NSA Accused of Psychologically Abusing Whistleblowers

[paulthompson]

NSA Accused of Psychologically Abusing Whistleblowers

Five current and former National Security Agency (NSA) employees have told Cybercast News Service that the agency frequently retaliates against whistleblowers by falsely labeling them "delusional," "paranoid" or "psychotic."

The intimidation tactics are allegedly used to protect powerful superiors who might be incriminated by damaging information, the whistleblowers say. They also point to a climate of fear that now pervades the agency. Critics warn that because some employees blew the whistle on alleged foreign espionage and criminal activity, the "psychiatric abuse" and subsequent firings are undermining national security.

The accusations of "Soviet-era tactics" are being made by former NSA intelligence analysts and action officers Russell D. Tice, Diane T. Ring, Thomas G. Reinbold, and a former employee who spoke on condition of anonymity. The allegations have been corroborated by a current NSA officer, who also insisted on anonymity, agreeing only to be referenced as "Agent X."

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200601\SPE20060125a.html

(This article's source may be a bit obscure, but mark my words, this will be picked up bigger outlets in the weeks to come. Certainly this will be a big issue when Congress holds hearings on the NSA spy scandal, because Russ Tice is one of the main whistleblowers to James Risen of the New York Times that got the spy scandal story out to the public in the first place. In a similar way, the first outlet to report on Tice was the Washington Times, then ABC News picked the story up.)

Notice this bit, by the way, yet another pre-9/11 planes as weapons warning:

J told Cybercast News Service that he was again summoned to undergo psychiatric evaluation after warning NSA that security measures should be taken to protect against the possibility that terrorists might try to fly airplanes into buildings. As an example of what might happen, J said terrorists might try to fly a plane from the nearby Tipton air field in Ft. Meade, Md., into an NSA high-rise building. J said NSA officials described him as "obsessed" with the idea of a "kamikaze" threat due to the time he had spent in Japan. The month was May 2001, four months before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

EDIT: I don't understand why DU's forum breaks the link into two. Just remove the space between the first part of the link and the second, and you'll go to the page. Or, simply go here and it's the big headline story:

http://www.cnsnews.com/

[Karenina]

1. Anatole had many stories to tell

about having been confined for 2 years in a psychiatric ward for the "crime" of playing jazz in the former Soviet Union. I heard him play before I had any idea of what he'd been through. And ya know what? The dude plays his fucking ass off!!! When will we ever learn?

[f-bush]

2. Welcome to the Fourth Reich!

[DeepModem Mom]

3. The word "Soviet" came to mind before I read it in the text.

Is this our future? The Russia of the Soviets?

[libodem]

4. Similar to Sybil Edmond's problems with the FBI

whistle blowers do face harsh treatment esp. the threat of loosing a good job. Most of us, paycheck to paycheck, folks would go down the tubes in less than three months if something happened to our jobs. And I was raised on the stories of Communists of putting people in mental hospitals for being dissidents. We are becoming what we hate and fear, most.

[Demeter]

5. They Aren't Doing Anything for The Rest of Us, Either

The whole country is off the rails, either on their own little red asses, or because of the little red asses.

[sarcasmo]

6. Kick and Nom for all to pay attention to these NAZI'S

[stevedeshazer]

7. Definitely a story to watch

It won't appear anywhere in the U.S. press, however.

Thanks, Paul, for the heads up.

[Demit]

8. Just fyi, CNS is the "news service" that tried to swiftboat John Murtha

a couple of weeks ago. Remember the article that questioned Murtha's purple hearts? That was CNS.

It's a subsidiary of the Media Research Center. It was started by Brent Bozell in 1998 as the Conservative News Service, and the name changed to Cybercast in 2000.

You can read some about them at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/14/1727/78865

CNS is definitely a "news service" with an agenda. I don't know how this article fits in with that, but I would keep that in mind.

[paulthompson]

10. It's weird

Sometimes news sources like that, like the Washington Times, put out the occasional good piece. I think it has to do with reporters. Like Shaun Waterman at UPI/Washington Times is a very good reporter, even if his paper sucks.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

15. I've got an idea.

I can see it now - Bush blames NSA for spying program, claims he had no idea what NSA was doing. It's patent nonsense, of course, but that's never stopped them before.

[lovuian]

9. These people are true Americans!!!

What was it they put Sakarhov in a psyche ward to shut him up...

[Supersedeas]

18. The imbeciles have no shame.

[sattahipdeep]

11. Good Night, and Good Luck.

Bush Says Photos With Disgraced Lobbyist Are 'Not Relevant'

Fitzgerald knows about it....Who does Fitzgerald report to?

[colonel odis]

12. if they're so crazy, how'd they get hired in the first place? n/t

[paulthompson]

13. Part 2 of this story is now posted - don't miss it!

NSA Whistleblowers Were Allegedly Isolated, Intimidated

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200601\SPE20060126a.html

[paulthompson]

14. People are missing it. :(

[Supersedeas]

16. Soviet era tactics - Dr. Condi can appreciate that.

[phoebe]

17. NSA Director Hayden lied about intercepting Atta calls prior to 9/11

despite evidence to the contrary. No wonder he wants to shut down the whistleblowers..

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/item.jsp?item=a101702nsadenial.

NSA Director Michael Hayden testifies before a Congressional inquiry that the “NSA had no that al-Qaeda was specifically targeting New York and Washington ... or even that it was planning an attack on US soil.” Before 9/11, the “NSA had no knowledge ... that any of the attackers were in the United States.” Supposedly, a post-9/11 NSA review found no intercepts of calls involving any of the 19 hijackers. <9/11 Congressional Inquiry, 10/17/02; USA Today, 10/18/02; Reuters, 10/17/02> However, such hijacker calls were intercepted by the NSA (for instance, (see Spring-Summer 2000)).

People and organizations involved: National Security Agency, al-Qaeda, Michael Hayden


October 17, 2002: NSA Denies Having Indications of 9/11 Planning


NSA Director Michael Hayden testifies before the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry that the “NSA had no that al-Qaeda was specifically targeting New York and Washington ... or even that it was planning an attack on US soil.” Before 9/11, the “NSA had no knowledge ... that any of the attackers were in the United States.” Supposedly, a post-9/11 NSA review found no intercepts of calls involving any of the 19 hijackers. Yet, in the summer of 2001 (see Summer 2001), the NSA intercepted communications between Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and hijacker Mohamed Atta, when he was in charge of operations in the US. What was said between the two has not been revealed. The NSA also intercepted multiple phone calls from Abu Zubaida, bin Laden's chief of operations, to the US in the days before 9/11 (see Early September 2001). But who was called or what was said has not been revealed.

People and organizations involved: al-Qaeda, 9/11 Congressional Inquiry, Michael Hayden, National Security Agency