The appointment of a new Deputy Director of Analysis at the CIA shows how the vocabulary of the intelligence profession evolves to clarify (or conceal) the agency’s mission. Cynthia Rapp, a career CIA official in charge of preparing the President’s Daily Brief, will head the component of the agency that used to be called the...
Author: Jefferson Morley (Jefferson Morley)
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Washington’s Next Spy Museum to Glorify Covert Action
The proposed National Museum of Special Intelligence and Special Operations took a step closer to reality earlier this month with a $10 million contribution from a leading foundation Washington already has one spy museum. Run by former CIA spokesman Peter Earnest, the International Spy Museum presents a glamorized and sanitized portrait of the spy business,...
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Russian Intelligence Probed for Dirt on Investors Who Backed Clinton
Buzzfeed provide a glimpse of another Russian intelligence operation targeting the U.S. government. The Russian’s target in this case was the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, which enforces U.S. sanctions against Russia and Iran, as well as money laundering laws. The Russians sought information about the business partners of William Browder, a...
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The Six Worst Spies of 2018
It was a banner year for bad spies. The ideal covert operation, a CIA man once said, remains secret “from conception to eternity.” So too with the ideal spy. The true artists of espionage are those who are never detected or are detected too late to be harmed, humiliated, prosecuted or persecuted. The most famous...
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Abrupt Withdrawals Leave Trump Besieged by the National Security Establishment
The phrase “the deep state” means different things to different people. The Deep State news blog reports on all of them by covering the world’s secret intelligence agencies. On December 19, The Deep State news blog (deepstateblog.org) achieved its fall 2018 fundraising goal of $9,000. Thanks to 44 donors, we have paid off the cost...