AMARYLLIS FOX IS HAVING A HELLUVA YEAR: The Dead Drop told you in July 2018 that former CIA officer Amaryllis Fox was about to marry Robert F. Kennedy, III, the grandson of the late Attorney General and Ethel Kennedy. According to a speaker’s bureau bio, Fox lists herself as a former “CIA Clandestine Service Officer, writer and peace activist.” She apparently spent something less than five years at the Agency – first as a analyst and later as a member of the clandestine service. Then last month, we reported that Fox and hubby welcomed a baby girl who they named “Bobby.” Now we hear that she has a book coming out in October called Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA, and that various networks battled over the rights to her story. It appears as though Apple won the bidding war, and we're told, immediately gave the project a full series order – a rare step before a pilot is even shot. Reportedly the series will focus on the experience of a woman working in the male-dominated CIA as seen through the lens of her friends and family. Brie Larson, who recently starred in Captain Marvel has the lead in the new series.
THEY DIDN’T GO FOR JARED: Analyze this one in your own way, but The Jerusalem Post reports that Mahmoud Abbas has stated that the Palestinian Authority has “broken off all communications with the American administration.” President Abbas did add that “we maintain relations only with the CIA.”
HACKS IN MARYLAND: A Maryland Department of Human Services spokesperson says that their Facebook account has been hacked. On their site (briefly) was a post from someone claiming to be a whistleblower working for the CIA’s Office of Communications and claiming that the MD DHS had been infiltrated by the CIA. The spokeswoman, Katherine Morris, told the Baltimore Sun that “It would be cool to be 80 years old and tell my grandkids we were in cahoots with the CIA or whatever, but no.” Well, that’s a relief. Left unexplained by the hacker – is exactly WHY the CIA would be interested in the social services agency.
HACKS IN SPAIN: On February 22, a group of ten assailants reportedly broke into the North Korean embassy in Spain, bound and gagged diplomats, beat and interrogated some of them and stole computers before running off when a female hostage broke free and alerted neighbors. Well, that’s the story in the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial. Now another newspaper, El Pais has reported that local investigators believe that two of the ten assailants “have connections to the CIA.” What those connections are – they do not say. But officials are quoted as saying Spanish authorities asked the Agency about it and the CIA denied involvement “but not in a very convincing manner.” Fox News reports that investigators say the attack was not the work of “common criminals.” Maybe not, but whoever they were they were uncommonly inept. Who would believe that the CIA would be involved in such a ham-handed attack on a North Korean embassy in Spain? Did anyone say the Russians? Sputnik News reported the story earlier this week under the headline: “U.S. Intel May Be Behind Attack on North Korean Embassy in Spain – Reports.”
DOES THE NAME GRANDPA DUTERTE RING A BELL? Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recently claimed that he had snookered the CIA into returning three church bells taken by U.S. troops from the town of Balangiga in the Philippines in the early 1900’s. Filipinos have been trying to get the bells back for decades and this past December, they were finally returned. In a recent speech, Duterte claimed that he tricked the CIA by telling them that his “great, great, great grandfather” had been killed in a fire fight against U.S. Army personnel in Balangiga in 1901. Now Duterte says he was just making that up to break the century-old logjam on returning the war booty. Exactly WHY the CIA would be moved by this tall tale is unclear – especially since Duterte has previously accused the Agency of planning to assassinate him. The Philippine Star had a different take and noted that the bells were returned pursuant to legislation by the U.S. Congress in 2018.
HOME ALONE 3: The Pentagon suffered a leadership gap (lots of unfilled positions) when Jim Mattis was SECDEF and since his departure, things have only gotten worse. So says ForeignPolicy.com in an article this week that notes that Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson’s just-announced departure has added to the home alone feeling there. The Navy Department civilian in charge of energy, environment and installations resigned the same day as Wilson. Of course, Mattis’s deputy, Patrick Shanahan remains “Acting Secretary” with no relief in sight. FP says “two out of seven undersecretaries of defense and nearly half the assistant secretaries of defense” are either acting or temporarily performing the job. The Washington Post has a tracker following administration nominations. As of this week they say of the 712 positions that are unfilled government-wide (and requiring Senate confirmation), just 429 have been filled. A total of 131 others have been formal nominees but they have not yet been confirmed, and 11 positions fall into the “awaiting nomination” category (meaning the White House has announced an “intent” to nominate them but hasn’t gotten the paperwork in and 144 positions are without a nominee.
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
NICE GESTURES FOR $1,000: There was an outpouring of concern and good wishes last week when game show host Alex Trebek announced that he was battling stage IV pancreatic cancer. Among those sending along thoughts and prayers – the Central Intelligence Agency which tweeted out their thoughts in the form of a question. “Q: This game show host visited CIA HQs & won the hearts of CIA's workforce. A: Who is Alex Trebek? On behalf of the entire CIA family, our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time. This is not final @Jeopardy! You can beat this, #AlexTrebek! #FightCancer”
(POT)HEADLINE OF THE WEEK: Despite the fact that medical marijuana use is legal in more than half the states and recreational use is cool in ten states, federal law and DOD policies still make it clear that troops should continue to just say “no” if someone passes them a joint. But military personnel are having a tougher time trying to smoke out what the Pentagon’s policy is on whether they can invest in legal companies trying to cash in on the growing interest in legal highs. The folks at Stars and Stripes summed it up with a headline: “Pentagon hazy on legality of pot company investments for service members.” Turns out the makers of Corona Beer, Miracle-Gro fertilizer and even Budweiser are, in one way or another, putting money into pot. So, is a service member who buys stock in one of those outfits investing in the drug trade? Pentagon lawyers are inhaling deeply and trying to figure that out.
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