LOOSE LIPS: The Navy released some video last week of their new guided missile destroyer ZUMWALT getting underway from the shipyard in Bath, Maine bound for Baltimore where it will be commissioned next month. The stealthy warship looks like something out of Star Wars – or perhaps Star Trek is more appropriate since its commanding officer is named Captain James Kirk. The ship is so visually stunning that the Navy apparently didn’t listen to the audio of bystanders watching it glide past. Some cranky old guy can be heard complaining that the new generation of shipbuilders “haven’t got a clue” about what they are doing. The observer fired a few shots across the bow of contractor General Dynamics saying: “It took like six to seven years to put that together and there’s a lot of, I won’t say corruption, but there’s a lot of baloney going on with these things right now.” The Navy eventually pulled down the video – but not before outfits, like The Washington Examiner, captured a copy. You can see – and hear it on their website.
SPECIAL DELIVERY: The anonymous shipbuilding critique wasn’t the only surprise the Navy had to deal with recently. According to Navy Times, on Saturday, a Petty Officer Third Class aboard the aircraft carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER reported to sick bay with an upset stomach. The ship was operating in the Persian Gulf conducting operations against ISIS. About nine hours later, on September 11, the sailor delivered a healthy, seven pound, baby girl. Neither she or nor the Navy had been expecting any additions to their crew. Mother and baby were eventually flown to a hospital in Bahrain and are reportedly doing fine. No word on a name for the baby. What is the feminine version of IKE? The satirical website Duffleblog had a fun take on the story – suggesting that more than 2,000 sailors on the EISENHOWER had immediately put in requests for paternity leave.
HIGH LEVEL ENDORSEMENT: Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey came out in support of Donald Trump earlier this week. Should Trump win, Woolsey will most likely have a better chance of getting into the Oval Office to see him than he did getting in to see his old boss, Bill Clinton. Woolsey famously joked about the 1994 incident when someone crashed his small plane on the White House lawn – that that was him trying to get an appointment to see the President. Since leaving government in the early 90’s, Woolsey’s politics seems to have taken a turn to the right. According to press accounts, Woolsey traveled to the UK shortly after 9/11, with the blessing of top Pentagon officials, in an effort to prove that Ramzi Yousef, the man behind the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, was actually an Iraqi spy. Spoiler alert: he wasn’t.
GOOFS R US: Last week, The Dead Drop told you about a goofy book review – and we goofed. The review called Are You a Mind-Controlled CIA Stooge? appeared in a publication called “Foreign Policy Journal” – but we got the name wrong. Sorry about that. A sharped eyed reader caught the mistake and urged us to inform readers that “Foreign Policy Journal” is the home to lots of whacky pieces ranging from “9/11 Truthers” to other Middle East conspiracy pieces – which make the website a likely place for a review of a book that talks about CIA mind-control.
STONE COLD: Filmmaker and conspiracy aficionado Oliver Stone said recently that most war movies are “bullsh*t” because the CIA runs Hollywood. Really? If so, how come the CIA turns out to be the bad guys in so many modern flicks? Pro-agency films like “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty” (based on true events) are the outliers. Far more common are films depicting a rogue agency trying to squash the hero – see the Jason Bourne series for examples.
HOT TICKET: BUT – that is not to say that there aren’t people in Hollywood supportive of the real-world mission of the CIA. As evidence, sources tell us that there is a $1,000-a-head fundraiser for the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation being held in Hollywood on September 29th. The keynote speaker will be former CIA Director Leon Panetta. The event will honor Thomas Tull, the CEO and founder of Legendary Pictures. Lots of Hollywood movers and shakers are expected to attend – which will undoubtedly drive Oliver Stone crazy. If you are going to be in the neighborhood and want to attend, contact Grant Associates at 323-904-4400. The event benefits the Memorial Foundation which supports the families of CIA officers who died while in service to the nation.