World

AP: U.N. Is a ‘Hotbed of Spying and Clandestine Operations’

AP: UN General Assembly a Hotbed of Spying and Clandestine OperationsNEW YORK (AP) — When Iran’s president accused the U.S. at the United Nations General Assembly last year of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, American diplomats were not caught flat-footed by the tirade.

Even before President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad finished his incendiary rant, U.S. diplomats marched out of the cavernous U.N. hall in protest and were ready with a written statement condemning his comments.

It was as if the U.S. knew exactly what Ahmadinejad intended to say.

The walkout hinted at one of the well-known but seldom spoken truths about the United Nations: The international organization, which was founded in the name of peace and security, is also a hotbed of spying and clandestine operations, where someone might very well be listening to your conversations and monitoring your emails – or perhaps reading your speeches in advance.

The start of the General Assembly each year is the Super Bowl of the U.N. spy games.

Foreign leaders descend upon New York with entourages of aides and security officers. Many have not been dispatched to practice diplomacy. They are intelligence officers, and they’ve come instead to recruit agents in hotels and quiet cafes around the city. In their line of work, trickery and deception trump political niceties.

While the diplomats inside the United Nations are often making headlines, FBI agents are chasing spies around the city. Justice Department lawyers are asking judges to approve wiretaps. And the CIA is searching for foreigners who might be persuaded to commit treason.

All this makes for a frenzied few weeks, especially for the FBI’s Manhattan field office. The FBI’s counterintelligence unit there is responsible for monitoring foreign diplomats in the city.

It’s one of the most sophisticated intelligence-gathering operations in the U.S. and involves one of the FBI’s most extensive electronic surveillance programs, according to former U.S. intelligence officials speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

It’s hardly a secret to foreign intelligence officers, who are skilled at evading surveillance.

The Iranians, for example, are known to rent multiple rooms in hotels around the city and sometimes cancel and re-book at the last moment to conceal who’s staying where. In one instance, a former FBI official recalled, the Iranians crammed perhaps a dozen people into one room, leaving U.S. officials to conclude that at least one Iranian official was sleeping in the bathroom, probably in the bathtub.

It’s not just the Iranians in New York. Former intelligence officials said the Israelis operate unilaterally in New York, often creating confusion.

One former CIA official said it’s hard to distinguish Israelis because they will often enter the country under another nationality – like they did in Dubai, when Mossad operatives killed a Hamas official. In that case, Mossad agents used forged British, Irish and Australian passports.

Other intelligence agencies like Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, better known as the MI6, work more closely with the U.S. MI6 is allowed to operate in New York but any information its officers collect must be shared with U.S. intelligence, the official said.

The CIA is prohibited from domestic intelligence-gathering but, since the United Nations is considered foreign soil, it is authorized to run covert actions there. Its officers are also allowed to recruit foreigners to spy for the U.S., a primary goal for the CIA during the opening of the General Assembly.

Despite the popular narrative that the FBI and CIA are constantly at odds, the two agencies coordinate closely during the General Assembly.

The CIA and FBI vet the names from visas provided to enter the U.S. Those entering the country from places where the FBI and CIA can’t operate, like Iran and North Korea, make attractive recruitment possibilities.

Preparation for these operations can take months. The stakes can be high. And the General Assembly can provide the perfect backdrop for such an operation as journalists and diplomats flood the city.

Prior to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the CIA had been enticing high-level Iraqi officials to defect. One such target was Naji Sabri, Iraq’s foreign minister. The White House was hoping he would do it in a dramatic way at the General Assembly.

First, though, the CIA had to feel out Sabri to see whether he truly intended to betray Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The CIA needed a cutout, or middleman, a person who could introduce the CIA to Sabri and then walk away plenty richer for doing the job, according to CIA officers familiar with the operation and previously published accounts.

In September 2002, Sabri flew to New York, where the CIA had arranged a meeting with a former foreign journalist who had since moved to France. The journalist, who had provided information to French intelligence in the past, acted as the middleman for an initial $250,000, the former CIA officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss intelligence matters publicly.

But the CIA also had to see whether it could trust the journalist who had claimed he was friendly with Sabri but who was also looking for a big payday of up to $1 million. The CIA relied upon the FBI for this and its extensive eavesdropping capability. When the journalist called Sabri at the Iraq Mission at the U.N., the FBI was listening.

With the FBI’s help, the CIA learned Sabri did, in fact, know the journalist. Sabri was handed a list of carefully crafted questions about Saddam’s nuclear weapons program.

Sabri answered each question. He said Saddam had never possessed fissile material. There had been stockpiles of chemical weapons but Saddam had destroyed them. The CIA believed that Sabri’s responses indicated he had been truthful. His answers were given to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

But the CIA still needed to know whether Sabri wanted to defect. One former CIA official believed the spy agency got its answer on Sept. 19, 2002, when Sabri addressed the General Assembly. He was wearing one of the suits that CIA had purchased for him, the sign he was going abandon Saddam.

But the defection never happened. Sabri left New York and later vehemently denied the episode publicly in 2006 after NBC published details about the operation. He called it “totally fabricated and unfounded.”

Comments (67)

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  • VetforAmerica
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 11:11am

    We built and maintain a building for the worlds leaders. Only a complete fool would be stunned by the fact our spy agencies probably have bugs in every single room.

    Report Post »  
  • Dave In Arizona
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 11:08am

    Duh!?

    Report Post » Dave In Arizona  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 11:53am

      I agree, DIA. This wasn’t know to whom?

      I actually thought that U.N. headquarters was built here so “we could keep close tabs on the whole enchilada.”

      Report Post » Ruler4You  
    • smithclar3nc3
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 11:58am

      We need to remove the U.S from the U.N.
      And Remove the U.N. from the U.S.
      Global governance will only serve to enslave people around the world.

      Report Post »  
    • dizzyinthedark
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 12:42pm

      Ruler4You, keeping an eye on them or “the whole enchilada” has backfired. The UN is now keeping their eye on all of us with their ‘Smart Plan’ called Agenda 21. It won’t be long before we, who are awake, but still have a film of deception covering our eyes with unemployment, rage on wallstreet, vanjones ranting, etc., will be looking at one another like ‘a deer in the headlights’ when we find out the UN is in control of America and the rest of the world through the implementation of the Smart Grid able to control our energy supply. Obama said, “…electricity prices will necessarily skyrocket..” His plan of spreading the wealth is not spreading the money, but spreading the energy equally, to the rest of the world, but we continue to argue the money aspect of his lame statements–this is their plan. Watch the other hand, they are taking advantage of a crisis. We are complaining and objecting to the wrong thing here or rather we should add the Smart Meter and Smart Grid as one of many objections!

      Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
    • lrgon
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 1:22pm

      No, it was not built so that we (US government intelligence agencies) could keep tabs on their spies!

      Hint: the UN was a concept in the mind of Woodrow Wilson and his close advisor Edward Mandell House. They called this concept of theirs a “League of Nations.” House and Wilson failed but House adamant that the US should be part of a world goverment organization, formed the Council on Foreign Relations organization to give world government another try.

      Just before WWII ended the UN conference in San Francisco was loaded with members of the US delegation to the UN with members of the Council on Foreign Relations. House’s hard work paid off well for him; the US delegation was run by the CFR and the persuaded the US senate to approve US involvement in their scheme for surrendering US sovereignty to a world body. From now on the CFR plan would place even US soldiers under the command of UN commanders and UN commanders and UN rules of engagement.

      Fast forward to the Ahmadinejad speech at the UN. The Iranian president went from the UN straight to the CFR to speak to them. Anti-defamation League president Foxman was present at that event. The Jewish leader of the ADL happens to be a CFR member.

      Without putting in the CFR architects puzzle pieces of the UN into the picture any number of false theories as for the purpose of the UN will not complete the picture for you.

      Report Post » lrgon  
    • motonutt
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 2:39pm

      Does anyone know what Herman Cain’s stance is with dealing with satans evil government organisation?

      Report Post » motonutt  
    • KTsayz
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:20pm

      Motonutt – Cain wants to ‘shake it up’ and make sure the US has a ‘bigger voive’ there.

      http://www.bookerrising.net/2011/09/herman-cain-i-would-shake-up-united.html

      So aside from being pro gun regulations/restrictions, pro Patriot Act, pro Fed, he’s pro UN. Not a valid candidate in my estimation.

      Report Post »  
    • motonutt
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 9:29pm

      @KTSAYS…..Thanks for the link, I’m going to research that. I’m not real thrilled with the national sales tax either. It’s just opening the door to get reemed in the future.

      Report Post » motonutt  
  • MBA
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:54am

    Well here is the first stop for the super committee (of thieves) to cut funding of the Federal budget. Take all funding away from the UN and kick their sorry * s s e s out of this country. Then bill then for all the money they have put into their personal bank accounts over the past 50 years. Enough already–when does the corruption stop?

    Report Post »  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 11:54am

      …of course, that was before we bought the entier line of U.N. B.S. hook, line and stinker. And then financed the whole thing to boot.

      Report Post » Ruler4You  
    • oldchevyguy
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 2:23pm

      The UN wants a bigger building.We will fund a great portion of the project,as usual.They should build the building elsewhere and we withdraw our membership.Hillary and the UN want to take our guns away.Time to get out!

      Report Post »  
  • MidWestMom
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:52am

    Gee, ya think?

    Report Post »  
  • Hickory
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:36am

    Move it to Zimbabwe.

    Report Post » Hickory  
    • BetterDays
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 11:56am

      I favor a calved iceberg home for it, say in a warm ocean climate regon ?

      Report Post »  
  • dizzyinthedark
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:09am

    The UN’s plan is working and moving forward right under noses–collapse America from within. With their implementation of Agenda 21, ICLEI (one arm of the octopus) in our very towns collecting our tax dollars under the guise of ‘Sustainable Development’, ‘Green Initiatives’, and now the implementation of Smart Meters interfacing with ‘Smart Appliances’ (all appliances will be ‘smart’ by 2012) to finally interface with the Smart Grid that will interface with all countries. Once we accept the Smart Meter onto our homes the Smart Grid will be the next hurdle into finally having total control of America. Constitution be damned! They are skirting our very laws, right under our very noses. We The People have accepted their ‘Smart Plan’, we are saying ‘yes’ to our own demise. We have been contributing money to the UN for years by accepting membership into ICLEI, an arm of the UN and their Agenda 21 plan. Not only have we been paying the UN 25%, but another bundle through this nefarious organization–they are bleeding us and we have said ‘yes’ to ICLEI!!! Wake up! Look into Smart Meters, Smart Grid, Smart Appliances. Find out for yourselves their plan for the United States and the world. Read Agenda 21, don’t take my word for it. Ending our relationship with the UN won’t stop their plan.

    Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
    • Vital
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:51pm

      I can understand….I am yelling from the roof tops to let people know about the danger of ICLEI in their communities

      Report Post » Vital  
  • Buck Shane
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 9:40am

    Get the US out of the UN, and,get the UN out of the US!

    Report Post » Buck Shane  
  • hempstead1944
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 9:05am

    Casablanca all over again?

    Report Post »  
    • DanWesson455
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 9:23am

      The AP comes out in 2011 and says this. I can only hope most citizens living through the 50′s, 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, 90′s prbably knew this back then. I and my Dad who was in Fed LE knew this. Gads and the AP does a story now? What did they expect or better whom did they expect to staff all those offices? Academics and career diplomats? HA give me a break. We all know we have CIA operatives in probably every Embassy we have in the world. Geezes ya just can’t make up stupid, you only have to have the AP.

      Report Post » DanWesson455  
  • scrapadapolis
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:51am

    How about disolving the UN and collect the 1/2 million dollars in parking fines from those bastard nations!Reminds me of the movie with Mel Gibbson”.DIPLAMATIC IMMUNITY”.

    Report Post » scrapadapolis  
  • cemerius
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:47am

    This is News? I would call it “news” if the headline read “U.N. closes shop in America and moves to France!”.

    Report Post » cemerius  
    • JRook
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:09am

      Good point. It as stupid as the issue about Russia organizing hit squads to eliminate anti Russian militants. Are people forgetting about the outing of Valarie Plame. US embassies and the CIA undertake similar if not identical activities. Perhaps we could show leadership and begin limiting the practice ourselves.

      Report Post »  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 11:44am

      JCROOK as usual mixing in the argument of Blame Conservative America First. Plame was outed by a Journalist Robert Novak, from info gotten from Richard Armitage a State Dept Employee. She is also the wife of Yellow Cake Joe Wilson, another DEMOCRAT Operative
      You two dopes should get a room

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • JRook
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 3:04pm

      @13th Imam Save you name calling for the school yard. The point is both sides are wrong. You can’t condemn actions of another country if your own country has ever participate in similar actions. If you recognize that then you should refrain from the adult discussion.

      Report Post »  
    • JRook
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 3:06pm

      @13th Imam And by the way you left out “Lewis “Scooter” Libby testified to a federal grand jury that he had been “authorized” by his boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, and other White House “superiors” in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration’s use of prewar intelligence, according to an article posted today by the National Journal.”

      Report Post »  
  • christos
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:46am

    …….Their time would be better spent obeying +JESUS+ their N.W.O. plans and harboring satan are laughable in addition adding apple cranberry pie to their menu may get better results,when in doubt Pray and make pie…go fetch

    Report Post » christos  
  • Mandors
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:42am

    First of all, don’t call it “intelligence.” Call it political gossip. There is nothing vital to our National Security that can be found in anything that happens at the U.N. The pathetic organization has condemned, boycotted, banned for decades, all to no avail. No good has come from this organization since its inception. It is a waste of time and money, and classic liberal operation where billions are spent with no result other than illusory feel good globalism.

    Report Post » Mandors  
  • KTsayz
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:36am

    I think it’s been every year since 1997, HR 1146 The American Sovereignty Act – an Act to withdraw the United States permanently from the United Nations and expel the United Nations Headquarters from its territory within the City of New York, and end all payments to the United Nations and its organs – has been put forward. Ron Paul authored and introduced this bill and he is the only candidate who will get us out of the UN. Personally, I have much less concern for our foreign policy than I do for our domestic one, and the rest of the candidates just don’t cut it. We’ll be a part of that he!!hole until we collapse.

    Report Post »  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:46am

      Boy, That AP is on top of everything. Good thing a couple of these so-called journalists can read, All they have to do is log onto the BLAZE or GBTV to get the current news. One of my old friends(Liberal, Socialist , Now a Professor) was a AP reporter in Boston and we have had many knock-downs, (no actual fighting),

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
  • LMW
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:33am

    The first man who swears that he will give the UN 30 days to leave this country and says we will withdraw and not support them in any way will have a landslide victory but most are too stupid to realize it as they have been brainwashed to think that a new world order is best. Not one person in our military should have to wear the blue hat of the UN. It is treason to do so yet we force our troops to do it in the name of peace.

    Report Post »  
  • slr4528
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:14am

    Has anyone seen where the U.N. is attempting to pass an international law that will require all guns to be registered? Isn’t that a creative way to get around gun laws. This story was on FOX last week. We should leave the U.N., it is so corrupt and giving dictators, like the turkey in Iran, a forum to spread his hate is beyond comprehension.

    Report Post »  
    • TomFerrari
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 10:00am

      When we finally leave the U.N. and kick it off our shores, we can have the building razed (demolished). When we do that, I think we should sell hammers and let everyone take a swing at it. Nobody would want a chunk of the building as a souvenir, but, they WOULD want a hammer that was used to tear it down!
      Just think how much money we could raise! (Raise money razing the U.N.!)

      Report Post » TomFerrari  
  • bharris0
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:09am

    The U.N. is about as anti-American as you can get. They want to see us fall so they can rule the “new world order”.
    We need to kick them out of our country and stop funding their anti-American antics.

    Report Post »  
  • Bill Rowland
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:01am

    Gonzo – you are right about us refusing to contribute 25%. Alll nations that want to be a member of the organization should contribute equally or go home. If we stay in the UN should be moved to a neutral country in Europe.
    AP acts like they discovered something new – spying under cover of diplomatic immunity – has been going on since the UN was founded.
    What has the UN accomplished in the last 20 years? Allowing Pi$$ ant countries to call us names and critisize our policies.
    BS.

    OMG – Psalm 109:8

    Report Post »  
  • rickbob
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:54am

    “AP: U.N. IS A ‘HOTBED OF SPYING AND CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS’” Duh. . . It took them 60 years to figure this out. Let’s put the UN in Moscow or Beijing or how about Hanoi?? Once it’s moved, the US should withdraw and let all of the tin pot dictators finance their own bashing of America.

    Report Post » rickbob  
  • Walkabout
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:53am

    Move the UN buildings & assembly to an island like Bermuda.

    No spying on U.S. soil & the average American citizen in NYC & environs will no t get run over , assaulted or murdered by U.N. diplomats & staff.

    The Island would have beaches for a little R & R, but other than that it would offer little in the way of amenities. So maybe the assembly would focus on business & otherwise adjourn as soon as possible.

    Report Post »  
  • FEMALL
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:48am

    Shocking.HAHAHAHA That empty UN building would make for some prime condo real estate.

    O= Marching Shoes With Shabazz

    Report Post » FEMALL  
  • LadyLibertykicksASS
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:27am

    America must get out of the UN; and the UN MUST get out of America !!!!!!!!!

    Report Post »  
    • chazman
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:31am

      @LADY

      I couldn’t have said it better myself!

      Report Post »  
    • KTsayz
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:15pm

      Then vote for Ron Paul and it will get done!

      Report Post »  
  • UBETHECHANGE
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:20am

    Ge the US out of the UN, then get the UN out of the US.

    Report Post »  
  • drago
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:15am

    Look, this is my supprised face! NOT!

    Report Post »  
  • grudgywoof
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:07am

    the next conservative president (if we make it that far) need to get our arses out of this stupid waste of money. Everybody hates us anyway so just demolish the building and turn it into a park.

    Report Post » grudgywoof  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:28am

      I think we should stay in it but, stop covering 25% of the U.N. budget. Divide the budget equally between all member nations and if a country refuses, they are out.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:58am

      At Gonzo.
      Yes, stay in. Apportion the UN dues more fairly & move the UN on an island in the middle of the Pacific or Atlantic.

      Report Post »  
    • 100 Million Patriots Standing
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 8:21am

      It’s not called a park anymore…but thanks to the UN and their plan for global leadership we are now to refer to it as greenspace….

      so pretty much, just remember that everything environmental is UN conceived…in order to create a boogy man….Global Warming by man…..in order to get us to go along with their program….which is a total reduction or elimination of our freedom….

      The UN by it’s actions to turn us Socialist or Communistic should be removed from our shores and we stop the checks that support an organization that continues to undermine our system of governance. We are paying for our own demise…..

      Report Post » 100 Million Patriots Standing  
    • sbleve
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 12:17pm

      Hate America is a reflection on the COLA increase that the U.S. taxpayers write welfare checks to all of the other member nations.

      Report Post » sbleve  
  • SamIamTwo
    Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:02am

    Oh, gee another surprise…NOT.

    Report Post » SamIamTwo  
    • IntransigentMind
      Posted on October 4, 2011 at 7:34am

      The UN has been a base of operations for espionage since we put that building up.

      That we’re somehow ony now reporting on this is ludicrous.

      Report Post »  
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