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Newspaper Able to Track Covert CIA Employees on Internet

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Sat Mar 11, 2006 at 07:52:10 PM EST
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This would be just laughable if it weren't so serious. The CIA is not very good at keeping its own secrets, according to a new investigation by The Chicago Tribune. The paper was able to track covert and other CIA employees using commercially available databases.

When the Tribune searched a commercial online data service, the result was a virtual directory of more than 2,600 CIA employees, 50 internal agency telephone numbers and the locations of some two dozen secret CIA facilities around the United States.

Even though not all of the employees are covert, there is ample concern that those who are could become the targets of terrorists. Not only that:

Other potential targets include at least some of the two dozen CIA facilities uncovered by the Tribune search. Most are in northern Virginia, within a few miles of the agency's headquarters. Several are in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington state. There is one in Chicago. Some are heavily guarded. Others appear to be unguarded private residences that bear no outward indication of any affiliation with the CIA.The CIA has been notified of their project. The article also contains a senior administration official's reaction:

"I don't know whether Al Qaeda could do this, but the Chinese could."

A senior intelligence official's reaction sounds like the old Freddy Prinze line, "It's not my job." It seems it is the job of the covert employee to create his or her own cover and ensure its integrity.

Asked how so many personal details of CIA employees had found their way into the public domain, the senior U.S. intelligence official replied that "I don't have a great explanation, quite frankly."

The official noted, however, that the CIA's credo has always been that "individuals are the first person responsible for their cover. If they can't keep their cover, then it's hard for anyone else to keep it. If someone filled out a credit report and put that down, that's just stupid."

The problem according to some, is that new CIA agents are too inexperienced to know how to do this and there is a shortage of mentors.

"You're getting into the problem of very junior, inexperienced people, which a lot of veteran CIA people feel now is part of the problem. Porter Goss has to double the number of operational people in an environment where there are no mentors. Who's going to train these people?"

Is there anything that the Bush Administration has done right in the war on terror? It sure doesn't sound like it. No wonder we can't find Osama. But I won't sleep better knowing he can find those Bush sends looking for him.

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    Newspaper Able to Track Covert CIA Employees on Internet | 19 comments (19 topical)
    Re: Newspaper Able to Track Covert CIA Employees o (none / 0) (#1)
    by JK on Sat Mar 11, 2006 at 08:19:35 PM EST
    In the year 2006 it is indeed laughable, but at the time the pertinent ifo. was generated no one was thinking of an omnipresent never forgeting databse of information available to anyone whith a spare dollar or two.

    Re: Newspaper Able to Track Covert CIA Employees o (none / 0) (#2)
    by Tom Maguire on Sat Mar 11, 2006 at 10:19:29 PM EST
    No surprise - the same reporter filed a story on cracking Valerie Plame's identity - his online service said she had an embassy affiliation in the early 90's, which is not good for a NOC, apparently.

    Re: Newspaper Able to Track Covert CIA Employees o (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Mar 11, 2006 at 10:29:00 PM EST
    Is there anything that the Bush Administration has done right in the war on terror?
    Given the war on the CIA that liberals have conducted for at least 30 years, with no small amount of success, it's ironic, at least, for a liberal blog to blame the Bush administration for the CIA's weaknesses.

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