FOR WHOM THE WHISTLE BLOWS: Say what you will about the State Department, DOD, NSC staff, and Intelligence Community personnel wrapped up in the ongoing Ukraine/impeachment brouhaha on Capitol Hill – one thing few people have considered is the personal cost to those involved. We’re not talking about the cost to their careers – but the financial impact. NBC News looked into it and posted a lengthy piece which says that those called to testify often run up legal bills that add up to tens of thousands of dollars. Despite the fact that there have been a number of “Go Fund Me” type pages set up for some of these people, NBC says that in some cases, government regulations prohibit officials from accepting the gift of free legal advice. And what about the professional liability insurance that some officials buy for themselves? Allegedly, that may work if you are accused of wrongdoing yourself – but if you are merely a witness to the possible wrongdoing of others you may be out of luck.
DEPARTMENT OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND DESTABILIZATION: With all the attention on impeachment and stuff, you may have missed a remarkable story from NBC News regarding Mina Chang, the deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stability Operations. We admit we had never heard of Ms. Chang (or her Bureau) but according to her resume she is a remarkable person. Unfortunately, NBC says her resume appears to be somewhat inflated. She claims to be an “alumna” of Harvard Business School but may have only attended a seven-week course there. Her bio on the State Department website says she is a “graduate” of a program at the Army War College – but may have only attended a four-day seminar there. Then there are the claims that she addressed the Democrat and Republican National Conventions – which reportedly comes as news to those organizations, and she has publicly talked about a Time Magazine with her on the cover – which also, according to Time, is bogus. A charity she once led has come to her defense stating that her “resume, profiles, and statements have been reviewed by 4 separate bodies, including the FBI and State Department Investigators. Each body has verified each and every one of her stated achievements.” If that is true – the FBI may have more problems than we thought.
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED: The Chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) says MI-6 spies (ala James Bond) have their own bar, with restricted access to those who punch into work at the Vauxhall, London headquarters, according to The Telegraph. The current Chief of MI-6, Sir Alex Younger, said in a recorded interview that the secret bar is an “essential element in allowing his operatives to unwind, given they cannot talk to anyone outside MI6 about the pressures of their work.” The Dead Drop just wants to know whether MI-6 picks up the tab. We are told there is no parallel facility at U.S. intelligence agencies although some observers suggest that there is a desperate need for one.
GREY MATTER: We found this item in Army Times – not The Onion. Apparently, the Army Special Operations command is considering authorizing psychological operations soldiers to distinguish themselves by wearing special grey berets. The thought is that a unique piece of headgear will make the wearers even more proud of their specialty and might lure new recruits who want to be a thinking man (or woman’s) Green Beret.
MIDWAY MOVIE MAKES HISTORY: Just in time for the Veteran’s Day weekend, Hollywood floated out a blockbuster movie called: “Midway” about the pivotal World War II battle. We’ve talked to a couple folks who saw the flick in theaters and say they found it entertaining. But J.D. Simpkins, who reviewed the film for Military Times is decidedly in another camp. Simpkins says the movie about the battle that turned the tide in the Pacific turned his stomach. In what is arguably the worst movie review (headlined: “Blockbuster ‘Midway’ sinks faster than Japanese carriers at…Midway” Simpkins writes that “If you shell out your hard-earned money to see this film, you are spoiling your own life and ruining the joy of those in your company.” A little harsh? Not as harsh as the next line. “Use the 2 hours, 18 minutes to instead do something more enjoyable, like repeatedly smashing your face into a wall.” The review is full of spoilers – so if you still plan on seeing it – you might not want to read further. He describes a scene where a pilot “unexpectedly drives his plane off of the flight deck and straight into the ocean, at which point I began hoping a plane would unexpectedly fly through the screen and drop its payload on my theater seat.” The reviewer took offense – well, at everything in the movie. But nothing more than the words on the screen at the end dedicating the film to the “Americans and Japanese who fought at Midway” – and includes a lengthy paragraph listing Japanese war crimes. Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal noted that the film was made with substantial financial backing from China. The WSJ says that Chinese audiences love war films where the Japanese lose. Another note shown on screen at the end of the movie says that some 250,000 Chinese were killed by Japanese forces in a campaign that was launched in retaliation for the Doolittle raids. Initial box office reports were not encouraging. Showbiz411.com said that “Midway” bombed and crashed and “will sputter to an ignominious end.”
PODCAST AND SPYING ARE HOT: And podcasts about spying are hotter. There is a new entry in the category – called “I Spy”. They say their aim is to get “operations people: the spies who steal secrets, who kill adversaries, who turn agents into double agents” to tell their stories. Maybe they should just read The Cipher Brief. But this is kinda cool: Actress Margo Martindale, who played “Claudia” in the hit TV show, The Americans will host.
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
WORKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT CAN OPEN DOORS: But not always the ones you want to open. FauquierNow.com recently reported that “a top-secret and secure federal government facility” located in Warrenton, VA recently admitted that something they are doing there may be crippling garage door openers in their neighborhood. The government facility said in a written statement: “To address homeland defense needs and comply with government direction that agencies use the electromagnetic spectrum more efficiently, the Department of Defense (DoD) is deploying new land mobile radios to (sic) installation across the country.” Garage door openers were said to “operate as unlicensed devises” (we assume they meant “devices”) and, as such – tough luck. Homeowners were given 30 days of no interference to update their technology before the folks at Warrenton fire up their radios again. The statement added: “After the 30-day window, DoD will re-able the new radio system permanently.” (We’re guessing they meant “re-enable.”) A spokesperson for Warrenton offered to fax the statement to local media. When told that no one uses faxes anymore and asked to email it – the spokesperson declined but agreed to hand a printed copy to someone who drove up to their gate.
A BLAST FROM THE PAST: In last week’s Dead Drop we reported on the shortage of Explosive Ordnance Demolition personnel and the increase of work for the ones onboard. This week we bring you video from one of the not-so-great moments in EOD history, from 49 years ago this week, when Navy EOD techs advised Oregon officials that the best way to dispose of a whale carcass on the beach was to use a half ton of dynamite. The video, posted by the U.S Naval Institute, says “the explosion caused blubber to rain down on spectators” over a quarter mile. A large chunk demolished a car.
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