R.I.P. Namebase.org

[Robert Howard]

NameBase was a web-based cross-indexed database of names that focuses on individuals involved in the international intelligence community, U.S. foreign policy, crime, and business. The focus is on the post-World War II era and on left of center, conspiracy theory, and espionage activities.[1]

Founder Daniel Brandt collected clippings and citations pertaining to influential people and intelligence from 500 investigative books published since 1962 and thousands of periodicals since 1973.[1]

In the 1980s, through his company Micro Associates, he sold subscriptions to this computerized database, under its original name, Public Information Research, Inc (PIR). At PIR's onset, Brandt was President of the newly formed non-profit corporation and investigative researcher, Peggy Adler, served as its Vice President. The material was described as "information on all sorts of spooks, military officials, political operators and other cloak-and-dagger types."[2] He told The New York Times at the time that "many of these sources are fairly obscure so it's a very effective way to retrieve information on U.S. intelligence that no one else indexes."[3] One research librarian calls it "a unique part of the 'Deep Web'", equally useful to investigative journalists and students.[4]

By 1992, private citizens, news organizations, and universities all were using NameBase.[5] In 1995, these efforts became the basis of the NameBase website.[6] As of 2003, the database contained "over 100,000 names with over 260,000 citations drawn from books and serials with a few documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act."[7] The website is structured so that users can follow hyperlinked information "and thus uncover potential relationships or connections between individuals and groups".[4] The way this is formatted on the website is referred to as a social network and, though the user has to click further to actually determine the relationship between names on a given social network, as they are not specifically listed, NameBase was described by Paul B. Kantor as being the "only web-based tool readily available for visualizing social networks of terrorism researchers."[8]

On February 21, 2012, Betabeat.com reported that NameBase, along with several other of Brandt's websites, was no longer in operation. [9]

[edit] References

1. ^ a b "NameBase tracks lesser-known political players". Online magazine 20 (5): pp74. Sept-Oct 1996. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18696782.html.

2. ^ Morley, Jefferson; Corn, David (November 7, 1988). "Beltway Bandits: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spywatcher". The Nation. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-6754640.html. Retrieved January 16, 2012.

3. ^ Gerth, Jeff (October 6, 1987). "Washington Talk: The Study of Intelligence; Only Spies Can Find These Sources". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/06/us/washington-talk-the-study-of-intelligence-only-spies-can-find-these-sources.html. Retrieved January 16, 2012.

4. ^ a b O'Hanlon, Nancy (May 23, 2005). The Right Stuff: Research Strategies for the Internet Age. Ohio State University Libraries. https://dspace1.it.ohio-state.edu/dspace/handle/1811/325. Retrieved 2008-02-24.

5. ^ "Deadly Data". The Progressive (Madison, Wisconsin: Progressive, Inc) 56 (1): 14. January 1992. ISSN 0033-0736.

6. ^ Hand, Mark. "Searching for Daniel Brandt". CounterPunch (January 3, 2003). Retrieved 15 June 2007.

7. ^ Perrault, Anna H.; Ron Blazek (2003). United States History: A Multicultural, Interdisciplinary Guide to Information Sources. Westport, Connecticut; London: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 35. ISBN 1563088746. http://books.google.com/books?id=6GvdlpRu9-kC&pg=PA35&dq=%22Namebase%22+Brandt&hl=en&sa=X&ei=n5sUT479GuixiQLt17nEDQ&ved=0CFgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22Namebase%22%20Brandt&f=false.

8. ^ Kantor, Paul B. (2005). Intelligence and security informatics. Springer. pp. 324-325. http://books.google.com/books?id=SUwBpvoA1TcC&pg=PA324&dq=%22NameBase%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9pAUT4PkDenXiQKpp8C4DQ&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22NameBase%22&f=false. Retrieved January 16, 2011.

9. ^ Adrianne Jeffries (February 21, 2012). "Scroogle, Privacy-First Search Engine, Shuts Down for Good". Betabeat.com. http://www.betabeat.com/2012/02/21/scroogle-privacy-first-search-engine-shuts-down-for-good/. Retrieved February 21, 2012.

External links

To paraphrase......

It's the wave of the future......

[John Simkin]

This is very sad. Over the years, like most researchers of "Secret History", have made great use of Namebase. Daniel Brandt has also done great work exposing Google and Wikipedia. Does anyone know why Daniel has taken these sites down?

[William Kelly]

This is very sad. Over the years, like most researchers of "Secret History", have made great use of Namebase. Daniel Brandt has also done great work exposing Google and Wikipedia. Does anyone know why Daniel has taken these sites down?

Yea, I agree. At one time it was only the intelligence agencies keeping track of us, until DB flipped the table over and started keeping track of them.

Brandt also took my article on Adele Edisen and reposted it under the title A New Oswald Witness Goes Public, which he later said was one of the most frequently read article on his site at the time.

I'd like to know what happened to him and why the sites are down.

Thanks for this one Robert,

BK

JFKcountercoup

[Robert Howard]

This is very sad. Over the years, like most researchers of "Secret History", have made great use of Namebase. Daniel Brandt has also done great work exposing Google and Wikipedia. Does anyone know why Daniel has taken these sites down?

Yea, I agree. At one time it was only the intelligence agencies keeping track of us, until DB flipped the table over and started keeping track of them.

Brandt also took my article on Adele Edisen and reposted it under the title A New Oswald Witness Goes Public, which he later said was one of the most frequently read article on his site at the time.

I'd like to know what happened to him and why the sites are down.

Thanks for this one Robert,

BK

JFKcountercoup

Yes, I didn't even know it was non-existant until this morning when I went to search a name. I don't have a clue what the motivational factor were.

If I may be so bold, even though namebase.org was so all encompassing, with the one drawback that the book references

seemed to become rather sketchy after 1995, I would like to mention Steve Duffy's site, at least for JFK researchers.

http://jfkassassinationlegacy.blogspot.com/

I believe it is too important at this point in time, to be twisting in the wind.....

[Len Colby]

http://www.betabeat.com/2012/02/21/scroogle-privacy-first-search-engine-shuts-down-for-good/

The DDOS problem should be easy enough to fix, like most sites he could install one of those annoying textboxes where have to type in some letters/numbers to prove you aren't a "bot".

[William Kelly]

This is very sad. Over the years, like most researchers of "Secret History", have made great use of Namebase. Daniel Brandt has also done great work exposing Google and Wikipedia. Does anyone know why Daniel has taken these sites down?

Yea, I agree. At one time it was only the intelligence agencies keeping track of us, until DB flipped the table over and started keeping track of them.

Brandt also took my article on Adele Edisen and reposted it under the title A New Oswald Witness Goes Public, which he later said was one of the most frequently read article on his site at the time.

I'd like to know what happened to him and why the sites are down.

Thanks for this one Robert,

BK

JFKcountercoup

Previously, the way to get around this type of attack was to spread the info around to dozens of web sites so they couldn't attack them all, and if they took down one, another one would spring up.

Why don't we do that with Dan Brandt's sites?

I don't like the idea of just surrendering to these attacks, especially when it is probably from Wikie and Annonymous and others who claim to espouse freedom of speech.

Dan is a member of this forum and has posted here before, will someone please contact him and ask him how we can help him?

Thanks,

BK

JFKcountercoup

[Steve Duffy]

Thanks for the mention, Robert...

Namebase was a source I was hoping to link more too....and I recommended it to a lot of newcomers....

As for my own effort...I'm working on it by my lonesome..and as most can see..I'm utilizing the work of Mary Ferrell as my primary base. But there mainly placeholder's as I create links to more original articles and sources....a wiki without the interference...if you like...

[Philip Sinclair]

FWIW, I came across this thread and checked the Namebase site, which is still up. Was only a portion of it taken down?

[Robert Howard]

As of Tuesday January 8th at approximately 5:30 CDT, namebase.org is back up!

Who woulda thought it....

Suggestion for the namebase folks.

Add the name of Buford Lee Beaty.....Why?

His Warren Commission Testimony gave a factoid that is of quite some interest to some of us;

Specifically, a very compelling area of the assassination has to do with the Dallas Police

Departments' Special Services Bureau, which interfaced with some different areas, Beaty's testimony

revealed that Jack Ruby knew members of the SSB, located at Fair Park.

Below is part of his testimony

with a little hearsay at the url included, if your looking.....

Testimony of Buford Lee Beaty

Mr. Griffin.

Do you know whether other people you worked with in the narcotics bureau might have attempted to use him ?

Mr. Beaty.

No, sir; I don't know.

Mr. Griffin.

Were you familiar with any narcotics investigation that ever took place with respect to Jack Ruby?

Mr. Beaty.

None.

Mr. Griffin.

Now how often would you say that you saw Ruby during the last 3 years?

Mr. Beaty.

Possibly, four, maybe five times.

Mr. Griffin.

What were the occasions for seeing Jack ?

Mr. Beaty.

Well, I saw him one time. I was working late nights and I saw him walking his dog after his joint closed down on Commerce Street, and I run into him on the street, and I go by his joint. You don't say hello and look around. You say hello.

Mr. Griffin.

Did Jack ever stop in and visit you while you were in your office at the police department?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes; that was the last time I saw him before the shooting. He came by---didn't particularly come to see me, but he just came to the office.

Mr. Griffin.

DO you recall about When that was?

Mr. Beaty.

No; it seemed like it was about a month before all this happened, something like that..

Mr. Griffin.

Did he speak to anybody in the narcotics office ?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes; he talked to myself, and I believe Lieutenant Cornwall was in and out of the office, and Dan Asabell.

Mr. Griffin.

Do you remember what you all talked with Jack about?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes; he talked about a girl. He had a stripper down there. Let me think if I remember what her name was. Jada from New Orleans.

The whole thing was how he thought Jada was just a little indecent about her act and he would have to turn the lights off every once in a while and tell her to clean it up a little bit, and one thing and another. And how they went through a little "Hazel" in Judge Richburg's court over all this. It was all in the papers, the whole story was and that is about the gist of what we talked about. And Jada testified at the previous thing.

The bureau I work in, the special bureau, also handles all the dancehall licenses and the liquor licenses and it could be that, I don't believe he made a special trip to our office, I think he came to the bureau and might have had a little business for a liquor license, or something, I don't know. I didn't ask him about it at all.

Mr. Griffin.

All right, the narcotics bureau, is that correct to call it a bureau?

Mr. Beaty.

Section.

Mr. Griffin.

Narcotics section is a subdivision of the special service bureau, is that correct?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes.

Mr. Griffin.

Within the special service bureau, there is a department which handles dancehall policemen?

Mr. Beaty.

That's right.

Mr. Griffin.

Now, does everybody who is a part of the special service bureau occupy the same suite of offices ?

Mr. Beaty.

No, sir.

Mr. Griffin.

Does the narcotics bureau occupy the same suite of offices as the dancehall bureau?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Griffin.

What other people occupy the same suite of offices?

Mr. Beaty.

Vice squad.

Mr. Griffin.

Do you remember, Detective Beaty, that you were on duty on November 22, the day the President was shot?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes; I was.

Mr. Beaty.

Trade Mart.

Mr. Griffin.

Where did you go from the Trade Mart?

Mr. Beaty.

Went back to our office.

Mr. Griffin.

How long did you remain there?

Mr. Beaty.

I think until about 9 o'clock that night.

Mr. Griffin.

Were you. on duty on the 23d?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Griffin.

Did you remain in the police department all day on the 23d?

Mr. Beaty.

Yes, sir. What day was the 23d?

Mr. Griffin.

That was Saturday.

Mr. Beaty.

Yes.

Mr. Griffin.

Now Detective Beaty, what is your best estimate of how long this encounter with Jones was before Oswald actually came downstairs?

Mr. Beaty.

What time did he get shot? It was about probably 30 minutes before he actually came down and Ruby shot him.

Mr. Griffin.

That is the important thing. I would rather have you fix it in terms of that time rather than some specific time.

Mr. Beaty.

Around 30 minutes or something like this.

Mr. Griffin.

Because I noticed in the interview which you gave to the FBI, you indicated that this was about 10 o'clock that you saw Jones. Did you have any idea at the time when you gave this interview to Agents Dallman and Quigley--that was on December 3--did you have anything specific in mind when you told them that it was 10 o'clock.

Mr. Beaty.

I just was trying to remember when Captain Jones told me to remain there. No; I was just trying to remember about the lapse of time, it seemed to me like.

http://www.jfk-assassination.de/warren/wch/vol12/page158.php

Quigley...same as the Quigley in N.O. Oswald was interviewed by?

Edited January 8, 2013 by Robert Howard

[Michael Clark]

Namebase.org does not work for me.

    http://www.namebase.net/  does work. I'm not sure that is is the same site.