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US held file on Blair detailing 'his private life' claim

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Published Date: 25 November 2008
By Wesley Johnson
UNITED States intelligence officials kept a file on the "private life" of Tony Blair, a former US Navy communications operator claimed yesterday.
David Murfee Faulk, who worked at a listening post in Fort Gordon, Georgia, claimed he saw the file on the former prime minister in 2006. But he refused to provide details of what the file, held in an intelligence database called Anchory, contained,
other than to say it was a file on his "private life" and included information of a personal nature.

Mr Faulk also said he heard "pillow talk" phone calls of Iraq's first interim president, Ghazi al-Yawer, another key US ally, when he worked as a US Army Arab linguist assigned to a US National Security Agency (NSA) facility at Fort Gordon between 2003 and 2007.

While it is not illegal to collect information on foreign leaders, the US and the UK have pledged "not to collect on each other", former US intelligence officials said.

The NSA works closely and shares data with its British counterpart, according to the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

"If it is true that we maintained a file on Blair, it would represent a huge breach of the agreement we have with the Brits," one former CIA official said.

In the case of the former Iraqi president, Mr Faulk said the phone calls were to Mr Yawer's fiancée, Nasrin Barwari, the minister of public works in the interim government. Mr Faulk described the calls as "courting, wooing and pillow talk".

A spokesman for the NSA said the agency followed all the laws, but declined to comment on the specifics of Mr Faulk's allegations.



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  • Last Updated: 25 November 2008 12:33 AM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Secret services
 
1

Postmark-55,

China, 25/11/2008 00:42:32
Now you know why your troops are still in Iraq and Afghanistan.
2

,

25/11/2008 01:38:15
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3

Finlang,

France 25/11/2008 03:14:55
#2
No surprise there then. A few other mad US fundamentalists could be added to your list. We all know who they are.

No surprise at the article report either. Did the sage at The Scotsman suppose it to be news to those who actually read and investigate the news?
4

,

25/11/2008 03:32:23
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5

SouthernGent,

25/11/2008 03:37:19
I don't doubt the possibility of these type files, but does anyone believe their own governments aren't doing the same thing?
6

SouthernGent,

25/11/2008 03:39:42
#4
Lynne, your playing the game by his rules, just what he wants. Just ignore him, and he'll soon enough go back to playing with kids his age.
7

Postmark-55,

China, 25/11/2008 04:04:26
#4 Lynne,
Damn it Lynne, you just caused me to drop from Postmark-55 down to Postmark-33, I feel like the stockmarkets having just lost 20 points. Are you going to bail me out? A couple of billion should do it.
And if you do go by only one ID, then don't worry about it, like me. I too have been accused of multiple ID's but I shrug it off, for I know I only go by Postmark-55.
You and I seldom if ever agree, but I still feel that you and everyone else is entitled to their opinions, whether they differ from mine or not.
8

First Virginian,

USA 25/11/2008 04:23:27
#5 SouthernGent

Quote:

"I don't doubt the possibility of these type files, but does anyone believe their own governments aren't doing the same thing?"

Answer:

Other countries are just better at lying, denying, covering up and dissembling than the US.

Being a free and open society will always work against us as far as exposing ourselves to our enemies.

Closed societies don't have to worry about an article such as this because the man would have been executed for having revealed such information.

The recent book about the failures of the CIA, "Legacy of Ashes," would never have seen the light of day in most countries.

Alexander Solzhenitzen (?) had to have his books smuggled out of the USSR with the possiblity that everyone involved would be executed.

Our intelligence-gathering services are exposed to far greater dangers due to the very freedoms they are putting their lives on the line to protect.

All Americans owe these unsung heroes and heroines of the US a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. God bless and keep them all!










9

,

25/11/2008 04:24:48
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10

Randomly Blocked Poster, ,

25/11/2008 06:38:16
What else would you expect of the Americans especially if you are in a "special relationship." As for the US posters on here trying to divert attention, go play with the traffic.
11

,

25/11/2008 06:46:47
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12

Randomly Blocked Poster, ,

25/11/2008 07:03:04
It's not clear who got the idea of spoiling threads first, nublab or the NSA but the yanks have been deliberately placing propadaga online for years.
You can spot it by its utterly inane, mono sylabic irrelevance.
You can almost feel sorry for the numpties in thier little cubicles paid by the word to type drivel on the worlds news sites. I wonder how many site an operative is expected to cover on a shift.
The US spied on Tony, so what, who cares?
13

drunken proffet,

Tassy 25/11/2008 07:49:15
Well being a drunken proffet, I think I will proffetise. If they ever print the files, it won't be a best seller.
14

Iain's,

25/11/2008 08:25:02
The trick is to keep files on the spouses of the leaders concerned. Just like they do in Whitehall.
15

Mr. Lachie Todd,

Edinburgh 25/11/2008 10:30:32
It would be very naive indeed of readers to believe that, just because the US is a long-standing ally of the United Kingdom, or any other friendly state, that it does not gather widespread intelligence about its political leaders, economy, military, and national infrastructure.

The United States still has some of the most secretive photographic and listening satellite networks ever devised. Ironically, some parts of this network are even based in the UK and many other NATO countries, where they were originally placed to protect Europe from Soviet nuclear attack.

The annual CIA Year Book which provides detailed, vital facts about every country in the world is an example of US Big Brother.
16

Guga II,

Rockall 25/11/2008 12:20:46
Every country spies on every other country, and have done for many a long year. They even spy on their so-called allies.

The Israelis have, for example, been spying very successfully on the yanks for a long time; not only on individual politicians, but also on their military and nuclear secrets.

It's little wonder that the yanks support the Israelis, right or wrong (usually the latter). The Israelis probably have so much dirt on yank politicians that the yanks have no alternative but to support them.
17

Schot,

25/11/2008 12:38:29
It serves Blair right for admitting to spying on Kofi Annan and the UN in a failed bid to win a second resolution. There are major differences between the US spying on the UK, and the UK spying on the US. Those differences are Menwith Hill and GCHQ which are both staffed by US spies. I am unaware of any openly British spy bases in the US capable of monitoring every telephone or electronic communication.
18

Rowdy Roy,

25/11/2008 12:43:28
What a fool Blair was, he thought he was so smart but in reality he was just George Bush's little lap dog
19

Bele's bane,

Scotland 25/11/2008 13:12:02
Blair is not the first ally of the USA have paid the price for their allegiance most notably; Saddam!
20

An Greumach Mor,

Scotland 25/11/2008 13:30:44
WOW! If this is a suprise to anyone I will be disappointed. All agencies record and file intelligence.
21

Number 6,

Germany 25/11/2008 14:55:08
What do you expect in a country with what is it ?
16 intelligence services . They need something to do.
22

First Virginian,

USA 25/11/2008 15:16:24
In a perfect world where everyone is honest and above-board there would be no need for any country to have an intelligence service.

Since we do not have a perfect world, an intelligence service is needed by every nation to ensure its security and preservation.

Spy books will always be of interest to people because they reveal what lengths different countries will go to in order to get the upper hand against opposing nations.

Queen Elizabeth I had her Walsingham to protect her against the Catholics' assassination attempts in the 1500's. Without Walsingham's intelligence gathering England would never have have gained its religious or civil freedom.

J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, kept a file on Martin Luther King that was considered outrageous by liberals who wanted to use him to gain votes, but that is only because they knew that it would expose the hypocrisy of King's supposed sainthood.

The file on Obama has to be a "doozie" despite all the new media's silence on the subject.

The FBI's files on Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn and their connection to Obama tells pertinent information about the president-elect despite the news media's and Biden's declarations that Obama is "clean."

Our intelligence gathering services are to be commended for their efforts and vigilance to protect our nation.



23

Number 6,

Germany 25/11/2008 15:34:19
#22. Needs to be asked, where were your 16 intelligence services in the run-up to 9/11.

Where was the protection then ?.
24

Sandi,

San Diego 25/11/2008 15:42:38
#23 Number 6,

Our intelligence agencies did their jobs, as much as the White House would let them. They produced good intelligence, which was either ignored or re-written to reflect what the White House "needed" in order to create a "reason" for invading Iraq.

#22, First Virginian,

Re spy books, my favorites at the moment are the series by Vince Flynn.
25

First Virginian,

USA 25/11/2008 17:12:19
#24 Sandi,SanDiego

Sandi, I've just read Tim Weiner's "Legacy of Ashes: History of the CIA."

Weiner is associated with the NY Times...so, who knows if he has slanted everything or not.

He says that he used only information from the CIA files and personal interviews.

Weiner describes the CIA as a loose cannon from the time it was the OSS under Wild Bill Donovan during WW II.

The OSS and CIA appear to have thrown money around because they didn't know how to conduct intelligence gathering any other way than...unlike the British intelligence circles.

Now that the CIA has been folded in under Homeland Security it is no longer free to get the US embroiled in other nations's internal affairs as previously...or so the book says.

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that the intelligence agents on the frontlines were doing the best they could and are to be commended for their courage and dedication.

However, Weiner concludes that the story of Iraq's WMD was based on faulty information that was presented to President Bush and Colin Powell as "rock solid" when it was plain wrong.

You might want to read "Legacy of Ashes" and see what you think about Weiner's conclusions.

Like to hear your opinion of whether or not the faulty intelligence from the CIA's head is what got us into the Iraq war.
26

First Virginian,

USA 25/11/2008 17:19:31
#25-correction

Excuse the mistakes...pushed the "Post Comment" button by mistake before proofing the posting.

"nations's" should read "nations.'"

Also, have an extra "than" before "...unlike the British..."
27

Sandi,

San Diego 25/11/2008 17:49:30
#25 First Virginian,

Isn't it funny how you see all those typos right after you push the "post comment" button, no matter how many times you look before! LOL!

I will look for that book.

I have mentioned the blog site www.noquarterusa.net before here, I think. It is run by a former CIA officer, Larry C. Johnson. They have some very interesting articles, but I though this book review might interest you. The book is "Failure of Intelligence, The Decline and Fall of the CIA" by Melvin A. Goodman. I had to make a tiny url as it's quite long. Hope it works!

http://preview.tinyurl.com/5hnadn
28

SouthernGent,

25/11/2008 20:03:41
#24
"Our intelligence agencies did their jobs, as much as the White House would let them. They produced good intelligence, which was either ignored or re-written to reflect what the White House "needed" in order to create a "reason" for invading Iraq."

You use this to incriminate Bush, but be careful, the same can be said of your favorite MR. Bill as well. Had he actually used the intelligence given to him on Osama, would there have been a 9/11 or an Iraq?
29

Sandi,

San Diego 25/11/2008 21:05:43
#28 Southern Gent,

The comment to which I responded referred only to 9-11.

Bill Clinton, according to the 9-11 Commission Report, was "obsessed" with finding Osama bin Laden. What intelligence did Clinton not use? And how would his use of that intelligence have been received by the Republicans who had hounded him since before his first term as president? The things he did do were called "wag the dog" by Republicans. Now you criticise him for not doing enough. Well, you may have your own party's politics to blame. Clinton may not have done enough, and how easy it is to say that with hindsight, but that doesn't remove Bush from all responsibility for 9-11. He and his administration did absolutely nothing, paid no attention at all, for eight months, despite urgent warnings about Osama bin Laden from the outgoing Clinton people, and from Clinton himself.
30

SouthernGent,

26/11/2008 00:21:26
#29
"The government of Sudan, using a back channel direct from its president to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States, offered in the early spring of 1996 to arrest Osama bin Laden and place him in custody in Saudi Arabia, according to officials and former officials in all three countries"

Clinton gave this a once over, when he should have done what ever was necessary knowing what he did.
31

First Virginian,

USA 26/11/2008 03:36:45
Sandi and SouthernGent

Just for the sake of argument, what would happen if the US did take President Washington's advice and decided to bring all of our people home?

Why do we have to be the only nation in the world that has to take care of every hot spot that comes up?

Haven't we gotten into this incredible global mess because we were meddling in the internal affairs of foreign countries?

What would happen if we did become isolationist?

I certainly don't know the answers and would like your input.
32

SouthernGent,

26/11/2008 13:21:35
Since the UN is basically worthless, and we now have a global economy, who would secure shipping, travel, etc.? Somebody has to do it, and right now it is us. Amazing how many complain about it, but don't dare volunteer their own services. They are of the mind that if I ignore it, it will go away.
33

,

26/11/2008 16:16:00
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34

First Virginian,

USA 26/11/2008 16:22:23
#32 SouthernGent,

"Since the UN is basically worthless,..."

SG, the UN is far worse than worthless. It is toxic waste and should never have been put in place to begin with...especially on US soil.

The UN is an "entangling alliance" that George Washington warned about that has sucked the US dry to enrich itself.

The UN has produced one third-rate leader after another who presumes to tell the US what, when, where, and how we are to do things...at the US taxpayers' expense.

Name one good thing that the UN has ever accomplished?

The US should withdraw from the UN and send its spies and money-grubbers packing.
35

First Virginian,

USA 26/11/2008 16:43:13
#32 SouthernGent

"...and now we have a global economy, who would secure shipping, travel, etc.?"

SG, we have a global economy thanks to entangling alliances such as the UN, NATO, NAFTA and all the other military and trade agreements to entangle us with other countries.

As Washington said, the interests of the rest of the world are not in the best interests of the US.

The US should never have allowed itself to be pulled into World War II.

Our second mistake was the Marshall Plan, dreamed up by four men to keep the OSS-CIA active after WW II was over.

World War II was not our fight...even with Japan bombing Pearl Harbor. (It was stupid to make Hawaii a state and only exposed us to attack.)

Why was it up to the US to rebuild Europe and Japan?

Japan attacked the US and yet we turned around, rebuilt it and turned it into a Welfare Queen Nation.

Now the Japanese have invaded our markets and we are bailing out our big three automakers.

China is on the same road...all of our businesses were shipped overseas to China and other such countries so that we could become a debtor nation.

Americans just have to look back to where this downward spiral began.

The US has gone from the only great and wealthy nation to a debtor nation in 60 years.

Now we are told by the world that we cannot go back.

Yes, we can go back. "We the people" just need to demand that we do.
36

First Virginian,

USA 26/11/2008 17:11:34
#32 SouthernGent

"...who would secure shipping, travel, etc.?" Somebody has to do it and right now it is us."

SG, every other nation in the world will take action to secure their shipping, travel, etc. when they see that the US isn't going to do it for them.

Did you notice how India took care of a few pirates in the Indian Ocean recently?

John Quincy Adams said on July 4, 1821:

"American has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when the conflict has been for principles to which she clings...She goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own." (John Quincy Adams, Speech Delivered in Washington DC on July 4th, 1821.)

President Adams agreed with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe on the need for the United States to mind its own business rather than to be pulled into foreign controversies.
37

First Virginian,

USA 26/11/2008 17:36:13
#32 SouthernGent

"Amazing how many complain about it, but don't volunteer their own services."

SG, I'm not sure what the pronoun "it" stands for in your statement.


"They are of the mind that if I ignore it, it will go away."

SG, if "it" means the problems of the world, I suggest that we have ignored the fact that no one has appointed us the policeman and savior of the world.

"We the people" of the United States have been duped into thinking that our duty is to work like slaves so that our elected "public servants" can throw away with impunity our rights and money to foreign interests .

Our Founding Fathers viewed our patriotic duty as working for the best interests of the United States.

The last 60 years have shown how far off the track we have fallen.

The only solution is for the US to get back on the right track...to turn our attention back to the United States and let the other countries take care of themselves.

38

,

27/03/2009 00:56:50
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