The State INR Memo on Plame

If you have not seen the copy of the State Department memo detailing
what State knew (or did not know) about Joe Wilson’s efforts to determine if Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger, check it out. Those not familiar with the format should pay attention to some particulars:

1. A paragraph is classified based on the information it contains.
For example, if it is “Official” information but not classified the
author could label it “FOUO” (which means, For Official Use Only) or
“LOU” (Limited Official Use).

2. When a paragraph is labeled S/NF (Secret/No Forn) that means the
information is SECRET and not to be shared with foreigners. The mere
mention of Valerie Wilson’s name required that the paragraph be
classified. If she was not undercover, the paragraph could have (and
should have) been classified as LOU or FOUO. The New York Sun editors
are morons. They don’t even understand this basic point.

3. On the second page of the State Department memo we encounter a
blacked out section in the third paragraph from the top. Looks like the
words, “Exlusive Dissemination” were excised. I would also note that
the term, “ORCON”, means “Originator Controlled”. In other words, the
person who wrote the intel controls the classificaion of it as well as
its dissemination.

4.
The last paragraph on page four indicates that the forged documents
were brought to the United States through Defense Department (not State
Department) channels. This helps explain how the documents found their
way into the Office of the Vice President.

5. The really explosive news are the six documents listed as
“Attachments”. This provides the first comprehensive list of the
different documents that discounted attempts by Iraq to buy uranium
from Niger. Remember, Joe Wilson said in his op-ed from July 2003 that
there were at least four documents that dealt with this issue. Once
again, Joe is wrong. THERE WERE SIX!

This memo is one more nail in the coffin containing the lies Bush
told to take us to war. The memo vindicates Joe Wilson and should
remind the public that his wife’s identity was a SECRET. That is why
the paragraphs with her name and/or identity are classified as SECRET.

……………………………………………………..

Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder
of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm
that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by
terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously
with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s
Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized
expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk
management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety
of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio,
ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News,
and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for
publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York
Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and
aviation security around the world. Further bio
details.