Western Intel

CIA finally admits it masterminded Iran’s 1953 coup

"On the 60th anniversary of the 1953 military coup in Iran that overthrew the government of radical nationalist Mohammad Mossadegh, the US has declassified documents detailing how the CIA’s secret operation brought the country’s Shah back to power. Monday’s publication under the US Freedom of Information Act came as something of a surprise, since most of the materials and records of the 1953 coup were believed to have been destroyed by the CIA, the Archive said. The CIA said at time that its 'safes were too full.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA finally admits it masterminded Iran’s 1953 coup

Ta-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state

"The notion of terrorism has developed to cover not only terrorists themselves, but also activists, placard wavers, and protesters. And now, apparently, the partners of journalists have also joined the ranks. Due process is merely yet another quaint, British artifact like the Magna Carta and habeas corpus. I know this from bitter personal experience. In 1997 former MI5 intelligence officer, David Shayler, blew the whistle on a whole range of UK spy crimes: files on government ministers, illegal phone taps, IRA bombs that could have been prevented, innocent people in prison, and an illegal MI6 assassination plot against Gaddafi, which went wrong and innocent people died." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTa-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state

U.S. says it did not sanction holding Glenn Greenwald’s partner at Heathrow

"The White House spokesman confirmed that Britain alerted the US authorities after Miranda’s name appeared on a passenger manifest of a flight from Berlin to Heathrow on Sunday morning. 'I think that is an accurate interpretation of what a heads up is,' Earnest said. He would not rule out whether the US authorities had been passed any information from Miranda’s electronic equipment seized at Heathrow, which included his phone, laptop, memory sticks, DVDs and games consoles. 'I’m not in a position to do that right now,' Earnest replied." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. says it did not sanction holding Glenn Greenwald’s partner at Heathrow

CIA admits to helping overthrow Iran’s democratically elected leader in 1953

"The CIA has publicly admitted for the first time that it was behind the notorious 1953 coup against Iran’s democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, in documents that also show how the British government tried to block the release of information about its own involvement in his overthrow. Malcolm Byrne, deputy director of the national security archive, has called on the US intelligence authorities to release the remaining records and documents. 'There is no longer good reason to keep secrets about such a critical episode in our recent past. The basic facts are widely known to every school child in Iran,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA admits to helping overthrow Iran’s democratically elected leader in 1953

Guardian Editor: Intelligence Agents Destroyed Hard Drives After Snowden Story

"In a particularly revealing moment, Rusbridger said he was contacted by an agent of the GCHQ, who said 'You've had your fun. Now we want the stuff back,' referring to the classified material provided to the paper by Snowden. Rusbridger said he asked the official if the British government intended to shut down the paper. The official said that in the absence of the handover or destruction of classified material, that was indeed the intention. And so one of the more bizarre moments in the Guardian's long history occurred – with two GCHQ security experts overseeing the destruction of hard drives in the Guardian's basement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuardian Editor: Intelligence Agents Destroyed Hard Drives After Snowden Story

Police ‘assessing credibility’ of claim Princess Diana murdered by British soldier

"New information which has been passed to the police relating to the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed is thought to include an allegation that they were murdered by a member of the British military, it emerged tonight. Scotland Yard said it is 'scoping' the information and 'assessing its relevance and credibility'. It is understood the allegation was made by the former parents-in-law of a former soldier based on information that the ex-soldier talked about in the past, according to a military source. The Ministry of Defence said tonight it was not commenting on the matter." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice ‘assessing credibility’ of claim Princess Diana murdered by British soldier

Ex-CIA official to ask Italy for pardon for illegal U.S. ‘extraordinary rendition’

"Former CIA Milan station chief Robert Seldon Lady is to ask Italy’s president to pardon him for kidnapping an Egyptian Muslim cleric under the U.S. 'extraordinary rendition' program, his lawyer was quoted as saying on Monday. Lady was among 23 Americans sentenced at an Italian trial in 2009, the first time U.S. nationals had been convicted over the program, operated by the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush during the so-called war on terror. Lady – 59, and now retired – escaped extradition in July from Panama, where he was detained after crossing the border from Costa Rica. He was released and returned to the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-CIA official to ask Italy for pardon for illegal U.S. ‘extraordinary rendition’

The Real State Secret: Spies Aren’t Very Good At Their Jobs

"It doesn't matter whether you hate the spies and believe they are corroding democracy, or if you think they are the noble guardians of the state. In both cases the assumption is that the secret agents know more than we do. But the strange fact is that often when you look into the history of spies what you discover is something very different. I want to tell some stories about MI5 - and the very strange people who worked there. They are often funny, sometimes rather sad - but always very odd. The stories also show how elites in Britain have used the aura of secret knowledge as a way of maintaining their power." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Real State Secret: Spies Aren’t Very Good At Their Jobs

Glenn Greenwald’s partner detained at Heathrow airport for nine hours

"The partner of the Guardian journalist who has written a series of stories revealing mass surveillance programmes by the US National Security Agency was held for almost nine hours on Sunday by UK authorities as he passed through London's Heathrow airport on his way home to Rio de Janeiro. The 28-year-old was held for nine hours, the maximum the law allows before officers must release or formally arrest the individual. Miranda was released, but officials confiscated electronics equipment including his mobile phone, laptop, camera, memory sticks, DVDs and games consoles." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald’s partner detained at Heathrow airport for nine hours

Area 51 does exist and there were strange goings on admit CIA

"Its existence has been a badly kept secret for decades and it has fuelled the imaginations of conspiracy theorists and UFO hunters around the world. Now the existence of Area 51 has been officially acknowledged by the Central Intelligence Agency and its exact location revealed in Nevada. President Dwight Eisenhower approved 'this strip of wasteland, known by its map designation as Area 51, to the Atomic Energy Commissions Nevada test site and training range.' It then became central in the development of the U-2 spy plane. There are, however, some mentions of Area 51 that remain blanked out." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingArea 51 does exist and there were strange goings on admit CIA