GOOD GOD: The Russian Armed Forces are building a mega-church in Moscow. The facility, which is scheduled to open on May 9 - the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany - is awe inspiring. The facility comes complete with mosaics depicting godlike figures such as Vladimir Putin and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov. No, really. You can see the pictures yourself in the Moscow Times. The cathedral celebrates more than just World War II, however. Another mosaic honors Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Josef Stalin also makes an appearance. Apparently, he is being slowly rehabilitated in the former USSR.
LEATHER NECK/LEATHER JACKET: We know we live in strange times – but here’s a story we didn’t see coming. Former Secretary of Defense, and retired USMC 4-star general, Jim Mattis recently made his modeling debut. According to Business Insider, Mattis was photographed wearing a $1322 leather jacket marketed by a company called “Kill Kapture” that is owned by a former Australian soldier. Mattis apparently befriended, Mark Wales, the company’s founder, a few years ago. In fact, the photo was taken in 2015 when Wales and Mattis happened to both be in New York City. Wales later asked Mattis if he could use the photo for marketing purposes and the general is said to have responded: "Yeah, you can use it for whatever you want. You can put in on a billboard in Russia if you want."
TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: It takes a different kind of person to make their mark in the diplomatic corps. Evidence of that comes from Diplopundit which relayed that someone delving through the CIA’s declassified document archives uncovered a previously classified cable send in 1968 by then U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Benjamin Oehlert. Addressed to SECSTATE, the little ditty went like this: “The other day upon the stair, I saw some tanks which were not – rpt not – there. I saw those thanks (sic) again today. I wish those tanks would go away.” The poem was labeled SECRET and LIMDIS (limited distribution.) and remained classified for more than four decades.
PUT YOUR QUARANTINE TIME TO GOOD USE: Just guessing, but you may have some extra time on your hands these days. How best to spend it? Some people are trying to master the skill of giving themselves haircuts. We know someone teaching himself to play banjo. Well, trying. Others we know are trying to learn a new language. That might be a better choice, but what language should you pick? We came across an article that reveals how long the State Department thinks their officials need to devote to studying a new language. A map put together by the Foreign Service Institute ranks countries from Category 1 (less than 24 weeks of intense study) to Category V (less than 88 weeks). Let’s hope this is a Category 1 shut down.
ROOM RATER REDUX: Last week’s Dead Drop mentioned a new twitter account @ratemyskyperoom which critiques the view given of various people remotely interviewed on TV from their living rooms, kitchens etc. And we provided links to a few folks from the national security, diplomacy and intelligence worlds – so you could get a glimpse of how those folks are presenting themselves. The Room Rater continues to gain in popularity, with now more than 120K followers. We thought we would share with you links to a few more folks of interest. For example, Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel Jack Jacobs, an MSNBC contributor, earned high marks for his wall of books, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice also did well in a comfy room full of books that was red all over. Washington Post national security reporter Greg Miller got props for a map and lamp in his background. Long-time presidential adviser David Gergen, however, was dinged for a camera angle looking up his nose. But he did much better than Christopher Dickey, Foreign Editor of The Daily Beast, whose home office was deemed “ugly” and Beto O’Rourke, whose image evoked a hostage video. Room Rater told him he was organizing a rescue mission and to blink twice if he could hear him.
WE ARE NOT ALONE: This week, the Pentagon officially released three unclassified videos that have been circulating for years showing Navy pilots reacting to “unidentified aerial phenomena” that hover, swarm and zip around at unworldly rates. One tape was made in 2004 the other two in 2015. Each of the tapes had leaked previously but DOD finally decided to make it official and release them saying in a statement: "After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems, and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena." Do you, like us, wonder if the images on the tapes represent alien life forms? Well, we are not alone. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, President Trump commented on the videos. “I just wonder if it’s real,” he said. “That’s a hell of a video.”
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
SYDNEY BRISTOW IS BACK: Well, almost. Bristow, AKA Jennifer Garner’s character in the TV series “Alias” is coming to Amazon Prime starting May 11. Many of the cast members and their aliases are recounted in this article but, fair warning, it contains some spoilers if you haven’t watched the series before. Alias ran for five seasons starting in 2001. The story is about Bristow/Garner being a “young, athletic, college graduate” who had been recruited in her freshman year as “a Secret Agent for SD-6, a top-secret branch of the CIA.” Those CIA recruiters had a good eye for talent.
USE YOUR OWN ALIAS: Shoot us a heads up on what you’re seeing out there at TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com.
