NSA leaker: are there serious cracks in Ed Snowden’s story?
By Jon Rappoport
June 10, 2013
First, I’m not doubting the documents Ed Snowden has brought forward. I’m not doubting the illegal reach of the NSA in spying on Americans and the world.
But as to how this recent revelation happened, and whether Ed Snowden’s history holds up…I have questions.
Could Snowden have been given extraordinary access to classified info as part of a larger scheme? Could he be a) an honest man and yet b) a guy who was set up to do what he’s doing now?
If b) is true, then Snowden fits the bill perfectly. He wants to do what he’s doing. He isn’t lying about that. He means what he says.
Okay. Let’s look at his history as reported by The Guardian.
In 2003, at age 19, without a high school diploma, Snowden enlists in the Army. He begins a training program to join the Special Forces. The sequence here is fuzzy. At what point after enlistment can a new soldier start this training program? Does he need to demonstrate some exceptional ability before Special Forces puts him in that program?
Snowden breaks both legs in a training exercise. He’s discharged from the Army. Is that automatic? How about healing and then resuming Army service? Just asking.
If he was accepted in the Special Forces training program because he had special computer skills, then why discharge him simply because he broke both legs?
Circa 2003 (?), Snowden gets a job as a security guard for an NSA facility at the University of Maryland. He specifically wanted to work for NSA? It was just a generic job opening he found out about?
Also in 2003 (?), Snowden shifts jobs. He’s now in the CIA, in IT. He has no high school diploma. He’s a young computer genius?
In 2007, Snowden is sent to Geneva. He’s only 23 years old. The CIA gives him diplomatic cover there. He’s put in charge of maintaining computer-network security. Major job. Obviously, he has access to a very wide range of classified documents. Sound a little odd? Again, just asking. He’s just a kid. Maybe he has his GED by now. Otherwise, he still doesn’t have a high school diploma.
Snowden says that during this period, in Geneva, one of the incidents that really sours him on the CIA is the “turning of a Swiss banker.” One night, CIA guys get a banker drunk, encourage him to drive home, the banker gets busted, the CIA guys help him out, then with that bond formed, they eventually get the banker to reveal deep banking secrets to the Agency.
Snowden is this naïve? He doesn’t know by now that the CIA does this sort of thing all the time? He’s shocked? He “didn’t sign up for this?”
In 2009, Snowden leaves the CIA. Why? Presumably because he’s disillusioned. It should noted here that Snowden claimed he could do very heavy damage to the entire US intelligence community in 2008, but decided to wait because he thought Obama, just coming into the presidency, might make good changes.
After two years with the CIA in Geneva, Snowden really had the capability to take down the whole US intelligence network, or a major chunk of it? He had that much access to classified data?
Anyway, in 2009, Snowden leaves the CIA and goes to work for a private defense contractor. Apparently, by this time, he knows all about the phony US war in Iraq, and yet he chooses to work for a sector that relentlessly promotes such wars. Go figure.
This defense contractor (unnamed) assigns him to work at an NSA facility in Japan. Surely, Snowden understands what the NSA is. He knows it’s a key part of the whole military-intelligence network, the network he opposes.
But he takes the job anyway. Perhaps he’s doing it so he can obtain further access to classified data, in advance of blowing a big whistle. Perhaps.
Snowden goes on to work for two private defense contractors, Dell and Booze Allen Hamilton. In this latter job, Snowden is again assigned to work at the NSA.
He’s an outsider, but he claims to have so much sensitive NSA data that he can take down the whole US intelligence network in a single day. Hmm.
These are red flags. They raise questions. Serious ones.
If The Guardian, which has such close access to Snowden, wants to explore these questions, they might come up with some interesting answers.
Again, I’m not doubting that the documents Snowden has brought forward are real. I have to assume they are. I certainly don’t doubt the reach and the power and the criminality of the NSA.
Although I’m sure someone will write me and say I’m defending the NSA. I’M NOT.
But if Snowden was maneuvered, in his career, without his knowing it, to arrive at just this point, then we have a whole new story. We have a story about unknown forces who wanted this exposure to occur.
Who would these forces be? I could make lots of guesses. But they would just be guesses.
Perhaps all the anomalies in the career of Ed Snowden can be explained with sensible answers. I realize that. But until they are, I put the questions forward. And leave them there.
Jon Rappoport
The author of two explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED and EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at www.nomorefakenews.com
[…] http://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/nsa-leaker-are-there-serious-cracks-in-ed-snowdens-stor… […]
so what is the effect of this information? Spying Is widespread? That’s Not a conspiracy theory? There’s a giant office right behind here, collating this as data? welcome to the machine?
“…This defense contractor (unnamed) assigns him to work at an NSA facility in Japan…”
It’s interesting that he was assigned to work with the NSA in Japan.
Lee Harvey Oswald was supposedly on the CIA payroll paid out of their office in Japan.
Oswald was the ultimate patsy. He figured it out. It was too late.
Is Ed Snowden their newest patsy? Will he figure it out? Will it be too late?
As you say; `just asking’
Poots
It makes one wonder if this is all just a smoke screen to draw attention away from other things which may be going on…
I love your ever-suspicious style, Jon! Seriously. We have to look at everything as deeply as possible to ferret out the hidden details.
Your article makes me wonder: what if there is a group of powerful people who are so patient and meticulous that they “created” Snowden’s career and helped his “crisis of conscience” to culminate in this revelation?
What would these unknown forces gain by maneuvering Snowden to make this exposure?
It is good to question everything.
I would point out that this seems to be an era of revelations, and they do seem managed [to my intuition]. Managing revelation of secrets is certainly more profitable if the initiative is taken by those who wish to manage the fallout.
Again, Design masquerades as Diagnosis. This is one of the core techniques of perception manipulation.
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If they can get this all out in the open, and then “get beyond it”, then it is all old news and it’s over.
I think that is the reason the “Mainstream” is hooked into this, it is a ploy – one set to ‘slow burn’…the “outrage” is being managed quite well, you may have noticed.
Let’s face it, a Noble Peace Prize “president’ who is a warmonger has gone ‘unnoticed’ by these stupid Merkans for 4 and a half years. Amerika is braindead – the elite can count on it…and this will prove it.
\\[2]//
Why is his lack of a HS diploma so important to the author of this article, the military only cares about your education credentials if you want to be an officer,
The military is can do, first. What can you do? second. And lastly, what do you know?
I agree, The ‘Guardian’ would never print something this sensitive without U.S. approval,which means also U.K. approval.
Since the sixties anything deemed ‘delicate’ has always been vetted by a ‘D notice’ officer,usually someone of Rear Admiral rank.
NOTHING like this ever gets printed here unless the government approves it!
this young man is pure genius … his IQ is the same as an average mans body weight!
Good questions Jon, from my viewpoint I see a couple of possible additional dynamics going on here:
1. Limited hangout strawman – Another chew toy for the well-meaning clueless crowd.
2. The expansion of the secrecy industrial complex since 9/11 like the blob is devouring everything in it’s path and it is “THE” new real politik wagging our collective Amurkin dog.
3. Addressing his lack of formal credentials, the secrecy industrial complex has a very, very difficult time finding people who can actually pass muster and maintain a security clearance. So they’re required to recruit from the “know nothing, never done anything, been anywhere, and only view the world through a gunsight genetically modified ex-military propaganda drone,” world to fill their ranks.
4. You could train a chimp to do those jobs. The jobs these NSA/CIA/(fill in your favorite acronym soup to nuts agency here) drones are required to do are so mind numbingly boring and routine that they don’t require any formal credentials, talent, individual initiative or horsepower of any kind.
5. At some levels I think there is a great deal of programming of the individual to create the “manchurian candidate” character to fit an official tactical narrative, but sometimes I don’t think it’s necessary to reach that far when witnessing the truly low level at which this guy operated. He’s just another guy that takes orders well and get’s paid well for not asking any questions and optimizing his obedience to the bone grinding system. This speaks to just how routine, mundane, and widespread these types of dragnet surveillance activities really are.
The profound mediocrity of this guys resume is what’s throwing you off Jon. That’s the trick, these diabolical programs are likely the most mundane part of the infrastructure of techno-fascism arrayed against the populations of the planet. It’s the psy-op to get us to believe that they can track/listen/document/etc. everything in every direction in real time in perpetuity. I don’t doubt that they can in some respects, but it’s the debauching of the legal system that allows for future fishing expeditions terrorizing the public that we’re not supposed to pay attention to. Fight on!
Doesn’t add up at all. The NSA’s hiring process is extremely rigorous…if there is a shadow of any doubt about anything, you don’t get in.
I believe you must be an E-6 in order to join Special Forces. Has this changed?
@Anonymous: ‘… the military only cares about your education credentials if you want to be an officer, The military is can do, first.”
Wrong. You MUST be a HS graduate in order to enlist in the Air Force, Marine Corps or Navy. Depending on their need, the Army changes their requirements.
The second he said he went from security to personnel of NSA i was like, really?? Then he goes on saying i had all this money and a perfect life and income in Hawaii, going on to say, “..and imagine what is takes to leave a life like that..” It really raised a flag for me, in his tone & face, it looked like a footnote in his speech. As if he was deliberately trying to make the point that he has everything to lose by doing this. He also didn’t seem to have much sentiment towards the emotional aspect of leaving a relationship behind forever either. It feels like this is one of those moments brought on by false-flag conspiracy (believe government is taking care of it, or believe in the conspiracy, and be afraid they can do anything). Even if it is clearly out of order or dead truth, it just says, ‘Believe we are capable of it, and there is no escape from our power.’ Oh… and he made sure to drop some words like, ..one of the worlds’ most powerful infrastructures..’ referring to our systems of data collecting. I mean his fear, whether is true or not, is one i share too, honestly. The difference is, i don’t have the fear that our government is SO organized that i won’t be able to live the life i want inside this country. we all have the choice to display as much of ourselves as we chose on the web, and in other mediums of socializing (not without some social repercussions, clearly). If you have a fear in similarity to this man’s fear, get off the grid as much as you can, and stop complaining where you are being watched/listened to.
Interesting stuff. Jon, go back and listen to the interview. Note the use of the word “you” then come back and rewrite your article. The use of the word “you” when talking about yourself is a mindfuck, it is designed to put the viewer – say of sporting events, in the event itself. Note how athletes will say, “you work all year for this and then you win….” it was PR move to make the viewer feel like THEY won, not the athlete.
The whistleblower in this case wants US to be the one’s who have done this, his words are too well scripted for a guy who is most likely going to be Bradley Manninged. His interview was a PR person’s wet dream, which makes the process curious to say the least.
In the end there is nothing new here, books have been written about this stuff for ages, for god’s sake they are building not one, but TWO huge multibillon dollar complexes to store this stuff – hardly a secret, as they are hiring right now! How they do it, who cares, they do it? This was designed to get 1 month of outrage, followed by full and complete acceptance by everyone – and this will happen just as it was planned.
[…] NSA leaker: are there serious cracks in Ed Snowden's story? […]
There was one brief TV news report that mentioned that he had other family members involved in the intelligence community. (Sorry… I cannot give a citation.)
Possibly there is a sort of clique-ish/family centered culture to the intelligence community that allowed him into a position of trust, even if he lacked the academic qualifications?
He was one of them. They knew his family. They trusted him.
Good job jon,looks like alot of people have the same concerns(false flag).When you see mainsteam media all over this you can bet it’s been planned and approved for publc consumption.I agree with the gentleman above,get the story out and control it and condition the masses for whatever is coming next
John O’Neil comes to mind, a supposed hero, that was actually intimately involved in the 9/11 event.
Oh yes, reminds me of the gradeschool lesson where we were asked what is wrong with this picture? Now that we are aware that those who have different views from the desired status quo are targetted by the IRS, FBI, CIA, OSHA, EPA, DOJ, DHS, et all, we will be comforted that all Americans are under attack!
just wondering if this isn’t red herring. Chinese have compromised our security as well as our lap dog. the shtf and to provide cover story and a need for even more domestic crackdown one of our own has gone rouge these intel guys just keep working it
I think this was purposely leaked…perhaps to give the govt an opportunity to say “yes we do spy” but “It’s in your own best interest.” For the sake of preventing terrorism. They are hoping to get the public to buy into this theory so that some conspiracy theorist doesn’t expose them first. This way they have all the control.
There are very few journalists “on the button”. You are one, Jon. Honouring the resounding disinformation success – wikileaks, it seems the CIA/NSA are now in “nothing can stop us” mode. We live in an age of so much information, but so little to trust that even the respectfully intelligent are becoming confused.
Thank you for clarity on precisely how dangerous things are becoming….
OT
This crossed my mind, so many convenient pieces. It is possible it was/is an unwitting setup. Or witting, who knows. We do know there are big things always in the background at work. Is this the govt coming forward to announce the facts, or is it to divert from things like the TPP trade agmt, or amnesty, both of which will further destroy the US.
In my estimation it’s all of the above.Thank you for lining out the questions in this format Jon.
Well, there’s nothing like going all out to kill the messenger – is there?
The fake whistle blower for the fake president and the know nothing see nothing public.
I was thinking the same thing. Something fishy about all of this. Maybe they are floating a trial balloon to see what people would do or think. Maybe the whole thing is a setup and he is a fake leaker. Why go to Hong Kong ? Why go to China of all places? Then now he says he wants to go to Iceland. Maybe they are leaking a little to cover up a lot or maybe its a distraction for some other reason. something about this whole deal sounded weird to me from the start. As soon as alex jones gets back from england he can get on the case.
Sometimes “leaks” are a way of managing how information emerges and how it’s perceived. And it’s a way of getting the American people to consent to something ugly. We’ve just been through a series of disasters. Will we really rise up and oppose all this wiretapping and data mining? Compared to all the tornadoes, bombings, fires, and storms, this all seems so mild, so remote. But after this “leak” no one can claim ignorance. From this point on we are complicit.
He may have earned a high school equivalency while attending Anne Arundel Community College in 1999-2001 before he enlisted. He took computer courses again after being dropped from military training.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/10/18882615-what-we-know-about-nsa-leaker-edward-snowden?lite
I think there was such a rapid rush by the government to staff up for national security (Iraq, War on Terror, WMDs, etc.) that they accepted a lot of people that they wouldn’t take in today. He got in at about the right time in 2003-2004; i.e., when the defense budget nearly doubled in three years.
Just a comment on part of the story. If you break anything while training in the military, you are discharged. They don’t heal you and let you continue, they send you home. Know a kid that broke his ankle in basic, he was gone the next day.
Common…This is just another drama of lame stream media + CIA and NSA …The guy is still at Langley playing his part.
Do you really really —REALLY believe the whole lame stream media will EVER print a story without confirming it first with their masters in NSA and CIA?
When was the last time lame stream media in America wrote a truth that served Human race…ummmm…let me think………NEVER
You got to be kidding yourself with all this to believe that its real but not a drama to introduce more laws in America to further curb your freedom.
Look at the narration and the over drive lame stream media has got into this…which is a big red flag…
To put further credibility to what I’m saying….
I guarantee, the Guy will never be caught and I double guarantee that for the next few months..they will blow up this story to MAX EFFECT…He will conveniently be always on the run, too close but never tooo close to be caught
BUT HE WILL CONTINUE TO USE INTERNET AND TELL HIS SIDE OF THE STORY
This is it…Look at the headline
Assange in touch with ‘hero’ whistleblower Snowden
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/assange…owden-1.298008
Yeah right…How freaking convenient…..
Those who are in this for a long time will see through this BS now that Assenge has somehow conveniently able to make contact with the guy….We in Conspiracy know what Coincidences really mean…
Do they really really think we are that STUPID to believe this whole DRAMA….
hegelian Dialect at play;
Problem: too much international surveillance
Reaction: OMG we’re being snooped by our own governments
Solution: Wait and see, NWO.in the wings.
Once a CIA asset, always a CIA asset.
Thanks for the added perspective rappoport
Hmm..
Joining the military with no diploma is def one ive never heard of. You have to at least have a GED. As far a special forces he could have had it in his contract when he first joined. But he would have had to scored extremely high on his ASVAB as well as exhibited other traits. Still….his lack of a deploma would have def prohibited his entry period. Broken legs….well depending on how bad it was the military can choose not to spend too much money on getting you back up to par. After rehabilitation they could go straight into a medical chapter. Then again….if he was just riding a desk he could have easily stayed. In my opinion something isnt right. As far as the rest of this story I can only speculate. I cant seem to get passed his odd military service
This is an old post, but I wanted to respond… You can get in without a GED and without and High School Diploma. I know because I failed during my senior year, I dropped out and stuff happened. My recruiter said we can ask for a waiver and it was approved. I scored a 64 on the ASVAB, was still granted the waiver. I do not mind telling people this now, because I have several college degrees. Just wanted to correct you on this though.
I agree with Chris Jacob. None of this is real. If it were it would not be published in the Guardian. As I read the story, I kept shaking my head. From Security guard to Top CIA security agent in a blink of an eye. Have you ever heard of a a security guard, who did’nt do well in high school moving up the ranks? No disrespect to security guards but they are security guards for a reason.
This reminds me of the Jewish “film makers” ( mossad” )on 911 who filmed the planes on 911. They claimed they were doing a documentary on the NYC fire fighters and were close friends with one of the fire fighters. How many Jewish film makers do you know who socialize with fire fighters? The fact that these so called “film makers” never made a film before or after 911 does not seem to interest anyone.
Come on! Get real. This is all for our consumption.
soldiers injured in training are routinely sent home, especially with serious injuries and anyone can opt for special forces generally right after basic training if they want so no issues there
If Snowden is part of a ruse or he was set up to do this, the message is that EVERYONE is being spied on. When it become that broad, the REAL targeted people get lost in the mix. The REAL targeted people, can be found in the MIAC report that was released a few years ago. The ‘intelligence’ for that report, stank to high heaven of the Southern Poverty Law Center who works hand in glove with the feds. This may be the opposite of a limited hangout.
Read THIS: http://www.activistpost.com/2013/06/main-core-list-of-millions-of-americans.html
Hi Jon,
I GOT THE ANSWER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1.We, people, if we want to raise against tyranny need a majority to stand up and a global awakening.
2.They, the tyrants, if they want a final oppression need AS WE DO people to stand up in order to raise the level of oppression to the point they can justify their move.
3. The main problem of general apathy of the ‘sheeple’ is the same in both cases. They cannot crush a civil unrest when there is none !
@John, if this man is alive by the end of the week, he is a plant.
No one with this much/supposed information just walks around.
There is an old saying, once a spook always a spook, unless
your time is up..
You can, if you test well, get a contract to go to special forces training as a condition of your enlistment. Break both legs badly enough and they can and will medically board you out. DIA, NSA, CIA will hire whomever it needs to do whatever they need. I do not think rigorous is the correct word for opportunists. As for his surprise at setting the banker up, he was young, ideal and loved his country and naive. As for taking jobs he was doing what he was trained to do in an area he was trained for and slowly just could not ignore his inner conscience.
Was he himself set up, maybe. Were they already doing this when they formed Operation Echelon and Carnivore in the early 2000s? Yes. Does the military, CIA, or DIA ever underestimate people? Ask Susan Lindauer, Bradley Manning, and Ray McGovern.
Looks like a psy OP…very unlikely that a well paid overrated techie is gonna sign up for the Brad Manning treatment….especially with spook patsy written all over his history. Running to China for freedom? They may want to prepare the sheeple to accept murder of US whistle blowers like the blogger from South Dakota. Every article on this must be spun 180 degrees by the reader to see what Big Brother is up to. Jon Rappaport is wise to question the convenience of this story for those brainwashing Sheeple into thinking what? (Just watch Fox News to learn the script being offered up).
My gut instinct is that this is part of the plan to get Americans MAD. They WANT us to start a revolution. The IRS targeting conservatives may have been a planned leak, as well as this one, the (NSA knowing everything we do). They WANT Americans (esp “patriots”) to get ENRAGED and FED UP. So fed up that they decide to do something about it. They’re trying to stir up our anger, b/c the only way they have an excuse to declare martial law & bring in foreign troops is if Americans start fighting back. They want soooo bad for patriot-types to start a revolution, so that they can finally say “See we told you! They’re dangerous terrorists! Trying to overthrow the govt!” They need & WANT an excuse, to come at Americans with the full force that they have been amassing over the last few years. They can’t fill up their FEMA camps under the guise of “restoring order” if we all just sit around and act apathetic. I guess the leak of “IRS targeting conservatives” didn’t create the uproar they were hoping for. So Plan B. Release the fact that Big Brother knows every detail about us. That should create major RESENTMENT. We cannot give them what they want. Of course we need to defend our families, but we need to be smart & not fall into their trap. THEY WANT US TO GIVE THEM AN EXCUSE TO COME DOWN WITH THE IRON FIST THEY ALREADY HAVE PLANNED.
Good points John.
Not meaning to sound “elitist” or such, but the idea that this guy could get a high up job in the NSA in IT without a high school diploma, much less a college degree in the field , is just absurd.
Even assuming (or especially if) his official biography is true.
Like all bureaucracies, they hire using internal HR departments. Those jobs are all laid out with official job descriptions and minimum requirements. HR departments wont even give you the time of day if you don’t have the minimum posted requirements.
That’s how these systems work. HR people wont jeopardize their job by hiring outside the requirements. These hiring protocols are put in place by committees in order to standardize hiring practices, meet hiring demands (like affirmative action), and meet the demands of government employee unions.
Just being a smart dude isn’t enough.
And like you said, his official “legend” (as the intel types call it) is fuzzy as it is. It seems to me that they are playing on the public image of computer geeks here, rather than the reality.
The reality is, you don’t just get hired off the street to work IT for these government agencies at that level. It may happen in the movies, but not in real life.
-Ken
Maybe a matter of gradual exposure for us to accept more willingly the next steps of erosion. A Psy-Ops as the movies do, in order to adapt our minds to a new reality in the make.
Wow! Jon makes a suggestion that somehow this guy has been sent to release this information and instead of feeling outrage that your government is lawlessly spying on you, you look for holes in his life story. I love the comments that this is old news. Obviously if it is old news to you and all you can do is critique the messenger’s story, you have no understanding of the Bill of Rights and how the lawless government has turned your country into a prison. Wake up! Recognize your enemy and prepare to defend yourself. Once we surrender another line of defense such as our privacy and safety in our thoughts and homes what comes next? Please reject the notion that government spying on us is old news and just fine because it isn’t ok.
I can answer few of questions or probably all…
first, he was not programmar. like you use smart phones “app” without knowing what is inside. so anybody can do it.
second, defenses forces have special heart for “one of us”. that should explain trust in him.
third why exposé now? yes, I can see it is planned as everything else. probably they let about 100 such people see the details in the hope one of them will come out or may be he is the only one assigned… but sure thing is this leak was planned.
why? people tend to boast of their achievements and same goes for power elites. world already knew they are upto something but there was no confirmation. this leak confirms it.
another example is Alex jones shill… in recent interview with bbc he exposed himself (not evident to uninitiated) as insider of bilderberger.!
let them boast. all I know is that these poser elites will never know the true love.