Larry Johnson, Daniel Ellsberg & The Truth Telling Project --Pleading For Intel Leaks

The Truth Telling Project ^ | September 22, 2004 | Traitors

[Sam Hill]

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For Immediate Release
September 22, 2004

11 FORMER AND CURRENT US AND UK GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ISSUE LETTER
SUPPORTING DANISH WHISTLEBLOWER FRANK GREVIL

Frank Grevil’s press contact is: Tom Clark tclark@tiscali.dk
home (+45) 4444 1343
work (+45) 4452 6447
mobile (+45) 4095 0574 or (+45) 6062 1763

OPEN LETTER TO THE DANISH GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC:

We, the undersigned citizens of the United States and the United Kingdom, have recently come to learn of the criminal proceedings against our Danish fellow truth-teller, Mr. Frank Grevil.

As his case has been presented to us, Mr. Grevil is formally being accused of leaking three classified “threat assessments” to a Danish newspaper in January/February 2004, in order to substantiate claims made verbatim to the same newspaper. These documents demonstrated that his employer at the time, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service, provided unbalanced intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction prior to the decision of the Danish Parliament to join the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" in March 2003. These documents also showed how the Service—due to its lack of sources—based its threat assessments almost entirely upon similar assessments provided by intelligence agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom, the content of which later turned out to be based on bad intelligence and in some cases even fabricated information.

We have learned that the Danish Parliament has recently taken actions to enhance parliamentary control over the intelligence service, which are clearly attributable to Mr. Grevil's revelations. This lends great credibility to his claims, which deserve in our opinion credit for serving the public interest rather than punishment.

What Mr. Grevil has undertaken reflects in many ways what we have done in our respective countries. With this letter, we want to draw attention to the important role that unauthorized truth-telling plays in a democratic state. In our experience, the proper chain of command often does not work to correct corruption, crimes, lies, cover-ups, or incompetence within state agencies. Disclosing documents without authorization is frequently the only way to expose these abuses or to substantiate verbal allegations about them to the press.

We strongly recommend reevaluating Mr. Grevil's case on the basis that his deed was done unselfishly and conscientiously, in order to strengthen democracy, and government transparency, and true national security.

SIGNATORIES

John H. Brown, Former Foreign Service Officer

Edward Costello, Former Special Agent (Counterintelligence), Federal Bureau of Investigation

Sibel Edmonds, Former Language Specialist, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Daniel Ellsberg, Former official, U.S. Departments of Defense and State

Katharine Gun, Former translator, GCHG, UK

Larry Johnson, Former Deputy Director for Anti-Terrorism Assistance, Transportation Security, and Special Operations, Department of State, Office of the Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism

Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatowski (karen@militaryweek.com), recently retired from service in the Pentagon’s Office of Near East planning

Ray McGovern, Former Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency

Coleen Rowley, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(Clarification of Coleen Rowley's Signature: "I have signed this letter in support of Danish Major Frank Grevil in my personal capacity and not as a representative of the FBI. I wish to further clarify my view that the propriety of 'unauthorized disclosures,' such as the one Major Grevil made, is limited to only the narrowest of circumstances, to dire situations involving truly unlawful, unconstitutional or deceptive actions on the part of higher government officials entailing life and death consequences, for example, the My Lai massacre or the Abu Ghraib torture incidents. In less serious situations, I believe that the proper and most constructive way of bringing concerns and problems to light is through chain of command and other institutional mechanisms such as Inspector Generals.")

Philip G. Vargas, Ph.D., J.D., Former Director, Privacy & Confidentiality Study, Commission on Federal Paperwork

Ann Wright, Retired Army Reserve Colonel, Former Deputy Ambassador, Mongolia

[Sam Hill]

As we know from their VIPS work, our heros, Larry Johnson and Ray McGovern (et al.) have no qualms about leaking classified information (which could put covert agents in peril) when it suits their anti-American agenda.

[Sam Hill]

Some more of their noble works for the cause of treason:

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Press Coverage of the Truth-Telling Project

(Click here to see Truth-Telling Project Press Releases)

9/19/04	The Truth Must Out by Katharine Gun, The Observer (UK)
9/15/04	Iraq Whistleblower Starts Support Group Reuters
9/14/04	Whistle-blower urges more secrets BBC News
9/14/04	Whistleblower at GCHG offers help The Telegraph (UK)
9/12/04	Follow my lead, says whistleblower The Observer (UK)
9/9/04	Ellsberg urges insiders to leak Iraq Info Associated Press
9/9/04	Whistleblowers urge workers to disclose classified information GovExec.com
9/9/04	International War Whistleblowers Tell Why They Exposed Their Governments Democracy Now
9/9/04	ACLU: Free Legal Help for Whistleblowers United Press International

 

Truth-Telling Project Press Releases

9/9/04	Whistleblowers Call for Disclosure of Government's Iraq Deceit
9/9/04	ACLU Offers Legal Counsel to Government Whistleblowers; Calls on Congress to Adopt Whistleblower Protection Legislation
9/9/04	Statement from Danielle Brian, Executive Director of the Project on Governmental Secrecy, on the Whistleblower Call for Truth

[kublia khan]

I saw all I needed to see when I saw Ellsburgs signature on it.

[MJY1288]

Be careful fella, Larry Johnson might threaten to show up at your door with his buddies :-)

This Larry Johnson A hole is turning out to be a rank amateur and an even worse political hack

[kesg]

[MJY1288]

Great thread by the way. I read most of what you posted today on this issue and you have obviously done your homework, cause I have been following this story since it began as well, and this whole thing started when Joe Wilson signed on to the Kerry Campaign and when Fitzpatrick is done investigating this so called Karl Rove scandal, I believe the Kerry Campaign officials will be in the hot seat

[MJY1288]

Ping

[kcvl]

bttt

[Sam Hill]

This is really the call to action that got this particular loathesome operation going. Again, notice Johnson, McGovern and the usual traitors--the very same who are sheddign crocodile tears about the Plame leak:

A Call to Patriotic Whistleblowing

September 9, 2004 . Washington, DC

 It is time for unauthorized truth-telling.

Citizens cannot make informed choices if they do not have the facts--for example, the facts that have been wrongly concealed about the ongoing war in Iraq: the real reasons behind it, the prospective costs in blood and treasure, and the setback it has dealt to efforts to stem terrorism. Administration deception and cover-up on these vital matters has so far been all too successful in misleading the public. Also See:
TruthTellingProject.org Many Americans are too young to remember Vietnam. Then, as now, senior government officials did not tell the American people the truth. Now, as then, insiders who know better have kept their silence, as the country was misled into the most serious foreign policy disaster since Vietnam.

Some of you have documentation of wrongly concealed facts and analyses that--if brought to light--would impact heavily on public debate regarding crucial matters of national security, both foreign and domestic. We urge you to provide that information now, both to Congress and, through the media, to the public.

Thanks to our First Amendment, there is in America no broad Officials Secrets Act, nor even a statutory basis for the classification system. Only very rarely would it be appropriate to reveal information of the three types whose disclosure has been expressly criminalized by Congress: communications intelligence, nuclear data, and the identity of US intelligence operatives. However, this administration has stretched existing criminal laws to cover other disclosures in ways never contemplated by Congress.

There is a growing network of support for whistleblowers. In particular, for anyone who wishes to know the legal implications of disclosures they may be contemplating, the ACLU stands ready to provide pro bono legal counsel, with lawyer-client privilege. The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) will offer advice on whistleblowing, dissemination and relations with the media.

Needless to say, any unauthorized disclosure that exposes your superiors to embarrassment entails personal risk. Should you be identified as the source, the price could be considerable, including loss of career and possibly even prosecution. Some of us know from experience how difficult it is to countenance such costs. But continued silence brings an even more terrible cost, as our leaders persist in a disastrous course and young Americans come home in coffins or with missing limbs.

This is precisely what happened at this comparable stage in the Vietnam War. Some of us live with profound regret that we did not at that point expose the administration's dishonesty and perhaps prevent the needless slaughter of 50,000 more American troops and some 2 to 3 million Vietnamese over the next ten years. We know how misplaced loyalty to bosses, agencies, and careers can obscure the higher allegiance all government officials owe the Constitution, the sovereign public, and the young men and women put in harm's way. We urge you to act on those higher loyalties.

A hundred forty thousand young Americans are risking their lives every day in Iraq for dubious purpose. Our country has urgent need of comparable moral courage from its public officials. Truth-telling is a patriotic and effective way to serve the nation. The time for speaking out is now.

SIGNATORIES

Edward Costello, Former Special Agent (Counterintelligence), Federal Bureau of Investigation

Sibel Edmonds, Former Language Specialist, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Daniel Ellsberg, Former official, U.S. Departments of Defense and State

John D. Heinberg, Former Economist, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Larry C. Johnson, Former Deputy Director for Anti-Terrorism Assistance, Transportation Security, and Special Operations, Department of
State, Office of the Coordinator for Counter Terrorism

John Brady Kiesling, Former Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy, Athens, Department of State

David MacMichael, Former Senior Estimates Officer, National Intelligence Council, Central Intelligence Agency

Ray McGovern, Former Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency

Philip G. Vargas, Ph.D., J.D., Dir. Privacy & Confidentiality Study, Commission on Federal Paperwork (Author/Director: "The Vargas
Report on Government Secrecy"--CENSORED)

Ann Wright, Retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel and U.S. Foreign Service Officer

Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatowski, recently retired from service in the Pentagon's Office of Near East planning

[DoughtyOne]

Ellsberg should still be rotting in prison for his efforts in the late 60s. Now he wants to urge others to follow in his footsteps.

Isn't there sedition statutes or other charges the government could bring against these idiots?

[grey_whiskers]

SIGNATORIES

(snip)

John D. Heinberg, Former Economist, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Anti-Lame-Signature Sarcasm Torpedo ARMED. FIRE!!

Pardon my French, but WTF is an economist from the US Department of Labor doing here? Is he some left-over Marxist plant or a Union thug?

Cheers!

[Sam Hill]

Larry C. Johnson says:

"Thanks to our First Amendment, there is in America no broad Officials Secrets Act, nor even a statutory basis for the classification system."

So if nothing is classified how the hell do you have a leak, Larry?

So glad the DNC has annointed this traitor and pathological liar as their spokesman. So perfect.

[Sam Hill]

Larry C. Johnson says:

"There is a growing network of support for whistleblowers. In particular, for anyone who wishes to know the legal implications of disclosures they may be contemplating, the ACLU stands ready to provide pro bono legal counsel, with lawyer-client privilege."

Thank God for the ACLU. Always ready to pitch in and help traitors, no matter the cost.

Say, did they offer to help Rove or Libby--even though we know now they leaked nothing. But does the ACLU know that?

[Sam Hill]

The Truth-Telling Project: A Call to Patriotic Whistleblowing

ACLU Offers Legal Counsel to Government Whistleblowers; Calls on Congress to Adopt Whistleblower Protection Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2004

CONTACT: Paul Silva, ACLU
(212) 549-2689 or 2666

WASHINGTON—At a press conference held by prominent government whistleblowers, the American Civil Liberties Union today announced that it will provide legal counsel to federal employees who may want to come forward to expose government wrongdoing or cover-ups.

“Government employees who risk their careers to expose deception and misconduct are true American patriots,” said Ann Beeson, ACLU Associate Legal Director. “The ACLU stands ready to provide legal support and advice to individuals who want to reveal evidence of wrongdoing by the government.”

The ACLU issued its announcement at a press conference sponsored by Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and his organization, the Truth-Telling Project. The press conference also featured comments from CIA whistleblower Ray McGovern and FBI whistleblowers Sibel Edmonds and Coleen Rowley.

According to the ACLU, whistleblowers need legal counsel because they may lose their jobs or even face criminal prosecution for exposing government wrongdoing. The ACLU has established a special e-mail address to respond to inquiries from potential whistleblowers, whistleblower@aclu.org, and will shortly launch a hotline as well.

http://www.ellsberg.net/truthtellingproject/content/aclu.html

[STARWISE]

Is this the Anarchists International Support Group or what? I just can't believe they're being this blatant .. as if they don't risk charges of treason and sedition with what they're encouraging government employees to do here. What do they know that we don't know?? What makes them think they're insulated from prosecution?

[Sam Hill]

"Is this the Anarchists International Support Group or what? I just can't believe they're being this blatant .. as if they don't risk charges of treason and sedition with what they're encouraging government employees to do here. What do they know that we don't know?? What makes them think they're insulated from prosecution?"

Well, Ellsberg is a hero. So I guess they feel like they have nothing to worry about.

They've been doing this for years.

But it is pretty shocking, isn't it? We are at war. They are begging for people to break the law--to hurt this country's war effort.

How that is not sedition or treason, I don't know. I suspect at any other time prior, or any other country, they would be strung up.

They are traitors, pure and simple.

[clee1]

Be careful fella, Larry Johnson might threaten to show up at your door with his buddies :-)

I wish he would! It would be his very final mistake.

[MJY1288]

What I am worrying about now is that all this info coming out so fast, isn't just a smoke screen to hide the real criminals.

[MJY1288]

Larry Johnson is a Punk by anyone's standards. That hair lipped loser has some nerve threatening a fellow freeper simply because he was caught in a lie.

[doug from upland]

I thought Ellsberg was dead. Darn.