjourned until Monday.

    http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/man-caused-stab-death-by-accident-1-2664172


    Man ‘caused stab death by accident’

    Published on Wednesday 28 November 2012






    A MAN accused of murdering an Australian journalist has claimed he must have stabbed the victim to death by accident.

    Kyle Montgomery admitted that he armed himself with a kitchen knife and squared up to 56-year-old Thomas Graham Allwood.

    He claimed in evidence at the High Court in Livingston that the blade was for his own “protection” and he had no intention of using it.

    After being attacked twice by the victim, he said he just wanted to “scare him off” with the knife.

    He struggled with Mr Allwood, who was armed with a metal pole or iron bar, but said he was unaware of inflicting the fatal blow which severed the main artery above his heart.

    Montgomery, 24, from Winchburgh, West Lothian, denies murdering Mr Allwood in Broxburn on June 21.

    In his closing speech yesterday, advocate depute Martin Macari asked the jury to convict Montgomery of murder. He said: “Whatever happened between those men, Kyle Montgomery had returned to the house to get a weapon.”

    Derek Ogg QC, defending, said: “If he didn’t realise he’d caused that injury, he could not and did not have any criminal intent towards Mr Allwood.”

    Judge Lord Doherty was due to deliver his charge to the jury this morning.

    Comment from INL News Reader: Mary Gleeson

    I have read all the published stories on the trial of Kyle Montgomery who was charged with the murder of INL Journalist Thomas Allwood, and all other previous media reports I could find on the web since Thomas Allwood was first reported on the BBC website on the 22nd June 2012 that he had been murdered in Broxburn, Scotland and that Kyle Montgomery was charged with Willfull murder of Thomas Allwood... and I have come to the conclusion that the way the evidence has presented at the trial of Kyle Montgomery and what evidence has been given by the witnesses the dots simply do not add up... and the trial has created more questions than answers..... when it seems clear that this Maggie lady, described as a female friend of Thomas Allwood and tJohn Montgomery, the father of the accused ..according to John Montgomery's evidence were in the house when Kyle Montgomery deliberately went outside to chase after Thomas Allwood with a bread knife... rather than jut locking lall the doors and windows of his father's house t make sure Thomas Allwood can not get back into their house....because they were meant to be in fear of him... then ring the police and say that Thomas Allwood was threatening Kyle Montgomery and had attacked Kyle Montgomery in John Montgomery's house ( all according the John Montgomery) and was continuing to bang on their door ... then the police would have come around immediately and arrested Thomas Allwood... who would then have spent the night in the police lock up.... where he would have woken up the next morning alive and be able to explain to a magistrate and/or the police what happened that night... no it all did not happen that way... John and Kyle Montgomery both claim that having removed Thomas Allwood from John Montgomery's house.... and expecting Thomas Allwood to have been unarmed....deliberately ran out of the back door of the house to the back garden for the purpose to chase Thomas Allwood with a bread knife in his hand.... instead of staying safe in his dads house and ringing the police.... now I read in the above article the unbelievable claim by Kyle Montgomery that Thomas Allwood   "
    was armed with a metal pole or iron bar" and thus was acting in self defence after delieberately going outside to look for Thomas Allwood to attack him with a knife... other purpose  would he have grabbed the knife and run outside with it for... it can only be to stab Thomas Allwood who he thought was unarmed... now Kyle Montgomery seems on the evidence had been drinking heavily since bout 1pm at his dads house and would have been very drunk by 2am the next morning and Thomas Allwood looks like a big man and Kyle Montgomery looks like a small thin boy... and thus could easily be over powered by Thomas Allwood even without Thomas Allwood have a metal pole or an iron bar to defend himself with from a vicious knife attack... we also heard from John Montgomery who said that Thomas Allwood had his son Kyle Montgomery pinned on the floor with his foot on his chest... which shows that Thomas Allwood had no problem in over powering Kyle Montgomery without any weapon of any sort.... then se have the unbelievable story of John Montgomery that at the same time the Thomas Allwood had his son Kyle Montgomery pinned to the floor by having his foot on his chest... Thomas Allwood was meant to have his hands around Kyle Montgomery's throat trying to strangle Kyle Montgomery... this is simply physically impossible for a tall big man to do at the same time as standing up with his foot on the person's chest....it is simply also unbelievable that that Thomas Allwood was armed outside with a metal pole or iron bar because if that was the case having already being told by John Montgomery that Thomas Allwood had no problem about being able to overpower Kyle Montgomery without any weapon, the how the hell is Kyle Montgomery going to be able fatally stab Thomas Allwood with just one six inch stab wound with a bread knife ( bread knife do not have pointy tips and just a cerated edge for a sawing action for bread or meat but not a stapping action) through clothing knowing the exact place to stab (single handed) a big man to kil him with one stab wound in the front chest ( not in the back)  who is well aware that of the identity of the attacked and that the attcked is likely to attack because of a previous disagreement in the house.... and Thomas Allwood is also now armed with a metal pole or an iron bar.... which in one swing would have knocked small frail drunk Kyle Montgomery for six ... there is no way Kyle Montgomery is going to have any chance of being able to make that one fatal stab wound all by himself.... no normal jury is going to beleive this story.. so there seems no doubt what ever happened that morning Thomas Allwood must have been unarmed and Kyle Montgomery would have have to hav had some helpers... if it was really Kyle Montgomery that handed the fatal stab wound on Thomas Allwood...at about 2.15 according to the timing given by his father John Montgomery... then John and Kyle Montgomery and the lasy Maggie have to explain what the enmormous bang against the wall of the next door neighbours bedroom that cam from John Montgomery's house at about 3.5 to 3.15 am that felt to them that their bedroom wall was abourt to cave in... then after there being constant arguing, shouting and fighting etc before this enormous bang at about 3.05 to 3.15 am on the 21st June 2012.. everything from John Montgomery's house suddenly went quiet and for the first tikme ever... the back door was opened and wht and the door was not slammed which indicated clearly that someone or some people went out the door of John Montgomery's very silently and quietly... and the only logical deduction as to what the enormous bang against the wall was just before that nearly push the wall in from John Montgomery's side... was someone king hitting Thomas Allwood with a fist or a heavy object.. making him unconscious....then carrying Thomas Allwood out the door while he was unconscious... then may be making soem more bruses on his boy and then the one fatal stab wound ... all while he was unconscious.... and then carrying the body of Thomas Allwood quietly to where he was found on Clarkson/Pyothall Roads... at about 4.45 am by passers by... 
    However if one is to discount that theory and ignore the enormosu bang at 3.05 to 3.15 am coming from John Montgomery's house... and just still to what John Montgomery sated on the witness stand under oath.. that his sone Kyle Montgomery grabbed a bread knife from the kitchen draw and ran out the back door( obviously to go to try and stab Thomas Allwood or at least chase after himw ith the knife) then coming back ten minutes later with blod on the knife and admitting he had done something bad... and John Montgomery not asking any more questions and calmly oputting the knife woth the blood on it back into the draw... having one more drink,,, the son leave the house and he falls asleep on the lounge...and is woken uop at about 5am by the police arresting him... so why didn't John Montgomery, Kyle Montgomery and/or Maggie ring the police and/or an ambulance at about 2.20 am which would haved saved the life of Thomas Allwood..

    http://www.lbp.police.uk/information/latest_news/news_archives/2012/november_2012/man_convicted_of_thomas_allwoo.aspx

    Man convicted of Thomas Allwood death

    28 November 2012 15:59



    A man who stabbed his victim in the chest, resulting in his death has today been convicted.

    At the High Court in Livingston today, Kyle Montgomery was found guilty of culpable homicide after killing 56-year-old Thomas Graham Allwood during a disturbance in Broxburn in the early hours of Thursday 21st June.

    Members of the public found Mr Allwood's body in Clarkson Road and alerted police who launched a major investigation to identify his killer.

    Detectives quickly traced and arrested Montgomery and charged him in connection Mr Allwood's death.

    The 24-year-old is due to be sentenced on Thursday 20th December at Edinburgh High Court.

    Detective Inspector Stuart Houston, who led the investigation said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.

    "I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.

    "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."


    Thomas Allwood was born in Scotland but spent most of his life in Australia

    First offender Kyle Montgomery will be sentenced next month for the killing



    http://www.s1broxburn.com/news/broxburn-killer-montgomery-convicted--1.html


    Broxburn killer Montgomery convicted

    by Rebecca GarrettWednesday, 28 November 2012

    The monster who stabbed Thomas Graham Allwood in the chest in Broxburn, which resulted in his death, has been convicted.

    Kyle Montgomery was found guilty of culpable homicide the High Court in Livingston. He killed 56-year-old Allwood during a disturbance in the early hours of Thursday, June 21.

    Members of the public found Mr Allwood's body in the Clarkson Road/Pyothall Road area and alerted police. A major investigation to identify his killer was launched.

    Detectives quickly traced and arrested Montgomery and charged him in connection Mr Allwood's death

    The 24-year-old is due to be sentenced on Thursday, December 20 at Edinburgh High Court.

    Detective Inspector Stuart Houston, who led the investigation, said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.

    "I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.

    "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."



    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20526345

    28 November 2012


    Kyle Montgomery found guilty of killing journalist Thomas Allwood

    A man who stabbed a journalist to death in West Lothian has been convicted of culpable homicide.

    Kyle Montgomery, from Winchburgh, denied murdering 56-year-old Thomas Allwood in Broxburn in June.

    A jury at the High Court in Livingston took four-and-a-half hours to find the 24-year-old guilty of the lesser charge.

    Sentence was deferred until 20 December at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.

    Montgomery had said he grabbed a knife to scare off Mr Allwood after claiming he was attacked by him at a house in Broxburn.

    He said the killing was an accident and that he did not know the blade had sliced through the victim's chest and severed a major artery during the struggle.

    After the attack, Mr Allwood, who was a journalist with the Australian-based INL News Group, was found on Clarkson Road by members of the public.

    Police who were called to the scene followed a trail of blood from his body to Montgomery's father house.

    They found the knife, still bloodstained, in a cutlery drawer. Montgomery was detained as he returned to the house from a nearby shop.

    Mr Allwood was born in Scotland but his family emigrated to Australia when he was a baby and he spent most of his life there.

    He was involved in producing a TV show called Fringe Shows Have Talent, to showcase entertainers performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

    Det Insp Stuart Houston, who led the Lothian and Borders Police investigation, said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.

    "I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.

    "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."



    http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/203156-killer-who-stabbed-man-to-death-had-bloody-knife-in-cutlery-drawer/


    Killer who stabbed man to death had bloody knife in cutlery drawer

    STV 28 November 2012 16:45 GMT








    Associated Press/Carolyn Kaster, File - FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama acknowledges House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio while speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, as he hosted a meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress to discuss the deficit and economy. Admnistration officials say President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Sunda, Dec. 9, 2012, at the White House to discuss the ongoing negotiations over the impeding "fiscal cliff." Spokesmen for both Obama and Boehner said the two men agreed to not release details of the conversation, but emphasized that the lines of communication remain open. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

    Stock market is a wild card in fiscal cliff talks

    By By CHARLES BABINGTON | Associated Press 

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress and the White House can significantly soften the initial impact of the "fiscal cliff" even if they fail to reach a compromise by Dec. 31. One thing they cannot control, however, is the financial markets' reaction, which possibly could be a panicky sell-off that triggers economic reversals worldwide.

    The stock market's unpredictability is perhaps the biggest wild card in the political showdown over the fiscal cliff.

    President Barack Obama's re-election gives him a strong negotiating hand, as Republicans are increasingly acknowledging. And some Democrats are willing to let the Dec. 31 deadline pass, because a rash of broad-based tax hikes would pressure Republicans to give more ground in renewed deficit-reduction negotiations.

    A chief fear for Obama's supporters, however, is that Wall Street would be so disgusted or dismayed that stocks would plummet before lawmakers could prove their newfound willingness to mitigate the fiscal cliff's harshest measures, including deep, across-the-board spending cuts that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says could significantly damage the nation's military posture. SomeRepublicans believe that fear will temper the president's insistence on a hard bargain this month. Obama and GOP House Speaker John Boehner on Sunday held their first meeting between just the two of them since the election, and spokesmen for both emphasized afterward their lines of communication remain open.

    The so-called cliff's recipe of major tax hikes and spending cuts can actually be a gentle slope, because the policy changes would be phased in over time. Washington insiders say Congress and the White House would move quickly in January or February to undo many, but not all, of the tax hikes and spending cuts.

    Financial markets, however, respond to emotion as well as to research, reason and promises. If New Year's headlines scream "Negotiations Collapse," an emotional sell-off could threaten the president's hopes for continued economic recovery in his second term, even if Republicans receive most of the blame for the impasse.

    "Nobody can predict the markets' reaction," said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.

    Some Republicans are surprised that the White House has not made clearer efforts to reassure Wall Street that if the Dec. 31 deadline is breached, the worrisome pile of tax increases and spending cuts would not hit all at once.

    A few liberal commentators are making just that case.

    "If we go past the so-called fiscal cliff deadlines and all the resulting budget cuts and tax increases come into force, the administration can minimize the damage," Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne wrote last week. "Obama can publicly announce he is delaying any cuts, on the theory thatCongress will eventually vitiate some of them. And he can make sure the bond markets know of his plans well in advance. ... Everyone (especially Wall Street) should calm down."

    Some financial bloggers agree. "Although it would be bad to let the spending cuts and tax hikes fully go into effect, if this thing is addressed in early January, things will be okay," wrote Business Insider's Joe Weisenthal.

    So far, the stock markets have stayed calm. The S&P 500 index is up 12 percent for the year.

    That might be because investors agree that a temporary trip over the cliff wouldn't be too harmful. Chastened lawmakers, the thinking goes, would quickly minimize the economic damage with a deficit-reduction compromise that eluded them in December.

    Or, it's possible that investors view the most pessimistic tones surrounding the fiscal cliff talks as posturing that will give way to a last-minute deal. If that is the thinking — and if the Dec. 31 deadline instead is breached — Obama's fear might come to pass: The expectation of a deal might produce a significant decline in stock prices if it doesn't occur.

    As bad as that sounds, some liberals think it will be necessary to force many Republicans to drop their opposition to higher tax rates on the wealthy that Obama says are crucial to trimming the deficit.

    Rep. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat who says temporarily going over the cliff wouldn't be so bad, noted what happened on Sept. 29, 2008. The House surprised investors by rejecting a proposed bailout of the crisis-stricken financial sector. Republicans strongly opposed the plan despite then-President George W. Bush's support. The Dow plunged 777 points, its largest one-day point drop ever. Four days later the House, shaken by the market reaction, passed a slightly modified bailout bill. 

    Welch said a similar market meltdown next month, in the event of a fiscal cliff impasse, "is what will force members of Congress eventually to act." Few lawmakers in either party are eager to predict how the stocks and bonds markets would react to a failure to reach a fiscal cliff accord by year's end. "Let's not pretend the markets fully understand the politicians, or the politicians fully understand the markets," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who has served in Congress for 37 years.

    Follow Charles Babington on Twitter: //twitter.com/cbabington



    How the 'Mayan Apocalypse' came from a New Age magic mushroom trip

    The 'prophecy' does not stem from the Mayans at all. Instead, the beliefs come from two New Age books in the Seventies and Eighties, says a British academic.

    Jose Arguelles, author of The Mayan Factor (Image: Wikimedia)

    The so-called 'Mayan' prophecy actually comes from New Age writers in the Seventies and Eighties (Image: Rex)

    People who are expecting the world to end on December 21 - the so-called 'Mayan Apocalypse' - should be in for a pleasant disappointment.

    The 'prophecy' does not stem from the Mayans at all - or date from thousands of years ago.

    Instead, the beliefs come from two New Age books in the Seventies and Eighties. 

    The two books predict outcomes as surreal as a 'upgrade' to human consciousness predicted by a spirit from the seventh century. The date itself comes from a prophecy based on a magic mushroom trip.

    “December 21st will be just another Friday morning,” said Andrew Wilson, Assistant Head of Social Studies at the University of Derby. “A hippy guru called Jose Arguelles associated the date with the Mayan calendar in a book called The Mayan Factor in 1987. But it's an obsolete form of the calendar, which had not been used since the year 1100AD.”

    “He claimed to be channelling various spirits, including the spirit of a Mayan king from the seventh century. He predicted a ‘shift in human consciousness’ - mass enlightenment.”

    The actual date of December 21 first appeared in an earlier work - a 1975 book by Terence McKenna,  a writer known for his descriptions of “machine elves” seen while under the influence of drugs.

    The date appeared in McKenna's ‘Timeline Zero’ prophecy, and was based on McKenna’s own mathematics, the Chinese I Ching and a magic mushroom trip.

    McKenna later met Arguelles and the two became, Wilson says, part of a circle of New Age authors who cited each other’s work, lending the ‘prophecy’ an air of believability.

    “The significance of December 21 2012 in ‘New Age’ circles emerged from the work of ‘ethnobotanist’ Terence McKenna as he travelled deep into the Amazon in the 1970s,” says Wilson. His calculations of a ‘zero time wave’ suggested the world would go through a large change on December 21.”

    “Arguelles, who had a long-held interest in Native American spiritualties, was inspired by McKenna’s work. He popularised the date in connection with the ‘long count calendar’ of the Mayan people in his new-age circles.”

    As the belief has evolved, it has become associated with other, wilder predictions - such as the idea that Earth will be hit by a ‘rogue planet’, Nibiru, or swallowed by a black hole.

    “There is no central belief,” says Wilson, “It varies from the ideas that Earth’s magnetic poles might shift, to the idea of a ‘galactic council’ visiting Earth. There’s no one, definite idea - it mirrors the New Age beliefs from which it comes.”

    “It’s become part of a lot of religious movements. For instance, ‘The Galactic Federation of Light’ believes that ‘Planet X’ will make a close pass by the earth in 2012 – causing a deep transformation of human life on Earth.

    “What this and other apocalyptic dates have in common across new religious movements is that they are often predicted to occur within a believer’s lifetime - making their beliefs urgent and important,” said Wilson.

    “However, most people who believe in the significance of December 21 2012 have tempered their predictions of an apocalypse to, instead, signifying some significant change in humanity. Whether that is a change in culture or a world-wide event - most believers in an apocalypse won't be preparing for an earthly end but looking forward to an imminent transformation."

    “A lot of people look to this story for reassurance - about the financial climate, or even about fears of, for instance, the Large Hadron Collider.”

    “What’s been popularised is the dramatic stuff - but I am definitely still doing my Christmas shopping as normal this year.”

    Wilson’s paper, ‘From Mushrooms to the Stars’, will be published by Ashgate in 2013.



    Georgia details nuke black market investigations

    By By DESMOND BUTLER | Associated Press


     This June 24, 2012 photo shows the Hotel L Bakuria in Batumo, Georgia, Black Sea coast near the Turkish Border. In April 2012, three men gathered in secret at the hotel to talk about a deal for radioactive material for sale. The Georgian seller offered cesium, a byproduct from nuclear reactors that terrorists can use to make a dirty bomb.But one of the Turkish men made it clear he was after something much more dangerous: Uranium, the material used to make a nuclear bomb. The two Turks and the seller businessman Soslan Oniani, were convicted in  September, 2012 in a Georgian court, according to officials, and sentenced to six years in prison each. Despite years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the fight against illicit sale of nuclear contraband, the black market remain active in the countries around the former Soviet Union. (AP Photo by Desmond Butler)


    This undated handout photo provided by the Georgia Interior Ministry shows components for four cylinders containing radioactive substances seized in Batumi, Georgia on April 10, 2012. Police, who have been tracking Georgian Businessman Soslan Oniani, for over  year, monitored him in a hotel room meeting with two Turskish citizens, trying to sell to sell the cylinders with the materials which included cesium-137 and strontium-90. The two Turks and the seller, Oniani, were convicted were convicted in  September, 2012 in a Georgian court, according to officials, and sentenced to six years in prison each.


    Associated Press/Georgia Interior Ministry - This undated photo provided by the Georgia Interior Ministry shows part of a seizure of radioactive substances including iridium-192 and europium-152. Police in Kutaisi, Georgia arrested two people involved in the smuggling in February 2011. The investigation led police to track a third man, Soslan Oniani, who would be arrested in April 2012 trying to sell radioactive material to two Turkish men. Despite years of effort and hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the fight against the illicit sale of nuclear contraband, the black market remains active in the countries around the former Soviet Union. The radioactive materials, mostly left over from the Cold War, include nuclear bomb-grade uranium and plutonium, and dirty-bomb isotopes like cesium and iridium. (AP Photo/Georgia Interior Ministry) 

    BATUMI, Georgia (AP) — On the gritty side of this casino resort town near the Turkish border, three men in a hotel suite gathered in secret to talk about a deal for radioactive material.

    The Georgian seller offered cesium, a byproduct of nuclear reactors that terrorists can use to arm a dirty bomb with the power to kill. But one of the Turkish men, wearing a suit and casually smoking a cigarette, made clear he was after something even more dangerous: uranium, the material for a nuclear bombThe would-be buyers agreed to take a photo of the four cylinders and see if their boss in Turkey was interested. They did not know police were watching through a hidden camera. As they got up to leave, the police rushed in and arrested the men, according to Georgian officials, who were present.

    The encounter, which took place in April, reflected a fear shared by U.S. and Georgian officials: Despite years of effort and hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the fight against the illicit sale of nuclear contraband, the black market remains active in the countries around the former Soviet Union. The radioactive materials, mostly left over from the Cold War, include nuclear bomb-grade uranium and plutonium, and dirty-bomb isotopes like cesium and iridium. The extent of the black market is unknown, but a steady stream of attempted sales of radioactive materials in recent years suggests smugglers have sometimes crossed borders undetected. Since the formation of a special nuclear police unit in 2005 with U.S. help and funding, 15 investigations have been launched in Georgia and dozens of people arrested. Six of the investigations were disclosed publicly for the first time to The Associated Press byGeorgian authorities. Officials with the U.S. government and the International Atomic Energy Agency declined to comment on the individual investigations, but President Barack Obama noted in a speech earlier this year that countries like Georgia and Moldova have seized highly enriched uraniumfrom smugglers. An IAEA official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to comment, said the agency is concerned smuggling is still occurring in Georgia.

    Four of the previously undisclosed cases, and a fifth — an arrest in neighboring Turkey announced by officials there — occurred this year. One from last year involved enough cesium-137 to make a deadly dirty bomb, officials said.

    Also, Georgian officials see links between two older cases involving highly enriched uranium, which in sufficient quantity can be used to make a nuclear bomb. The AP's interviews with the two imprisoned smugglers in one case suggested that the porous borders and the poverty of the region contributed to the problem. The arrests in the casino resort of Batumi stand out for two reasons: They suggest there are real buyers — many of the other investigations involved stings with undercover police acting as buyers. And they suggest that buyers are interested in material that can be used to make a nuclear weapon. "Real buyers are rare in nuclear smuggling cases, and raise real risks," said nuclear nonproliferation specialist Matthew Bunn, who runs Harvard's Project on Managing the Atom. "They suggest someone is actively seeking to buy material for a clandestine bomb." The request for uranium raises a particularly troubling question. "There's no plausible reason for looking for black-market uranium other than for nuclear weapons— or profit, by selling to people who are looking to make nuclear weapons," Bunn said.

    ______________

    Georgia's proximity to the large stockpiles of Cold War-era nuclear material, its position along trade routes to Asia and Europe, the roughly 225 miles (360 kilometers) of unsecured borders of its two breakaway republics, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and the poverty of the region may explain why the nation of 4.5 million has become a transit point for nuclear material. Georgian officials say the radioactive material in the five new cases this year all transited through Abkhazia, which borders on Russia and has Russian troops stationed on its territory. Abkhazia's foreign ministry said it has no information about the Georgian allegations and would not comment, but in the past it has denied Georgian allegations.

    Russia maintains that it has secured its radioactive material — including bomb-grade uranium and plutonium — and that Georgia has exaggerated the risk because of political tension with Moscow. But while the vast majority of the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal and radioactive material has been secured, U.S. officials say that some material in the region remains loose. "Without a doubt, we are aware and have been over the last several years that not all nuclear material is accounted for," says Simon Limage, deputy assistant secretary for non-proliferation programs at the U.S. State Department. "It is true that a portion that we are concerned about continues to be outside of regulatory control."

    U.S. efforts to prevent smuggling have prioritized bomb-grade material because of the potential that a nuclear bomb could flatten a U.S. city. But security officials say an attack with a dirty bomb — explosives packed with radioactive material — would be easier for a terrorist to pull off. And terrorist groups, including al-Qaida, have sought the material to do so. A study by the National Defense University found that the economic impact from a dirty bomb attack of a sufficient scale on a city center could exceed that of the September 11, 2011, attacks on New York and Washington.

    The U.S. government has been assisting about a dozen countries believed to be vulnerable to nuclear smuggling, including Georgia, to set up teams that combine intelligence with police undercover work. Limage says Georgia's team is a model for the other countries the U.S. is supporting. On Jan. 6, police arrested a man in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, and seized 36 vials with cesium-135, a radioactive isotope that is hard to use for a weapon. The man said he had obtained the material in Abkhazia. In April, Georgian authorities arrested a group of smugglers from Abkhazia bringing in three glass containers with about 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of yellowcake uranium, a lightly processed substance that can be enriched into bomb-grade material.

    "At first we thought that this was coincidence," said Archil Pavlenishvili, chief investigator of Georgia's anti-smuggling team. "But since all of these cases were connected with Abkhazia, it suggests that the stuff was stolen recently from one particular place. But we have no idea where. " Days later, more evidence turned up when Turkish media reported the arrest of three Turkish men with a radioactive substance in the capital, Ankara. Police seized 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of cesium-135, the same material seized in January in Tbilisi.

    Georgian officials said the suspects were residents of Germany and driving a car with German plates, but that the material had come from Abkhazia. Turkish authorities said the men had entered Turkey from Georgia. Information provided by German authorities led to the arrest in June of five suspects in Georgia with 9 vials of cesium-135 that looked very similar to the vials seized in January. The Batumi investigation started after the arrest of two men in the city of Kutaisi in February 2011 year with a small quantity of two radioactive materials stolen from an abandoned Soviet helicopter factory, according to Georgian officials. The men said that a businessman, Soslan Oniani, had encouraged them to sell the material. Police interviewed Oniani and searched his house, but found insufficient evidence to arrest him, according to officials. Still, they kept monitoring him through phone taps and an informant. Georgian officials say Oniani was a braggart, who played on his relationship with his cousin, Tariel Oniani, a well- known organized crime boss convicted in Russia of kidnapping.

    Early this year, Soslan Oniani started talking about a new deal. Through surveillance and phone taps, police learned of the meeting in Batumi and monitored it. While no money passed hands, the men discussed an illegal deal, which is sufficient for prosecution in Georgia. Tests by Georgian authorities later revealed that one lead cylinder held cesium-137, two strontium-90, and the fourth spent material that was hard to identify. All are useful for making a dirty bomb, although the material in the cylinders alone was not enough to cause mass casualties, according to data provided by Georgian nuclear regulatory authorities. The arrested Turks denied knowing they were negotiating for radioactive substances. They claimed to be musical instrument experts, who had come to Batumi seeking to buy violins. A skeptical interrogator asked them if they were familiar with the famed instrument maker Stradivarius.

    One man said he had never heard of him. The two Turks and the seller, Oniani, were convicted in September in a Georgian court, according to officials, and sentenced to six years in prison each.

    _______________

    The Georgian smuggling cases suggest that the trade in radioactive materials is driven at least in part by poverty and the lingering legacy of Soviet corruption in a hardscrabble region. Georgian officials say that because of U.S. backed counter-smuggling efforts, organized crime groups seem to have concluded that the potential profit from trade in these materials doesn't justify the risk. But individuals sometimes conclude they can make a quick buck from radioactive material. For instance, in one newly disclosed case last year, authorities arrested two Georgian men with firearms, TNT and a lethal quantity of cesium-137. One was a former Soviet officer in an army logistics unit, who told police that at the end of his service in the early 90s, he had made a second career stealing from the military.

    "He openly said: 'I was a logistics officer and my second duty was to steal everything possible," according to Pavlenishvili. The man kept the cesium for years before he and a relative tried to sell it last year to a Georgian undercover officer. He did not try to sell the weapons or explosives. Poverty and corruption also appear to have played into three smuggling incidents in 2003, 2006 and 2010 that involved bomb-grade highly enriched uranium.

    In 2003, an Armenian man, Garik Dadaian, was arrested when he set off a radiation detector provided by an American program at a checkpoint on the Armenian-Georgian border. Days later, the man was released and returned to Armenia under murky circumstances.

    Dadaian's name resurfaced in 2010 on a bank transfer slip in the pocket of the two smugglers arrested with highly enriched uranium. The men had obtained the material from Dadaian and were offering it as a sample of a larger quantity. Police say forensic analysis suggests the uranium may have come from the same batch seized in 2003. Russian investigators suspected Dadaian got the nuclear fuel from a manufacturing plant in Novosibirsk, Russia, where several disappearances of material have been documented. Pavlenishvili said Dadaian bribed prosecutors to win his release and take some of the uranium. The two smugglers in the 2010 case were Sumbat Tonoyan, a dairy farmer who went bankrupt, and Hrant Ohanian, a former physicist at a nuclear research facility in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. The AP interviewed both at a prison about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Tbilisi, where they are serving sentences of 13 and 14 years.

    In separate interviews, each man blamed the other for the idea of smuggling uranium, and talked of financial hardship. Ohanian said his daughter needed urgent medical care that he couldn't afford, and Tonoyan said a bank had seized his house after his dairy factory collapsed. "I didn't have a job and I couldn't pay the bank," he said in Russian through an interpreter. The men also claimed they believed the material they were selling was to be used for scientific work, not nefarious purposes. Ohanian said a Georgian contact, who was also arrested, told him relations with Moscow were so bad that Georgian scientists could not get the uranium they needed from Russia on the open market. "I feel guilty because I behaved like an idiot," he said. "I should have known and I would never do something like this again."

    Follow Desmond Butler at //twitter.com/desmondbutler





      

    Questions have been raised by members of the Australian public whether MI5, MI6 and/or their well known murder partners Mossad where involved somehow in the death of
      Indian-born mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who the UK media are claiming that she took her own life...
    and it is noted that all media reports coming from the United Kingdom only ever call it a suspected suicide... but was it a murder by  MI5, MI6 and/or their well known murder partners Mossad 
    to make and example of the nurse who gave out the private information about
     Kate Middleton  who was in a U.K. hospital...



    Australian readers of  INLNews.com and awn.bz who have read all about the murder of Thomas Allwood,
     



    Australian readers of  INLNews.com and awn.bz who have read all about the murder of Thomas Allwood,
    INL News Under-Cover Investigative Journalist  and co producer with Stephen Carew-Reid and  the INL News Group of Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Shows Have, on the 21st June, 2012 in Broxburn Scotland which is about an hour's drive from Edinburgh... and how the evidence brought out at the recent trial of Kyle Montgomery,
    who had been charged by the Scottish Lothian Borders Police for the murder of Thomas Allwood seems to clearly show that the Scottish Lothian Borders Police
    and the Scottish Prosecution known as the Procurator Fiscal's Office and the UK Government are:
    not interested the fact that their own prosecution witnesses agree that they did not ring the police and/or an ambulance when it was discovered that Kyle Montgomery has allegedly placed a 6 inch knife wound into the right chest of Thomas Allwood allegedly at about 2.15 am on the 21st June, 2012 ... and just let Thomas Allwood blead to death until he was found by three boys at 4.45 am two streets away...

    David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (whom he and his treasury solicitors was about to be exposed by Thomas Allwood at a High Court of Justice hearing London on the 24th July, 2012 for criminal comtempt of court); the Scottish Lothian Borders Police 
    and/or the Scottish Prosecution known as the Procurator Fiscal's Office and the UK Government have not offered any official statement saying how sorry they are that Thomas Allwood was murdered on the 21st June, 2012..if fact they seem to be celebrating Thomas Allwood's death having appeared to have branded Thomas Allwood an enemy of the United Kingdom just for wanting the truth to be publicly known and for people who have wrongly victimised by the law obtain some fair justice...

    None on the main stream international media have bothered to even report the murder of Thomas Allwood, INL News Under Cover Investigative Journalist, poet and co-producer of the Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Show and other feature films....as there seems to be a "D Notice" stopping them reporting the murder of Thomas Allwood... which is usually issued when sectret service organisations such as MI5, MI6 and/or Mossad are involved with the murder of someone that is declared an enemy of the state as it seems that Thomas Allwood was... just because he was prepared to speak the truth and wanted the public to know the truth..

    Thomas Allwood was murdered for exposing the truth and fighting for  truth and justice for the ordinary people like Janice Pritchard ans her son Robert Carter who had their family home taken from them in a very wrongful way and put on the street in a very wrongful way by power powerful property developers and their even more powerful legal teams that had the power and influence to be able to tell a justice in the High Court of Justice what orders they wanted and such orders were always granted regardless of the rights and wrongs of the case presented to the judge hearing the case..
    Investigators doing a two year undercover investigation into the running of the High Court of Justice have stated in their report that the London's High Court of Justice is one of the most corruptly run courts in the world...where the odds of a litigant in person who does not have formal legal representation getting fairness and justice are a million to one....where  judges, justices, masters and adjudicators simply do not bother on most occasions to closely read legal and factual submissions and statements made by litigants in person and only closely read legal and factual submissions and statements filed by the licensed solicitors and barristers that are representing the other side of the legal argument....the way it works is that when a litigant in person issues a claim and/or application in the High Court of Justice without using a licensed solicitor or barrister... the  judges, justices, masters and adjudicators simply do not bother on most occasions to closely read the litigants in person's legal and factual submissions and statements  and as a matter or routine simply rule against the litigant in person with an ruling that their case has no merit... whether in fairness the case had merit or not... which it may have merit but just not written in the formal legal way a licensed solicitor or barrister would have written their claim or application form... and then once one or two claims or applications have been unsuccessfully made and they are ruled as having no merit.... then a civil restraining order is made against the litigant in person to hinder them from issuing any further claims or applications to have their legal grievances aired in the courts...and thousands of pounds of legal costs are issued against them..so that their opposition solicitors and barristers sue the litigant in person for these court costs to make sure theydo not even trouble them again and/or obtain a court order that until the unfair court costs are paid that no claims and/or applications can be made by them... as another method to bury the truth...it has been found by the two year undercover operation compiled with the help of Thomas Allwood, INL News former head undercover investigative reporter, that on many instances the solicitors and barristers deliberately present false and misleading information to the court and deliberately withhold material information from the court... to obtain the court orders they require from the court... and what is even more shocking..... what Thomas Allwood and his investigation team found stated is even more shocking is that where  judges, justices, masters and adjudicators are well aware that  when the solicitors and barrister deliberately present false and misleading information to the court and deliberately withhold material information from the court... they simply condone such wrongful and illegal behaviour and help the solicitors and barristers cover this all up and make sure any complaint about their behaviour is completely buried by striking out any complaint made formerly to the court in a criminal contempt application and without reading the details of the complaint..strike out the criminal contempt application  as having no merit and rule thousands of pounds of court costs against the litigant in person for daring to try to bring the court's attention to this wrongful and illegal behaviour ... and sometimes as in the case of Thomas Allwood have the litigant in person murdered and organise the police and prosecution to cover up who really murdered the litigant in person and why he was murdered by trying to convince the public into believing it was just an accidental death as a result of some drunken argument, and not a planned and calculated murder.... so the person that has wrongly been blamed for the death is only found guilty of being officially being involved with an accidental death... and being a person not mentally well and being a


     Scitzophrenic with mental depression will simple spend a year or so in a luxury mental institution and then be let out to live a normal life taking medication... which they were taking anyway before the death of the enemy ( the litigant in person)... and the real professionally trained killer who works for some state secret service organisation like MI5, MI6 and/or Mossad is never looked for and never charged.. so he or she can be available when needed by state secret service organisation like MI5, MI6 and/or Mossad is never looked for and never charged.. so he or she can be available when needed by state secret service organisations like MI5, MI6 and/or Mossad for thei next murder assignment...




    Kate Hospital: Nurse's Family Pays Tribute

    Sky News

    The family of nurse Jacintha Saldanha have thanked people for their support and messages of condolence.

    Speaking on their behalf, Keith Vaz MP described Mrs Saldanha as a "loving mother and a loving wife".

    "This is a close family, they are devastated by what has happened, they miss her every moment of every day," he said, as he stood beside Mrs Saldanha's husband Benedict Barboza and her two teenage children.

    "They are really grateful for the support of the British public and the public overseas for the messages of support and kindness," he added.

    The post-mortem for the nurse, who put through a hoax call made about the Duchess of Cambridge's medical condition, will take place on Tuesday.

    Mrs Saldanha took the initial call from Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian who posed as the Queen and the Prince of Wales when they rang the hospital where Kate was being treated for acute morning sickness.

    Believing it to be genuine, she put the call through to another colleague who was duped into describing the duchess' condition in detail.

    Mrs Saldanha was found dead days later, having apparently taken her own life.

    Her post-mortem will take place at Westminster Mortuary.

    Prime Minister David Cameron spoke of his "shock" at Mrs Saldanha's death.

    He said: "I thought it was completely shocking ... I heard about the suicide of this nurse, who worked incredibly hard and obviously was incredibly dedicated.

    "I feel incredibly sorry for her and her family. It is an absolute tragedy that this has happened and I am sure everyone will want to reflect on how it was allowed to happen."

    It comes after the boss of Sydney radio station 2Day FM said five attempts were made to contact London's King Edward VII's Hospital about the prank call before it aired.

    "Following the hoax call, the radio station did not speak to anyone in the hospital's senior management or anyone at the company who handles our media enquiries," a hospital spokesman said.

    Earlier, Rhys Holleran - head of the station's parent company Southern Cross Austereo - said he was satisfied that the appropriate checks were carried out before the pre-recorded segment was broadcast.

    "It is absolutely true to say that we actually did attempt to contact those people on multiple occasions," he told Fairfax Radio, an Australian broadcaster.

    "We rang them up to discuss what we had recorded ... we attempted to contact them on no less than five occasions ... we wanted to speak to them about it."

    Britain's Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told Sky News the nurse's response to the prank call does not point to a widespread breach of procedure.

    Asked what lessons needed to be learned, he said: "I think we need to make sure that the right safeguards are in place, that the right training is in place, but I think it's too early for me to say whether this is something which is just an individual prank that went horribly wrong and it was an isolated breach or whether there are more widespread issues.

    "My instinct is that this was an isolated incident with very exceptional circumstances."

    Labour MP Mr Vaz, who visited Mrs Saldanha's family in Bristol on Sunday, has called on the hospital to hold an inquiry and provide more support to the relatives.

    "What is needed, clearly, is an inquiry by the hospital into what has happened.

    "The hospital has sent them a letter, which I have seen, but I'm surprised that nobody has made the journey to Bristol to sit with them and offer them the counselling that I think they need."

    He said the family was in "terrible distress", adding: "More support in my view needs to be given."

    A statement from King Edward VII Hospital said chief executive John Lofthouse had offered to meet Mrs Saldanha's husband.

    It said it had also offered to establish a memorial fund in her name.

    The statement read: "We hope that everyone will focus on doing all they can for the family of Jacintha Saldanha at this terrible time."





    Royal hoax pranksters break silence

    The two young 2Day FM hosts at the centre of the controversial Royal prank have broken their silence on the call that had such tragic repercussions.

    Martin Frizell weighs in on royal hoax

    Headlines and commentary in the UK have condemned the two young radio hosts at the centre of 2DayFM's tragic prank call.

    The two young 2Day FM hosts at the centre of the controversial Royal prank have broken their silence on the call that had such tragic repercussions.

    After the stunt received international coverage, the nurse who answered the call, 46-year-old Jacintha Saldanha, took her own life.

    How much the prank had to do with the tragedy is open to conjecture, but what is certain is that Michael Christian and Mel Greig are two young people under unimaginable pressure.

    Though they both say that they are emotionally stable in talking about the events, both Christian and Greig appear visibly distraught.

    More stories from Today Tonight

    • Radio duo's Royal prank
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    When Greig describes hearing the dreadful results following the days after the prank she says "unfortunately I remember that moment very well because I haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened, and I remember my first question was 'was she a mother?'"

    On hearing that Saldanha had indeed been the mother of two children, Greig says she was "very sorry and saddened for the family. I can't imagine what they'd be going through."

    Christian says he is "gutted", "shattered", and "heartbroken".


    He says "we're still trying to get our heads around everything. Trying to make sense of the situation."

    According to Greig the whole tragedy doesn't even seem real. "It doesn't seem real because you just couldn't foresee something like that happening from a prank call. You know it was never meant to go that far. It was meant to be a silly little prank that so many people have done before. This wasn't meant to happen," she said.

    When asked whether, in hindsight, they would they do something like that again, Christian says "I don't think that anyone could have predicted what could've happened. It was just a tragic set of circumstances. I don't think anyone could have thought that we'd be here."

    Today Tonight's latest celebrity stories

    So how did the idea of the prank first come up? Both Christian and Greig are clear that the idea was the whole team's - that there is no single person that can or should be blamed. "Everything's done as a team," the said.

    When asked whether there was legal advice or guidance from senior staff on how best to tackle the call, both Christian and Greig are clear on the fact that the call was never meant to be more than a silly joke.

    "The call to begin with wasn't about speaking to Kate. It wasn't about trying to get a scoop or anything. The call was just – I mean we'd assumed that we'd be hung up on and that'd be that," Christian said.

    Indian-born mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, is thought to have taken her own life. Photo: Supplied

    However when the two weren't hung up on during the call last week, the prank was certainly treated as a scoop. The hosts were both shocked and amused when they were put through and given information about Princess Kate's health.

    According to Greig "the accents were terrible. You know it was designed to be stupid. We were never meant to get that far - from the little corgis barking in the background – we obviously wanted it to be a joke."

    Christian echoes that "the joke was always on us, not anyone else. It wasn't about trying to fool someone. I mean we just assumed that with the voices that we put on, you know, we were going to get told off and that was the gag – in us."

    More stories from reporter Clare Brady

    Asked whether Austereo provides any coaching or training about the legal and ethical implications of what is put on air, Christian is clear that his role is as a presenter and that there are others who make the tough calls.

    "This phonecall is the same with any phonecall, with any prerecorded segment that goes to air. There's processes in place and people that make those decisions," he said.

    "There are people that make those decisions for us."

    2Day FM hosts, Michael Christian and Mel Greig. Photo: Supplied

    Greig echoes the sentiments, saying "it went through the processes of every other recorded bit that we do – from interviews to you know anything at all that gets recorded and passed on to the appropriate people, goes through the process, and we're told whether it's yes or no to play."

    While the powers that be made the decisions about whether to air the segment, the two DJs were certainly giddy that they'd pulled off such an unlikely prank.

    "We couldn't believe that it had worked, absolutely. You didn't expect it to. We thought a hundred people before us would've tried the same thing. We just did not see that actually working," Greig said.

    Yahoo!7 News: Sydney station tried to contact nurses

    Christian is careful to reiterate that the point of the prank "wasn't to get something that no one else had. It wasn't about getting (information)."

    However they did try to get a medical condition update - and the medical condition of a Royal at that.

    Greig explains that "we didn't actually want that. We just wanted to be hung up on. We wanted to be hung up on with our silly voices and wanted a twenty second segment to air of us doing stupid voices."

    Police officers stand outside the King Edward VII's hospital following the death of a nurse who took a hoax call concerning the Duchess of Cambridge's treatment on December 7, 2012 in London, England. Photo: Getty

    The two didn't identify themselves at the end of the call (though today station management said that they'd tried to contact the two nurses who were part of the call a number of times before the segment went to air).

    "That's where the process comes in. We just record everything and pass it to the team. That's what we do," Greig said.

    "And again the call itself is – there's no malice in the call. There was no digging. There was no trying to upset or get a reaction," Christian reiterated.

    Yahoo!7 News: Royals close ranks as radio station defends conduct

    The extreme vilification of the two DJs by the UK media looks like a witch hunt - there are those that want someone to pay. At the same time hackers here are threatening to shut down the radio station and hack into the whole system if the two young DJs aren't sacked.

    In tears, Greig says "there's nothing that can make me feel worse than what I feel right now. And for what I feel for the family. We're so sorry that this has happened to them."

    Though both DJs are being given counseling and support from Austereo, they say their priority is that the family of the nurse gets the support and care they need.

    "I care more about the family. I want to know that they've got the support that they need and that the public are, you know, being respectful of their privacy," Greig said.

    She has not made contact with the family, deciding that it was no appropriate at this time.

    "I don't think it's an appropriate time to do that yet. But this is where we want to say that we are thinking of you and if we could call you we would want to reach out to you."

    So if they could turn the clock back, would these two DJs make the same phonecall?

    "If we played any involvement in her death, then we're very sorry for that. And time will only tell," Christian said.

    However he does maintain that "these are prank calls. They've been around for as long as radio's existed, and they're done by every radio station."

    And while that's certainly true, the results of this specific prank call are horific. Christian is clear that "no one could have predicted this result."

    What does the future hold for the two DJs at the centre of this disaster?

    "I don't want to think about that right now. There's bigger, more pressing issues and that's making sure that family gets through this tough time. You know our careers aren't important at the moment," Greig said.

    With Scotland Yard now involved, there is eery chance that they two will be called to an inquest, which will probably be in London, where they'll meet the family face to face. Are they prepared for that?

    Not ready to look at the future just yet, Christian says "right now we're trying to wrap our heads around what's happened."

    Greig assures that "if that's going to make them feel better then I'll do what I need to do, absolutely. If that's something that they want to do, to get some closure, then I'll do that."

    Both Greig and Christian have a lot of support. A poll out today of 11,000 people, had two thirds saying they feel the two DJs are not to blame for this horrible result. However the other side are horrible comments in mainstream media and on Twitter saying they've ruined many lives, 'shame on you', and 'you've got blood on your hands'.

    Christian says that that's not what they are focusing on.

    "What's important right now is you know, that the family of Jacintha are getting the support and the love that they deserve. And I mean that's what's important here. You know, it was, it is, nothing more than a tragic turn of events that no one could have predicted and, you know, for the part that we played, we're obviously incredibly sorry."

    "If we had any idea that something like this could be even possible to happen, you know, we couldn't see this happening. It was meant to be a prank call," Greig said.

    When the phonecall first aired, Greig said it was the 'highlight of her career' - incredibly excited to get the call through. But of course, as she keeps repeating "we couldn't foresee what was going to happen in the future."

    "The call itself was not malicious and no harm was intended on Jacintha, or the other nurse, or Kate, or Prince William, or anyone. It wasn't – from start to finish – there was no harm intended. And obviously, you know, we're incredibly sorry for the harm that we may have helped contribute (to)," Christian concluded.

    Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifelineon 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

    Indian-born mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, is thought to have taken her own life. Photo: Supplied


    Police officers stand outside the King Edward VII's hospital following the death of a nurse who took a hoax call concerning the Duchess of Cambridge's treatment on December 7, 2012 in London, England. Photo: Getty

    2Day FM hosts, Michael Christian and Mel Greig. Photo: Supplied


    Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifelineon 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.





    First Picture Of Kate Hospital Hoax Nurse
    The first picture has been released of a nurse who apparently
    First Picture Of Kate Hospital Hoax Nurse

    Sky News –
     
    The first picture has been released of a nurse who apparently committed suicide after being duped by a prank call.
    Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead days after taking the hoax call from an Australian radio station and putting it through to a nurse on the Duchess of Cambridge's ward, who divulged private information about her treatment.
    The body of the 46-year-old mother-of-two was discovered at an address near King Edward VII's hospital in London - where she had worked for four years - on Friday morning.
    Kate, who is understood to be well under 12 weeks pregnant, was admitted to the hospital on Monday with severe morning sickness and released again on Thursday.

                           INL News Picture of the Month December 2012
                         
                                    Snow on the beach after a cold snap
                                                          

    http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-01-01/japan-earthquake/52310810/1

                        Japan Earthquake 2012: 6.4 Magnitude Quake Strikes Off Southeast Coast

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/17/japan-earthquake-2012-southeast-coast_n_1604183.html
    Reuters  |  Posted: 06/17/2012

    TOKYO, June 18 (Reuters) - A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan early on Monday

    tp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20526345

    28 November 2012 

    Kyle Montgomery found guilty of killing journalist Thomas Allwood

    Thomas Allwood was born in Scotland but spent most of his life in Australia

    First offender Kyle Montgomery will be sentenced next month for the killing

    A man who stabbed a journalist to death in West Lothian has been convicted of culpable homicide.
    Kyle Montgomery, from Winchburgh, denied murdering 56-year-old Thomas Allwood in Broxburn in June.
    A jury at the High Court in Livingston took four-and-a-half hours to find the 24-year-old guilty of the lesser charge.
    Sentence was deferred until 20 December at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.
    Montgomery had said he grabbed a knife to scare off Mr Allwood after claiming he was attacked by him at a house in Broxburn.
    He said the killing was an accident and that he did not know the blade had sliced through the victim's chest and severed a major artery during the struggle.
    After the attack, Mr Allwood, who was a journalist with the Australian-based INL News Group, was found on Clarkson Road by members of the public.
    Police who were called to the scene followed a trail of blood from his body to Montgomery's father house.
    They found the knife, still bloodstained, in a cutlery drawer. Montgomery was detained as he returned to the house from a nearby shop.
    Mr Allwood was born in Scotland but his family emigrated to Australia when he was a baby and he spent most of his life there.
    He was involved in producing a TV show called Fringe Shows Have Talent, to showcase entertainers performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
    Det Insp Stuart Houston, who led the Lothian and Borders Police investigation, said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.
    "I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.
    "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/scottishnews/4671404/Nailed-for-Australian-guest-knife-kill.html

    Nailed for Australian guest knife kill

    The Sun -Thursday. November, 2012
    News: 

    A KNIFE thug was found guilty yesterday of stabbing an Aussie guest to death in a drunken brawl.

    Kyle Montgomery, 24, was convicted of culpable homicide after he denied murdering Thomas Allwood, 56, after a late-night boozing session.
    Montgomery stabbed the journalist as they battled in the street following a row at his dad’s house in Broxburn, West Lothian.
    He told the High Court in Livingston he grabbed the blade to scare off his victim after being att-acked and killed him by accident in the struggle.
    The fatal blow sliced through Scots-born Mr Allwood’s chest, severing a major artery.
    Police called to the scene in June this year found a trail of blood leading from Mr Allwood’s body to the house.
    The bloodstained knife was found in a cutlery drawer. Montgomery, of Winchburgh, will be sentenced on December 20.

    http://www.ukcourtsnet.co.uk/uk-courts-p3?sort=size

    http://www.ukcourtsnet.co.uk/courts-of-scotland?language=en

    Journalist's killer found guilty

    20 hrs ago | bbc.co.uk
    First offender Kyle Montgomery will be sentenced next month for the killing A man who stabbed a journalist to death in West Lothian has been convicted of culpable homicide. Kyle Montgomery, from Winchburgh, denied murdering...Read more...

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/scottishnews/4669456/Australian-guest-knifed-by-accident.html
     
    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/scottishnews/4671404/Nailed-for-Australian-guest-knife-kill.html
     
    Nailed for Australian guest knife kill
    The Sun -Thursday. November, 2012
    News: 
     
    A KNIFE thug was found guilty yesterday of stabbing an Aussie guest to death in a drunken brawl.
    Kyle Montgomery, 24, was convicted of culpable homicide after he denied murdering Thomas Allwood, 56, after a late-night boozing session.
    Montgomery stabbed the journalist as they battled in the street following a row at his dad’s house in Broxburn, West Lothian.
    He told the High Court in Livingston he grabbed the blade to scare off his victim after being att-acked and killed him by accident in the struggle.
    The fatal blow sliced through Scots-born Mr Allwood’s chest, severing a major artery.
    Police called to the scene in June this year found a trail of blood leading from Mr Allwood’s body to the house.
    The bloodstained knife was found in a cutlery drawer. Montgomery, of Winchburgh, will be sentenced on December 20.
     
    http://www.ukcourtsnet.co.uk/uk-courts-p3?sort=size
     
    http://www.ukcourtsnet.co.uk/courts-of-scotland?language=en
    Journalist's killer found guilty
    20 hrs ago | bbc.co.uk
    First offender Kyle Montgomery will be sentenced next month for the killing A man who stabbed a journalist to death in West Lothian has been convicted of culpable homicide. Kyle Montgomery, from Winchburgh, denied murdering...Read more...
     
    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/scottishnews/4669456/Australian-guest-knifed-by-accident.html


    Australian guest knifed ‘by accident’
    The Sun Published: 28th November 2012
    Victim ... Thomas Allwood
     
    A MURDER accused told a trial yesterday he stabbed an Aussie house guest by accident.
    Kyle Montgomery, 24, said he picked up a knife for “protection” in dad Robert’s kitchen when a boozy row with Thomas Allwood erupted in violence.
    The High Court in Livingston heard he hoped to “scare off” Mr Allwood, 55, after the journalist attacked him.
    Montgomery, of Winchburgh, West Lothian, said he had no memory of striking the fatal blow during the bust-up in Broxburn in June.
    He told a jury: “My intention was to get him away from the house.”
    Montgomery denies the murder of Mr Allwood. The trial continues.
     
    http://www.glasgowwired.co.uk/news.php/1466752-Kyle-Montgomery-found-guilty-of-killing-journalist-Thomas-Allwood

    Scotland

    Kyle Montgomery found guilty of killing journalist Thomas Allwood

    Published: 28th Nov 2012
    A man who stabbed a journalist to death in West Lothian has been convicted of culpable homicide.
    Kyle Montgomery, from Winchburgh, denied murdering 56-year-old Thomas Allwood in Broxburn in June.
    A jury at the High Court in Livingston took four-and-a-half hours to find the 24-year-old guilty of the lesser charge.
    Sentence was deferred until 20 December at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.
    Montgomery had said he grabbed a knife to scare off Mr Allwood after claiming he was attacked by him at a house in Broxburn.
    He said the killing was an accident and that he did not know the blade had sliced through the victim's chest and severed a major artery during the struggle.
    After the attack, Mr Allwood, who was a journalist with the Australian-based INL News Group, was found on Clarkson Road by members of the public.
    Police who were called to the scene followed a trail of blood from his body to Montgomery's father house.
    They found the knife, still bloodstained, in a cutlery drawer. Montgomery was detained as he returned to the house from a nearby shop.
    Mr Allwood was born in Scotland but his family emigrated to Australia when he was a baby and he spent most of his life there.
    He was involved in producing a TV show called Fringe Shows Have Talent, to showcase entertainers performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
    Det Insp Stuart Houston, who led the Lothian and Borders Police investigation, said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.
    "I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.
    "Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."

    Daily Record : dailyrecord.co.uk
     Convicted of killing journalist


    Montgonmery_Guilty
    29th November 2012 by Vic Roderick
    A man who knifed a journalist to death in a drunken street brawl was convicted of culpable homicide yesterday. Kyle Montgomery, 24, of Winchburgh, West Lothianm had denied murdering Thomas Allwood, 56, after a booze session on June 21.
    A jury at the High Court in Livingston took four-and-a-half hours to find him guilty of the lesser charge. Sentence was deferred until December 20 for reports.
    In evidence, Montgomery claimed he'd grabbed the knife to scare Thomas off after being attacked by him at a house in Broxburn.
    He said the killing was an accident and that he did not know the blade had sliced through the victims chest and severed a major artery as he struggled with him.
    Scots-born Thoma's family emigrated Down Under when he was a baby.
     

    Australian guest knifed ‘by accident’

    The Sun Published: 28th November 2012
    Thomas Allwood
    Victim ... Thomas Allwood

    A MURDER accused told a trial yesterday he stabbed an Aussie house guest by accident.

    Kyle Montgomery, 24, said he picked up a knife for “protection” in dad Robert’s kitchen when a boozy row with Thomas Allwood erupted in violence.
    The High Court in Livingston heard he hoped to “scare off” Mr Allwood, 55, after the journalist attacked him.
    Montgomery, of Winchburgh, West Lothian, said he had no memory of striking the fatal blow during the bust-up in Broxburn in June.
    He told a jury: “My intention was to get him away from the house.”
    Montgomery denies the murder of Mr Allwood. The trial continues.



    Murder victim tried to strangle accused in fight over a woman

    20 November 2012 STV

    http://news.stv.tv/scotland/201672-murder-victim-tried-to-strangle-accused-in-fight-over-a-woman/
      
    Thomas Allwood: The 55-year-old was found dead in Broxburn earlier this year.

    A father has told a murder trial that a man he invited home from the pub tried to strangle his son during an argument about a woman.

    Robert Montgomery said he threw Thomas Allwood out of his home minutes later, but his son Kyle followed him armed with a bread knife.
     
     
    He returned a short time later with the blade covered in blood, the High Court at Livingston was told on Tuesday.
    Kyle Montgomery, 24, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Australian journalist Mr Allwood, 55, on June 21.
    Montgomery, from Winchburgh, West Lothian, denies assaulting the deceased, repeatedly punching him on the head and body, pursuing him with a knife and striking him on the body with a knife.
    Mr Montgomery, 65, a self-confessed alcoholic, told how he had gone drinking in a local pub that night after his son gave him £20 for Father's Day. He befriended Mr Allwood and his girlfriend Maggie in a pub in Broxburn, West Lothian, and invited them back to his house for a drink.
    When they got there, Maggie sat down beside the accused while Mr Montgomery and the Australian sat talking on another couch. He said he felt uncomfortable because he thought the woman, who was in her 40s, was behaving "inappropriately" towards his son, rubbing his hand and putting her head in his lap.
    He asked Mr Allwood "are you going to do something about that?" and he responded - "he can have her".
    Mr Montgomery went upstairs to the toilet at around 2am and returned a few minutes later to find his son pinned to the floor by Mr Allwood. He said the Australian had his foot on the younger man's chest and both hands clamped around his neck "strangling him".
    He told the jury: "I could see the fear in Kyle's eyes. I told him (Allwood) to get off and he ran out the back door. He came back about 10 minutes later. He was banging on the back door real loud. I opened it and he tried to come through the door like a raging bull, going for Kyle. Kyle got up, pushed me out of the way and pushed him out into the back garden." A few minutes later his son also left the house, but returned shortly afterwards, pulled open a kitchen drawer and grabbed a bread knife.
    He said: "Kyle was really furious at that point. I tried to take it (the knife) from him but he held it up above his head. He's a lot taller than me. He went out with it."
    Mr Montgomery said he did not hear or see anything happening outside because he remained inside, sitting on the sofa.
    Advocate depute Martin Macari asked him: "What's the next thing you remember happening?"
    He replied: "Him (Kyle) coming back in again about five minutes later. There was blood on the knife."
    He said his son, who seemed angry, was holding the weapon in his right hand with his arm out by his side and the blade pointing away from him. Asked what he did next, he said he took the knife from his son and put it back in the cutlery drawer.
    He told the jury: "I said 'Have you done something bad?' He said 'Yup'."
    Mr Macari said: "Did you ask him what it was?"
    He replied: "No. I found it very traumatic."
    Mr Montgomery said his son left the house without saying anything further. He fell asleep on the sofa and was wakened by police who handcuffed him.
    Under cross-examination by defence counsel Derek Ogg, Mr Montgomery confirmed he had told police the Australian man had said something like "I'll kill him" as he was throttling the accused.
    He added: "Kyle was really scared and wasn't fighting back."
    Mr Montgomery said his son had been treated for depression after being bullied at school for having an English accent. He described the accused as a "sensitive" character, who was a "brilliant" chess player.
    The case continues.

    25 June 2012 
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-18581707

    Man in court over Thomas Allwood murder

    thomas allwoodThomas Allwood was found lying in the road
    A man has appeared in court charged with murder following the death of a 55-year-old man in West Lothian last week.
    Thomas Allwood was found by members of the public lying across Pyothall Road in Broxburn at about 04:45 on Thursday.
    Kyle Montgomery, 24, of Winchburgh, appeared on petition at Livingston Sheriff Court.
    He made no plea or declaration and was remanded in custody for further inquiries.



    http://www.twylah.com/BBCScotlandNews/tweets/217293627293044736
    A man has appeared in court charged with murder following the death of a 55-year-old man in West Lothian last week. Thomas Allwood was found by members of the public lying across Pyothall Road in Broxburn at about 04:45 on Thursday. Kyle Montgomery, 24, of Winchburgh, appeared on petition at Livingston Sheriff Court.



    Australian visitor died in the street after being stabbed in chest

    STV 19 November 2012

    http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/201510-australian-visitor-died-in-the-street-after-being-stabbed-once/


     Thomas Allwood: The 55-year-old was found dead in the street.
    An Australian visitor to Scotland died in the street of a small town after being stabbed once with a knife.
    On Monday, a jury was told Thomas Allwood's body was found in Broxburn, West Lothian, in the early hours of June 21 this year. At the High Court at Livingston, the prosecution and defence agreed the cause of death was a single stab wound to the 55-year-old investigative journalist's chest. Kyle Montgomery, 24, is on trial after pleading not guilty to murdering Mr Allwood. Montgomery, from Winchburgh, West Lothian, denies assaulting the Mr Allwood on various occasions on the night he died, repeatedly punching him on the head and body, pursuing him with a knife and striking him on the body with a knife. The attacks are alleged to have happened in Galloway Crescent, Clarkson Road and elsewhere in Broxburn. Mr Allwood was found by members of the public lying in Pyothall Road, near Clarkson Road, at about 4:45am. June Douglas, 44, who lives next door to Montgomery's father Robert in Galloway Crescent, said she saw the accused in the street at around 1pm on June 20 carrying a bag which she assumed contained alcohol.
    A few minutes later she saw him at the door of his father's home trying to get in. She told the court her neighbour 
    was a known alcoholic and frequently caused a nuisance. In the early hours of the following morning
     she said she was startled by a loud bang on the wall of her bedroom just after 3am.
    She said: "It was as if somebody was going to come through the wall. It gave me a start - I'd never heard anything like the bang. 
    I just took it that they were fighting and banging off the walls. It was something that happened all the time."
    Under cross examination by defence advocate Derek Ogg, 
    Ms Douglas agreed Mr Montgomery's house was "used like a drinking den". She added: "It was like living next door to a pub."
    Her friend Christopher McDonald, 31, who was staying with her at the time, said loud music, banging and the sound of raised voices had continued long after Ms Douglas had gone to bed. He was also startled by the loud noise at around 3.15am.
    He said: "The bang was the one thing that was out of the ordinary. I just assumed they were fighting again. 
    The whole house shook."
    He said he identified the sound of four voices in Mr Montgomery's one-bedroom maisonette that night. 
    Things went quiet after the bang, then he said he heard someone leave by the back door.
    He told the jury: "Someone went out quietly. The door was never closed quietly. 
    What drew my attention was that it wasn't slammed. Later - after 5 0'clock - I heard really loud voices from the garden.
    "I got really angry at that point. I pulled aside the curtain and I was ready to go mental, but the police were there."
    Earlier barmaid Lisa Feenan, 30, said the accused's father Mr Montgomery had left the Badger's Brook pub 
    in Broxburn just after 10 pm on June 20 with a man she knew only as "the Australian".
    She said Mr Montgomery had been drinking Guinness in the bar for an hour and a half but the Australian visitor, 
    who was with a woman she knew as Margaret, had only taken soft drinks.
    In a joint minute of agreement read to the jury, the Crown produced technical evidence, 
    including records of mobile phone calls by the accused, his father Robert and Tina Borst.
    CCTV footage from cameras in Broxburn Main Street and the Badger's Brook pub was lodged as evidence along with a recording of a 999 call made by witness James McMillan on the morning of the incident.
    A till receipt for cigarettes and a lighter from the Costcutter store at Fairfield Service Station along with CCTV film captured just before 5am have also been lodged.

    Australian visitor died in the street after being stabbed in chest

    STV 19 November 2012 













    Colorado investigating reports of machines changing Romney votes to Obama

    November 6, 2012
    The Republican party of Pueblo, Colorado, has begun an investigation into reports that voting machines have been switching voters' selections.
    The Pueblo GOP received at least a dozen complaints about voting machines changing votes for Mitt Romney, Republican nominee, into votes for Barack Obama, the incumbent.
    Speaking to local media outlet, KRDO, Gilbert Ortiz, Pueblo County clerk and recorder said:
    "..Just like when you're texting on your cell phone or using any other touchscreen technology, there's a chance  that you might think your finger is touching one area and it's actually touching another...."
    Interactive: US inner circles of power
    Meet the top consultants, advisers, and pollsters behind Barack Obama and Mitt Romney's candidacies.
    Mohammed Haddad and Hasan Salim Patel Last Modified: 31 Oct 2012 10:45


    US votes in tight presidential race
    Long lines reported in some states as millions of voters take to the polls after a grueling campaign.
    Last Modified: 06 Nov 2012 20:20
    After a seemingly endless presidential campaign, voters in the United States are going to the polls to decide whether to give president Barack Obama a second term or replace him with his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
    Voters in dozens of states were lined up before dawn, with lengthy lines and hour-long waits reported in many places. In New York and New Jersey, eastern states battered last week by Hurricane Sandy, voters queued outside of tents and other makeshift polling places.
    There were scattered reports of irregularities across the country, particularly from voters who said they were asked to show identification while waiting in line. In Pennsylvania, a judge ordered Republicans to stop demanding ID from voters outside a polling station.
    Voting machines also broke down in a number of polling stations. One man in Pennsylvania posted a video of a machine which did not let him vote for Obama, apparently a malfunction.
    Romney voted on Tuesday morning near his home in Belmont, Massachusetts. From there he planned to hit the campaign trail, a rarity for presidential candidates on Election Day; his campaign has scheduled events in Pennsylvania and the battleground state of Ohio.
    Obama voted more than a week ago in his hometown of Chicago, part of a campaign to encourage his supporters to take advantage of early voting. Some 30 million Americans have already voted, a record number.
    The president plans to spend the day at his headquarters in the city, and has no plans to hit the campaign trail, though he did make phone calls to volunteers.
    "[I] want to say to Governor Romney, congratulations on a spirited campaign," he told reporters on Tuesday morning. "We feel confident we've got the votes to win, but it's going to depend ultimately on whether those votes turn out."
    His vice president, Joe Biden, cast his ballot in the early morning hours in his home state of Delaware. He will travel to Chicago in the afternoon to watch the results with Obama.
    Tuesday's vote caps off a grueling campaign that became the most expensive in history: Candidates and outside groups spent some $2.6bn on the presidential race alone.
    Both candidates have spent the last few weeks barnstorming the handful of "swing states" which will decide the election. Obama made campaign stops on Monday in Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio, while Romney visited New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio and Virginia.
    Obama used his final campaign stop to remind voters of his accomplishments: the economy's slow recovery from recession, the rescue of the American auto industry, and the end of the war in Iraq, among other things.
    He sought to sharpen the contrast between his policies and those of his opponent.
    "It's not just a choice between two candidates and two parties, it's a choice between two different visions for America," he said.
    Obama has not laid out a detailed agenda for his second term, and Romney has seized on that in his final speeches, warning voters that the president will simply repeat his policies from the past four years - which the Republican nominee described as a failure.
    "His plan for the next four years is to take all the ideas from the first term - the stimulus, the borrowing, Obamacare, all the rest - and do them over again," Romney said, referring to the president's $787bn economic stimulus package and his health care reforms.
    "He calls that ‘Forward.’ I call it ‘Forewarned,'" the former governor quipped.
    Polls positive for Obama
    The last round of national polls heading into the vote were good news for the president. A Pew Research Center poll showed him leading Romney by three points, 48 per cent to 45 per cent. The same poll had them tied last week.
    Two other polls showed a closer race: A Washington Post-ABC News poll had Obama leading by one point, 49 per cent to 48 per cent; and a CNN poll had the candidates tied with 49 per cent of the vote.
    All three of those results were within the polls' margins of error. 
    But the popular vote will not decide the outcome. States are apportioned a number of electoral votes based on their population, and the candidate who wins a majority - 270 - becomes president. And the final state polls showed the president leading in most of the crucial swing states.
    Surveys in Ohio have had Obama leading by anywhere from three to five points. A victory there would mean Romney would have to win at least six of the remaining eight battleground states, which seems unlikely: Obama led every poll conducted in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin; Romney's lone bright spot was North Carolina, where he looks poised to win by a narrow margin.
    The other two battlegrounds, Colorado and Florida, seem too close to predict, with polls showing a range of possible outcomes.
    In Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, a small village which traditionally opens its polling places just after midnight - the first vote in the nation - Romney and Obama tied, 5-5. It was the first tie in more than 50 years of midnight voting in the town, which is not a bellwether for the national result.





    Scenes from Election Day: America heads to the polls

    By Liz Goodwin, Yahoo! News | The Ticket 

    A polling station in Los Angeles, California Tuesday. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)Obama mural in Philadelphia. (Tim Miller)

    The most expensive presidential race in American history—some $2.6 billion was spent—is finally coming to an end. The barrage of political ads is quieting, and voters now have the chance to speak.
    Polls close in Virginia, Indiana, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vermont at 7 PM ET, with other states following close behind. Alaska's polling stations, the last to close, finally shutter at 1 AM Wednesday. In the meantime, we'll be gathering all the latest news about the candidates, polling stations and swing states here.
    3:01 PM: If you thought it was a hassle for you to vote today, we'd like you to meet Galicia Malone. The 21-year-old first-time voter from Illinois managed to cast her ballot today even though she was in labor.
    2:50 PM: Check out this series of photos of voters in Queens, who took a break from trying to salvage their Sandy-hit homes to vote in makeshift voting stations today.
    2:40 PM: Guess they're not too nervous for a big lunch. Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney grabbed lunch at a Wendy's in a Cleveland suburb after stopping by a campaign office. Here's a photo of them greeting the staff. Joe Biden, meanwhile, grabbed lunch at a local restaurant in Sterling, Virginia, where he had a Cobb salad.
    2:38 PM: For the third day in a row, Joe Biden and Mitt Romney's planes passed each other on the tarmac. This time, in Cleveland.
    2:30 PM: A judge has ordered officials to cover up the Obama mural in a Philadelphia polling placethat raised controversy earlier today.
    1:20 PM: An estimated 50 million eligible Americans will not vote today. Here's why.
    1:00 PM: Better late than never? Google searches for "who's running for president" spiked in November.
    12:25 PM: You might want to think twice before posting your filled out ballot to Facebook, Flickr, or Instagram. Propublica reports that some states have laws that prohibit people from showing their ballots to anyone. Violating the rule can result in having your ballot thrown out. See if it's legal in your state at the Citizen Media Law Project site.
    12:18 PM: In Washington D.C., There are reports that some lines are so long at polling sites that people are giving up on voting. How was your polling place? Let us know in the comments.
    12 PM: Republican National Committee official Tim Miller is complaining on Twitter that a Philadelphia polling place has put up voting booths right next to a mural of Obama. The location of the polling site is 35th ward-D18 Franklin School, according to the Weekly Standard. Miller wrote that the Pennsylvania GOP has filed a complaint. Electioneering is not allowed within 10 feet of a polling place. The Philadelphia City Commissioners' office is looking into the complaints.
    11:40 AM: Elections officials in Pinellas county in Florida mistakenly sent hundreds of robocalls telling voters they had until 7:00 PM Wednesday to vote, the Tampa Bay Times reports. (The last polls close at 8 PM Tuesday in the state.) Elections officials sent a second message to alert voters who received the calls of the mistake. A majority of the county voted Democratic in 2008.
    11 AM: A Chrysler official wrote on Twitter that the car company has given its entire workforce the day off to vote. (He added that the auto workers union and Chrysler, GM and Ford have agreed that workers get the day off to vote for years.) Late last month the company had strongly denied the accuracy of an ad from Mitt Romney's campaign stating that the automaker was moving its Jeep production to China. The company, in fact, said it recently added 1,100 jobs in the swing state of Ohio, where one in eight jobs is connected to the auto industry.
    10 AM: All four major candidates have cast their ballots. President Barack Obama voted weeks ago in Chicago as part of his campaign's push to get their supporters to vote early in states that allow it. Voting on Tuesday: Vice President Joe Biden, at a Wilmington, Del., high school; Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, near their Belmont, Mass., home; and Paul Ryan cast his ballot in his hometown of Janesville, Wis.
    9:40 AM: The first election results are in—and it's a tie. In New Hampshire, Dixville Notch's 10 registered votes split evenly 5-5 between Romney and Obama. The small village has cast its ballots at midnight since 1960, giving political junkies an early look at how candidates are faring in the Granite State. President Obama carried the small village in 2008, but Dixville Notch went to George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004.




















































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