Terry Gross to interview James Risen on NPR today

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on "Fresh Air"

(details should be posted at noon)
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Risen

James Risen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

James Risen is a reporter for the New York Times and previously the Los Angeles Times, and author/co-author of two books about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was one of two reporters who exposed the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance of some international communications originating or terminating in the United States.

Mr. Risen is the author of the book State of War (January 2006) that claims among other things that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ignored intelligence reports that Iraq had abandoned its nuclear arsenal plans 10 years ago. It also alleges that the CIA carried out a Clinton approved operation in 2000 (Operation Merlin) intended to delay Iran's nuclear weapons program by feeding it flawed blueprints for key missing components - which backfired and may actually have aided Iran, as the flaw was likely detected and corrected by a former Soviet nuclear scientist the operation used to make the delivery. The blueprint may then have yielded useful information.

James Risen also writes in State of War that "Several of the Iranian agents were arrested and jailed, while the fates of some of the others is still unknown" after a CIA official sent in 2004 to an Iranian agent an encrypted electronic message, mistakenly including data that could potentially identify "virtually every spy the CIA had inside Iran". The Iranian was a double agent and handed over the information to Iranian intelligence. This also has been denied by an intelligence official. Mr. Risen also alleges the Bush Administration is responsible for transformation of Afghanistan into a "narco-state", from which comes 80% of the world's heroin.

The publication of this book was expedited following the December 16, 2005 NSA leak story. The timing of the New York Times story after the Iraq election in mid December 2005 is a source of controversy since the story may have been held for over a year. The New York Times story appeared two days before a former NSA employee, dismissed in May 2005, requested permission to testify to two Congressional intelligence oversight committes. Byron Calame, the Public Editor of the New York Times wrote in early January 2006 that two senior Times officials refused to comment on the timing of the article.

Mr. Risen says this book is based on information from a variety of anonymous sources. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun an investigation of the sources of the national security leak involving NSA. This DOJ investigation will follow an earlier investigation of the Valerie Plame leak that resulted in former New York Times reporter, Judith Miller, being jailed before she agreed to reveal her source.

..more..

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1. Show description: Bush, the CIA and America: 'State of War'

Monday's Stories
Bush, the CIA and America: 'State of War'

In December, New York Times reporters James Risen and Eric Lichtblau broke the news that the Bush administration had authorized a domestic eavesdropping program. Risen's new book is State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration.

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2. coming up soon-

3:00 pm EST most NPR stations

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3. KICK

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4. starting.........last kick.. should be interesting!