Make Intelligence Great Again

When hearing “Let´s make our intelligence great again”, many people will immediately and rightly think about getting rid of toxic political correctness. As much as common sense of logically and critically thinking citizens is crucial in elections, Human Intelligence (often abbreviated as HUMINT) makes or breaks country´s international potential and internal immune system.

Neither “dry” data nor imagery intel (IMINT) can bring multi-layer information provided by human sources, decipher complexity of international relations or measure true temperature of conflicts.

The impact of a country on the international scene depends on its capacity of intelligence collection and counterintelligence. If technology can occasionally score a high ranking card, human intelligence means entire deck of cards ready to be auspiciously dealt out.

Duty

America´s foes couldn´t help but notice that Ronald Reagan´s era brought symbolism of individual freedom, but also renewed interest in HUMINT. It is noteworthy that it is the image of the country protecting rights and liberties of people that effected in precious testimonies both on national and foreign ground. Additionally, America was interested in quality immigration –often politically oppressed dissidents whose values corresponded with national ones and for whom the American dream meant freedom, rather than a better economic situation.

Gradually, dereliction of duty and politicizing of services where absolute integrity is necessary started to discourage the messengers and to kill the message. J. Edgar Hoover´s warning has been echoing above overcooked “alphabet soup” for decades: “Just the minute the FBI begins making recommendations on what should be done with its information, it becomes a Gestapo”.

Honor

It´s not only about “thank you” to Dr. Afridi and disgusting treatment of other less prominent sources who paid for loyalty to America with their own blood. One look at homeless Veterans serves as repellent for about any potential whistleblower who has ever hoped that the U.S.A does not leave loyal warriors behind. For decades, consecutive administrations yawned at America´s greatest potential, fired unpliable patriots and hired user friendly careerists. Politically correct Intel- cherry picking applauded bogus “allies” and overlooked hostile actions of real enemies.

Cronyism germinating from corruption brought to the table inadequate information collectors, and in HUMINT incompetence is a deadly sin. There was a good reason to have Mengele´s victims listen to other victim´s testimonies rather than employing ignorant snobs giggling at the “incredible experiments”. Stazi torture survivors would be branded as “falsifiers” by an unfit information collector whose assessment would be as trustworthy as opinion of a Hollywood´s psychoanalyst for obese pets diagnosing Combat Veterans with “mental illness”.

Sources who have Aces in their sleeve and who know the ugly truth about thugs, won´t talk to thugs –no matter if suit clad and capable of making a fan from diplomas.

Country

Information is as sacred as life of humans who risk their lives to shield the country from enemies – both foreign and domestic. Whenever counterintelligence translates into surveillance of “politically incorrect dissidents”(or even Presidents…), the country risks losing the international game, unless chiselers are flagged and banned. Card sharpies can be easily identified – they falsify while reciting Hooveresque definition: “We are a fact –gathering organization only. We don´t clear anybody. We don´t condemn anybody”.

Joanna Rosamond