FAS | Intelligence | News | 2002 ||||

June 2002 Intelligence News

• Justice Leak Probe Gets Underway, by Damon Chappie, Roll Call, June 24. "The decision to ask the Justice Department to investigate whether someone on Capitol Hill leaked classified material raises thorny constitutional questions about the oversight checks between the two branches of government, experts said last week."
• Coded warnings became clear only in light of Sept. 11 attacks, by Scott Shane and Ariel Sabar, Baltimore Sun, June 21. "Experts defend NSA for failure to interpret 2 key al-Qaida intercepts."
• Security Leak Inquiry Sought, by Dan Adair, St. Petersburg Times, June 21. "Officials want to know who told the media about two Arabic messages that were intercepted September 10."
• White House Briefing: Excerpts on the Leaks of NSA Material, June 20. "The President was deeply concerned about these leaks. We do not know who did it. The President earlier today asked the Vice President to call the chairmen of the committees who are doing the investigation."
• Palestinian Figures Urge Halt To 'Military Operations' in Israel, al Quds, text of advertisement, June 19.
• Message from the President on Establishing a Department of Homeland Security, message to Congress, June 18.
• Text of a Proposed Bill to Establish a Department of Homeland Security, White House release, June 18.
• Super-shy spy agency sheds silence to secure U.S. secrets, by Ariel Sabar, Baltimore Sun, June 18. "Loose lips can still sink ships, NSA warns in ads echoing World War II era."
• Bush Wants to Ban Spy Plane Tech, by Noah Shachtman, Wired News, June 17. "The Bush administration is pushing to change the international agreement that controls the sale of ballistic missiles to make sure UAV technologies are included."
• Open-Government Advovate Sues CIA, by John Lumpkin, Associated Press, June 12. "An open-government advocate sued the CIA on Wednesday to get the government to disclose how much money it is spending on intelligence operations this year."
• Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz on the Arrest of "Dirty Bomb" Suspect, press briefing, June 10. "Yesterday, at the direction of the president, the Department of Justice transferred control of Jose Padilla, who is a U.S. citizen, to the Department of Defense."
• Attorney General Ashcroft on Arrest of "Dirty Bomb" Suspect, Justice Dept press briefing, June 10. "We have captured a known terrorist who was exploring a plan to build and explode a radiological dispersion device, or 'dirty bomb,' in the United States."
• President Bush Meets with Congressional Leaders on Homeland Security, June 7. "We've got a lot of work to do to get this department implemented. There's going to be a lot of turf protection in the Congress."
• Department of Homeland Security Press Briefing, by senior Administration official, June 6.
• Department of Homeland Security, the President's proposal, June 2002 (PDF format).
• President Bush Proposes Department of Homeland Security, June 6. "What I am proposing tonight is the most extensive reorganization of the federal government since the 1940s."
• Intelligence chairmen draw praise for integrity, by Kathy Kiely, USA Today, June 5. "I have not seen either of them stand up and take a position that is at odds with the intelligence community," says Steven Aftergood, who monitors government secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists.
• Announcing the National Security Entrance and Exit Registration System, Atty Gen John Ashcroft, June 5. "This system will expand substantially America's scrutiny of those foreign visitors who may pose a national security concern and enter our country."
• National Security Entry-Exit Tracking System Fact Sheet, Justice Department release, June 5.
• Critics say senator wrong for 9/11 probe: Graham called too close to agencies, by Jill Zuckman, Chicago Tribune, June 2. "The intelligence committees are themselves complicit in the intelligence bureaucracy that we have today," Aftergood said.
• Congress puts spy network on trial, by Tamara Lytle, Orlando Sentinel, June 2. "A special congressional committee led by two Florida lawmakers will spend months poring over reams of evidence."
• Top Secret, Sometimes, The American Prospect, June 17. "Despite the best efforts of this most secretive administration, the classified part of the budget is hard to conceal."