Prosecutors going after Aragoncillo’s accomplices

The Philippine government has asked Washington for copies of the documents used by a United States district court as evidence to convict former Police Supt. Michael Ray Aquino and Filipino-American Leandro Aragoncillo of pilferage of classified intelligence papers, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said yesterday. Using these documents, justice officials may be able to identify their accomplices in the Philippines….(Manila Standard Today, 21 Jul 07)

Aragoncillo Gets 10 Years for Espionage

A Manila-born former US Marine who worked under two administrations in the Office of Vice President of the United States was sentenced Wednesday, July 18, to 10 years in prison for espionage and other charges for taking and transferring classified information to senior political and government officials of the Philippines in an attempt to destabilize and overthrow that country’s government. US District Judge William H. Walls in Newark, New Jersey also fined Leandro Aragoncillo $40,000 for his guilty pleas on espionage charges on May 4, 2006…Prosecutors said Aragoncillo had ten co-conspirators and four unindicted co-conspirators. Included in the list were identified in court filings as Estrada, former Philippine House Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella and Sen. Panfilo Lacson…Aquino, a former ranking Philippine police officer, was also sentenced Tuesday, July 17, by Judge Walls to six years and four months in prison after pleading last May 4, 2006 to unlawfully possessing secret US government documents containing information relating to national defense he obtained from Aragoncillo.…..(Asia Journal, 21 Jul 07)

Rules Lay Out C.I.A.’s Tactics in Questioning

The White House said Friday that it had given the Central Intelligence Agency approval to resume its use of some severe interrogation methods for questioning terrorism suspects in secret prisons overseas… A new executive order signed by President Bush does not authorize the full set of harsh interrogation methods used by the C.I.A. since the program began in 2002. But government officials said the rules would still allow some techniques more severe than those used in interrogations by military personnel….(New York Times, 21 Jul 07)

CIA sabotage

…..The book, "Sabotage: America's Enemies Within the CIA," highlights the battle between the agency and the Pentagon over Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and how CIA careerists subverted CIA Director Porter J. Goss' efforts to transform the CIA……(Washington Times, 20 Jul 07)

Book Excerpt: 'Sabotage' Part 5 -- Capturing Iraq's most wanted man

The hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, took an ingenious turn in 2006. The CIA dispatched agents into Iraqi Internet cafes, where they downloaded, within a matter of seconds, an amazing intelligence tool — a program that allowed the CIA to read e-mails as they were being written on café computers.......(Examiner, 20 Jul 07)

Ex-Judge Pursues Terrorists on Web

…….Rossmiller's other domestic triumph involved Spc. Ryan Anderson, a Muslim convert and National Guardsman from Washington state. Anderson was convicted in military court of trying to give information on U.S. troop strength and tactics to al-Qaida. ……(AP, 20 Jul 07)

Chinese denounce FBI recruiting ad

Agency's request for help in espionage riles some in Bay Area…..(Media News, 20 Jul 07)

Plame's Suit Against Top Officials Dismissed

A federal judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit filed by former CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband against Vice President Cheney and other top officials over the Bush administration's disclosure of Plame's name and covert status to the media…..(Washington Post, 20 Jul 07)

South Korean Businessman Is Charged With Lying to the F.B.I.

A South Korean businessman living in Manhattan has been charged with lying repeatedly to the F.B.I. during a secret four-year counterintelligence investigation into Korean spies operating in New York. As presented in a 28-page affidavit filed on Tuesday and released yesterday, the case against the businessman, Park Il Woo, is a rare glimpse into the covert world of foreign spies and the agents who pursue them. The often cryptic affidavit said that Mr. Park, also known as Steve Park, met and spoke several times in the last two years with officials of the South Korean consulate and United Nations mission in New York, gave them information in exchange for money, then denied knowing the officials when questioned by the F.B.I. Mr. Park, 58, is a legal resident of the United States whose ostensible business, the affidavit said, is the importation of a Korean rice liquor known as soju. He has been living in the country 20 years……(New York Times, 20 Jul 07)

South Korean accused of spying on N.Korea in U.S.

A South Korean man was arrested and accused of spying for South Korea and obtaining information from North Korea in return for payments. Park Il Woo, 58, a U.S. resident who has lived in Manhattan for 20 years and who also used the name Steve Park, was arrested on Wednesday. He was charged with lying to FBI agents about meetings with South Korean diplomats in New York between 2005 and 2007, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York said. …….(Reuters, 20 Jul 07)

South Korean held as spy vs. North

A suspected South Korean spy living in upper Manhattan was hit yesterday with criminal charges of lying to the feds about snooping on North Koreans. Park Il Woo, also known as Steve Park, repeatedly lied to federal agents when they asked him whether he'd had any contact with foreign government officials, including those from the South Korean Consulate, Manhattan federal prosecutors say…..(New York Daily News, 20 Jul 07)

Alleged South Korean Spy Accused of Lying to FBI

A South Korean accused of spying on North Korea for his government for at least the last five years has been charged with repeatedly lying about his activities in America, federal authorities said yesterday……(AP, 20 Jul 07)

Russia Expels 4 British Envoys

Russia expelled four British diplomats on Thursday, retaliating three days after officials in London ordered four Russians out of the country in a dispute over a murder investigation…..(Washington Post, 20 Jul 07)

Joseph J. MacFarlane, FBI Special Agent

Joseph J. MacFarlane, 81, a retired FBI special agent who played a role in creating the Joint Terrorism Task Force, died July 5 at his home in Potomac. …..(Washington Post, 20 Jul 07)

'Bond is an imperialist and misogynist', says Damon

Matt Damon insists that James Bond is 'an imperialist and a misogynist'…….(ANI, 20 Jul 07)

U.S. Indicts Man in Theft of Atomic Tool

A low-level contract worker at a nuclear cleanup site in Tennessee was accused of stealing equipment used to enrich uranium and trying to sell it to undercover F.B.I. agents….(New York Times, 20 Jul 07)

Oak Ridge Worker Free on Bond

A maintenance worker at a nuclear material cleanup site in Oak Ridge is free on $25,000 bond after being charged with selling classified equipment for enriching uranium…….(WTVC-TV, TN, 20 Jul 07) 

Not-Guilty Plea in Nuclear Theft Case

A contract employee at a nuclear materials cleanup site in Tennessee pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he stole classified information about enriching uranium to sell to foreign governments. Roy Lynn Oakley, 65, of Roane County, Tenn., was arrested in January after he allegedly tried to sell the sensitive material to undercover FBI agents, officials said. None of the information made it out of the country or was transmitted to criminal or terrorist organizations, officials said……Oakley was a maintenance worker for Bechtel Jacobs at the East Tennessee Technology Park. The park is a cleanup site that once housed the government's gaseous diffusion plant used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, the Department of Energy said………(AP, 20 Jul 07)

Man pleads not guilty to taking 'barriers' from ETTP to sell to French

It was trash. He needed the cash. And the French are our friends. That’s his attorney’s account of how Roy Lynn Oakley, 65, of Midtown wound up charged Thursday in U.S. District Court with stealing pieces of equipment used for uranium enrichment and offering to sell it to the French government…….According to Oakley's lawyer Herbert Moncier, that material was nothing more than trash to Oakley — inches-long broken pieces of metal rods or tubing. Still, Moncier said, Oakley thought the material might be of use to some other country. As a loyal American, Oakley opted to offer the material to a “friendly” country, Moncier said. He settled on France, and called the French embassy in Washington, D.C......(Knoxville News, 20 Jul 07)

Improving the FBI's Confidential Human Source Program
Wayne M. Murphy, Assistant Director, Directorate of Intelligence, FBI, Statement Before the House Judiciary Committee....(FBI, 19 Jul 07)

Imprisoned Cunningham outlines depths of corruption to FBI

In two days of prison interviews with federal agents this year, disgraced former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham described a level of corruption on his part more extensive than previously known and dealt a potentially devastating blow to the defense being waged by one of the defense contractors alleged to have bribed him….(Copley News Service, 19 Jul 07)

FBI transcript (PDF)

Hattier affidavit (PDF)

The CIA War Against American Spies

The latest case of intelligence leaks  actually makes past leaks to the press look good. In this case, CIA personnel who opposed the secret prisons for terrorists program,  proceeded to assist an investigation run by the Council of Europe into the program. This is not only going to render American personnel more vulnerable to lawfare, but it will also make gathering intelligence harder – both with sources recruited by American agencies, and cooperation with other countries' intelligence agencies……(Strategy Page, 19 Jul 07)

--U.S. arrests Manhattan man for lying to the FBI about acting in the United States as a South Korean agent….(DOJ Press Release, 19 Jul 07)

More On: Roy Oakley

It was a one traffic light town until not too long ago; it's just that small of a community. So you can imagine what kind of shock is rippling through midtown as the news of Roy Oakley makes the rounds……(WVLT-TV, TN, 19 Jul 07)

--PDF: A defense motion that outlines the case against Roy Lynn Oakley

--PDF: Indictment against Roy Lynn Oakley

--Statement as Prepared By Gerald Boyd, Manager, Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office……(DOE, 19 Jul 07)

--Former Oak Ridge Bechtel Jacobs employee charged with violating atomic energy act……(DOJ Press Release, 19 Jul 07)

Filipino spy from N.J. gets 10 years

Leandro Aragoncillo, a former White House aide once praised by Vice President Al Gore for serving U.S. national security interests "with remarkable honor and distinction" was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for passing secrets to associates plotting a coup in the Philippines…….(Star-Ledger, 19 Jul 07)

Media Won't Give Up on Red Spy Alger Hiss

…….President Truman, when asked for his reaction to the Hiss case, declared it "a red herring." However, the late Ralph de Toledano—who covered the Hiss case for Newsweek, reported that behind closed doors with his closest aides, the man from Missouri called Hiss "a son-of-a-bitch" who was "guilty as hell." Asked why he said something totally different for public consumption, the president replied, "The Republicans are not attacking Alger Hiss. They're attacking me."……(AIM, 19 Jul 07)

Hidden Facts, Hidden Agendas

Nation of Secrets, by Ted Gup

....According to Mr. Gup, a former investigative reporter at Time magazine and the Washington Post, our open society is turning into a closed one. A wave of secrecy "threatens to engulf [our] democratic institutions and irrevocably alter the landscape of America."…..(Wall Street Journal, 19 Jul 07)

Finally, Public Honors for a Long-Secret Victory

…..The remarkable aerial fight that ensued has been memorialized in a new painting by artist Keith Woodcock. Next week, Moore and other veterans of Air America will attend the work's unveiling in the new Intelligence Art Gallery at CIA headquarters in Langley….…(Washington Post, 19 Jul 07)

Lukashenka Removes KGB Chief

On July 17 Belarusian President Alyaksander Lukashenka dismissed the head of the KGB, Stsyapan Sukharenka as well as his first deputy, Vasil Dzemyantsey. Sukharenka's replacement is Yury Zhadobin, formerly head of the president's security forces…….(Eurasia Daily Monitor, 19 Jul 07)

RAW book: More smoke than light

India's External Intelligence, Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing by Major General V K Singh

…..He has just published a book on India's external intelligence agency that works in secrecy; he justifiably wants R&AW to be made more accountable and transparent……(Rediff, 19 Jul 07)

Iran cleric says TV "confessions" prove U.S. plot

A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday televised "confessions" of two detained American-Iranians proved a U.S.-backed plot to carry out "velvet revolution" using intellectuals to topple Iran's clerical establishment…….(Reuters, 20 Jul 07)

Iranian TV Airs Video of Jailed American Scholar

Shaul Bakhash, his daughter at his side, waited in front of the television screen yesterday for a glimpse of his wife, Haleh Esfandiari -- the first time he would see her in the seven months since the local scholar traveled to Tehran to visit her 93-year-old mother and ended up facing house arrest, intense interrogations and now solitary confinement in Iran's most notorious prison……(Washington Post, 19 Jul 07)

My Mother's Interrogators

Yesterday marked 6 1/2 months since masked agents of Iran's Intelligence Ministry robbed my mother, Haleh Esfandiari, of her belongings and passports at knife-point. It had been more than 70 days since her incarceration in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison before I finally saw her this week -- not as a free woman, but in footage of a KGB-style television "confession" broadcast by Iran's state-run television……my mother, head of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington and a 67-year-old grandmother of two, has spent the past 10 weeks in a cramped cell that past prisoners have said lacks a cot or even a mat. For being an American Iranian scholar, she has been forced to sleep on the floor. She has been subjected to hundreds of hours of harsh and intimidating interrogations, often while blindfolded, totally cut off from the outside world and without access to her family or lawyer, despite our repeated requests to see her………(Washington Post, 19 Jul 07)

Russia Expelling 4 British Diplomats

Russia said Thursday it was expelling four British diplomats in retaliation for a similar move by Britain, as a confrontation mounted between Moscow and London over the murder of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko……Kamynin also said Russia would stop issuing visas to British officials and seeking British visas for Russian officials. He said Russia would halt counterterrorism cooperation with Britain. …….(AP, 19 Jul 07)

Four UK diplomats expelled as Russia retaliates

Russia has expelled four British diplomats, in tit-for-tat retaliation for the expulsion of four of its own officials earlier this week……(Daily Telegraph, 19 Jul 07)

United States arrests Long Island man for illegally exporting aviation parts for F-5 and F-14 military fighter jets

….. announced the arrest today of JILANI HUMAYUN, a/k/a "Zach H.," a/k/a "S. Humayun," on charges relating to the export of defense articles listed on the United States Munitions List to a company located in Malaysia…….(DOJ Press Release, 19 Jul 07)

Putin speaks over spy row

Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted relations between Britain and Moscow will recover from what he called a "mini-crisis"…..(ITV, 19 Jul 07)

Boris Berezovsky: 'Putin behind plot to kill me'

Boris Berezovsky, the exiled oligarch, accused Vladimir Putin yesterday of being behind a plot to assassinate him as the pressure increased on the Russian president……(Daily Telegraph, 19 Jul 07)

RAF jets scrambled to intercept Russian planes

Two RAF fighter jets were scrambled on Tuesday to intercept two Russian planes on course for British airspace……The incident, now rare according to the RAF, but once commonplace during the Cold War, may be seen as a show of defiance by the Kremlin. …..(Daily Telegraph, 19 Jul 07)

Rice: Moscow should honor UK extradition

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russia on Thursday to honor Britain's request to extradite a suspect in the murder of former intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko…..(Reuters, 19 Jul 07)

Plan to launch Israeli spy sat angers Left

India's decision to launch an Israeli satellite with spying capabilities has drawn sharp criticism from the Left…..(Times of India, 19 Jul 07)

Wintertime mystery revealed to neighbors

Neighbors said they were shocked and puzzled when FBI agents raided Roy and Jane Oakley’s modular home Jan. 26 on Old U.S. Highway 70 in Roane County’s Midtown community…….(Knoxville News, 19 Jul 07)

DOE Credits Security for Stopping Secrets Theft

…..The manager of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Site Office, Gerald Boyd says ETTP and the entire Oak Ridge reservation are protected by multiple layers of security systems, both visible and unseen, meant to identify rogue employees attempting to abuse their access and position……(WVLT-TV, TN, 19 Jul 07) video

Oak Ridge, Harriman Residents Speak Out

Residents in the city's of Oak Ridge and Harriman are shocked to hear this case surrounds one of their neighbors……(WVLT-TV, TN, 19 Jul 07)

Nuclear Lab Employee Arrested for Attempting to Sell Secrets

Classified Material Stolen From Nuke Lab

A contract employee at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory was arrested Thursday on charges of stealing classified data about enriching uranium used in nuclear weapons, a law enforcement official said…..(AP, 19 Jul 07)

The Worst Internal Scandal in NSA History Was Blamed on Cold War Defectors’ Homosexuality

…….the belief among some officials, politicians, and the press was that because Martin and Mitchell might be homosexual, they did the unthinkable: In the midst of the Cold War, the two National Security Agency code breakers defected to Russia and went to work for the Soviet government. On June 25, 1960, after four years as trusted employees of America's largest spy agency, Martin, then 29, and Mitchell, then 31, flew out of Washington, D.C., with one-way tickets to Mexico City. From there, they quietly slipped off to Havana and took a Russian freighter to the Soviet Union, following a plan that had evolved over a year.……(Seattle Weekly, 19 Jul 07)

— Click here for a look at the NSA study into the defection of Mitchell and Martin.

— Click here for excerpts of NSA's investigation documents in the case. 

— Click here for State Department documents on Martin's death and U.S. burial.

Book Excerpt: 'Sabotage' Part 3 -- CIA operatives stayed safe in Green Zone as violence grew

.....Few Baghdad officers spoke Arabic. Despite al Qaeda's rise in the 1990s as a terror group with global reach, the CIA had not emphasized Arabic language skills......(Examiner, 18 Jul 07)

Former Marine and FBI Analyst Sentenced to 10 Years for Transferring Classified Information to Assist in Overthrow of Philippine Government.....(US Attorney, District of New Jersey Press Release, 18 July 2007)

Former White House aide gets 10 years for spying

Leandro Aragoncillo, a former White House aide once praised by Vice President Al Gore for serving U.S. national security interests "with remarkable honor and distinction," was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for passing secrets to allies in the Philippines. The sentence, imposed by a federal judge in Newark, brought to a close a two-year investigation that exposed an unprecedented and embarrassing security breach in the nation's highest offices. Officials have never disclosed the extent of the damage, but acknowledged that Aragoncillo, a military affairs adviser, was able to steal hundreds of classified and national security documents, sometimes faxing them from White House phone lines or carting them off in his gym bag as he walked from the grounds. The information included data on U.S. military and counter-terrorism operations, assessments on global politics, and at least the name of one secret government source.…..(Star-Ledger, 18 Jul 07)

Former Spy And Cheney Aide Gets 10 Years

A former FBI intelligence analyst who worked under two vice presidents was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for passing secret U.S. documents in an effort to topple the Philippine government......(CBS/AP, 18 Jul 07)

Filipino Gets 6 Years Prison In Cheney Spy Case

A former top police official in the Philippines who admitted receiving classified information stolen from U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's office was sentenced to more than six years in prison on Tuesday. Michael Ray Aquino struck a deal with prosecutors last July and pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing and retaining documents and information relating to national defense that had been stolen by an FBI analyst…..(Reuters, 18 Jul 07)

Courier in spy case gets 6-year sentence

A former high-ranking officer in the Philippines National Police was sentenced yesterday to more than six years in prison for possessing national defense secrets stolen by a White House spy. "I never had the intention to harm the United States," Michael Ray Aquino told Senior U.S. District Court Judge William Walls in Newark……(Star-Ledger, 18 Jul 07)

Suspected spy gets 6 1/3 years

A former official in the Philippines National Police was sentenced Tuesday to more than six years in federal prison for possessing stolen U.S. intelligence reports in what prosecutors say was a plot to topple the president of his homeland. Michael Ray Aquino's actions "subjected the national security of our country to some peril," said U.S. District Judge William H. Walls…..(North Jersey, 18 Jul 07)

DOJ seeks evidence in Michael Ray Aquino espionage case

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales said Wednesday he is studying whether the Philippine government can file criminal charges against local politicians linked to an espionage case in the United States…..Gonzales said he asked US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales through the US Embassy in Manila to furnish the Philippine government with the evidence used to convict Aquino, in a bid to identify local politicians who may have acted with him…….(GMA, 18 Jul 07)

'Russian plot to kill Berezovsky foiled'

An attempt to assassinate the Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky has been thwarted by British security services, it emerged today. Mr Berezovsky, who lives in exile in Britain, said he had been told to leave the country by British police for his own safety between June 27 and July 4……..The operation, run by MI5 and MI6, came less than two weeks before the expulsion from Britain of four Russian diplomats. It was reported that a man was detained at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, London. He was said to have been accompanied by a child, a tactic allegedly used in the Litvinenko murder. The man arrived in Britain without a weapon for the assassination and tried to purchase a gun, according to reports……(Daily Telegraph, 18 Jul 07)

Human Rights Watch Calls on Iran to Cancel Broadcast of 'Confessions'

A U.S.-based human rights group says the Iranian government should cancel a broadcast scheduled for later Wednesday in which two Iranian-Americans supposedly confess to spying…..(VOA, 18 Jul 07)

Belarus official says Minsk tipped off by Russia on Polish spies

A Belarusian KGB officer on Tuesday credited Russia's secret service for the recent arrest of five alleged Polish spies, the Belapan news agency reported….(DPA, 17 Jul 07)

Russia Opens Probe of Lawyer Who Fled

A prominent lawyer who challenged the security services' wiretapping of his client and then fled Russia is the focus of a criminal investigation opened Tuesday. Boris Kuznetsov was accused of disclosing state secrets by providing wiretapping evidence to the Constitutional Court…..(AP, 18 Jul 07)

Spy Agency Clams Up as Suspicions Grow

There has been a continuous stream of media reports that the National Intelligence Service launched a special task force in 2005 to investigate Grand National Party presidential contender Lee Myung-bak….(Chosun Ilbo, 18 Jul 07)

Man arrested for spying charges

A man was arrested here today on the charge of leaking military information and documents and maps were recovered from his possession, police said. Mohd Nayeem, a native of Jhansi working as a class IV employee with the railways, was arrested near 3 EME (Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) Centre…..(Chennai, 18 Jul 07)

‘Spy’ found dead

The body of an alleged US spy was found in the Shakai area on Tuesday. The victim, Bashir Ahmad, 30, belonged to Kunar…..(Dawn, 18 Jul 07)

Chinese denounce FBI newspaper ad

An FBI spokesman has acknowledged that some in the Bay Area Chinese community were puzzled by ads placed in three Chinese-language newspapers asking for help in uncovering espionage. The FBI issued an explanation last week stating: "The FBI is not asking members of the Chinese community to spy on one another or to spy on the Chinese government," and that "the FBI does not conduct espionage; rather, we are charged with standing in the way of those who would steal classified material, vital technology or trade secrets."….(Contra Costa Times, 18 Jul 07)

The Value of 'Private Spies'

R.J. Hillhouse's July 8 Outlook article on "private spies," "Who Runs the CIA? Outsiders for Hire," was way off base. It suggested that the use of contract personnel by intelligence agencies such as the CIA is somehow damaging to national security. Quite the contrary -- we could not accomplish our intelligence missions without them……(Washington Post, 18 Jul 07)

Russia warns of showdown in Litvinenko affair

Russia warned that it was on a "path to confrontation" with Britain last night but withheld reprisals for the expulsion of four diplomats from London……Alexander Grushko, the deputy foreign minister, said Russian law forbade the deportation of nationals. "They [Britain] are trying to punish us for complying with our own constitution. This is a direct path to confrontation," he said. British diplomats in Moscow were left guessing how many of them could be ordered out. ……(Daily Telegraph, 18 Jul 07)

What the real Cold War meant

With the Litvinenko affair and Russia's tough new image under Vladimir Putin, there is much talk of another Cold War but what was the original one like?.....(BBC, 18 Jul 07)

The new Stalins must be kept in check

…..Soviet Communism, Kennan argued, was just the ideological wrapping of "uneasy Russian nationalism, a centuries-old movement in which conceptions of offence and defence are inextricably confused". Hence Russia's aggressiveness, which cannot be accommodated by Western appeasement since its roots lie in an intrinsic insecurity……(Daily Telegraph op-ed, 18 Jul 07)

Britain: Lugovoi Must Be Tried in UK

Britain said Wednesday it would not accept a trial in a third country of a former KGB agent accused of using radioactive poison to kill a Kremlin critic…..(AP, 18 Jul 07)

Ex-NSA Worker Gets Probation In Jewelry Theft Case

A former National Security Agency employee has been ordered to serve two years probation for jewelry theft…….(AP, 18 Jul 07)

Ex-FBI Analyst Faces Prison in Spy Plot

A former FBI intelligence analyst who worked under two vice presidents could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison Wednesday for passing secret U.S. documents in a plot to topple the Philippine government. Leandro Aragoncillo, 48, who worked as a military aide to vice presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney before joining the FBI as a civilian employee at Fort Monmouth, pleaded in 2006 to four charges…..(AP, 18 Jul 07)

How Many FBI Agents Does It Take to Make a Secret Break-In Crew?

…… At least that's the math the FBI told Congress in its 2008 budget request where the Tactical Operations Support Center asked for an extra $5 million, six new agents and a few more engineers…….(Wired, 18 Jul 07)

Government, contractors hit in targeted attack

Computers belonging to the U.S. government, contractors and companies in the transportation industry were hit by a targeted computer attack in July that yielded password information for hundreds of Internet and intranet Web sites, a computer security vendor said Tuesday….(PC World, 18 Jul 07)

CIA alters 'news media' definition for FOIA requests

Criticism of proposed rules on fees for obtaining documents under the Freedom of Information Act has prompted the CIA to establish a definition of "news media" that could include bloggers……(Government Executive, 18 Jul 07)

Michael Ray gets 6 years; DOJ eyes conspirators in RP

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will build a case, possibly for espionage and sedition, against the Filipino co-conspirators of Michael Ray Aquino, a former officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison in the US for espionage…..(Philippine Star, 18 Jul 07)

Ex-Philippine officer could get 10-year term

A former Philippine National Police officer could be sentenced to a decade in prison Tuesday for his role in a plot in which he obtained secret U.S. documents in an effort to undermine the Philippine government. Federal prosecutors are seeking the maximum 10-year term for Michael Ray Aquino. They maintain that the "serious disruption" he caused to the American government outweighed any benefit he should receive for pleading guilty in the conspiracy……He is to be sentenced Wednesday, also before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls……(AP, 17 Jul 07)

CIA dissenters aided secret prisons report: author

Dissident U.S. intelligence officers angry at former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld helped a European probe uncover details of secret CIA prisons in Europe, the top investigator said on Tuesday. Swiss Senator Dick Marty, author of a Council of Europe report on the jails, said senior CIA officials disapproved of Rumsfeld's methods in hunting down terrorist suspects, and had agreed to talk to him on condition of anonymity…..(Reuters, 17 Jul 07)

British to Expel 4 Russian Diplomats

Britain’s relations with Russia deteriorated further Monday when the government announced that it would expel four Russian diplomats in retaliation for Russia’s refusal to extradite the key suspect in the murder of Alexander V. Litvinenko, a former K.G.B. agent and outspoken critic of the Kremlin. ......(New York Times, 17 Jul 07)

Cold war diplomacy is back as UK expels spies

……All four individuals being expelled are officers with one of the successor organisations to the KGB, a clear signal that British authorities strongly suspect that Russian intelligence agencies had a hand in the murder. David Miliband, the foreign secretary, told the Commons yesterday: "This response is proportional and it is clear at whom it is aimed."…..(Guardian, 17 Jul 07)

Cold War echoes as UK takes tough line

……By Cold War standards, Mr Miliband's move against four diplomats was relatively modest. Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the Foreign Secretary from 1970 until 1974, cleared out the Soviet embassy by evicting 105 staff in 1971. This dramatic decision followed information given by a KGB defector and allowed Sir Alec to shut down the Soviet Union's entire espionage operation in Britain overnight.…… Oleg Gordievsky, who spied for Britain while in the highest reaches of the KGB, called Sir Alec's decision "one of the most remarkably revolutionary actions in the Cold War". In 1985, information passed on by Mr Gordievsky led Sir Geoffrey Howe, then Foreign Secretary, to expel 25 Soviet diplomats who were all accused of being KGB spies working undercover………(Daily Telegraph, 17 Jul 07)

Britain braced for retaliation after expulsion of four Russian spies

…..The Kremlin warned of "the most serious consequences" in a rapidly escalating crisis that left relations between the two countries at their worst since the Cold War. ……(Evening Standard, 17 Jul 07)

The British Empire strikes back

Russian-British diplomatic war has begun….(Polit.Ru, 17 July 07)

UK Foreign Office Statement  |  Russian Embassy, London

Britain braces for Moscow's response to Lugovoi row

The Russian foreign minister is expected to respond at 2.30pm to the expulsion of four of its diplomats from London. …..(Guardian, 17 Jul 07)

Lugovoy slams Britain over expulsions

Britain's expulsion of four Russian diplomats shows that the whole investigation into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko was politicized by London from the start, the chief murder suspect said yesterday….(Reuters, 17 Jul 07)

Old fashioned Cold War weapon aimed at modern problem

Showing Jailed Americans, Iran TV Cites Confessions

Iranian television aired images of two imprisoned Americans yesterday for the first time and said it will show more video tomorrow that includes confessions by scholar Haleh Esfandiari of Potomac and New York-based social scientist Kian Tajbakhsh......(Washington Post, 17 Jul 07)

Footage Shows Detained Iranian-Americans

Two Iranian-Americans detained here on national security charges appeared Monday for the first time on state television, with one saying in a brief video clip that his foundation may have targeted "the world of Islam."....(AP, 17 Jul 07)

Iran to televise Americans' confessions

Iran's state-controlled television aired a short clip Monday touting an upcoming news program that it says will show taped confessions by two Iranian Americans jailed this year on charges of espionage….(Los Angeles Times, 17 Jul 07)

At Union State’s Special Service

Kommersant learned on Sunday the details of a notorious operation carried out by Belarusian KGB. Former servicemen of Russia’s and Belarus’ armies were arrested. They were accused of being linked to Poland’s special services. The spies now face long imprisonment terms for treason. Meanwhile, sources in the staff of the Russia-Belarus Union State’s secretary said that Russia’s FSB (Federal Security Service) played the key role in exposing the enemy agents……(Kommersant, 17 Jul 07)

Poland declines to comment on Belarus arrest of five alleged spies as no Polish citizens involved

Poland's Foreign Ministry Tuesday refused to comment on recent Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) reports saying it uncovered five spies who allegedly gathered classified data on Belarusian and Russian air defense systems for the Polish government, but affirmed that no Polish citizens were detained in Belarus on espionage charges….(Wirtualna Polksa, 17 Jul 07)

Hackers steal government, corporate data

Hackers stole information from the Department of Transportation and several U.S. corporations by seducing employees with fake job-listings on ads and e-mail, a computer security firm said on Monday. The list of victims included several companies known for providing security services to government agencies.....(Reuters, 17 Jul 07)

Rene Sanford Peyton, CIA Analyst

Rene Sanford Peyton, 89, chief of the CIA's Soviet Russia Reports and Requirements section in the early years of the agency and later a Soviet analyst, died July 9.....From 1943 to 1945, Mrs. Peyton was on the staff of the Office of Strategic Services in Washington and Switzerland. She joined the CIA at its inception and led a 25-person section until 1957. She worked part time for several years and worked on contract while raising her children. In 1977, Mrs. Peyton went back to a full-time position at the agency until she retired in 1982......(Washington Post, 17 Jul 07)

Reports allege European role in CIA prisoner transfers

Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty brushed aside the threat of legal action - and an interruption from MEP Ioan Mircea Pascu – to reassert his report’s conclusion that illegal prisoner transfers took place on European soil…(Eupolitx, 17 Jul 07)

Book Excerpt: 'Sabotage' Part 1 -- The CIA goes to war with the Pentagon.....(Examiner, 16 Jul 07)