Dead Drop: March 29

MUELLER WHO?: The Cipher Brief 2019 Threat Conference wrapped up recently in Sea Island, GA. and our spies tell us that the meeting was a virtual ‘Who’s who of national security experts’.  Spotted:  PDDNI Susan Gordon, NSA Senior Cyber Advisor Rob Joyce, General (Ret) David Petraeus, former head of MI6 Sir John Scarlett, NSA Operations Director Jonathan Darby, and a host of other national security notables and it turns out they were more focused on talking about public and private sector solutions to national security threats, than they were about the Mueller report.  The Dead Drop utilized it’s impressive open source collection skills to find that the invite-only conference served up high-level briefings on a series of national and global security threats, with China being a key point of conversation.  Yahoo News! reporter Jenna McLaughlin reported that it may have been one of the only places in the country where the name Mueller wasn’t the dominating headline.

GUNS & ROSARIES: Ireland’s national television network, RTÉ, recently aired a documentary about Father Patrick Peyton, an Irish-born Roman Catholic priest who became a friend to Hollywood stars – and, was a “secret agent” for the CIA on the side.  Peyton studied for the priesthood in the United States in the 1940s and became something of a media star himself appearing on the radio and launching “rosary crusades” where he deployed the catch phrase “the family that prays together stays together.” IrishNews.Com says Father Peyton became buddies with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Edward G Robinson, Maureen O’Hara, Loretta Young, Jimmy Stewart and Gregory Peck among others. Comedian Bob Newhart reportedly told RTÉ he would do whatever Father Peyton asked, “otherwise I’d go to hell!”  Reportedly, the CIA thought Peyton’s place would be in fighting “godless Communism” and is said to have funded the priest’s efforts to take his message to Latin America.  Eventually, the Pope told Peyton to quit accepting Langley’s contributions to his collection plate, but he remained very influential until his death in 1992 – and maybe beyond.  Irish News says some folks have lobbied for his canonization and Peyton was declared “venerable” in 2017 – putting him one step away from sainthood.  We’re pulling for a miracle that would result in his canonization. The list of other former CIA assets who have been declared saints is not long.