Seven hours ahead of Washington, the Kremlin had already received an urgent message (9 a.m., Moscow time) from the Soviet commander in Cuba that a U.S. attack, presaging an invasion, was imminent within 24-72 hours. The Soviet ambassador in Havana, Aleksandr Alekseyev, was closeted with Fidel Castro at the Soviet embassy through the wee hours...
Category: Blog
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CIA Thought Putin Would Quickly Conquer Ukraine
U.S. intelligence reports at the time predicted that Kyiv would fall quickly, perhaps in a week or two at the most. The predictions spurred the Biden administration to secretly withdraw some key U.S. intelligence assets from Ukraine, including covert former special operations personnel on contract with the CIA, the current and former officials said. Their account...
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MuckRock’s Guide to Getting Your Own FBI File
A self-request falls under the Privacy Act and not the Freedom of Information Act. It requires a special Department of Justice form stating, under penalty of perjury, that you are who you say you are.The request should state clearly that you are requesting all documents with your name and any aliases in them. It...
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Russian Mercenary Chief Vented to Putin Over Ukraine War
Prigozhin’s criticisms echoed what he has been saying publicly for weeks, the officials said, speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive intelligence. But the revelation that he felt comfortable sharing such a harsh rebuke of the Russian military effort with Putin in a private setting shows how his influence is rising as Moscow’s war falters. It also...
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The National Security Act Turns 75
from the non-profit National Security Archive Today, on the law’s 75th anniversary, the National Security Archive publishes a compilation of key declassified U.S. documents that show the run-up to its enactment, the debates surrounding the unification of the military departments, and the establishment of three major national security organizations: the National Security Council (NSC) and the...