Bush + Italian helicopter deal (Berlusconi) for fake yellowcake story

[phoebe]

Looks like a lot more embarrassing information is about to come out on the yellowcake story.

snip

Was Presidential Helicopter Deal a Pay Off for Italy's Pre-War Yellow-Cake Intel Role?
Submitted by davidswanson on Sun, 2006-05-14 01:39. Evidence
New America Media, Special Investigative Report, Jeffrey Klein and Paolo Pontoniere,
http://news.ncmonline.com

SAN FRANCISCO-Italian journalists and parliamentary investigators are hot on the trail of how pre-Iraq War Italian forged documents were delivered to the White House alleging that Saddam Hussein had obtained yellowcake uranium ore from Niger.

New links implicating Italian companies and individuals with then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi now raise the question of whether Berlusconi received a payback as part of the deal -- namely, a Pentagon contract to build the U.S. president's special fleet of helicopters.

The yellowcake story in the United States has long been linked to the ongoing investigation into the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Plame's diplomat husband Joe Wilson had probed the Niger connection and concluded that the Bush administration was twisting intelligence reports to fit its case for war.

Two people -- Carlo Rossella and Giovanni Castellaneta -- are at the center of Italian inquiries into the transfer of the yellowcake dossier from the SISMI, the Italian intelligence agency, to the White House.


Guess who else is up to their eyeballs in this one? Rick Santorum and Curt Weldon..

http://www.verticalmag.com/control/news/templates/?a=345&z=5
AgustaWestland Breaks Ground on New Production Facility in Philadelphia

snip

The groundbreaking was commemorated by a ceremony at the site of the new facility with a number of distinguished guests and elected officials, including Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA.), Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA.), and Italian Ambassador to the United States Giovanni Castellaneta. The new facility will be constructed beginning early next year and completed by the end of 2006.

"Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland are an integral part of the US industrial base and strong contributors to the American economy," said Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, president and chief executive officer of Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland's parent company. "We are committed to investing in this country. Our goal is to continue growing, bringing new technology and creating more American jobs in the years to come."

snip

"AgustaWestland's expansion project provides a direct and sustained stimulus to the regional economy byway of increased investment and job creation," said Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. "It is further evidence of AgustaWestland honoring its commitment to the region and demonstrating a high level of corporate citizenship in the community."

"AgustaWestland's decision to assemble this helicopter in Philadelphia reinforces the fact that this region is an ideal location for global business," said Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA.). "I am also optimistic about future contributions by AgustaWestland towards creating a stronger economy and I salute the company for its long-term commitment to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States of America."

Wonder if this is where they got some of their "spending" money?? Remember Santorum was able to afford an expensive house and Weldon was spreading money about too..

[phoebe]

1. The British MP's husband - David Mills(?) who was a lawyer

for Berlusconi and admitted to getting Berlusconi out of a lot of "jams" is somehow involved in this - the Blair, Bush, Berlusconi triumvirate once again..

snip

Berlusconi hits out at Tessa Jowell's husband

· Italian prime minister denies providing 'gift'
· I'm innocent, says lawyer facing corruption inquiry

John Hooper in Rome
Monday February 20, 2006
The Guardian

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,1713489,00.html
snip


David Mills, the husband of the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, came under attack at the weekend from the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, over an alleged "hush money" scandal in which both men risk being tried for corruption.
Mr Mills said the affair, which is threatening to dominate the Italian elections, had become "hideously embarrassing". But he insisted "I know I am innocent of these charges".

In the first sign of a rift between the two co-accused, Mr Berlusconi told a rally in Verona: "Someone has taken advantage of my name." He did not name anyone, but his remarks clearly referred to the publication on Saturday of a letter written by Mr Mills in which he said court testimony he gave in Italy had "kept Mr B out of a great deal of trouble".

[babylonsister]

2. Rick Santorum and Curt Weldon? Curiouser and curiouser!

Those two just couldn't be involved in anything nefarious! (Please make it so!)

[IndianaGreen]

6. This entire affair stinks to high heaven!

Now that Berlusconi is out of power, he won't be able to avoid prosecution.

[babylonsister]

7. Another instance of an affair that is bound to bite them in their

ass! Can we stand more scandal? As dimson would say, "Bring it on!"

[cliss]

12. Aha! Now we know why

Berluscolini was hanging on by his fingernails to the door moulding, as they were pulling him out.

He's got some secrets in those filing cabinets!

[democrank]

3. Geez, phoebe.....

As if my head wasn`t hurting enough. The good part is that every day brings a new Bush horror story, which helps prepare me for whatever is coming the following day.

[phoebe]

4. Curt Weldon will find it difficult to explain this one..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgustaWestland

snip

AgustaWestland is a helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom. It was formed in July 2000 when Finmeccanica S.p.A. and GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries (Agusta and GKN-Westland Helicopters) to form AgustaWestland. Finmeccanica and GKN each held a 50% share in AgustaWestland.

On May 26, 2004 GKN confirmed that it would sell its share to its partner for £1.06Bn. AgustaWestland is now a fully owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica of Italy.

AgustaWestland opened offices in Philadelphia in 2005, and won a contract to build the new presidential helicopter Marine One and possible future Army contracts with congressman Curt Weldon's support, over the U.S. manufacter Sikorsky Helicopter.

Weldon's daughter Kim works for the AgustaWestland, handling public relations. She is prohibited from lobbying congress or contacting her father or his office on the company's behalf.

[IndianaGreen]

10. I wondered why Sikorsky didn't get the contract (Blair & Berlusconi)

Now we know!

Posted 1/28/2005 5:29 PM

Lockheed Martin wins presidential helicopter contract

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lockheed Martin will build the new presidential helicopter fleet, the Navy announced Friday, putting an end to a fierce competition that had both political and international overtones.

The White House had pushed for a new Marine One fleet. The president "needs a more survivable helicopter while the nation engages in the global war on terrorism," said John Young, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, in making the announcement.

The $6.1 billion contract to buy 23 high-tech, high-security aircraft, is relatively small in the military budget. But it is emblematic of two important issues: the outsourcing of American jobs and the question of how open the U.S. military market is to foreign contractors.

Maryland-based Lockheed and its European partners had waged a major public relations campaign, with the help of political leaders from England and Italy.

http://yahoo.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-28-presidential-helicopter_x.htm?csp=1

[phoebe]

11. you may also recall that the "Ethics Committee" was strangely silent

at this time

http://releases.usnewswire.com/Getrelease.asp?id=53667

snip

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The House Ethics Committee has made history this year -- the wrong kind of history.

"We are now two-hundred and sixty days into the current session of this Congress and, incredibly, the House Ethics Committee is still not operational," according to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer.

"This is an unprecedented and disgraceful performance that has seriously undermined the integrity and credibility of the House," Wertheimer said.

snip

"The FBI criminal complaint serves to remind us that the nonfunctioning House Ethics Committee has done absolutely nothing this year to investigate the serious, multiple ethics questions that have been raised regarding the relationships of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Representative Bob Ney (R-Ohio) with lobbyist Abramoff," Wertheimer stated.

snip
The matters from either last Congress or this Congress that require an Ethics Committee investigation include:

-- An inquiry into whether Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) improperly used his office to aid his daughter's public relations firm;

[phoebe]

14. exactly - here's a refresher on that..

http://www.patriotdaily.com/bm/terror/homeland/uae-type-deal-not-ok-for-.shtml
snip


The Marine One contract for Bush’s helicopters was subject to a “buy America” clause in the Pentagon’s bidding requirements. Briefly, the Buy American Act (BAA) was passed by Congress in 1933 during the economic depression to stimulate the economy. This law requires that all goods purchased with public money be a “domestic end product” of the US, including at least 50% US content. The BAA is generally required in military or intelligence contracts of noncommercial items.

In the case of Marine One, there were 2 primary bidders: Sikorsky, an American company who had been building these helicopters for 50 years, and AgustaWestland, a British-Italian joint venture. To meet the “buy America” requirements, the British/Italian company partnered with Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter. Many believed that the Pentagon chose the British/Italian venture to reward 2 of Bush’s biggest Iraq war allies.

The fact that a “buy America” clause is generally required in military or intelligence contracts of noncommercial items indicates a per se rule that simply excludes wholly owned foreign companies from such contracts. It does not matter which country is involved in the transaction. No question of whether the country is friend or foe is addressed. The presumption is that the nature of certain military and intelligence assets are of such vital national security interests that there is no need to investigate or review the question of national security. There is just this inherent risk associated with awarding the contract to wholly owned foreign companies.

For this reason, some members of Congress have argued since the Dept. of Homeland Security was created that its procurements and critical infrastructure, such as ports, should similarly be subject to “Buy America” requirements. This approach would be consistent with the position of the Bush administration that the entire US is a “battlefield” in the “war on terror.“ And, it would be consistent with Bush’s statements that more civilian Americans are likely to be killed in this “war on terror” than American troops.

[phoebe]

5. a little more on the story..

http://www.northeasttimes.com/2004/0805/santorum.html

Santorum Chats Issues
By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

snip

The senator, elected in 1994, was joined by state Rep. Dennis O’Brien (R-169th dist.) and City Councilman Jack Kelly (R-at large). They met with Agusta president and CEO Robert Budica and executive vice presidents Vincent Genovese and Massimo Pugnali.


snip

Among the agencies that have purchased the choppers are the New York and Phoenix police departments and the Pennsylvania and New Mexico state police. In addition, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has bought one for his personal use.


snip

Kelly pointed out that Agusta, which is located on land owned by the city aviation division, has enough land to expand. He’d like to work with Santorum, Sen. Arlen Specter and U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon — a Delaware County congressman and powerful member of the House Armed Services Committee — to bring business to the company.
O’Brien plans to mobilize the local congressional delegation to help Agusta expand, particularly in the field of homeland security.

Curiouser and curiouser..

[phoebe]

8. more here on AgustaWestland here

http://www.ofii.org/newsroom/news/040617l56.cfm

snip

It's uncertain whether McGeehan was even aware of foreign-based job creation in his home district An aide to McGeehan confirmed that the governor had instructed state legislators to use a "carrot rather than a stick" to apply brakes to the proposals. Rendell's office asked McGeehan to work with Pennsylvania's Department of General Services to find a compromise, resulting in the new bill, HB2639. This was immediately referred for action to Pennsylvania's Commerce Commission for approval, which is expected. The original proposals were sent out of committee, where they are likely to languish for months or years.

There is nothing to link the investments of AgustaWestland, or other large foreign-based subsidiaries in Pennslyvania, such as SAP, BASF, Nestle, Braun and GlaxoSmithKline and the legislative compromise. Inquiries to the governor's press secretary were not directly returned. A Pennsylvania Department of General Services official who was in the middle of the negotiations confirmed that the official position came from work with the state Policy Office on Jobs Legislation to establish "a preference for companies that choose to certify," but little more.

[phoebe]

13. Dennis O'Brien is Chairman of the House Judiciary

and, just in case we forget, Arlen Specter is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee..

[phoebe]

15. Giovanni Castellaneta has been around, including as Italian

ambassador to Australia when the delightful John Howard was re-elected. Oh yeah, and he was ambassador to Iran...

BTW - before Bush starts denying he knew Castellaneta -

http://www.usitalia.info/archivio/dettaglio.asp?Art_Id=1020&data=6/27/2004

snip

Our relations have never been better. I arrived in Washington on Saturday afternoon. At 9:30 on Monday morning I saw Undersecretary of State Nick Burns, presented him with my letter of credentials, and at noon President Bush received me for the official delivery of credentials. He didn’t make me wait a single day. An exceptional courtesy."

snip

Some observers consider the current Berlusconi government, "the most pro-American" in Italian history. Do you share this analysis?


"The most pro-American in the sense that there has been a great sharing of ideals and of the actions to defend these ideals that we are carrying out. There was a virtuous intersection of circumstances, in a historical era that has led us to be closer to the United States in order to combat terrorism and global threats. September 11 took place during the Berlusconi government, and it was something of a turning point for all international relations."


As the diplomatic advisor to the head of government, you were to Berlusconi what Condoleezza Rice was to Bush when she was national security advisor. Do you agree?


"Italy does not have an institutional figure of this type, but we could say that the obvious counterpart at Palazzo Chigi to the national security advisor was me . . . I knew first Condy Rice and now Steven Hadley quite well . . . We did many things together, taking part in the various meetings with President Bush."

[annabanana]

9. We knew this was going to start unravelling as soon as

Berlusconi got kicked out.

[phoebe]

16. just found this..sickening..

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060320/nym149.html?.v=40

snip

Finmeccanica Contributes $75,000 to Soldiers Rehabilitation Project in Pentagon Ceremony
Monday March 20, 9:03 am ET

WASHINGTON, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- At a ceremony hosted by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Finmeccanica SpA, presented a check for $75,000 to the Fran O'Brien's (relative of House member O'Brien???) Stadium Steakhouse in support of a program for wounded American soldiers. The Friday "steak night" has become a valued part of the soldiers' recovery from injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Recovering soldiers, their families, and their caregivers are hosted each Friday evening at the Fran O'Brien's Steakhouse, one of the top spots in Washington DC for a good steak. The steakhouse event gives the soldiers a chance to join with colleagues and friends for an enjoyable evening away from the hospital during a recovery process that can often take months or years to complete. The steakhouse dinners provide an ideal environment for government and military leaders to visit privately with the soldiers and their families. Many problems that otherwise seem to be hard to fix, can be solved quickly when government and military leaders meet face to face at Fran O'Brien's.


snip

Participating in the check presentation were the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Ed Giambastiani, Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Italy's ambassador to the United States, Mr. Tom Neumann, Executive Director and Mrs. Shoshana Bryen, Special Projects Director of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, Mr. Martin O'Brien and Mr. Hal Koster, owners of the Fran O'Brien's steakhouse. Joining the event were a number of recovering men and women from the Armed Forces, currently assigned to the Pentagon.

The Finmeccanica contribution to the program is part of a two year long effort by Finmeccanica in support of the Fran O'Brien's rehabilitation project. Finmeccanica companies including AgustaWestland, Selex Systems Integration, Selex Communications, Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems, Oto Melara Inc., Alenia Aeronautica North America Inc., Ansaldo Breda North America, and Union Switch and Signal are contributors to the program and attended the Pentagon ceremony.

There is a full list of participants at the bottom of the article..but they include
snip


Representing DOD:
The Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Gordon England
Admiral Ed Giambastiani, Vice-Chairman, The Joint Chiefs of Staff
Lt Gen Bradley, Chief, AFRC
Lt Gen Daniel James III, Vice Chief, National Guard Bureau/Director, Air
National Guard
LTG James Campbell, Director Army Staff
RADM Dirk Debbink, Acting Chief, Navy Reserve

and of course, Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta...

[babylonsister]

17. Recommend and kick! Another big scandal here! nt

[phoebe]

18. Is it just me - don't u think the list of high level personnel showing up

at a steakhouse in Chicago for, what turned out to be 5 injured soldiers and their medical teams, seems just a little over the top? The top players of DOD/JINSA and Paul Wolfowitz??Something's a little "off" here...

Here's the full list of attendees plus injured -

Full List of Participants
Representing DOD:
The Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Gordon England
Admiral Ed Giambastiani, Vice-Chairman, The Joint Chiefs of Staff
Lt Gen Bradley, Chief, AFRC
Lt Gen Daniel James III, Vice Chief, National Guard Bureau/Director, Air
National Guard
LTG James Campbell, Director Army Staff
RADM Dirk Debbink, Acting Chief, Navy Reserve

8 WRAMC and 8 NNMC medical personnel who have provided health care to the
War Wounded

Representing Walter Reed
CPT Brain Belnap, Physician, Chief of Inpatient Services, Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation
Ms. Amanda Magee, Physician Assistant, PM&R
CPT Eric Aguila, Resident, PMR
Mr. Bart Vitelli, Rehabilitation Nurse Specialist, PMR
CPT Erique Smith-Forbes, Occupational Therapist
Ms. Nancy Bernier, Occupational Therapy Technician
CPT Yadira Del Toro, Physical Therapist
Mr. Solomon Montgomery, Physical Therapy Technician

Bethesda's National Naval Medical Center
HM2 Tracey Lewis
CPL Anthony Lazzaro
HM3 Argenis Mendoza
HM3 Osvaldo Burgos-Itorrino
HM3 Amy Eisenhower
HR Darrell Turner
HM2 Jon Voight Asuero
HM2 Nezer Belen
HM3 Graeme Bannerman

Operation Warfighter Program (Wounded Soldiers)
SSG Stephen Daume (USA)
SSG Renee Mosley (USA)
Lt Dennis Skelton (USA)
Sgt Frank Delgato (USMC)
SPC Kashnow, Joseph (USA)

OTHER:
Paul Wolfowitz- President, World Bank
Bob Daniels- Union League

Representing Finmeccanica:
AMB Giovanni Castellaneta, Italian ambassador to the United States
Ing. Pier Francesco Guarguaglini - Chairman & CEO of Finmeccanica SpA
(Rome, Italy)
Dtt.. Fabio Dani - CEO of Finmeccanica Inc, Washington D.C.
Dr. Stephen Bryen - President, Finmeccanica Inc.
Ing. Marina Grossi - CEO, Selex Sistemi Integrati, a Finmeccanica company
(Rome, Italy)
Mr. Simone Bemporad- Sr. VP. Media Relations, Finmeccanica SpA
Mr. Howard Goldberg - CEO, Oto Melara Inc., a Finmeccanica Company,
Bethesda, Maryland
Mr. Stephen Moss - CEO, AgustaWestland North America, a Finmeccanica
Company (Reston Virginia)
Mr. Vincenzo Caiazzo - CCO, Alenia Aeronautics North America, a
Finmeccanica company (Washington D.C.).
Mr. Scott Rettig - CEO, Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems Inc, a
Finmeccanica company (Arlington, Virginia)
Ms. Clio Timmerman - EA Programs & Special Projects, Finmeccanica Inc.

Representing Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs (JINSA):
Mr. Tom Neumann - Executive Director JINSA
Mrs. Shoshana Bryen - Director Special Projects JINSA
Ms. Yola Habif - Director Partnership Network JINSA

Representing Fran O'Brien's:
Martin O'Brien - Co - Owner - Fran O'Brien's
Hal Koster - Co-Owner - Fran O'Brien's
Gail Koster - USN reserve
Mr. Jim Mayer - WRAMC Volunteer and Dept of Veterans Affairs employee
Karen Ott, CAPT (Ret.) USN


BTW - Dr. Stephen Bryen, President of Finmeccanica serves on the Advisory Board of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. And Mrs. Shoshana Bryen just happens to be the Director of Special Projects JINSA

http://www.jinsa.org/about/adboard/adboard.html?documentid=710

snip

Dr. Stephen D. Bryen pioneered the field of technology security as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense from 1981-1988. Responsible for technology security policy and high-tech trade matters affecting national defense, he worked to formulate national policies to protect U.S. military and commercial products, know-how, intellectual property, goods and services. Dr. Bryen founded the Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA) and served as its first Director.

Dr. Bryen is the President of Finmeccanica, Inc., the U.S. offices of Finmeccanica, S.r.A. Finmeccanica is a global aerospace and defense company, based in Rome, Italy. Finmeccanica companies include AgustaWestland, Alenia Aeronautica, Aermacchi, Elsag, Alenia Spazio, Galileo Avionica, Selenia Communications and Oto Melara. Dr. Bryen also serves on a number of Finmeccanica company Boards.

Dr. Bryen also serves as a Commissioner on the U.S.-China Security Review Commission. He was appointed to the position by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Dr. Bryen is also a Fellow at the Taiwan Institute for Political, Economic and Strategic Studies. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.


Edited for spelling

[phoebe]

19. Blair pushed for the helicopter deal to go through according to this

article
http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/010206p1.xml

snip

Like his counterparts at the helm of other non-U.S. defense companies, Guarguaglini focused his energies on cultivating markets abroad. But he has had quick success, where for others it has been a trying undertaking. BAE Systems may still outshine Finmeccanica in terms of overall U.S. presence, but its Hawk and Harrier sales are now a distant memory, and most of its business is at the subsystem level. By contrast, the Italians, by virtue of their product portfolio, have come onto the U.S. scene at the platform level, where the political barriers to entry are much higher, but potential returns far greater.

The most visible achievement in this quest was last year's victory over Sikorsky and the S-92 in the VXX U.S. presidential helicopter competition. Lockheed Martin, which led the winning team, structured its bid around the US101--now designated the VH-71--manufactured by Finmeccanica's helicopter unit, AgustaWestland. The team faced huge hurdles, given an expectation the White House would never allow a foreign-designed helicopter to serve as Marine Corps One.

Just how political did things become? The US101 team "exploited loopholes in the law to win the Marine One contract, despite having substantial foreign content that violates the spirit of Buy America laws," charged influential Senate Armed Services Committee member Joe Lieberman (D), who represents Connecticut, where Sikorsky is based. Lieberman tried and failed to get the contract annulled.

But Guarguaglini marshaled his own political forces, with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and British Prime Minister Tony Blair urging the White House to consider that, as ardent supporters of the U.S. war in Iraq, both of their countries' industrial offering deserved a fair hearing./b] Guarguaglini also has his U.S. allies. With his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a helicopter production facility near Philadelphia, he has made a friend of influential House Armed Services Committee member Curt Weldon (R-Pa.). Despite all that, it was a nail-biting session in Rome and Jan. 28 was one very long day as the executives waited for word from Washington regarding the Pentagon's decision


Emphasis mine..

[phoebe]

21. Ms. Timmerman appears to be related to Kenneth R. Timmerman

who, with all due respect, is firmly entrenched in the neo-con/Israel propaganda market..

Links to some of his work..

www.pmwatch.org/pmw/manager/columns/display_message.asp?mid=263

Preachers of Hate: Islam and the War on America by Kenneth R. Timmerman

Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson by Kenneth R. Timmerman

Selling out America by KRT
The French Betrayal of America by KRT

By the way, he's been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize along with John Bolton. (say what??)
and he heads up The Foundation for Democracy in Iran

He appears to be firm friends with the likes of David Horowitz, Rumsfeld et al..

So how did Ms. Timmerman end up with a job at this particular Italian company? Enquiring minds...

[formercia]

22. :)

:evilgrin:

Poor Joe, sells his soul and they screw his constituents.

[formercia]

20. Knights of Malta.. n/t

[phoebe]

23. This story really STINKS - Stephen Bryen, President of FinMeccanica

looks to be such a great guy..but according to this article he was spying for Israel.

http://www.counterpunch.org/green09032004.html

Dr. Stephen Bryen and Colleagues

In April of 1979, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert Keuch recommended in writing that Bryen, then a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, undergo a grand jury hearing to establish the basis for a prosecution for espionage. John Davitt, then Chief of the Justice Department's Internal Security Division, concurred.

The evidence was strong. Bryen had been overheard in the Madison Hotel Coffee Shop, offering classified documents to an official of the Israeli Embassy in the presence of the director of AIPAC, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. It was later determined that the Embassy official was Zvi Rafiah, the Mossad station chief in Washington. Bryen refused to be poly-graphed by the FBI on the purpose and details of the meeting; whereas the person who'd witnessed it agreed to be poly-graphed and passed the test.

The Bureau also had testimony from a second person, a staff member of the Foreign Relations Committee, that she had witnessed Bryen in his Senate office with Rafiah, discussing classified documents that were spread out on a table in front of an open safe in which the documents were supposed to be secured. Not long after this second witness came forward, Bryen's fingerprints were found on classified documents he'd stated in writing to the FBI he'd never had in his possession....the ones he'd allegedly offered to Rafiah.

and here's the clincher..

snip

In April, 1981, the FBI received an application by the Defense Department for a Top Secret security clearance for Dr. Bryen . Richard Perle, who had just been nominated as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, was proposing Bryen as his Deputy Assistant Secretary! Within six months, with Perle pushing hard, Bryen received both Top Secret-SCI (sensitive compartmented information) and Top Secret-"NATO/COSMIC" clearances.


Read the ENTIRE article - it's a mind blower..

Here's another link to similar information

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/entity.jsp?id=1521846767-3720

snip

March 1978: Congressional Staffer Offers Israeli Classified Material

During breakfast at Washington’s Madison Hotel, Stephen Bryen, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer and a close associate of Richard Perle, is overheard offering to pass classified material to Zvi Rafiah, the congressional liaison officer for the Israeli embassy and a suspected senior Mossad officer (see October 1973). “I have the Pentagon document on the bases, which you are welcome to see,” he reportedly says. The eavesdropper is Michael Saba, a businessman and former executive director of the National Association of Arab Americans. Saba, who recognizes Bryen as a staff member of the Senate Committee, promptly reports the incident to the Justice Department, which quickly launches an FBI investigation. The investigation will find that Bryen has illegally obtained classified documents of military and scientific importance and that he has been seeking material that “could prove to be a major embarrassment to the US government.” The investigation also learns that he has been meeting with Zvi Rafiah “two or three times a week.” The FBI ultimately assembles “a good circumstantial case” that Rafiah “routinely issued orders to Bryen” and will recommend that the case be brought before an investigative grand jury for espionage. But the case is quietly closed after Bryen resigns at the insistence of Philip Heymann, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and under strong pressure from senators Clifford Case (Bryen’s boss) and Henry Jackson (Richard Perle’s). Heymann happens to be a close personal friend and associate of Dr. Bryen’s attorney.

People and organizations involved: Richard Perle, Stephen Bryen, Michael Saba, Henry Jackson, Philip Heymann, Zvi Rafiah, Clifford Case

April 1981: Richard Perle Wants Stephen Bryen to be his Assistant Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle indicates that he would like Stephen Bryen to be the deputy assistant. This becomes an issue during Perle’s confirmation hearings because Bryen was previously investigated by the FBI for passing classified documents to Zvi Rafiah, an Israeli embassy official in 1978 (see March 1978). Perle and Bryen are described in 1985 as “perhaps the most effective proponents of neoconservative positions on such matters as arms control, technology transfer, and the Middle East.”


and then there's this..

Dr. Bryen gets to write a story for the National Review praising Colin Powell's "compelling" speech re: Saddam having weapons of mass destruction

February 5, 2003, 12:55 p.m.
The Detailed Threat
U.S. takes a chance.

By Stephen Bryen

snip

he long-awaited United Nations Security Council speech was delivered today by General Colin Powell. He spelled out in considerable detail a compelling case about Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction programs, their delivery systems, and the links between Saddam's regime and terrorism, particularly al Qaeda. He provided extensive evidence on how Saddam has been deceiving the U.N.'s inspectors and the world community. The use of communications intercepts, photo intelligence, and human sources provided compelling proof to the world community. Most dramatically, Powell was able to illustrate that the U.N. inspectors themselves had been penetrated by Iraqi intelligence agents and that Iraqi scientists and their families had been systematically threatened and forced to sign their own death warrants ("agreeing" that if they talk, they die).


Some dramatic new details about Iraq's mobile germ-warfare laboratories were provided to the world, both revealing how they are internally configured (based on defector reports) and how they can produce biological agents in "dusty" form. A "dusty" agent (Powell referred to the agents as in a "dry" form) is much more dangerous than a liquid agent, as we discovered here in the U.S. with the anthrax attacks. The technology for decontaminating dusty agents is still quite primitive. Gas masks and protective coverings do not work very well against dusty agents because the finely milled toxic materials can penetrate fabrics and get past seals. General Powell correctly talked about the extreme difficulty tracking a dozen or so mobile labs down, since some of them are on truck beds and others on rail cars.

General Powell challenged the U.N. Security Council, pointing out that if the Council did not act it was in "danger or irrelevance." There is no doubt the U.S. took a considerable risk in revealing much sensitive intelligence, and making it easier for Saddam to better hide his communications and the "profiles" of his WMD weapons sites in the future. For this reason alone it is urgent to make sure that he is not given any time to do so. The time to act and smash Saddam is now.


He describes himself as..

— Stephen Bryen served as a deputy undersecretary of defense in the Reagan administration and as a staff director of Near East Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is currently a managing director at Aurora Defense.

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24. Stephen Bryen is apparently just the man to award Joint Chiefs

Chairman Peter Pace with a prestigious award in 2005

http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/1366/documentid/3340/history/3,2359,2166,1366,3340

snip

JINSA’s 23rd annual Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson Distinguished Service Award was conferred upon General Peter Pace, USMC, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on December 12, 2005. Dr. Stephen Bryen, President of Finmeccanica Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based aerospace firm and the evening’s major corporate sponsor, presented the award.


Dr. Stephen Bryen, President of Finmeccanica, Inc., the evening’s Major Corporate Sponsor, with JINSA Chairman Mark Broxmeyer (center) and Gen. Pace.Through the Jackson Award, JINSA recognizes and thanks those leaders whose careers have been distinguished by the principle that is the foundation of JINSA’s work; the belief that the United States requires a strong military capability for both its own security and for that of trustworthy friends and allies.

Gen. Pace, the sixteenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the senior ranking member of the Armed Forces and serves as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council.

things that make you go hmmm..

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25. Here's another article penned by Dr. Bryen

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-bryen041103.asp

snip

April 11, 2003, 9:00 a.m.
Outside Criminals
Facing consequences.

By Stephen Bryen

As the inevitable process of Iraqi liberation unfolds, we are slowing beginning to open up and examine Saddam's arsenals, military factories, storage sites, and WMD assets. In some of these we will find equipment and technology, and collateral evidence that will show how outside countries helped Saddam. It is very important that the United States go after the "outside criminals" responsible for supplying Saddam, just as we will go after the henchmen of Saddam's regime — the "inside criminals."


After the Gulf War, the U.N. buried the evidence of foreign companies and foreign governments providing WMD help to the Iraqi regime. As a result, the companies involved in these transactions were, for the most part, not prosecuted. For example, hundreds of German companies got away with major crimes and were able to continue their unblemished record of supplying WMD technology and WMD delivery systems to foreign customers. Starting in the 1960s, when the Germans supplied Libya with WMD technology, through the '70s and '80s — when they gave Pakistan the technology for nuclear weapons, as well as Iraq and North Korea — and into the present, Germany has made an industrial enterprise of creating misery for the world. In fact, the Germans have been so successful that Russia, China, Ukraine, and the former Yugoslavia rushed into the same business, with considerable success, even helping the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Just for educational purposes that second paragraph is pretty much lifted from an article written by Kenneth R. Timmerman.

What a small world..

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26. Mrs. Shoshana Bryen is busy getting her point of view across

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0510-04.htm
May 10, 2006

Added to this is the pending prosecution of two senior AIPAC officials accused of transmitting classified information about Iran obtained from a Pentagon intelligence analyst with neo-conservative sympathies to the Israeli embassy.

The fact that many of the same neo-conservatives who pounded the war drums against Iraq are now playing a similar role -- along with AIPAC and top Israeli officials -- with respect to Iran is adding to the community's concerns.

In this context, Bush's own increasingly frequent statements linking possible U.S. actions against Iran with Israel's security is compounding the discomfort.

snip

The 'Week' also quoted Shoshana Bryen, projects director of the hard-line neo-conservative Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), as complaining that Bush's focus on Israel would undermine its efforts to forge a broad international coalition to pressure, or even take military action, against Iran.

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27. and if you need a refresher course on who's who in neo-con circles

and how they got be in the positions they are in..

ENTIRE ARTICLE is very enlightening..

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=94370

1970 - An FBI wiretap authorized for the Israeli Embassy picked up Richard Perle, then a Senator's staffer and working on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, discussing with an Embassy official classified information which he said had been supplied to him by a staff member on the National Security Council. An NSC/FBI investigation found the staff member, Helmut Sonnenfeldt, who had been previously investigated in 1967 while a staff member of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, for suspected unauthorized transmission to an Israeli Government official of a classified document concerning the commencement of the 1967 war in the Middle East. (http://www.counterpunch.org/green02282004.html)

1978 - While working for the Arms Control and Disarmament agency in 1978, Paul Wolfowitz was the subject of an investigation that alleged he had provided a classified document on the proposed sale of U.S. weapons to an Arab government to an Israeli government official via an AIPAC intermediary. However, the probe was eventually dropped. (http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040824-102938-1916r.htm)

April 1979 - The Attorney General's office recommends that Dr. Stephen Bryen, then a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, be investigated by a grand jury because he had been overheard in the Madison Hotel Coffee Shop offering classified documents to Israeli Embassy official Zvi Rafiah, the Mossad station chief in Washington, in the presence of the director of AIPAC. The investigation was eventually shut down and Bryen resigned. He then served as Executive Director of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), and provided consulting services to AIPAC. (http://www.counterpunch.org/green02282004.html)

1981 - Shortly before being appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy (ISP), Perle was paid a consulting fee by an Israeli arms manufacturer, Soltam. Shortly after assuming his post, Perle wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Army urging evaluation and purchase of 155 mm. shells manufactured by Soltam. Bryen becomes Deputy to Perle and receives top secret clearances. Wolfowitz, as head of the State Department Policy Planning Staff, hires Michael Ledeen as a Special Advisor. (http://www.counterpunch.org/green02282004.html)

1982 - Perle hires Douglas Feith to be his Special Counsel (he later becomes Deputy Assistant Secretary for Negotiations Policy). (http://www.counterpunch.org/green02282004.html) F. Michael Maloof also becomes an aide to Perle as Foreign Affairs Specialist. (http://www.findaresume.com/1985.html)

1983 - Feith is fired because he had been the object of an inquiry into whether he had provided classified material to an official of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. FBI had opened an inquiry into this allegation. (http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040824-102938-1916r.htm) Also, on the recommendation of Perle, Ledeen was hired at the Department of Defense as a consultant on terrorism, where his superior first became concerned that he was viewing classified material that he was not cleared to see. (http://www.counterpunch.org/green02282004.html)

1984 - Ledeen leaves his position in DoD and joins the National Security Council (NSC) as a consultant. He suggests to Oliver North, his new boss at NSC "that Israeli contacts might be useful in obtaining release of the U.S. hostages in Lebanon." (http://www.counterpunch.org/green02282004.html)

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28. guess this needs a kick -

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29. kicking again - where is everyone??

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