>Dear Friend, > >With the recent revelations about U.S. intelligence failures regarding the >tragedy of 9/11, we are pleased to announce that starting this Sunday, >C-SPAN2/Book TV will begin showing our very timely Independent Policy >Forum event, "Big Brother is Watching," ><http://www.independent.org/tii/forums/020606ipf2.html> held before a >capacity crowd at The Independent Institute with investigative journalist >JAMES BAMFORD (author of BODY OF SECRETS: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret >National Security Agency ><http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385499086/theindepeende-20>): > >* Sunday, June 16, at 6:35 a.m. Pacific Time (9:35 a.m. Eastern) >* Sunday, June 16, at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time (6:30 p.m. Eastern) >* Monday, June 17, at 3:35 a.m. Pacific Time (6:35 a.m. Eastern) > >Changes in the schedule may be posted at: <http://www.booktv.org/>. > >Among the many highlights of Bamford's talk: > >* An overview of the little-known National Security Agency, which monitors >communications around the globe, and -- with more than 30,000 employees >and an annual budget exceeding $5 billion -- is by far the world's largest >intelligence agency. > >* For more than three decades prior to 1975, but without a search warrant, >the NSA monitored every telegram sent to or from the United States through >Western Union. > >* During Bamford's research for his book, BODY OF SECRETS, he obtained >documents related to "Operation Northwoods," a plan drawn up and approved >by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in the early 1960s to commit covert >terrorist assaults upon Americans to generate popular support for a war >against Cuba. > >* The creation of a new Department of Homeland Security will accelerate >the threat to civil liberties posed by the government's >"security-industrial complex." > >* Despite its size and budget, the volume of electronic communications >worldwide routinely overwhelms the bureaucratic NSA's ability to process >the information it gathers in enough time to protect Americans. > >Indeed, the day following Bamford's talk at The Independent Institute, a >news report claimed that the NSA monitored a pre-Sept. 11th telephone >conversation between hijackers Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and Mohamed Atta, >and this information was never passed along. > >See "Another U.S. agency had clues before Sept. 11, some officials say," >(MERCURY NEWS, 6/7/02) at ><http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/news/3419903.htm>. > >If you don't have television access to C-SPAN2/Book TV, you can watch the >program on-line at the scheduled time at: ><http://www.booktv.org/watch/>. In addition, transcripts, audio tapes, >and videos of this program can be ordered directly from The Independent >Institute by visiting the following web page: ><http://www.independent.org/tii/forums/020606ipf2.html>. > >We hope that you will find this important and very timely program of >particular interest and value. > >Best regards, > >David J. Theroux >Founder and President >The Independent Institute >100 Swan Way >Oakland, CA 95621-1428 >510-632-1366 Phone >510-568-6040 Fax >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://www.independent.org > >
