Intel Update 20170726 – Book review on Dulles and WW II, Russian mafia and spies, CIA program to arm the Syrian rebels, forget James Bond – there are better spies, CIA anniversary, CIA’s “Acoustic Kitty”, Agent 110, ‘Five Eyes’ and intel sharing, and more.
Spies Better than Bond? James Jay Carafano says that the current Bond (actor Daniel Craig) is less than thrilling. He provides us with six spies who are better than the current Bond. Read “6 Spies Better Than Bond”, PJMedia.com, July 24, 2017.
CIA Anniversary. On July 26, 1947 President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 creating the Central Intelligence Agency.
‘Five Eyes’ Intel Sharing – Needs Improvement. The intelligence sharing agreement between the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand needs to adapt to meet the evolving threats of the 21st century. Read “The Spies of the ‘Five Eyes’ Need to Speed Up Intel-Sharing”, Defense One, June 7, 2017.
CIA’s Spy Cats – “Acoustic Kitty”. The CIA once had an idea to bug cats in order to listen in to conversations. Read more in “That Time the CIA Tried to Train Cats to be Spies”, Time.com, July 26, 2017.
CIA Director Outlines Threats and Priorities. CIA Director Mike Pompeo says that the CIA is giving more authority to field operatives and cutting excessive bureaucracy in an effort to boost intelligence operations. Read “CIA Gives More Power to Spies to Bolster Intelligence Operations”, Free Beacon, July 26, 2017.
Book Review – Agent 110. Scott Miller has written a history book on Allen Dulles and his work with Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II in Switzerland. Dulles is more famous in his role as head of the Central Intelligence Agency but he certainly made his mark with the OSS. Read a book review of Agent 110: An American Spymaster and the German Resistance in WWII, Simon & Schuster, March 2017 in “The real spy story that is more interesting than a spy novel”, The Washington Book Review, July 21, 2017.
How Russian Operatives Work. In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Bill Browder gives a detailed account of how Russian agents use ‘U.S. enablers’ to accomplish their nefarious deeds. Read “Bill Browder’s Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee”, The Atlantic, July 25, 2017.
CIA Arms to Syrian Rebels – A Secret? Almost everyone is talking about the covert (not so secret) Central Intelligence Agency program to arm ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels in their fight against the Assad regime. Prominent people like President Trump are tweeting about it and military leaders and Congress members are chatting about it with the media. Yet others – mostly Democrats and members of the left – are lamenting that these people are chatting about a secret program. The trouble with their complaints is these are usually the same folks looking for ‘transparency’ in intelligence operations. Politics. Kind of discouraging, isn’t it? Read more in “Is the covert CIA program to arm Syrian rebels still secret?”, Military Times, July 25, 2017.
