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-Caveat Lector-
www.gordonthomas.ie
A STOLEN PROMIS
by Gordon Thomas
In the often discordant world of secret intelligence, there is a common
consensus about Promis. It is computer software like no other. A tracking
program that the CIA and FBI depend on. And a lot of other spy agencies.
So why are there persistent reports - never denied - that today Promis has
ended up in the hands of Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and Kim Jong-il,
North Korea's increasingly unpredictable leader?
Intelligence agents in Britain and Europe say Promis gives the "axis of
evil" invaluable insights into how the United States is trying to fight
global terrorism. Yet nobody in Washington wants to talk about just how
that came about.
I have spent thirty years writing about intelligence matters. But never
have I encountered such a Byzantine story of just how Promis arrived in the
hands of bin Laden and his cohorts.
Part of the story involves the late newspaper magnate, Robert Maxwell. He
sold a version of Promis all over the world. But he is not the man who
handed over the software to bin Laden.
To understand the scandal of how that happened, it is important to
understand the history of Promis. It was developed by a small company in
Washington called Inslaw. Its creator was William Hamilton and a small team
of computer geniuses. They created a program that the Justice Department
grabbed.
The saga of what happened them has rumbled through the Washington courts
with Hamilton accusing Justice of stealing the software from him.
But that is not the issue here. It is one simpler than the world of legal
manoeuvres. It is a question of what part Promis played in the run-up to
9/11 - and what role it continues to have in the hands of bin Laden and his
cronies in Baghdad and North Korea?
Yet there is no sign that the Commission on Terrorist Attacks - whose
Washington offices will be a short distance from Hamilton's modest one in
Inslaw - is going to try and find the answer.
In a twist no movie producer would think twice about using, Promis was
installed by the FBI in its headquarters to track terrorists. No one at the
agency realised its key computer technician, Robert P Hanssen, was a
long-time Russian mole.
Hanssen stole a copy of the software and handed it over to the then KGB. He
received $2 million. The Russians used it for computer-based espionage
against the United States.
How successful the KGB was is a secret over which the US intelligence
community has closed ranks.
But according to Britain's MI6 and Germany's BND security service, Promis
found its way on to the thriving Moscow black market after the collapse of
the Soviet Union.
Some months before 9/11, one of bin Laden's agents was approached by a
redundant KGB officer. They met in a Moscow hotel room. Within hours, the
agent had seen enough of the promise of Promis to pay $4 million for the
software.
So runs the story in Wiesbaden, the home of the BND, and in the
architectural monstrosity along the banks of the Thames, where MI6 has its
London headquarters.
Mr Hamilton has no doubt the story is true. He wants to know why former New
Jersey Governor David H Kean, who heads the commission, has not made how
Promis came into bin Laden's hands a priority for his investigation.
Could it be that the answers might cause embarrassment at the White House
and the FBI?
Until now the Justice Department has steadfastly denied using the Promis
software - let alone that Hanssen shopped it to the Russians.
But gradually - chip by microchip - the truth is beginning to surface -
despite ferocious opposition from Justice about what it knows of how Promis
has given bin Laden access to databases on specific targets, and the ability
to monitor electronic-banking transactions, including money laundering.
MI6 and the BND have both said there is credible evidence that bin Laden
sold on copies of Promis to Saddam and North Korea. He is said to have used
the money to finance his terror attacks on Bali and in Kenya last year.
European intelligence services say that both the CIA and FBI know how
Promis has been exploited to stop US efforts to track down bin Laden - and
give Iraq and North Korea valuable intelligence on US intentions.
Governor Kean and his ten-man commission has the authority to subpoena
witnesses and documents to determine the extent of intelligence lapses prior
to 9/11. But he should extend his brief to try and discover how Promis,
which Hamilton is not alone in saying is crucial to America's war on
terrorism, fell into the hands of those who are now using it against the
United States.
Related books by Gordon Thomas:
Robert Maxwell: Israel's Superspy: The...
Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad
Seeds of Fire: China And The Story. Behind The Attack on America
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DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
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