FAS | Intelligence | News | 2002 ||||

May 2002 Intelligence News

• U.S. Must Consolidate Intelligence, Ridge Says, by David Ruppe, Global Security Newswire, May 31. "The United States requires a new, centralized system for analyzing intelligence and distributing it to federal agencies for action, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said."
• CIA honors slain Agency officers at its annual memorial ceremony, CIA press release, May 31.
• Attorney General Ashcroft on New FBI Investigative Guidelines, May 30. "The revised guidelines will take effect immediately and will be incorporated into the training of FBI agents."
• Fact Sheet on New Attorney General Guidelines, Justice Department release, May 30.
• CIA bureaucracy 'Machiavellian'? by Jon Dougherty, WorldNetDaily, May 30. "American intelligence organizations routinely fail to accurately predict world events as well as attacks against U.S. interests because they are too large, bureaucratic and clumsy, analysts say."
• FBI Needs Tech for New Mission, by William Matthews, Federal Computer Week, May 30. "The FBI's current computers are slow, its databases are difficult to access and its systems are incompatible."
• Justice Dept Statement on Closure of Immigration Hearings, press statement, May 29. "The closure of these hearings is vital to the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to take reasonable but necessary steps to protect our national security."
• Attorney General Ashcroft Remarks on FBI Reorganization, May 29.
• FBI Reorganization Fact Sheet, Justice Department, May 29. (PDF)
• FBI Director Mueller's Remarks on FBI Reorganization, May 29.
• FBI Strategic Focus, director's presentation, May 29.
• OFEQ-5, Israel's New Imaging Satellite Launched into Space By Means of the Shavit Launcher , press release, May 28.
• Colleen Rowley's Memo to FBI Director Robert Mueller (edited version), Time Magazine, May 21. "I feel at this point that I have to put my concerns in writing concerning the important topic of the FBI's response to evidence of terrorist activity in the United States prior to September 11th."
• Remarks by President Bush: Excerpts on Investigating September 11, press availability, May 23. "Well, one of the things that is very important, Ron, is that the information given to the President be protected, because we don't want to give away sources and uses and methodology of intelligence-gathering."
• White House Briefing: Excerpts on the President's Daily Brief, press briefing, May 21. "The administration has strong thoughts about the presidential daily brief which have been conveyed..."
• White House Press Briefing on Advance Warning of September 11, May 17. "The President was aware that bin Laden, of course, was determined to strike the United States."
• National Security Advisor Rice on Pre-9/11 Terrorism Info Chronology, press briefing, May 16. "There was a clear concern that something was up, that something was coming, but it was principally focused overseas."
• Congress Moves to Lift Intelligence Spending, by Walter Pincus and Dana Priest, Washington Post, May 15. "CIA watchdogs say that without a thorough outside review, more money will not fix the shortcomings of the system."
• Bombs, a dark stew of whatever's handy, may be getting more potent, by Calvin Woodward, Associated Press, May 12. "Higher energy explosives have made it possible for a single individual to kill more people," said Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists.
• Attorney General Briefing on Foreign Student Reporting, press briefing, May 10. "Today, I'm announcing a new system for tracking the more than 1 million foreign individuals who are in the United States attending our colleges, universities and trade schools."
• Justice Department Proposes Rule on Foreign Student Reporting, press release, May 10. "The Justice Department is proposing a new rule to implement significant changes in the means by which information about foreign students and exchange visitors is retained and reported."
• Ex-CIA official resigns role in attack inquiry, by Paul de la Garza, St. Petersburg Times, May 1. "A rare joint investigation by the Senate and House into the intelligence failures of Sept. 11 has gotten off to a rocky start."