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Spy who turned tide with Libya is brought back to target Teheran
www.telegraph.co.uk ^ | June 18, 2006 | Toby Harnden

Posted on 06/18/2006 2:53:25 PM PDT by Grendel9

By Toby Harnden in Washington (Filed: 18/06/2006)

The American spy who persuaded Libya to renounce its weapons of mass destruction is to return to the Central Intelligence Agency, where he will direct an aggressive drive to recruit informants inside Iran to aid possible negotiations over Teheran's nuclear capability.

Stephen Kappes, a former United States Marines officer who resigned from the CIA after a clash with its then director, Porter Goss, has been brought back from self-imposed exile in London by George W Bush.

Iran will be top of his agenda. "He's a remarkable guy, a talented leader and among the finest officers of his generation," said Gary Berntsen, the CIA's key commander during the invasion of Afghanistan, who has worked for Mr Kappes in the Middle East. "He knows the target [Iran] intimately."

The return to CIA headquarters at Langley, Virginia, of Mr Kappes, 54, has boosted flagging morale at the spy agency. A former CIA station chief in Moscow, he led successful efforts to penetrate the network of A Q Khan, the rogue Pakistani scientist, who supplied Iran and Libya with nuclear know-how.

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: cia; duplicate; espionage; libya; repeat; stephenkappes
Can't figure out why this should be let out to the general public. How can a HONCHO of the CIA be named when so much flak ensued over the naming of some subordinate worker like Valerie Plane? What am I missing here? Sure, Kappes is not going into Iran personally, but he'll be appointing people to make inside contacts. Isn't that what Plame was doing when she suggested her husband go to Nigeria? What's more advantagious to the enemy, FORE-KNOWLEDGE or AFTER-AWARENESS?
1 posted on 06/18/2006 2:53:28 PM PDT by Grendel9
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To: Grendel9

In sync with this article:

Ayatollah's grandson calls for US overthrow of Iran
By PHILIP SHERWELL
(Filed: 18/06/2006)

The grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the inspiration of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, has broken a three-year silence to back the United States military to overthrow the country's clerical regime.

Hossein Khomeini's call is all the more startling as he made it from Qom, the spiritual home of Iran's Shia strand of Islam, during an interview to mark the 17th anniversary of the ayatollah's death.
Ayatollah Khomeini's influence is still felt in Iran ...


2 posted on 06/18/2006 2:55:47 PM PDT by Grendel9 (u)
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To: Grendel9

Ditto. Why the f is this guy being named in a newspaper? Is this suicidal, or has the Telegraph just gone over to the other side?


3 posted on 06/18/2006 2:57:25 PM PDT by RKV ( He who has the guns, makes the rules.)
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To: Grendel9

Very interesting nonetheless.


4 posted on 06/18/2006 3:01:50 PM PDT by BenLurkin ("The entire remedy is with the people." - W. H. Harrison)
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To: Grendel9

Can't figure out why this should be let out to the general public


ditto...

we are never going to win this war if we keep casting all our secrets to swine.
Let history tell the true tale in the aftermath ,
as it has always been.
For now , let's just win it!


5 posted on 06/18/2006 3:06:12 PM PDT by LeoWindhorse
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To: RKV

Agree..
Far too much information released....

Semper Fi


6 posted on 06/18/2006 3:19:09 PM PDT by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: RKV

He's not a field officer; he will be DOps, a Langley job. This is a public post which can't be kept secret.


7 posted on 06/18/2006 3:52:44 PM PDT by maro
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To: RKV

Read the article again. It is Gary Bentsen who should keep his mouth shut.


8 posted on 06/18/2006 5:12:50 PM PDT by gaspar
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To: river rat

Gary Bentsen is described as the CIA's chief honcho during the invasion of Afghanistan. Can anyone verify this? The first CIA group into Afghanistan, which I believe was codenamed "Jawbreaker" was headed by Bary Schroen, and he received his orders from Cofer Black. The CIA Alpha and Bravo teams of the Mazar-e Sharif region were, I believe also handled by Black, as was the Echo team located north of Kandahar. If Bentsen was actually in charge then I believe it is he who deserves the discredit for not providing the military personnel requested by the CIA to attack the force of Osama Bin Laden both before and after the battle for Tora Bora.


9 posted on 06/18/2006 5:28:02 PM PDT by gaspar
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To: gaspar
I haven't a clue...
Totally ignorant of the players and their responsibilities...

Hell, I'm still amazed we didn't kill the "citizen in action" in our AO in I Corps, that constantly brought his "tail" of following/chasing Charlies to our positions.....

Once our Gunny, in a booming voice (which the "citizen in action" certainly heard) ordered him fired upon if he ever again approached our perimeter, uninvited..

He got the message, and I assume survived the war.

Semper Fi
10 posted on 06/18/2006 5:50:30 PM PDT by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: maro

It ain't the name. It's the OPSEC.


11 posted on 06/18/2006 6:12:53 PM PDT by RKV ( He who has the guns, makes the rules.)
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