Counterintelligence News for the week of:

December 3-9, 2006

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, 1926-2006

U.N. Ambassador Upheld Reagan Doctrine

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, 80, a Georgetown University political science professor who became the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and who was one of the chief architects of the muscular anti-Communist foreign policy that came to be known as the Reagan doctrine, died Dec. 7….(Washington Post, 9 Dec 06)

Jeane Kirkpatrick, Reagan’s Forceful Envoy, Dies

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, the Reagan administration’s first United Nations ambassador and a beacon of neoconservative thought who helped guide American military, diplomatic and covert action from 1981 to 1985, died Thursday at her home in Bethesda, Md. She was 80….(New York Times, 9 Dec 06)

In the Polonium Poison Mystery, an Odd Italian Footnote

… On Nov. 1, the day Mr. Litvinenko is believed to have been poisoned, Mr. Scaramella and the former spy met at a sushi bar in London. And at the moment, Mr. Scaramella is not considered a suspect….(New York Times, 9 Dec 06)

KGB link to suburbia revealed in new book

…Biographer Dr David Burke, who gained his PhD from the University of Greenwich in 1997, is due to have his book The Spy Who Came in from the Co-op published. He reveals how The Soviet Union's longest serving spy in the UK, Mrs Norwood, enjoyed tending her allotment garden in Bexleyheath….(Bexley Times, 8 Dec 06)

South Korea Charges 5, Including American, with Spying for North

…Senior South Korean prosecutor Ahn Chang-ho says all five men passed information to North Korea in violation the South's National Security Law, which forbids a wide range of activities viewed as colluding with the North. Ahn says the five men spied in an organized way after receiving instructions from North Korea. He calls it South Korea's biggest spy case since a historic 2000 North-South summit led to a warming of relations between the two countries….(Voice of America, 8 Dec 06)

Five Indicted in Spy Probe

Five alleged members of “Ilsim-hoe,” or One Heart Club, an alleged spy organization, received orders from North Korea through e-mail and provided confidential information about South Korea to the North, according to the prosecution. The prosecution also believes Ilsim-hoe was a “group benefiting the enemy” _ meaning a spy ring _ according to the National Security Law, the largest uncovered size since the inter-Korean summit and Joint Declaration made on June 15, 2000. …(Korea Times, 8 Dec 06)

South Korea indicts 5 for spying for the North

…Jang Min-ho, the 44-year-old naturalized Korean American whose English name is Michael Jang, was charged with setting up the spy ring in 2002 at the instruction of the communist regime and passing secret information to the North. The four other South Koreans were indicted on similar charges. They include two former and incumbent officials of South Korea's left-leaning opposition Democratic Labor Party….(AP, 8 Dec 06)

South Korea charges five with spying for North

Five people including a Korean American have been charged by South Korean prosecutors with spying to aid the communist North in the largest espionage case since the two Koreas began political reconciliation in 2000….(Reuters, 8 Dec 06)

Prime suspect - or key witness?

When Andrei Lugovoi, the Russian businessman who has found himself at the centre of the polonium-210 poisoning case, was last week described as a former KGB agent, one of his old friends could scarcely conceal his amusement. “There is no such thing as a former KGB agent,” chuckled Badri Patarkatsishvili, a Georgian entrepreneur who has employed Mr Lugovoi as security consultant, on and off, for 13 years.…(Guardian, 8 Dec 06)

Lawyer Denies Litvinenko’s Contact Kovtun in Critical Condition

Dmitry Kovtun, a contact of poisoned Russian ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, is in satisfactory health and media reports he is in critical condition are wrong, a lawyer told Reuters on Thursday….(MosNews, 8 Dec 06)

Cancer risk for bar staff who served spy

Seven bar staff who served the poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko face an increased risk of cancer after testing positive for the radioactive substance that killed him. The staff at the Millennium Hotel have been told there is a small long-term risk to their health after being exposed to polonium 210….(Telegraph, 8 Dec 06)

Stroll that went nowhere

The Russian academic Julia Svetlichnaja, who met Litvinenko and received more than 100 emails from him, reveals his erratic behaviour prevented his accusations being taken seriously - until it was too late….(Sydney Morning Herald, 8 Dec 06)

Israelis Piqued by Gates Nuclear "Confirmation"

Some Israelis were less pleased, however, to hear Gates mention with equal frankness what U.S. administrations have long avoided uttering in public -- that the Jewish state has the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal….(Reuters, 8 Dec 06)

Group: Journalists Jailed More in China

China, which jails more journalists than any other nation, is challenging the view that information on the Internet is impossible to control, and the implications for press freedom could be far-reaching, a New York-based rights group said….(AP, 8 Dec 06)

HP, Calif. Settle Spying Lawsuit
California's attorney general announced a $14.5 million civil settlement with Hewlett-Packard over its corporate spying scandal yesterday and said in an interview that he was exploring a possible settlement of criminal charges against the firm's former chairman….(Washington Post, 8 Dec 06)

Internet gangs hire students for cybercrime

Organized gangs have adopted "KGB-style" tactics to hire high-flying computer students to commit Internet crime, a report said on Friday…Some gangs have sponsored promising students from other disciplines to attend computer courses before planting them in businesses as "sleepers". McAfee said the students write computer viruses, commit identity theft and launder money in a multi-billion dollar industry…(Reuters, 8 Dec 06)

Intelligence Agencies 'Must Do Better'
The U.S. intelligence community has failed to provide policymakers with a clear understanding of the Iraq insurgency, the role of militias or the level of violence in that country, according to the Iraq Study Group….(Washington Post, 8 Dec 06)

That Murder in London

The poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, renegade Russian spy and fierce critic of Vladimir Putin's government, is everywhere being called a mystery….(Washington Post, 8 Dec 06)

An Ex-Spy’s Guide to Spy Museums

My tour of the International Spy Museum in downtown Washington began with a disappointment — there is no discount for former spies…..(New York Times, 8 Dec 06)

Questioning of key witness in Litvinenko case begins

Russian and British investigators have started questioning a key witness in the case of Russian security service defector Alexander Litvinenko's murder by radiation poisoning, a source close to investigators said Friday….(RIA Novosti, 8 Dec 06)

Confusion envelops Litvinenko even as he goes to the grave

…As his body was laid to rest in the same north London cemetery where Karl Marx lies buried, there was an argument between mourners as to whether the ceremony should be non-denominational or Muslim and a disagreement about whether he had really converted to Islam. …(Guardian, 8 Dec 06)

7 London Bar Workers Test Positive for Radiation

…In London, attention swung back on to the Pine Bar of the Mayfair Millennium Hotel, in Grosvenor Square close to the American Embassy, where Mr. Litvinenko was reported to have met Mr. Kovtun and another Russian contact, Andrei K. Lugovoi, on Nov. 1….(New York Times, 8 Dec 06)

Russian Tied to Ex-Spy Also Ill From Radiation

…Dmitry Kovtun, a business consultant who met with Alexander Litvinenko on Nov. 1 at a bar in the Millennium Hotel in London, suffered a severe health breakdown from radiation exposure, according to the reports. He had earlier been interviewed by Russian investigators, with detectives from Scotland Yard present as well….(Washington Post, 8 Dec 06)

Intrigue grows in case of ex-spy's poisoning

…As friends and colleagues gathered to recite eulogies, sing hymns and, once again, denounce the Russian government — which many blame for his death — the intrigue picked up yet another layer: The Russian news agency Interfax announced that a key witness and possible suspect in the case had fallen into a coma in a Moscow hospital hours after being questioned by British investigators. A lawyer involved in the case denied the report….(LA Times, 8 Dec 06)

Russian Prosecutors Launch Own Probe Into Litvinenko Murder

Russia has opened a criminal case in the poisoning death of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko, the Prosecutor General’s office said Thursday…The Russian Prosecutor General’s office also said it had opened a criminal investigation into the attempted killing of Dmitry Kovtun, one of at least two Russian businessmen who met Litvinenko in London’s Millennium Hotel on November 1, hours before the former spy fell fatally ill....(MosNews, 7 Dec 06)

Litvinenko contact 'is in coma'

A Russian businessman who met the former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko on the day he fell ill is now in a coma, Russia's Interfax agency reports. Dmitry Kovtun, a security expert, met Mr Litvinenko at a bar in London's Millennium Hotel on 1 November….(BBC, 7 Dec 06)

Submarine sailor gets 12 years for espionage

…Fire Control Technician 3rd Class Ariel Weinmann pleaded guilty Monday to desertion, failure to obey a general order or regulation, espionage, copying classified information, destruction of military property and larceny….(Navy Times, 7 Dec 06)

Litvinenko Friend, Chechen Separatist Zakayev Slams West for Backing Putin’s Regime

…Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev, a close friend of Litvinenko, accused Western countries of helping to strengthen a “criminal regime” in Moscow by their failure to stand up to President Vladimir Putin. He linked Litvinenko’s suspected murder in London last month to the authorization given by Russia’s parliament in July for Putin to send soldiers or special forces anywhere in the world to fight those whom Moscow sees as terrorists…(MosNews, 7 Dec 06)

Russia takes over poison case as Litvinenko is buried

A funeral for former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko took place today as Russian prosecutors announced that they had opened their own criminal investigation into his death from poisoning. In another twist to the saga, Dimitry Kovtun, a former KGB bodyguard, who entertained Litvinenko at a London hotel on the day he fell ill was also found to have an illness connected with radiation poisoning…(Times Online, 7 Dec 06)

'Spy hotel' workers test positive

Seven workers at a hotel where murdered ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko held a meeting have tested positive for low levels of radioactive polonium-210. A Russian businessman who met Mr Litvinenko in the Pine Bar of London's Millennium Hotel has fallen into a coma, Russia's Interfax agency reports….(BBC, 7 Dec 06)

Questioning of key witness in ex-spy murder case postponed

…Andrei Lugovoi is one of at least two Russians who met with Litvinenko in London November 1, the day he fell ill… In late November, Lugovoi visited the British Embassy in Moscow and said he was willing to help Scotland Yard investigate the Litvinenko case….(RIA Novosti, 7 Dec 06)

Gaidar says foes of Kremlin may have wanted him dead

Former Russian premier Yegor Gaidar said on Thursday enemies of the Kremlin probably tried to kill him during a trip to Dublin last month in an attack he likened to something from a "political thriller."…(Reuters, 7 Dec 06)

Businessman Questioned in Ex-Spy’s Poisoning

…The new discoveries — especially in the Moscow embassy — appeared to suggest the possibility that Mr. Lugovoi had been exposed to polonium, though how and exactly when remain inconclusive. He is now hospitalized in Moscow, as is Mr. Kovtun…(New York Times, 7 Dec 06)

Poisoning Case Will Be Treated As Murder
British authorities announced Wednesday that they are officially treating the fatal poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko as murder and have found traces of a radioactive substance at the British Embassy in Moscow….(Washington Post, 7 Dec 06)

Senate Confirms Gates as Defense Secretary
The Senate overwhelmingly approved Robert M. Gates yesterday as the new defense secretary to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld, sealing a swift confirmation with a vote of 95 to 2 that reflected bipartisan confidence in his willingness to overhaul U.S. strategy in Iraq….(Washington Post, 7 Dec 06)

Pakistani spy agency official held for trying to plant explosives

An employee of Pakistan’s civil intelligence agency was arrested in Peshawar city for allegedly trying to plant a bomb targeting the chief minister of the country’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), reports said on Wednesday….(Khaleej Times, 7 Dec 06)

EU Parliament Officials Questions Lisbon

European Parliament officials questioned Portuguese authorities Wednesday about apparent discrepancies in evidence about whether alleged CIA flights possibly carrying terrorism suspects landed at Portugal's airports or entered its airspace….(AP, 7 Dec 06)

'Spy Lab' revives Cold War and WWII

Two Michigan State University professors have unearthed -- and re-created -- a once-guarded piece of Cold War spy technology. Kristie Macrakis and Ryan Sweeder have re-created a formula for invisible ink once used by the Stasi, the East German secret police. Now, they're using that formula to teach undergraduates about chemistry and Cold War history in an activity they call the "Spy Lab…(Lansing State Journal, 7 Dec 06)

Five Suspects Face Espionage Charges for North

A prosecutor said Wednesday they investigated the five individuals, including a Korean-American businessman Michael Chang, for a month after the case was transferred from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), and would indict them because the period for detaining them before indictment would soon expire….(Korea Times, 6 Dec 06)

All Five Members of Ilsimhoe Accused of Espionage

The Seoul District Public Prosecutors’ Office is planning to prosecute five people involved with the underground spy ring known as Ilsimhoe including Jang Min-ho (Michael Jang), according to Article 4, Clause 2 of the National Security Law….(Donga, 6 Dec 06)

Italy Seeks Indictments of C.I.A. Operatives in Egyptian’s Abduction

Italian prosecutors asked Tuesday for the indictment of the country’s former intelligence chief, along with 25 operatives of the Central Intelligence Agency, for their involvement in the kidnapping of a militant Egyptian cleric from Milan in 2003….(New York Times, 6 Dec 06)

Senators Rap FBI Over Domestic Spying

Senators frustrated by scant details on the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program on Wednesday rapped FBI Director Robert Mueller for refusing to show how it has curbed terrorist activity in the United States.Mueller said he was unable to talk about the warrantless spying program because…(AP, 6 Dec 06)

Lax lab security baffles congressman

…The case is baffling watchdogs like Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who thought security holes had been tightened after seven years of scandals. “These are secrets that could be valuable for al-Qaeda,” Markey told CBS News. “9/11 was a warning to us. “Our enemies want to have access to the most dangerous technologies to hurt our country.” …(KRQE13, 6 Dec 06)

Gates backed by Senate for defense chief

…The Senate voted to approve President George W. Bush's nominee only 24 hours after Gates won the unanimous endorsement of the Armed Services Committee -- and just as a long-awaited bipartisan report arrived, urging more diplomacy and fewer U.S. troops in Iraq….Reuters, 6 Dec 06)

Senate Panel Approves Gates
Robert M. Gates was unanimously approved by a Senate committee yesterday to become President Bush's new defense secretary, after a day-long confirmation hearing in which he bluntly stated that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq….(Washington Post, 6 Dec 06)

Civil Libertarians Protest Privacy Policy
The Bush administration's new privacy guidelines fail to protect the rights of Americans, and the board created to guarantee those rights lacks the independence to do the job, civil libertarians told the White House privacy board yesterday at its first public forum….(Washington Post, 6 Dec 06)

Swedish Spy Plane Had American Links

The newspaper “Svenska Dagbladet” reports that there’s more evidence linking a Swedish spy plane shot down by the Soviet Union during the Cold War with American intelligence agencies. The DC-3 was supposed to be on training flight over the Baltic when it was shot down in 1952. The Swedish government later admitted it had been carrying out radio espionage on the Soviet Union….(Sveriges Radio….(6 Dec 06)

Witness questioned in spy death case

...Interfax news agency reported that British and Russian investigators on Tuesday and Wednesday interrogated Dmitry Kovtun, one of at least two Russian businessmen who met Litvinenko in London's Millennium Hotel on Nov. 1, hours before he fell ill. Kovtun and an associate, Andrei Lugovoi, have told the Russian media they went to London as part of a group of Moscow soccer fans, and met briefly with their exiled countryman to discuss business matters….(AP, 6 Dec 06)

Russia Should Carry Out Own Probe Into Litvinenko’s Death — Official

Russia should carry out its own investigation into the poisoning death in London of former intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko, the deputy justice minister was quoted by a newspaper in Moscow as saying, Agence France-Presse reported. Given that Litvinenko was a Russian citizen, as well as having British citizenship, “our security agencies should not be indifferent to what happened,”…(MosNews, 6 Dec 06)

Spy death was murder say police as poison case takes fresh twist

…Police have been following the trail across London left by Dimitri Kovtun and his close friend, Andrei Lugovoy. It includes a number of locations where polonium-210 has been found. Mr Kovtun was interviewed by Russian prosecutors yesterday in the presence of the British detectives, who arrived in Moscow on Monday. He and and Mr Lugovoy were in the same Moscow clinic last night being tested for contamination by polonium-210…(Times Online, 6 Dec 06)

Poison spy case 'treated as murder'

…In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "Detectives investigating the death of Alexander Litvinenko have reached the stage where it is felt appropriate to treat it as an allegation of murder….(Guardian, 6 Dec 06)

Litvinenko Case Called Murder

AbdullaevBritish investigators are now treating the poisoning death of former Federal Security Service agent Alexander Litvinenko as murder….(Moscow Times, 6 Dec 06)

Contact says secret Russian groups poisoned ex-spy

An Italian contact of poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko accused "clandestine organizations" from Russia that were not under direct control of the Kremlin of targeting his dead friend….(Reuters, 6 Dec 06)

Spy Case Key Witness To Answer Questions

Andrei Lugovoi, a key witness in the radiation poisoning case of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, will meet with British investigators on Wednesday, a business associate said. Vyacheslav Sokolenko, who has cooperated with Lugovoi in business ventures, told The Associated Press that the meeting would take place, but declined to state the time or place..."I have been officially informed that our meeting with Scotland Yard detectives will take place today and proceed with the participation of employees of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office," Lugovoi was quoted as saying….(CBS/AP, 6 Dec 06)

Who's Who in the Litvinenko Case

Traces of Polonium Found at London Stadium

Traces of the radioactive isotope polonium-210 have been detected at a London stadium that hosted a soccer match attended by a key figure in the probe of the fatal radiation poisoning of a former Russian spy, a British official said Wednesday. The key figure, Andrei Lugovoi, who is hospitalized in Moscow and being tested for possible polonium contamination, was to be interviewed by British investigators Wednesday, according to a Russian news agency report confirmed by a Lugovoi associate….(AP, 6 Dec 06)

The gumshoe who stung Westjet

…The tale of high-altitude intrigue surfaced in court documents and was fleshed out — for the first time —in Globe and Mail interviews with Mr. Stenhouse and others. For nearly three months, Air Canada had suspected that Mr. Hill was the mastermind behind WestJet's electronic spying campaign to obtain data on passenger loads from Air Canada's confidential employee website used to book flights internally….(Globe and Mail, 6 Dec 06)

How Nuke Secrets Left Los Alamos

...CBS News has learned how shockingly easy it was for a young employee to walk out of Los Alamos with classified data — data related to decades of U.S. underground nuclear weapons tests. Underground nuclear weapons tests were conducted in the U.S. for decades in secrecy, the data from the tests kept as closely-guarded national secrets. …(CBS, 6 Dec 06)

Submariner sentenced to 12 years in prison for espionage

A Navy petty officer was sentenced to 12 years in prison for stealing a military laptop and peddling its contents to a foreign government. A military judge in Norfolk today also issued Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel Weinmann of Oregon a dishonorable discharge….(AP, 6 Dec 06)

Psychiatrist: Submariner had no disorders to explain espionage
A Navy petty officer had NO psychiatric disorders to explain why he stole a military laptop and peddled its contents to a foreign government. That's according to a psychiatrist testified yesterday at the sailor's sentencing hearing…(WBDJ7, 6 Dec 06)

U.S. Submariner Leaked Data

U.S. submariner Ariel Weinmann pleaded guilty to espionage in favor of some foreign state, which name he didn’t identify. Weinmann was spying for Russia, local media concluded...He could have possessed information about the Tomahawk missiles that are used at such submarines. When deserting the Navy, the petty officer stole a government computer with more than 30 secret files, including the personal files of submarine officers…..(Kommersant, 6 Dec 06)

New book explores Island's role in WW2 censorship

Intercepted in Bermuda:The Censorship of the Transatlantic Mail during the Second World War, by Peter A. Flynn
…This meticulously compiled catalogue of censor devices is not aimed at a general audience, but is written specifically for “collectors of censored material” to whom “the appeal of covers that bear evidence of having been examined by as many as four or five different censorship systems” is irresistible….(Royal Gazette, 6 Dec 06)

The Unsung Heroes of the Cold War

Early Cold War Spies, by Harvey Klehr and John Earl Haynes

…Now that we know Army intelligence had cracked the Soviet code used by American espionage agents, why weren’t more spies prosecuted? Haynes and Klehr provide the intriguing and frustrating answer: Trials demand the admission of evidence, and Venona, displayed as Exhibit A, would have been compromised; hence the West would have suffered a severe, perhaps irreversible blow on the Cold War’s real battlefield, the intelligence theatre…(Front Page Magazine, 5 Dec 06)

Alleged spy ordered deported

The tall, clean-cut man politely shook hands with his lawyers and said he hoped he could see them again before he was gone. "Congratulations. Thank you," he then told the government lawyers who had alleged he was a Russian spy living under a false name in Montreal for more than a decade….(Globe and Mail, 5 Dec 06)

WAVY-TV Video Report

Sailor admits to espionage and desertion during his court-martial at Naval Station Norfolk.
…The road to desertion for Ariel Weinmann began with his disappointment in the Navy. Today during his court-martial, the third class petty officer told a military judge, he thought the Navy would be more like its days in World War II and said "my expectations in the Navy were not met." …(WAVY, 5 Dec 06)

Navy submariner admits he offered military secrets
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann walked up to an embassy in Vienna, Austria, rang the bell and offered U.S. secrets to the person who met him in the foyer, he admitted in a military court Monday….(Virginian-Pilot, 5 Dec 06)

Judge concerned over espionage plea agreement

…The sentencing details of Weinmann’s plea agreement have not been released to the public or to O’Toole, Stackhouse said. O’Toole can sentence Weinmann to life in prison without the possibility of parole, reduction to E-1, forfeiture of pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge, but under military law, Weinmann will serve the lesser of O’Toole’s sentence and the sentence negotiated in the plea deal…(Navy Times, 5 Dec 06)

FBI Looking Into Los Alamos Breach

The FBI has conducted two interviews and may schedule a third with the woman who walked out carrying classified documents from what's supposed to be one of the most secure facilities in the world, the Los Alamos National Laboratory...The incident has exposed continuing security weaknesses at Los Alamos, which has been the focus of security and management scandals for seven years. Sources say 22-year-old Jessica Quintana was hired to archive data from weapons tests, and even had access to information on how to deactivate the locks that keep nuclear weapons from firing…..(CBS, 5 Dec 06)

Jockeying for power, Kremlin-style

Even seminal spy novelist John Le Carre would have been hard put to craft such an inscrutable web of shadowy figures and murky alliances. As Scotland Yard expands to Moscow, its investigation of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko's poisoning, the "whodunit" theories now implicate just about every possible player…(Christian Science Monitor, 5 Dec 06)

A Familiar Mystery

… As far back as 1999, for example, a group of Russian-born bankers was caught laundering money through a New York bank, probably using information obtained, one way or another, by Russian intelligence. Since then it has become clear that a number of Russia's largest companies were launched with money from mysterious sources, and a number of former KGB officers have shown up at the helm of businesses and banks, too….(Washington Post, 5 Dec 06)

Espionage alert to Bahrain firms

Industrial espionage and organized crime are the biggest threats facing companies in Bahrain and the Middle East, a former counter-terrorism chief said yesterday….(Gulf-Daily, 5 Dec 06)

Alan Wallace Read FAA Security Director

Alan Wallace Read, 78, an Army lieutenant colonel who became the security director for the Federal Aviation Administration, died Nov. 27…Col. Read joined the Army in 1945 and served four years in the Signal Corps in Germany and Taiwan. He later became an intelligence officer and worked at the National Security Agency for the rest of his military career…(Washington Post, 5 Dec 06)

Italy Prosecutors Want Kidnap Trial for CIA Agents

Italian prosecutors on Tuesday asked that CIA agents and their Italian counterparts be put on trial on charges of kidnapping a terrorism suspect and flying him to Egypt, where he says he was tortured, a court source said….(Reuters, 5 Dec 06)

Power of Privacy Board Questioned

Civil liberties advocates urged a White House privacy board Tuesday to review aggressively the government's warrantless surveillance program, even as they questioned whether it has the power to do so….(AP, 5 Dec 06)

Lawyers debate publishing of national secrets

… Smith's law firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., has been retained by the American Newspaper Publishers Association to thwart any move by the Bush administration or Congress to make it a crime for newspapers and their publishers, editors and reporters to disclose state secrets in their news stories….(San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Dec 06)

Italy Aims Indictments at CIA Agents

A prosecutor Tuesday asked for the indictment of 26 Americans and Italian secret service officials on a charge of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric in Milan in 2003….(AP, 5 Dec 06)

Poland Seeks Extradition Of Alleged Belarusian Spy From Lithuania

Poland has asked Lithuania to hand over a Belarusian national who was recently detained on suspicion of espionage….(Mens News Daily, 5 Dec 06)

Russian spies making huge comeback

…“The spies, equivalent in number to one in five of Moscow government officials based in Britain, are known to be monitoring the movements and activities of Russian émigrés and opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putting it into perspective, government sources claim that the agents are as active today as they were at the height of the Cold War, despite the fact that the Kremlin is now one of Britain’s major allies in the war on terrorism. Indeed, according to the latest intelligence, only the United States has more Russian spies roaming at large than does Britain….(Canada Free Press, 5 Dec 06)

Litvinenko's death: leaks, versions, rumors

....The British police are fighting off the landslide effect, as more and more people who want their 15 minutes of fame are dancing on Litvinenko's open grave. They may get entangled in a net of versions the media in Moscow is producing like an out-of-control silkworm.….(RIA Novosti, 5 Dec 06)

Scotland Yard barred from interviewing jailed ex-FSB officer

… Defense lawyers for Mikhail Trepashkin, who was found guilty in 2004 of divulging state secrets and is now serving a four-year sentence, said Monday he is prepared to give evidence in the high-profile case to the British security services. "Trepashkin is serving a sentence for treason, therefore we cannot allow him to contact foreign security services," the Federal Penitentiary Service spokesman, Alexander Sidorov, said….(Guardian, 5 Dec 06)

Russia won't extradite suspects

Russia will not extradite suspects in the Alexander Litvinenko case to Britain, its chief prosecutor has said…In what is likely to be seen as a setback for Scotland Yard's investigation into Mr Litvinenko's death, Mr Chaika said it would be "impossible" for British investigators in Moscow to arrest Russian citizens in connection with the case….(Guardian, 5 Dec 06)

Ex-Russian Premier Departs Hospital

Former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar was released from a hospital in Moscow Monday evening following a mysterious illness that raised suspicions of another poisoning after a former KGB agent died in London from ingesting a radioactive substance….(AP, 5 Dec 06)

Radiation test at embassy in Moscow

…A team of radiation specialists, who have traveled to Moscow from Britain, are conducting tests on one room at the embassy. It is reported to be where Andrei Lugovoi gave a statement about his meeting with Mr Litvinenko on the day he was allegedly poisoned in London to Britain's deputy ambassador….(Guardian, 5 Dec 06)

British Police Take Poisoning Inquiry to Moscow

… Although Russian officials have pledged to cooperate in the inquiry, their irritation over the case showed through in official comments. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Monday against "politicizing this issue" and "speculations on this subject."…(Washington Post, 5 Dec 06)

Suspected Russian spy agrees to deportation

...During a Federal Court hearing in Montreal yesterday, lawyer Stephane Handfield announced his client wished to return to Russia. "He is not Paul William Hampel. He is Russian. He was born on Oct. 21, 1961. He has no status in Canada," Handfield said as he read a list of things the man was willing to admit to before Justice Pierre Blais. The 45-year-old accused did not concede he was a spy with the Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki, Russia's foreign intelligence service….(Gazette, 5 Dec 06)

Alleged spy ordered deported

Man Accused of Spying for Moscow Admits He Is Russian, Ready for Deportation

…The federal judge accepted the surprise confession and said the man who called himself Paul William Hampel would now be deported. Judge Pierre Blais, however, declined to reveal the true identity of the man, saying it could harm his family or health…(MosNews, 4 Dec 06)

Case against alleged spy proceeds more than a week early

A Federal Court hearing for a man arrested in Montreal under the suspicion of being a Russian spy resumed Monday, eight days earlier than the date originally set by the court. The hearing is looking into a national security certificate issued to detain the man, who goes by the name of Paul William Hampel….(CBC, 4 Dec 06)

Litvinenko Converted to Islam at Deathbed

Alexander Litvinenko requested to be buried according to Muslim tradition after converting to Islam on his deathbed, his father said….(Toronto Daily, 4 Dec 06)

British police face diplomatic minefield as they take spy poison investigation to Russia

…A team of nine anti-terrorism officers from London's Metropolitan Police left for Moscow as part of their investigation into the death of Litvinenko.....(AP, 4 Dec 06)

Spy probe detectives fly to Moscow

…The Scotland Yard officers are planning to interview a number of potential witnesses in the inquiry, including those who met Mr Litvinenko on the day he was allegedly poisoned with the deadly toxin polonium 210….(Guardian, 4 Dec 06)

Gaidar did not know ex-spy Litvinenko

The press secretary of former acting Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar denied Monday information circulated by French media that Gaidar allegedly met with ex-FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko November 1…..(RIA Novosti, 4 Dec 06)

The CIA and The Militant Who Eluded It in Norway

… But it would not be the first or last time that the U.S. government had sought to push Krekar out of Norway. For more than a decade, the Kurdish cleric had enjoyed protection in the Nordic country as a political refugee, even as he frequently slipped back into his homeland in northern Iraq to lead an armed separatist movement called Ansar al-Islam, which has carried out attacks on civilians and U.S. troops….(Washington Post, 4 Dec 06)

Danes acquitted over Iraq secrets

Three Danish journalists who published secret intelligence reports on Iraq have been acquitted of endangering national security. The court ruled that Niels Lunde, Michael Bjerre and Jesper Larsen had acted in the public interest….(BBC, 4 Dec 06)

US sailor pleads guilty to espionage, data theft
….(Jurist, 4 Dec 06)

Sailor pleads guilty to espionage

...Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann, 22, of Salem, Ore., faces a sentence of life in prison without parole, a dishonorable discharge from the Navy and forfeiture of all pay. Under a plea agreement, Weinmann pleaded guilty to one count each of espionage, desertion, failing to properly safeguard and store classified information, copying classified information, communicating classified information to a person not entitled to receive it, and stealing and destroying a government computer….(AP, 4 Dec 06)

Bahrain-Russia spy link probe

Russian Embassy officials were expected to meet yesterday to discuss allegations that Russia may have obtained classified information on US Navy attack submarines during a meeting with an American sailor in Bahrain. New reports in the US claim that Russian intelligence obtained valuable secrets from US Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J Weinmann….(Gulf-Daily, 4 Dec 06)

PPFI’s Šušák faces charges in Romania

Four dignitaries were arrested Nov. 29 based on a court order issued by the Romanian Court of Appeals in Bucharest; the jailed suspects may be held in custody for up to 20 days. The arrests are related to the case of CEO of international private equity firm PPF Investments (PPFI), Michal Šušák, who is being investigated for suspicion of “committing crimes that jeopardized national security,” as stated in a news release issued by the Romanian State Prosecutor’s Office, which is part of the Romanian Supreme Court….( Czech Business Weekly, 4 Dec 06)

Government Issues New Privacy Guidelines

…The guidelines, approved by President George W. Bush last month, cover a broad range of government agencies from the CIA and the Pentagon to the State Department, Homeland Security, FBI, Justice Department and state and local law enforcement…(Reuters, 4 Dec 06)

U.S.: Secrecy Bars ACLU Lawsuit

The Bush administration asked a federal appeals court Monday to toss out a lawsuit challenging a warrantless surveillance program, saying the government can't defend itself without revealing national secrets….(AP, 4 Dec 06)

For Defense Nominee, Echoes of Old Questions
When President George H.W. Bush nominated him to lead the CIA in 1991, Robert M. Gates was at 47 the youngest intelligence professional to achieve that distinction….(Washington Post, 4 Dec 06)

Russia no longer producing polonium-210

…An unidentified spokesman for the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power in Moscow said Monday that the only facility capable of producing the isotope was closed two years ago, the Novosti news agency reported….(UPI, 4 Dec 06)

Radioactive spy Islamic convert?

Reports that KGB defector Alexander Litvinenko converted to Islam before his mysterious poisoning with radioactive polonium 210 is raising suspicions that he may have been involved in a plot to smuggle the deadly substance to terrorist groups willing to pay millions even for a gram….(World Net Daily, 4 Dec 06)

Ex-Putin bodyguard was also murdered

A former bodyguard to Russian President Vladimir Putin was murdered with a poison that produced symptoms remarkably similar to those that killed former spy Alexander Litvinenko, it emerged yesterday….(Sunday Times, 4 Oct 06)

There’s a Reason Russians Are Paranoid

…Mr. Putin’s entire presidency has been wrapped up in conspiracy theories, starting with his abrupt rise to power as Boris Yeltsin’s successor in 1999. That fall, a series of apartment bombings killed 243 people, fanning popular support for the second war in Chechnya, Russia’s separatist region….(New York Times, 3 Dec 06)

Open-Source Spying

…The National Counterterrorism Center was established by Congress in 2004 and charged with spotting the most important terrorism threats as they emerge. The counterterrorism center is made up of representatives from every intelligence agency — C.I.A., F.B.I., N.S.A. and others — who work together under one roof…(New York Times, 3 Dec 06)

National Intelligence Director Says He'll Stay On
Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte, who had been rumored to be going over to the State Department as deputy secretary, said last week that he plans to remain in his current position through the end of the Bush administration….(Washington Post, 3 Dec 06)

In the Bubble, No Food Is Left Untouched

…The goal of the Secret Service is “to provide a complete 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year protective envelope” around the president. (This all-enveloping phenomenon, known as “the bubble,” can ward off reality as well as danger.)…(New York Time, 3 Dec 06)

Small coalition party quits Romania's cabinet

…Four people, including two privatization officials — one from Seres' ministry — and two foreigners working for Credit Suisse First Boston Europe were arrested Thursday on commercial espionage charges relating to privatization deals. Conservative Party spokeswoman Daniela Popa said Seres and Deputy Prime Minister Bogdan Pascu would resign…(AP, 3 Dec 06)

Revealed: Litvinenko's Russian 'blackmail plot'

...The Observer has obtained remarkable testimony from a Russian academic, Julia Svetlichnaja, who met Litvinenko earlier this year and received more than 100 emails from him. In a series of interviews, she reveals that the former Russian secret agent had documents from the FSB, the Russian agency formerly known as the KGB. He had asked Svetlichnaja, who is based in London, to enter into a business deal with him and 'make money'….(Observer, 3 Dec 06)

British Cabinet told of Russian espionage

The Russian intelligence services, prime suspects in the death of Alexander Litvinenko, have a network of more than 30 spies operating in Britain. The sophisticated ring represents the greatest espionage threat facing Britain, government and law-enforcement sources told the London Sunday Telegraph….(London Sunday Telegraph, 3 Dec 06)

Russian Ex-Spy Lived in a World of Deceptions

The tangled tale of Alexander V. Litvinenko, the maverick Russian K.G.B. agent turned dissident who died of radiation poisoning last week, has seized the headlines recently, but its roots can be traced to a late spring evening in Moscow in 1994….(New York Times, 3 Dec 06)

Former Russian spy's book attracting high Internet bids

Sale of the 2002 book co-written by the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko who died of suspected radioactive poisoning are selling on the Internet at up to 30 times their original price….(Agence France-Presse, 3 Dec 06)

Friend Names Suspect in Spy Poisoning

Britain's senior law enforcement official said Sunday an inquiry into the death of a former KGB agent had expanded overseas, and a U.S.-based friend of the former agent said he told police the name of the person he believes orchestrated the poisoning….(AP, 3 Dec 06)

Polonium, $22.50 Plus Tax

…polonium 210 can show up in everything from atom bombs, to antistatic brushes to cigarette smoke, though in the last case only minute quantities are involved. Iran made relatively large amounts of polonium 210 in what some experts call a secret effort to develop nuclear arms, and North Korea probably used it to trigger its recent nuclear blast….(New York Times, 3 Dec 06)

Barbara Saam Wojciechowski CIA Officer

Barbara Saam Wojciechowski, 64, a retired Central Intelligence Agency officer, died Nov. 28…(Washington Post, 3 Dec 06)

Louisiana Book Notes: Women shine in Civil War collections

Confederate Heroines, by Thomas R. Lowry

With so much written about every aspect of the Civil War, it's likely most people have heard of the female role on both sides of the conflict. Certain spies, such as Rose O'Neal Greenhow of Washington, D.C., have become common characters in historical tomes….(Advertiser, 3 Dec 06)