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thedrifter
06-23-04, 08:23 AM
06-18-2004

Deja Vu All Over Again







By David DeBatto




Just when you thought that they couldn’t do anything else worse than Abu Ghraib, they go and surprise you. “They” are the Army’s Military Intelligence branch. More specifically, the Counterintelligence folks (CI) – my old comrades. The “what” is a scene right out of the 1970’s movie “All the Kings Men.”



It seems the CI field office at Fort Hood, TX has had a particularly boring year so far. Last February, in an effort to stir up some excitement, they detailed a couple of agents to a conference on Islamic law at the University of Texas law school. In an article in the June 21st issue of Newsweek by Michael Isikoff, he relates how the agents tried to track down a list of students that had attended the conference so the agents could talk to an attendee who had been asking “suspicious” questions. The school refused to supply them with any list.



In other articles about the incident, further details are added about how the Army first sent two JAG lawyers to attend the conference (why is unclear). While at the conference, the Army lawyers were allegedly questioned by one of the attendees with a “foreign” sounding accent, regarding the reason for their attendance. This questioning was reported to CI at Ft. Hood upon their return and the two CI agents were assigned. The agents traveled to the law school where they allegedly proceeded to search for the conference coordinator at the law school.



Several school staff were questioned as to the whereabouts of the coordinator. The CI agents were said to have “badged” everyone they came into contact with, identifying themselves as Army Intelligence without giving a reason for their inquiries. Apparently, several students were even “grilled” by the agents. This did not go over to well with the folks at the UT law school.



At this point, it may be useful to point out that this kind of intrusive behavior with American civilians, as supposedly demonstrated by these Army Counterintelligence Agents in Texas, is expressly prohibited under AR 381-20, the Army regulation that governs CI operations, unless certain criteria are met. From the information contained in the stories thus far, that criterion does not seem to have been met. This is an unclassified document, by the way, for any of you spooks out there. Lest someone still thinks this issue has been misinterpreted, the Pentagon itself has admitted that the agents overstepped their authority.



Why is this is such a big deal? Well, let me take you on a little magical mystery tour in American history. Not too long ago, in a country not far away, a president named Nixon was feeling a little paranoid about some college students that were questioning his tactics in pursuing a war in a place called Vietnam. They held meetings and marched in the streets against this war. Some of them even called for his resignation as well as the resignation of several members of his cabinet. President Nixon became very unhappy with these college students. He came up with a plan to deal with these malcontents.



Nixon ordered the U.S. Army to conduct covert investigations and surveillance of thousands of these students all across the country. The Army in turn, detailed the assignment to counterintelligence field offices who assigned plain-clothes, CI special agents to infiltrate radical student gatherings, attend rallies, photograph student leaders and others, obtain membership lists from student associations, library records, and generally take part in standard investigatory methods and practices.



Standard, perhaps, for investigating the Mafia or a Columbian drug cartel, but not some American teenagers (for the most part) protesting an extremely unpopular war. This revelation of using military intelligence operatives to secretly track American college students on American soil, when leaked to the press, did not go over very well with the American public, or for that matter with lawmakers of the day (1970). It was further discovered that an “enemies list” was being created by Nixon and the FBI from some of these records obtained by Army CI agents (this enemies list fetish was a sign of things to come a few years later with the Watergate fiasco). A huge public outcry ensued and even more restrictions were placed on the use of the military in conducting investigations on American citizens, especially within the United States.



Most people in the U.S. thought that we had seen the last of the practice of using Army counterintelligence agents in domestic intelligence gathering operations directed against American civilians. Boy, were we wrong! The current administration, the same folks who brought you Abu Ghraib and the “how to torture prisoners legally” memo, The Patriot Act which, among other provisions, allows federal agents to obtain your library and video rental records as well as your web-surfing habits from your ISP, and the “no-exit strategy” for the occupation of Iraq. Well, they have dusted off the long forgotten use of using military intelligence operatives to investigate American civilians. Not just any civilians mind you, but people who had the audacity and traitorous intent to attend a conference dealing with women and Islam.



This may seem like much ado about nothing to some, but take it from a former Army Counterintelligence Agent, instructor and OIF veteran; this is a dangerous action and a huge step backwards for an Army that does not need any more missteps. A few more steps back like this, and the United States Army may just fall off the cliff.



Ó David DeBatto



Contributing Editor David DeBatto is a retired Army staff sergeant and Counterintelligence Special Agent who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was injured in combat. He is currently writing a novel based upon his military service. He can be reached at david@ciadvisor.net. Send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

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Ellie

MillRatUSMC
06-23-04, 09:05 AM
If one gives aid and comfort to enemy sworn to kill all of us and any arab that has any assocation with the United States.
Some agency should investigate what they are up to.
It might keep another 9/11/2001 from happening.
These gathering are not social gatherings or sewing bee's.
They are meant to give aid and comfort.
If one does no wrong, one has nothing to fear.


http://www.geocities.com/millrat_99/index.html

"The saddest part of the job that I have undertaken is that the armed services by their nature, represent the last resort,
when rational solutions to the country's problems have failed."
~ Lt. Cmdr. Harry Mossman US Navy ~
Remains recover in 1992 and indentified recently.

"A man or woman is measured
by the footprint,
he or she leaves behind".

"They were the best you had, America,
and you turned your back on them".
~ Joe Galloway ~ Speaking about Vietnam Veterans

"The price of Freedom is buried in the ground."
~ Author Unknown ~

TO THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
THAT OTHERS MAY SAY PROUDLY
I AM A MARINE

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo