Begin forwarded message:
From: "Casserly, James" <JCasserly@xxxxxxxxxxx> Date: July 20, 2005
3:28:50 PM EDT To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: [IP] Anyone know if
this is
for real?
Believe so. A .pdf of the letter is at
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/intel.officers.letter.pdf The
fellow who
maintains that site, Joshua Micah Marshall, is in my experience quite
reliable.
-----Original Message----- From: owner-ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:owner-ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Farber Sent:
Wednesday,
July 20, 2005 3:20 PM To: Ip ip Subject: [IP] Anyone know if this
is for
real?
Begin forwarded message:
From: EEkid@xxxxxxx Date: July 20, 2005 3:12:41 PM EDT To:
dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Anyone know if this is for real?
CIA Agents Letter to US Senate and House
18 July 2005
AN OPEN STATEMENT TO THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE.
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of
Representatives
The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate
The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate
We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned
with
the tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing
Department of
Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame,
wife of
former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist
Robert
Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an
undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame's name was a
shameful
event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have
damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of
U.S.
intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of
confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of
intelligence, and,
directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of
intelligence
workers and their sources.
The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to
supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit
Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a
common
theme is the idea that Ambassador Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame was not
undercover and deserved no protection. The following are four recent
examples of this "talking point":
Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, "And
let's be
honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job at
Langley. She
went back and forth every single day."
Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on
July
12, 2005 that, "Well, they weren't taking affirmative measures to
protect
that identity. They gave her a desk job in Langley. You don't
really have
somebody deep undercover going back and forth to Langley, where
people can
see them."
Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official,
said on
July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, "And also I think it
is now
a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a protected
covert
agent, and I don't think there's any meaningful investigation about
that."
House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17,
2005,
"It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might have been
overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of top-secret
definition on
things longer than they needed to. You know, this was a job that the
ambassador's wife had that she went to every day. It was a desk job. I
think many people in Washington understood that her employment was
at the
CIA, and she went to that office every day."
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence
community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are
thousands of
U.S. intelligence officers who "work at a desk" in the Washington,
D.C.
area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and
some have
non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be
protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is
conducting an
investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused
himself, we
believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a
deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to
work
undercover for their nation's security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the
leakers
technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act.
However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover
status
and that our nation's leaders, regardless of political party, have
a duty
to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate
for the
President to move proactively to dismiss from office or
administratively
punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie
Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous
message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be
consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-
partisan
voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as
political
footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the
CIA and
is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor.
We stand
in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her
service to
her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo
aimed at
discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the
intelligence,
which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against
Americans
at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and
must spend
long hours away from family and friends. They serve because they
love this
country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad
and to
defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect
public
acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their
government's protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for
every man
and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help
protect
their ability to live their cover.
Sincerely yours,
_____________________________________
Larry C. Johnson, former Analyst, CIA
JOINED BY:
Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense
Humint
Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National
Intelligence Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
http://www.crooksandliars.com/stories/2005/07/19/
ciaAgentsLetterToUsSenateAndHouse.html
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