Two charged with espionage sought funding in China

A federal grand jury indicted two men in California of conspiring to steal high tech trade secrets and develop them with venture capital funding they sought to obtain from China. The two, Lan Lee, 42, of Palo Alto and Yuefei Ge, 34, of San Jose, are accused of trying to steal trade secrets from their employer, chip maker NetLogics Microsystems. The indictment indicates the two allegedly hoped to win funding from China's General Arms Department and the 863 program, which is a government-led project aimed at boosting technology research in China. Lee is an American, while Ge is a Chinese national. The grand jury indicted the men on a total of six counts, including two counts of conspiracy and as well as two counts of economic espionage and two of theft of trade secrets�Lee allegedly downloaded chip technology belonging to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) from a server at NetLogics and installed it on his home computer sometime between May, 2002 and the end of July, 2003; while Ge allegedly installed data sheets for network coprocessor chips from NetLogics on his home computer around the same time. The two men also allegedly established a Delaware company, SICO Microsystems, to further develop the technologies and sell them in tandem with a Chinese venture capital company, Beijing FBNI Electronic Technology Development Co�..(IDG News, 27 Sep 07)

U.S. Charges 2 Californians With Economic Espionage

�Lee and Ge allegedly stole secrets from NetLogic Microsystems Inc., a Mountain View, California-based computer chip design company, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a Taiwan company with offices in San Jose. They sought funding from a program in China's General Armaments Department and a Chinese government program created to develop communications and laser technologies for the military�Lee and Ge were first indicted last year for stealing trade secrets. A federal grand jury in San Jose returned a superseding indictment against the two men yesterday adding the economic espionage charges, said Matt Parrella, assistant U.S. Attorney in San Jose. The case is U.S. v Lan Lee, 06-424, U.S. District Court, San Jose�..(Bloomberg, 27 Sep 07)

2 Silicon Valley engineers charged with economic espionage over design theft

� Wednesday's indictment overrides the previous charges against Lee and Ge from June 2006, when they were accused only of stealing trade secrets, not trying to benefit China. Jury selection for their trial was set to begin Nov. 27. Each remains free in lieu of $300,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 29 on the new charges�..(Canadian Press, 27 Sep 07)

Psychiatrist Who Evaluated FBI Spy Loses Appeal

A Maryland court Wednesday upheld disciplinary action against the psychiatrist who leaked details about the sexual habits and mental health of convicted spy Robert Hanssen in 2001. A three-judge panel of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld lower court rulings against Alen J. Salerian, who had been hired by defense attorneys to evaluate Hanssen, a former FBI agent arrested for giving highly classified information to Russia. The two met over the course of a week in April 2001, during which Hanssen admitted he had a "long history of sexual betrayal and exploitation" of his wife -- a fact that Salerian later shared with Hanssen's wife��(Capital News, 27 Sep 07)

Spy consultant setback

�The board found Alen J. Salerian guilty of �immoral or unprofessional conduct in the practice of medicine� and punished him with probation and a $5,000 fine�Among other things, Salerian had argued that his visits to Hanssen did not constitute the practice of medicine, but the Court of Special Appeals dismissed that claim. Salerian �was retained by [Hanssen�s attorney Plato] Cacheris to diagnose Evaluee,� Judge Peter B. Krauser wrote for the appellate court. �In fact, in the report appellant eventually submitted to Cacheris, appellant included some of his opinions under a hearing entitled �FINAL DIAGNOSIS.� Thus, we agree with the Board that a forensic evaluation is the practice of medicine. Moreover, appellant gave Evaluee a prescription for Paxil and was thus irrefragably practicing medicine.��.(MD Daily Record, 26 Sep 07)

Ex-King of Bulgaria was KGB spy, says leading opposition leader
The former King of Bulgaria, the only Monarch in history who became the head of the government through a landslide victory in democratic nationwide elections after 55 years of Communist-imposed exile, was a "KGB spy". Yane Yanev, a leading opposition leader of Order, Rule of Law and Justice party, has alleged that Simeon Saxe-Coburg was recruited by the Soviet secret services during his long exile in Spain�the former king, who had returned to Bulgaria in 1996 amidst scenes of public adulation, was recruited after KGB agents preyed on his weakness for gambling. "There are undisputed facts and documents proving that Simeon, the ex-king, was noticed by the Russian KGB in the early 60s and was later offered money to pay his gambling debts in exchange for his collaboration with the service," Yanev was quoted as saying. The accusation comes as the country delves through its Communist-era files to discover the identity of former collaborators and informants, the daily claimed. However, the 70-year-old former king has refuted all the allegations. He said that the latest accusations were only intended to smear him in the run up to upcoming local polls�.(Times of India, 26 Sep 07)

Ex-king of Bulgaria 'was spy for KGB'

The accusation comes as the country delves through its Communist-era files to discover the identity of former collaborators and informants. But instead of producing the intended "healing effect on society", the process has resulted in political mayhem and mudslinging, with a host of high-profile casualties�Yane Yanev, the ORLJ leader, alleged that the Saxe-Coburg, who returned to Bulgaria in 1996 amidst scenes of public adulation, was recruited after KGB agents preyed on his weakness for gambling. "There are undisputed facts and documents proving that Simeon, the ex-king, was noticed by the Russian KGB in the early 60s and was later offered money to pay his gambling debts in exchange for his collaboration with the service," Mr Yanev told a party meeting��(Telegraph, 26 Sep 07)

Agent, former colleague detained for China spying

One agent of the Investigation Bureau (IB) and a former colleague were detained yesterday for their alleged espionage work for China. Lin Yu-nung, an agent from the Economic Crime Prevention and Control Center at the Ministry of Justice's IB (MJIB), was accused of having collected intelligence about Taiwan and the bureau's internal operations for China in exchange for money. He was allegedly solicited to act as a spy for China by Chen Chih-kao, a former MJIB agent. The two had previously received training for intelligence and investigation work together�.(China Post, 25 Sep 07)

Germany charges man with spying for Syria

Prosecutors said Tuesday that they have charged a man with dual German-Syrian citizenship with spying on Syrians living in Germany. Federal prosecutors said they charged the man, identified only as 57-year-old Atef N. from Bonn, with working as an agent for a secret service. The charges were filed at a Duesseldorf court on Aug. 10�..(AP/Jerusalem Post, 25 Sep 07)

German indicts Syrian man for espionage
German prosecutors said Tuesday they have indicted a Syrian man for espionage, accusing him of entering the employ of Syrian intelligence five or six years ago.  Atef N, 57, was accused of collecting information about Syrian exiles living in Germany and their meetings��(DPA, 25 Sep 07)

Russia Turns Over Wallenberg Documents

The main successor agency to the KGB on Wednesday gave a top Russian rabbi copies of archival documents on Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat credited with saving thousands of Hungarian Jews from Nazi death camps. Nikolai Patrushev, director of the Federal Security Service, handed photographs and copies of formerly classified materials about the diplomat, who disappeared at the end of World War II, to Rabbi Berel Lazar for inclusion in a new Museum of Tolerance being built in Moscow�..(AP, 26 Sep 07)

CIA funded Finnish Social Democrats since 1940s -Book

The US Central Intelligence Agency began to fund Finland's Social Democratic party in the latter half of the 1940s, according to a book launched Tuesday by Mikko Majander, a Finnish historian. Dr Majander, having studied new primary sources consisting of SDP treasury records taken to Sweden in the 1950s, estimates that up to 80 per cent of the party's funding came from abroad in the 1940s and 1950s. The total figure includes aid from other Nordic countries and Finnish immigrants in the US�..(NewsRoom Finland, 26 Sep 07)

Today in History -

On Sept. 25, 1959 Khrushchev capped a visit to the U.S.

On this day in 1959, Nikita Khrushchev capped a 12-day visit to the United States, the first by a Soviet leader, by meeting with President Dwight Eisenhower at Camp David. Khrushchev (1894-1971), who came to power after the death of Josef Stalin in 1953, denounced the �excesses� of Stalinism and said he sought �peaceful co-existence� with the United States. Before the summit, Khrushchev and his wife spent several days traveling across America, making stops in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Des Moines, Iowa. He became infuriated after being denied a visit to Disneyland, ostensibly for security reasons�..(Politico, 25 Sep 07)

Spy left out in the cold: how MI6 buried heroic exploits of agent 'Griffin'

The mystery of how one of Britain's longest-serving and best-placed spies smuggled scientific documents about Hitler's nuclear weapons program out of Nazi Germany are concealed, it is alleged, within the secret service's archives� In a test case that could force the service to disclose more of its archives, Ms Booth argued that the heroic role of Rosbaud, who died in 1963, should be widely appreciated, and accused the intelligence service of resisting the culture of open government�Three years ago documents were published detailing the extraordinary acts of espionage and bravery carried out by Major Frank Foley, the MI6 station chief in Berlin in the run-up to the war. Foley used his official position as passport control officer in the embassy to save thousands of Jews from the death camps. He helped Paul Rosbaud send his Jewish wife, Hilde, and their only daughter, Angela, to the safety of the UK. But Rosbaud, who worked as a scientific journalist, insisted on remaining in Germany to fight Hitler's regime from within�..(Guardian, 22 Sep 07)

Blair's wife fights for British spy

...Attorney Cherie Booth appeared in a London court Friday to help gain legal recognition for Paul Rosbaud, who tried to undermine the Nazis. The Austrian-born Rosbaud's efforts are mostly unknown because documents pertaining to his activities are sealed in the archives of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service. Booth and Rosbaud's nephew, Vincent Frank-Steiner, are trying to force the intelligence service to release the documents�A scientific journalist, Rosbaud was able to provide information on Hitler's weapons program to Britain and warn the world of the Reich's nuclear ambitions. Rosbaud, who died in 1963, was recruited by and worked closely with Maj. Frank Foley, a British diplomat and spy in prewar Berlin who as a passport control officer saved thousands of Jews from concentration camps�..(JTA,  23 Sep 07)

Frank Foley � The quiet Briton

Despite being described as "a true British hero", by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, the role Frank Foley played in helping thousands of Jews to escape from Nazi Germany has remained largely unrecognized even in his home town. But all that looks set to change�..(BBC, 28 Feb 05)

Highbridge honours Frank Foley with statue

Spy Officials Tracking Key Scientists

Tracking scientists moving from country to country to share their expertise in building biological weapons is a major challenge�Unlike nuclear weapons or missiles, biological weapons can be manufactured in relatively nondescript facilities that are hard to detect. That makes tracking the people with the know-how to build the weapons themselves even more critical, said Vice Adm. Robert Murrett, director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. The agency analyzes imagery intelligence that comes from aircraft and satellites�.(AP, 26 Sep 07)

Blackberry receives Common Criteria certification

Blackberry has been awarded the EAL2+ Common Criteria certification. Blackberry vendor Research in Motion (RIM) says that the Blackberry Enterprise Server and the Blackberry software used on end devices are the first mobile platform to be validated by Common Criteria�EAL Certification is generally a requirement for a product to be used in security fields of governmental agencies or organizations in the finance and health sectors. However, the security of the system has been a subject of considerable concern in Europe including France, and particularly in Germany because the route servers that handle European traffic are in London and therefore theoretically accessible to foreign secret services�..(Heise-Security, 27 Sep 07)

Intelligence gathering subject of Keefe talk, Oct. 2

Writer and commentator Patrick Radden Keefe will present a talk titled "The Espionage Industrial Complex: Costs of Privatizing Intelligence Post-9/11" at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in 16 Robertson Hall. Keefe, a program officer and fellow at the Century Foundation think tank, is a frequent commentator on issues of international security, with a focus on the impact of globalization and new technologies on cross-border security threats, and on the legal and ethical dimensions of intelligence and homeland security policy�..(Princeton, 26 Sep 07)

Counterintelligence is looking for a few good Marines

Career opportunities and bonuses up to $61,000 are being offered to Marines who qualify and are accepted in the counterintelligence and human intelligence field. According to Master Sgt. Alan Taylor, CI/HUMINT chief, U.S. Marine Forces, Pacific here, Marines who are energetic, possess unusually high levels of initiative and who don�t need to be frequently told what to do should apply. �We�re looking for self starters. Most important is integrity. Take a Marine with integrity and multiply it 100 times. We want that Marine.��(US Marine Corp, 26 Sep 07)

Judge Rules Provisions in Patriot Act to Be Illegal

�The ruling by Judge Anne L. Aiken of Federal District Court in Portland was in the case of Brandon Mayfield, a lawyer in Portland who was arrested and jailed after the Federal Bureau of Investigation mistakenly linked him to the Madrid train bombings in March 2004. �For over 200 years, this nation has adhered to the rule of law � with unparalleled success,� Judge Aiken�s opinion said in finding violations of the Fourth Amendment prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure. �A shift to a nation based on extraconstitutional authority is prohibited, as well as ill advised.��.(New York Times, 27 Sep 07)

Document: Judge�s ruling .pdf

Federal judge rules Patriot Act search, surveillance provisions unconstitutional

�.(Jurist, 27 Sep 07)

Judge rules for Mayfield in Patriot Act challenge

�Mayfield, wrongly arrested by the FBI, filed suit claiming that the Foreign intelligence Surveillance Act, as amended by the Patriot Act, was unconstitutional. These amendments changed the laws governing physical searches, electronic eavesdropping, and wiretapping, as well as the government's retention of those materials. The judge ruled Wednesday that those amendments violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which protects against unlawful searches and seizures�.(KGW, 27 Sep 07)

Patriot Act Provisions Voided

�The ruling in Oregon follows a separate finding on Sept. 6 by a federal judge in New York, who struck down provisions allowing the FBI to obtain e-mail and telephone data from private companies without a court-issued warrant. The decision also comes amid renewed congressional debate over the government's broad powers to conduct searches and surveillance in counterterrorism cases�.(Washington Post, 27 Sep 07)

False suspicions ruin covert FBI agent's career

The two male agents pictured with Rita Chiang in the FBI poster were smiling, but her stare left no doubt that she was all business. Chiang was a recruiting magnet for the FBI, but it was her skill as an investigator that got her noticed� But on Jan. 14, 2002, Chiang was stripped of her badge and gun and escorted out of the West Los Angeles office. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III suspected that she was a mole for Chinese intelligence and ordered her suspended with pay while she was investigated. Chiang was later cleared when her boss was identified as the security leak, but she contends that by then her reputation was ruined and her career derailed. She filed a discrimination suit against the agency, but it was tossed out of court. The case is on appeal, but her lawyer concedes it has been all but impossible to overcome the FBI's position that her case -- if it went to trial -- could jeopardize national security�Chiang's boss, squad leader James J. Smith, (identified) as the security risk. Katrina Leung, a Chinese American described in the inspector general's report as Smith's informant and lover and a spy for the People's Republic of China, was also exposed. Chiang returned to her job in November 2002 but with several caveats, including that her computer use would be monitored, Chiang said. Court records show that she worked under a "risk mitigation" plan, because, FBI officials said, she "probably harbors significant resentment for the process she has been through."�.(LA Times, 23 Sep 07)

Ex-FBI agent claims racial discrimination

�Rita Chiang, 53, retired last year, ending a 21-year-career during which she matched wits with Chinese agents in the world of counterintelligence. The Taiwan-born Chiang was hired by the FBI in 1984 after becoming a U.S. citizen.  On Jan. 14, 2002, Chiang was stripped of her badge and gun and escorted out of the West Los Angeles FBI office� In a signed statement included in court documents, one of her supervisors said Chiang probably would not have failed the polygraph had it been administered by an examiner experienced in conducting National Security Division exams. He expressed the belief "that Chiang was discriminated against because of her ethnicity��(LA Daily, 15 Sep 07)

FBI may probe J&K official�s US citizenship
The arrest of a top Jammu & Kashmir State Forest Corporation (SFC) official on charges of concealing his American citizenship has got the US intelligence service, FBI, interested, which is planning to send a team to the state to investigate the matter. The managing director of SFC, Aijaz Ahmed Bhat, was arrested on September 18 and removed from the post last month after J&K forest minister Qazi Mohammed Afzal complained about his frequent trips to the US. Interestingly, Qazi, too, was subsequently divested of his forest portfolio by chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad�..(Times of India, 26 Sep 07)

Pardon Recommended for Activist Jo

A state-run fact-finding panel Thursday recommended the government to make an official apology, and pardon and honor the late Jo Bong-am (1898-1956), an independence activist who was wrongfully executed in 1959. It also called for compensation to be awarded to his surviving family members. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission said the fact that Jo won more than two million votes in the presidential election of 1956 made him a threat to the Syngman Rhee regime and the then president may have used his influence to get his rival sentenced to death. �It was a human rights infringement and political coercion,��.(Korea Times, 27 Sep 07)

Interview: The confessions of ex-intelligence officer, EP candidate Daianu

A candidate for the National Liberal Party (PNL) at the European Parliament elections due to take place in Romania this fall, reputed Romanian scholar, economist and politician Daniel Daianu told in an exclusive interview for HotNews.ro how and why he came to work for Romania�s communist-era foreign intelligence service DIE. Daianu, who admitted as early as in 1990 his links to DIE but denied involvement in any political police or other abusive activities, also explained how he came to leave DIE in 1978 as General Ion Mihai Pacepa, a former head of the communist Romania�s espionage, flew to the United States�..(Hot News, 26 Sep 07)

Polish official sues Marty over CIA prisons

A former senior Polish intelligence official is suing a Swiss investigator over a report accusing him of direct knowledge of secret CIA operations in Poland. Marek Siwiec, who is now vice-president of the European Parliament, has filed a libel suit against Swiss senator Dick Marty in the district court of Poznan, Siwiec's office said. Marty identified Siwiec as one of several local officials privy to the United States secret detention program in Europe after the 2001 attacks�..(Swiss Info, 26 Sep 07)

Militants Behead "U.S. Spies" In Pakistan

Pro-Taliban militants beheaded two men in Pakistan's restive tribal region on the Afghan border on suspicions they were spying for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, intelligence officials said on Wednesday�.(Reuters, 26 Sep 07)

Mexico Official Cites Intel Failures

�Answering angry questions by lawmakers in Congress, Interior Secretary Francisco Ramirez said the government has formed a special anti-subversion task force in response to the Sept. 10 and July 11 attacks claimed by leftist rebels, which affected gas and oil deliveries and cost businesses hundreds of millions of dollars. Ramirez said President Felipe Calderon inherited a weakened Center for National Security and Investigation, or Cisen, when he took office Dec. 1��(AP, 25 Sep 07)

China Replaces Air Force Chief

China has replaced the head of its air force and other top military chiefs ahead of a major Communist Party congress next month at which President Hu Jintao is expected to fill several top posts with younger leaders loyal to his rule. Lt. Gen. Xu Qiliang, a former deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army's general staff, has taken over from Gen. Qiao Qingchen as head of the PLA Air Force, the official China Daily newspaper said Wednesday�..(AP, 26 Sep 07)

Telecoms Deny Helping Ex-military Spy Wiretap Cell Phone Conversations

Officials from the two major mobile phone service providers denied a former military spy's allegations that their companies were involved in wiretapping on Tuesday. Smart Communications Inc. spokesman Ramon R. Isberto and Globe Telecom Inc. senior vice-president Rodolfo A. Salalima told senators investigating the "Hello Garci" scandal that they don't have the equipment capable of listening to mobile phone conversations of their clients�..(AHN, 25 Sep 07)

Italian commandos rescue two kidnapped intelligence agents

Italian commandos, aided by other NATO forces and aircraft, rescued two kidnapped Italian intelligence operatives Monday in a daring ambush and gunbattle in western Afghanistan that left at least nine of the captors dead. Although both freed Italians were wounded, one seriously, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi called the operation a success that could put a dent in Afghanistan's rising kidnapping industry�.(AP, 25 Sep 07)

From China, With Love: Cyberwar the Next Big Threat to the U.S.?

�After a series of cabinet-level meetings this month at the White House, computer security analysts say the Bush administration is considering creating a new agency or cyberwar center to better protect the federal government's computers and find ways to help private companies and public utilities fend off computer attacks. Those attacks, which could be just a few key strokes away, could shut down U.S. power grids and communication and banking systems, security analysts warn. "Basically we would find the lights go out, the dial tone stop and we have no ability to access our money,"�..(ABC Blotter, 27 Sep 07)

Another Round of Reform in the FBI � Will it Make a Difference?

� A new (and depressing) book by Amy Zegart, �Spying Blind,� argues that there were 12 major intelligence reform studies from 1991 and the end of the Cold War, to just before 9/11. Out of those, she finds 340 terrorism-related reforms, almost all of them the major themes of the 9/11 Commission, where most were recommended again. Of those 340 recommendations, mostly directed to the CIA and FBI, only 35 were fully implemented. Another 30 were partially implemented and seven were implemented to an unmeasurable extent, meaning that 79% of the total -- 268 recommendations -- were not acted on at all. Many of those that were implemented, she notes, were �minor recommendations that urged continued study of a problem rather than adoption of a particular solution.��.(Family Security Matters, 27 Sep 07)

Foreign attacks prompt FBI warning to enterprises

�In October, the FBI�s Counterintelligence Domain Program � which aims to foster cooperation between the agency and private entities to help organizations identify and protect potential intelligence risks � will mark its first year in existence. The program is already making significant steps in helping to close the gap between businesses and law enforcement to defend intellectual property from being left vulnerable to potential theft, FBI officials maintain. �In the past, we�ve always been reactive to this type of scenario and essentially showed up after the fact to bring resources to bear on this type of crime, but we want to be more proactive to help businesses and academic institutions protect themselves before an incident occurs,� says Tom Mahlik, who serves as chief of the Domain program for the FBI�..(Computerworld, 27 Sep 07)

Spy charges for US computer duo

�US citizen Lee Lan and Chinese national Ge Yuefei are accused of stealing computer chip designs from their employer Netlogics Microsystems. The two are alleged to have formed a company to develop chips based on the stolen designs. They then contacted the Chinese army to sell the chips, prosecutors said. Their indictment also alleges they stole documents from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, which has an office in California's Silicon Valley�.(BBC, 27 Sep 07)

Chinese, US citizens charged with espionage in San Francisco

�The US Attorney's office in northern California said Lee Lan and Ge Yuefei had been indicted on multiple charges of conspiracy to commit economic espionage and to steal trade secrets�Lee and Ge have been released on 300,000 dollars bail and must reappear in court on October 29. They face up to 15 years in jail and a 500,000 dollar fine if convicted��(AFP, 27 Sep 07)

Two indicted on IC economic espionage

�A federal grand jury in San Jose returned a superseding indictment against Lan Lee, a.k.a Lan Li, of Palo Alto, and Yuefei Ge, of San Jose. Lee, an American Citizen, and Ge, a Chinese national, had been released on the original indictment on $300,000 bonds�The case originally surfaced last year. The indictment alleges that Lee and Ge conspired to steal trade secrets from their employer at the time, NetLogics Microsystems, and from TSMC�The superseding indictment further alleges that the defendants created a company, SICO Microsystems, Inc., for the purpose of developing and marketing products derived from and using the stolen trade secrets�..(EE Times, 27 Sep 07)

Video: Amy Zegart  Spying Blind

Spying Blind

Spying Blind: The CIA, the FBI, and the Origins of 9/11, by Amy Zegart

�Zegart finds that political leaders were well aware of the emerging terrorist danger and the urgent need for intelligence reform, but failed to achieve the changes they sought. The same forces that have stymied intelligence reform for decades are to blame: resistance inside U.S. intelligence agencies, the rational interests of politicians and career bureaucrats, and core aspects of our democracy such as the fragmented structure of the federal government. Zegart argues that these three systemic adaptation barriers allowed nagging organizational weaknesses to endure--ultimately leading the CIA and FBI to miss twenty-three opportunities to disrupt the 9/11 plot�..(New America, 27 Sep 07)

Enemies of Intelligence
Enemies of Intelligence: Knowledge and Power in American National Security, by Richard K. Betts

�One of the nation's foremost political scientists, Betts draws on three decades of work within the U.S. intelligence community to illuminate the paradoxes and problems that frustrate the intelligence process. Unlike America's efforts to improve its defenses against natural disasters, strengthening its strategic assessment capabilities means outwitting crafty enemies who operate beyond U.S. borders�.(Columbia, 27 Sep 07)

In Print: Enemies of Intelligence

In his new book "Enemies of Intelligence," Columbia University political scientist Richard K. Betts warns that ambitious attempts to correct failures in U.S. intelligence may cause more damage than they repair. "The awful truth is that the best of intelligence systems will have big failures," he writes. Eliminating failure altogether is therefore not a reasonable or achievable goal. Nor can any one component or function of intelligence be optimized without incurring damage to others. So prudent reformers, he says, will seek incremental changes, not radical ones�..(FAS, 27 Sep 07)

The Forgotten War That Set a Pattern for Years to Come

THE COLDEST WINTER: America and the Korean War, by David Halberstam

� Over virtually every page of �The Coldest Winter,� the American misadventure in Indochina casts its shadow. The twisted cold war calculations and domestic political posturing that turned the war into geopolitical theater explain events not just in the 1950s but in the �60s as well, and perhaps, the author suggests in a brief epilogue, the current war in Iraq�Cutting back and forth, he shows in �The Coldest Winter� how domestic politics in the United States, and the emerging cold war struggle between the United States, the Soviet Union and China, shaped not only the general course of the war but also specific military decisions��(New York Times, 26 Sep 07)

Supreme Politics

THE NINE: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffrey Toobin

�Toobin guides us through the last 15 years of court history by focusing on individual justices, and his portraits are unspoiled by hagiography�In The Nine's best moments, Toobin links the justices' backgrounds to their views. Few commentators, for example, have connected John Paul Stevens's military intelligence service in World War II to his legal opinions. But Toobin makes the link persuasively in discussing Stevens's skepticism toward claims of military necessity in the Guantanamo cases�..(Washington Post, 23 Sep 07)

Book on legendary agent Pham Xuan An to hit shelves

Perfect Spy, by Larry Berman

�The News Agency Publishing House plans to release the Vietnamese version of Larry Berman�s 300-page work on the late well-known intelligence agent to commemorate his his first death anniversary, September 20. Hollywood is also reported to be interested in this script. Perfect Spy was first released in the US by Smithsonian Harper Collins Publisher this April and has attracted considerable interest�A member of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Pham Xuan An, who received the title of the Hero of the People�s Armed Forces in 1976, spent years during the American war working for western news agencies including Reuters, the New York Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, and Time magazine as a secret spy�..(Nhandan, 13 Sep 07)