Robert Burrows Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 (edited) A couple of interesting quotes: "There is always a question whether a democratic country is capable of having an intelligence service of any great merit simply because of the built in inhibitions..." "But you don't have to be a great or large or wealthy country to have a to have a good intelligence service as long as you have the norms, as long as you have the disciplines, as long as you have the motivation, the singleness of purpose, you can be a small service and have one great penetration (long pause) and you can move the world. " https://youtu.be/vTgneJQxCts?si=V8QpaSGNtlBeIZJM Edited April 7 by Robert Burrows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Burrows Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 1 minute ago, Robert Burrows said: I'm not sure why the video won't embed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Morrow Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 6 hours ago, Robert Burrows said: I'm not sure why the video won't embed. Let's see if this works... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Burrows Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 10 hours ago, Robert Morrow said: Thank you, Robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 13 hours ago, Robert Morrow said: Let's see if this works... Thank you also Robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 (edited) 2 hours ago, Joe Bauer said: Thank you also Robert. "An imperfect democracy is preferable to a totalitarian state." "In the end he felt it was the breaking of Nixon that did the most damage to the CIA." "For Nixon failed to win the crucial battle. That national security is above the law." "I would suggest that this was an issue ( Watergate ) that should have been taken to the Supreme Court by the executive." "I believe there are inherent rights by the President of the United States to advance national security in his election." "There is always a question of whether a democratic country is capable of having an intelligence service of any great merit." "Simply because of the built-in inhibitions." It usually takes a national crisis, or a Pearl Harbor for people to then understand what survival means." Interviewer: "Why do we need intelligence at all?" Angleton: "for survival." "In the West it is almost inconceivable to be able to deceive. When the very people who are your lawmakers are the ones who destroy your secrets. When the very people who profit by living in a democratic institution are those who denigrated the word 'national security' until it has no meaning." These points worth contemplating: The Soviets were totally committed to destroying the West. With unlimited resources and no legal or philosophical restraints unlike the Western democracies. It was a war. And we were hampered greatly in this fight. JFK's adversarial stance against the CIA ( as well his speeches of peace, secrets abhorrence and possible co-operation with the Soviets ) didn't win him any love within it's ranks. Easy to see him viewed as a national security threat by them in the context of Angleton's comments above. Thoughts? Edited April 8 by Joe Bauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Burrows Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 47 minutes ago, Joe Bauer said: "An imperfect democracy is preferable to a totalitarian state." "In the end he felt it was the breaking of Nixon that did the most damage to the CIA." "For Nixon failed to win the crucial battle. That national security is above the law." "I would suggest that this was an issue ( Watergate ) that should have been taken to the Supreme Court by the executive." "I believe there are inherent rights by the President of the United States to advance national security in his election." "There is always a question of whether a democratic country is capable of having an intelligence service of any great merit." "Simply because of the built-in inhibitions." It usually takes a national crisis, or a Pearl Harbor for people to then understand what survival means." Interviewer: "Why do we need intelligence at all?" Angleton: "for survival." "In the West it almost inconceivable to be able to deceive. When the very people who are your lawmakers are the ones who destroy your secrets. When the very people who profit by living in a democratic institution are those who denigrated the word 'national security' until it has no meaning." These points worth contemplating: The Soviets were totally committed to destroying the West. With unlimited resources and no legal or philosophical restraints unlike the Western democracies. It was a war. And we were hampered greatly in this fight. JFK's adversarial stance against the CIA ( as well his speeches of peace, secrets abhorrence and possible co-operation with the Soviets ) didn't win him any love within it's ranks. Easy to see him viewed as a national security threat by them in the context of Angleton's comments above. Thoughts? Agreed. JFK was considered an existential threat and was dealt with accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Mellor Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 1 hour ago, Joe Bauer said: Thoughts? I find Angleton's inferences in relation to 'Executive Action' that the Soviets term 'wet jobs' being a bit rich. When he related the killing of Tom Mboya I was waiting for the interviewer to jump in with questions on Dag Hammarskjold, Patrice Lumumba, Allende in Chile, or Sukarno in Indonesia etc., etc. Angleton speaking of a 'Wilderness of Mirrors' is a subject which he was an expert with. Long time since I've heard those chimes of Thames T.V., now defunct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Too bad that the interviewer wouldn't or couldn't ask Angleton his personal views regards JFK and whether he ( Angleton ) considered JFK one of the lawmakers denigrating our intelligence services? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 The interview is very revealing of Angleton's mind set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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