Thanks to Wikileaks, we have a new appreciation how seriously Clinton takes that whole 3Ds thing (Defense/ Diplomacy/ Development). We all should work together, which apparently means all work for the Defense (cum Intelligence) establishment.
According to a secret July 31, 2009 cable signed by Clinton, now available thanks to Wiki the on NYT web site, she asked all US government staff at UN, even over and above her own diplomats (does that include aid staff also?) to spy on everyone else at the UN:
Important information often is available to non-State members of the Country Team whose agencies participated in the review of this National HUMINT Collection Directive…The intelligence community relies on State reporting officers for much of the biographical information collected worldwide.
they should collect things like
internet and intranet “handles,” internet e-mail addresses, web site identification-URLs; {SO MUCH FOR ANONYMOUS BLOGGING AND TWITTER!}, credit card account numbers; frequent flyer account numbers;
Her country spying priorities are interesting:
3. (S/NF) Priority issues and issues outline:
A. Key Near-Term Issues
1) Darfur/Sudan (FPOL-1)
2) Afghanistan/Pakistan (FPOL-1)
3) Somalia (FPOL-1)
4) Iran (FPOL-1)
5) North Korea (FPOL-1)
Should we be grateful that nothing resembling Economic Development or Global Poverty shows up on her issue list for her spies to report on? Or sad that she is revealing the true US government lack of interest in development?
B. Key Continuing Issues
1) UN Security Council Reform (FPOL-1)
2) Iraq (FPOL-1)
3) Middle East Peace Process (FPOL-1)
4) Human Rights and War Crimes (HRWC-3)
5) UN Humanitarian and Complex Emergency Response
(HREL-3)
6) Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMDN-5H)
7) Terrorist Threat to UN Operations (TERR-5H)
Burma (FPOL-1)
Clinton has denounced Wikileaks for harming national security.
Well, Secretary Clinton, couldn’t you also work in an apology for turning your staff into spies and the UN into even more of an ugly spy nest?
14 Comments
Don’t be naive. Diplomats exist to collect or more or less open information on behalf of their government. That’s been one of their key roles since time immemorial.
It’s only natural that intelligence agencies would use their information for background in target development, and provide directives as to the sorts of information that would be useful.
I would be demanding Hillary’s head on a platter if she’d issued an edict against such cooperation between State and the intelligence agencies.
I don’t think Economic Development or Global Poverty would ever fall under the ‘Near Term Issues’. As important as it may, these issues have a much larger hourglass than say Darfur/Sudan or Afghanistan/Pakistan. I don’t think this reflects “the true US government lack of interest in development?”. But the fact that ‘Human Rights’ comes before ‘Proliferation of WMDs’ should make the aid community happier?
talk about shooting the messenger. WL may be the best thing to happen to aid and diplomacy ever.
Here’s the truth on the “Hillary spying directive”. The National HUMINT Collection Directive (NHCD) is a broad, collaborative “wish list” of information requirements compiled across the United States Intelligence Community. It is not a State Department product, nor is it authored or issued by the Office of the Secretary of State or Hillary Clinton personally as some have reported. The directive is not written specifically for diplomats nor does it supersede State Department regulations or United States laws regarding intelligence gathering by its officers. It is simply issued across all U.S. Government agencies so that all agencies understand intelligence requirements and can contribute when they are in a position to do so. Though I have no inside information, I have no doubt that the U.S. (and all other member countries) is conducting activities at the United Nations that could be classified as “spying” but the NHCD should not be construed as a directive from State to its officers to place information gathering activities above their responsibilities as diplomats or their duty to uphold the laws of the United States.
I’m not sure that your criticism about the absence of development/poverty priorities is valid, even looking at the list you quote. Definitely not if you keep reading. Just below are listed Food Security, Climate Change, Energy and Environment, and Transnational Economic Issues. All of which are higher priorities than G.6: “Terrorism.” Saying that none of this resembles development or poverty seems pretty disingenuous.
ND, thanks for the useful context. This memo did actually come from the Sec of State and was signed Clinton, but I accept your broader points about the long standing policy.
Frankly, however (and here answering Ray also), I still find it unacceptable that US govt staff are ordered to snoop around for others’ secret information like credit card numbers (what are they supposed to do, pick pockets?), and that Clinton would be so blatant affirming such a policy.
On the development lack of emphasis, thanks for the useful correctives. It looks like I overstated this point. But the point still remains, there is still an absence of the general issue of poverty reduction/development. The low ranking for terrorism is perhaps not as impressive in this context because it’s only covering the UN.
In a way it’s actually GOOD news for the UN – in that – we are relevant after all!! Yippee!!!
To clarify, all cables issued from the State Department Headquarters in Washington D.C. are signed CLINTON, just as all cables from Kabul are signed EIKENBERRY. This does not indicate authorship or that the undersigned has even reviewed the document. As the principal officer of their organization, they do bear ultimate responsibility, but as in any large bureaucracy, they cannot review every directive issued, especially those authored by outside agencies like the NHCD.
Even having spent five years in the intelligence
community, I would find a directive specifically to diplomats asking them to collect credit card numbers and other personal information unsavory and fraught with danger, though I recognize that information’s potential utility. That said, this document does no such thing and no diplomat read this cable and interpreted it as instructions to actively attempt to collect Ban Ki Moon’s credit card number. Diplomats remain diplomats and continue to collect and report information that informs national policy as they always have.
Clinton’s use of the sunglasses emoticon lends the entire debacle a measure of fun. It’s like she’s saying, “Chill out, everybody; it’s just spying!”
@Brandon Haha yeah, the sunglasses are really amazing. Clinton didn’t actually type it herself, did she? Surely it must have come from somewhere deep in the bowels of the intelligence community… and anyway, what’s so cool about Burma?
yeap, the Good news for the UN.
Scary. Glass house policy all around. If an administration isn’t proud of their actions, then they don’t represent me.
Regarding the smiley faced sun glass wearing icon I think it simply is that someone didn’t turn off smileys on their word processing program.
OOPS–
or on the Aidwatch blog
numeral eight parenthesis =
I was hoping/assuming the secretary of state wouldn’t need smileys or lolcats on her memos.
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