http://slate.msn.com/id/2116260/#ContinueArticle

No politics please -- We're Spies

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?i...TC-RSSFeeds0312

Senators Seek CIA Information on Bolton
Senate Committee Considering Bolton Nomination Seeks to Interview Former CIA Deputy Chief

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N20242951.htm

CIA Veteran quietly named to new intelligence job

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_articl...ring+with+Spain

CIA to increase intelligence sharing with Spain

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-deta...p?news_id=54593

Experts Warn of Cyberterror to Business

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Negroponte Approved as Intelligence Chief
--------------------

Some lawmakers and agency watchers still question whether the job has enough power to lead the spy network.

From Associated Press

April 22 2005

WASHINGTON; John Negroponte won easy approval by the Senate on Thursday to become the first national intelligence director, a job created last year to better coordinate U.S. spy agencies following the Sept. 11 attacks and other intelligence blunders.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation

Senate Urged to Probe CIA Practices

By Dana Priest

Taking to the Senate floor, the vice chairman of the intelligence committee chastised his colleagues yesterday for what he said was their failure to adequately monitor and evaluate the legality and effectiveness of the CIA's detention and interrogation practices.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20050422.html

An Update on the Investigation Into the Leak of CIA Agent Plame's Identity: Will the Supreme Court Take the The Miller and Cooper Cases?
John Dean

http://www.thepost.ohiou.edu/N.php?article=N5&date=042205

Former DCI speaks at OU

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml...ss/uk/worldNews

CIA said to have wrongly held German suspect

SSCI FRACTURES OVER CIA DETENTION POLICY

Tensions within the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI)
over how to address the continuing controversy regarding CIA prisoner
detention and interrogation policies became manifest this week as
the Committee leaders brought their dispute to the Senate floor.

Their contrasting views reflect fundamentally distinct conceptions
of the role of intelligence oversight.

SSCI Vice Chairman Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) filed a "sense of the
Senate" amendment stating that the SSCI "should conduct an
investigation into ... all matters relating to the ... detention,
interrogation, or rendition of prisoners for intelligence
purposes." The text of the amendment is here:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2005_cr/sa437.html

Sen. Rockefeller introduced his amendment after Committee Chairman
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) rebuffed Committee Democrats' call for such
an investigation in a closed-door meeting last week, according to
an article in The Hill newspaper on April 19.

In response to the Rockefeller amendment, Sen. Roberts then filed
his own amendment.

"My amendment actually expresses support for our Armed Forces and
intelligence officers, rather than calling into question their
actions, while they are on the front lines in the war on terror,"
Sen. Roberts said. The Roberts amendment is here:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2005_cr/sa559.html

In the end, neither amendment was taken up by the Senate. But both
Senators presented their perspectives during the floor debate over
the nomination of John D. Negroponte to be Director of National
Intelligence, who was confirmed by a vote of 98-2.

The Senate debate also encompassed a number other interesting and
important issues, including Amb. Negronponte's past role in
Honduras, problems of overclassification, and intelligence agency
responsiveness to congressional requests for information. See:

http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2005_cr/s042105.html

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/scheuer.php?articleid=5690

Deliberately Destroying America's Soul
Michael Scheuer

CIA said to have wrongly held German suspect:

CIA operatives held a German citizen in a prison in Afghanistan for six weeks even after determining he was not an Osama bin Laden associate and despite an order from then-U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8629.htm

http://snipurl.com/e6qe

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...an_050424001237

Rights group calls for torture probe into role of Rumsfeld, former Chief

http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=20425

Former CIA operatives debate Sept. 11 and Iraq

http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=20436

Former CIA chief says spreading democracy is key
Quinn Bowman

--------------------
Experts Call Spy Agency Practice an Eye-Opener
--------------------

If a U.S. official asks, the NSA is in the habit of disclosing the identities of Americans it records in routine snooping, intelligence sources say.

By Greg Miller
Times Staff Writer

April 25 2005

WASHINGTON; The National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on electronic communications around the world, receives thousands of requests each year from U.S. government officials seeking the names of Americans who show up in intercepted calls or e-mails — and complies in the vast majority of cases without challenging the basis for the requests, current and former intelligence officials said.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7614681/site/newsweek/

Spying: Giving Out US Names

Article Title: Plame Game Redux
Article URL: http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=9588

The American Prospect http://www.prospect.org/web

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CIA Closes Its Probe Into Alleged Iraqi Weaponry
--------------------

From Associated Press

April 26 2005

WASHINGTON; The CIA's top arms inspector in Iraq said Monday that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction had "gone as far as feasible" and that he had found nothing. With those words, he closed the investigation into Saddam Hussein's purported programs that President Bush used to justify the March 2003 American-led invasion.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

DIA SEEKS FOIA EXEMPTION FOR OPERATIONAL FILES

The Defense Intelligence Agency is once again asking Congress to enact
an exemption from the Freedom of Information Act for DIA "operational
files," i.e. certain records that document foreign intelligence
collection operations or liaison relationships.

The proposed exemption is based on similar exemptions that have been
granted in the last several years to other intelligence agencies,
including CIA, NSA, NGA and NRO. See the DIA draft legislative
language here:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2005/dia-ops.html

DIA did not mention that it had sought an operational files exemption
five years ago, and that the proposal had been rejected by Congress.

"The DIA exemption would radically reduce the amount of information
released under the FOIA. Specifically, it would enshroud in secrecy
files that have been invaluable for human rights investigators
looking into foreign militaries," wrote Tom Blanton of the National
Security Archive in a July 19, 2000 Washington Post op-ed on the
earlier DIA proposal.

PUBLIC INTEREST DECLASS BOARD STALLS

The Public Interest Declassification Board, an advisory panel that was
given a new lease on life in last year's intelligence reform
legislation, now appears to be hovering on the edge of extinction.

Although the White House named five members to the Board last
September and Congress named two more, the Board still remains
unfunded and therefore unable to convene (Secrecy News, 02/11/05).

The Office of Management and Budget had recently identified funds for
reprogramming to support the Board, and the National Security Council
had approved the transfer, one official told Secrecy News. But then
the ball was dropped, figuratively speaking, and the reprogramming
never took place. Efforts by some to include funding in the recent
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act were blocked in Congress.

No more than a few tens of thousands of dollars are needed for the
Board for the remainder of the current fiscal year, according to the
official.

But "It is easier to get $100 million than to get $100 thousand," the
official said yesterday.

Despite its somewhat grandiose name, the Public Interest
Declassification Board would not have authority to declassify, nor
would it answer to the public. Its primary purposes are to advise
the White House on declassification priorities and to mediate
classification disputes with Congressional Committees.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2005/pida.html

TENET STATEMENT ON CURVEBALL

In an April 1 statement, former Director of Central Intelligence
George J. Tenet expressed amazement and dismay at the finding of the
Silberman-Robb WMD Commission that the alleged Iraqi defector known
as "Curveball," on whom U.S. intelligence relied for information
about Iraqi biological weapons programs, had been identified as
unreliable as early as fall of 2002.

"It is deeply troubling to me that there was information apparently
available within CIA as of late September or October of 2002
indicating that Curveball may have been a fabricator," Mr. Tenet
wrote.

Mr. Tenet's statement was widely quoted following the release of the
WMD Commission report, but the full 7 page text does not seem to have
been widely available. A copy is now here:

http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/wmd_tenet.pdf

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE AND HOMELAND SECURITY

"The Role of Military Intelligence in Homeland Security" is considered
by Stephen Dycus in the new issue of Louisiana Law Review, vol. 64,
no. 4 (not available online).

Somewhat relatedly, see "Homeland Security: Establishment and
Implementation of the United States Northern Command," Congressional
Research Service, updated February 10, 2005:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RS21322.pdf

DNI AUTHORIZED TO CLASSIFY

President Bush formally endowed the Director of National Intelligence
(DNI) with authority to classify information up to the Top Secret
level in an administrative order published in the Federal Register
today.

The President also granted the same authority to the Director of the
Central Intelligence Agency (DCIA).

Curiously, the DCIA had not previously been designated by the
President as an original classifier. That authority was held by the
Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), which is a distinct office
from that of the DCIA, even though the two have always been filled by
the same person. Now that most of the DCI's functions have been
transferred to the new DNI, it became necessary to make the DCIA an
authorized classifier.

The President's order is here:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/wh042105.html

http://www.antiwar.com/mcgovern/?articleid=5732

The War for Intel Independence
Ray McGovern

The Nature of CIA Intervention in Venezuela:

Venezuela is certainly not the only country in which these operations to strengthen civil society, promote democracy, to educate people in election processes, but which is only a cover, the real purpose is to favor certain political forces over others, Venezuela is by no means the only place this is happening.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8664.htm

http://snipurl.com/e9h8

http://insider.washingtontimes.com/article...27-121915-1667r

CIA can't rule out WMD move to Syria

Senate panel digs for more information about Bolton USA Today

Experts: Islamist Terror Cells in Europe May Now Pose Biggest Threat
to US Security

[http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D27068:2F72C9D

Experts made assessment in testimony before US Congressional committee
Experts testifying before a congressional committee say the threat of
terrorism may be greatest at present from Islamist terror cells in
European countries.

The experts told the House Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats
that a combination of factors lead them to believe terrorist cells in
Europe may pose the biggest threat to the security of the United
States and its interests.

Peter Bergen, who has written on al-Qaida and other terrorist groups,
is among those who see a trend of growing alienation of Muslims in
European countries as feeding the aims of terrorist groups seeking new
members. "We have the unfortunate confluence of rising Muslim
immigration into Europe, a certain amount of European racism, and a
certain amount of Muslim alienation, and this problem is going to
increase over time," he said.

With Europe's Muslim population estimated as high as 20 million, other
witnesses agreed with Mr. Bergen that more attention needs to be paid
to this trend.

Claude Moniquet is director of the Brussels-based European Strategic
Intelligence and Security Center.

While many Muslims in Europe know they enjoy more extensive civil
liberties and other benefits not obtainable in their home countries,
he says others have a different agenda. "A strong minority has very
different meanings and a very different agenda. They think they must
oppose democracy. They rally around radical patrons. They press
extremist views of Islam and some of them choose to fight the
so-called western enemy by arms or by bombs," he said.

Mr. Moniquet agrees with others on the role a lack of social
integration has played, creating second and third generation Muslims
who feel isolated, coupled with high unemployment in Muslim
communities, even higher among Muslim youth.

Lorenzo Vidino, Deputy Director of The Investigative Project, notes
that a significant part of planning by al-Qaida for the September 11,
2001 attacks took place in Europe.

He points to a troubling escalation of Islamist terrorist and
extremist activities attributable to these factors developing over the
past 10 years. "Lax immigration policies that have allowed known
Islamic radicals to settle in Europe. The radicalization of
significant segments of the continent's growing Muslim population. And
the European law enforcement agencies inability to effectively
dismantle terrorist networks, due to poor attention to the problem and
or the lack of proper legal tools."

Mr. Vidino says Europe-based Islamist groups play an essential role in
money laundering, supplying weapons and false documents, and
recruitment, adding it would not be an exaggeration to describe Europe
as a new headquarters of operations for terrorists, as Afghanistan was
before the ouster of the Taliban.

Although U.S. lawmakers are relieved that there have been no major
terrorist attacks on U.S. soil since the September 2001 attacks, they
remain concerned not only that Europe could be used as a springboard
for future attacks, but also about potential terrorist actions against
U.S. interests.

Elton Gallegly, chairman of House subcommittee on Europe, sums up this
concern. "The potential of extremist groups in Europe to obtain or
develop weapons of mass destruction. Given the continued problem in
securing our border with Mexico and Canada, I am concerned that
dangerous weapons originating in Europe can pose a direct threat to
our homeland," he said.

In the view of Claude Moniquet this concern is fully justified and
offers this chilling prediction. "It is hard to be optimistic. The
threats both against Europe, and from Europe to the United States will
remain at a very high level (for) the foreseeable future," he said.
"And I am afraid that a tragedy will be necessary for the European
authorities to face the realities and to really address the problem
posed by Islamists. The question in my view is no more and no longer
if the tragedy will happen but when it will happen."

In his testimony to the committee, terrorism expert Peter Bergen told
lawmakers he expects that future attacks are more likely to mirror
those that took place in Madrid last year.

The hearing came as members of Congress are pressing hard for the U.S.
government to devote more resources to securing America's borders and
transportation system, and tightening immigration procedures to
prevent terrorists from attacking again.

http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?Sto...19-044952-8557r

Analysis: Top-secret CIA docs show no known Iraq-Al Qaeda links

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1-5te...ll=all-news-hed

WMDs still worry ex-CIA chief
Tenet tells Kutztown forum he still regrets his 'slam dunk' on Iraq

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...28-100337-8853r

CIA reports Saddam pushed to restart arms effort
Rowan Scarborough

http://www.theshorthorn.com/archive/2005/s...n042805-06.html

CIA senior analyst discusses Russia
Douyglas Kreshover spoke about the economics and collapse of the Soviet Union

http://www.indiadaily.com/breaking_news/33213.asp

CIA details botched hunt for Iraq's WMD

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader...ws/11512244.htm

Tenet says apathy sapped intelligence efforts

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1_5te...ll=all-news-hed

At Kutztown, ex-CIA chief Tenet says he still worries about WMDs

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/k..._translate_wa_1

'A network of translators work to uncover the secrets of terrorists worldwide

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/27/terror.report/

Terror threat to US called 'significant'
Official blames increase in reported attacks on deeper review

VENEZUELA: Chavez ends US military exchange program Green Left Weekly

http://www.linuxelectrons.com/article.php/20050501002301695

CIA World Factbook 2005 Now Available

http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../505010309/1002

ZHS grad named acting deputy director of CIA

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/n...curity_cia_dc_2

Pentagon Moves to Bar CIA 'Ghost' Detainees

Helen Thomas: Why Does CIA Send Prisoners To Other Nations?:

The phrase "extraordinary rendition" may sound harmless, but it describes the sinister CIA practice of deporting detainees to countries where they may be tortured.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/helenthoma...066/detail.html

http://snipurl.com/eljm

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44069

Ex-CIA chief warns of EMP nuke threat
Woolsey calls on US to defend against devastating 'Scud-in-a-bucket' attack

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5032507843.html

Europeans Investigate CIA Role in Abductions
Suspects Possibly Taken to Nations That Torture

http://www.nypost.com/business/43374.htm

Spooky Situation

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...&sourceCode=RSS

Dead or Alive: Hunting Bin Laden

http://cbsnewyork.com/terror/terror_story_122090417.html

Dozens Killed in Afghan Ammo Blast

Could the US military handle another war? Christian Science Monitor