Mark Stout
@markstout.bsky.social
Intelligence historian, former intelligence officer. Also live on the borderlands of military history. Former Historian at the International Spy Museum. University educator. I wish I were in Seattle. The cat is Boadicea.
An October 1942 FBI leaflet asking the residents of Buffalo to report any "possible violation[s] of our national security statutes" or anything suspicious to the Buffalo Field Office. It concluded, however, with the paragraph below.
Seemed relevant today somehow.
Seemed relevant today somehow.
September 8, 2025 at 12:47 AM
An October 1942 FBI leaflet asking the residents of Buffalo to report any "possible violation[s] of our national security statutes" or anything suspicious to the Buffalo Field Office. It concluded, however, with the paragraph below.
Seemed relevant today somehow.
Seemed relevant today somehow.
Say what you will about Ronald Reagan, he had better speech writers than Trump and he appreciated good rhetoric in a way that Trump couldn't even begin to comprehend.
Reagan remarks to CIA officials on June 23, 1982.
Reagan remarks to CIA officials on June 23, 1982.
August 24, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Say what you will about Ronald Reagan, he had better speech writers than Trump and he appreciated good rhetoric in a way that Trump couldn't even begin to comprehend.
Reagan remarks to CIA officials on June 23, 1982.
Reagan remarks to CIA officials on June 23, 1982.
Records at the National Archives in College Park from the Grombach organization that did espionage during WWII and the early Cold War. Grombach is writing to friend and occasional colleague Fletcher Pratt, best known as a popular military historian, writer on codes, and sci-fi/fantasy writer.
July 13, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Records at the National Archives in College Park from the Grombach organization that did espionage during WWII and the early Cold War. Grombach is writing to friend and occasional colleague Fletcher Pratt, best known as a popular military historian, writer on codes, and sci-fi/fantasy writer.
Intelligence history is a many-splendored thing.
July 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Intelligence history is a many-splendored thing.
Processing a large book donation to a museum I do some stuff for. I opened up a 1968 mass market novel and found this.
June 10, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Processing a large book donation to a museum I do some stuff for. I opened up a 1968 mass market novel and found this.
The crux of this Sense of the Community Memorandum is below. But the whole four and a half pages are a pretty clear and devastating, "nah, we don't think the Maduro regime is directing Tren de Aragua" we'll let you know if that changes.
May 6, 2025 at 2:49 AM
The crux of this Sense of the Community Memorandum is below. But the whole four and a half pages are a pretty clear and devastating, "nah, we don't think the Maduro regime is directing Tren de Aragua" we'll let you know if that changes.
This would have been in that thread if that site was still worth being on.
I wish I had a secret sabre. I've never seen a trapezoidal marking like that before. NSA, 1963.
I wish I had a secret sabre. I've never seen a trapezoidal marking like that before. NSA, 1963.
April 12, 2025 at 2:07 AM
This would have been in that thread if that site was still worth being on.
I wish I had a secret sabre. I've never seen a trapezoidal marking like that before. NSA, 1963.
I wish I had a secret sabre. I've never seen a trapezoidal marking like that before. NSA, 1963.
Both strange and wonderful. James McCord (yeah, that one) did this. (JFK document 104-10123-10407)
April 12, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Both strange and wonderful. James McCord (yeah, that one) did this. (JFK document 104-10123-10407)
Well, here's Clare Boothe Luce being read onto the Glomar Explorer operation and some other things. www.archives.gov/files/resear...
April 12, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Well, here's Clare Boothe Luce being read onto the Glomar Explorer operation and some other things. www.archives.gov/files/resear...
From a 1964 White House document released as part of the 2025 JFK dump. Interesting that the body that approved covert actions referred to peacetime aerial reconnaissance program (PARPRO) flights, as they were called then, I believe, as "covert actions." @nsarchive.bsky.social found this document.
April 9, 2025 at 3:47 AM
From a 1964 White House document released as part of the 2025 JFK dump. Interesting that the body that approved covert actions referred to peacetime aerial reconnaissance program (PARPRO) flights, as they were called then, I believe, as "covert actions." @nsarchive.bsky.social found this document.
Going through some old slides, I ran across this political cartoon about the failed nomination of Anthony Lake to be Director of Central Intelligence in the 1990s. Alas, no signature on this, so I don't know who to credit.
April 8, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Going through some old slides, I ran across this political cartoon about the failed nomination of Anthony Lake to be Director of Central Intelligence in the 1990s. Alas, no signature on this, so I don't know who to credit.
Had great fun yesterday helping run a military intelligence walking tour with the International Spy Museum and the good people at Arlington National Cemetery. Among other people, we visited notable cryptologists William and Elizebeth Friedman and the scoundrel Herbert O. Yardley.
April 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Had great fun yesterday helping run a military intelligence walking tour with the International Spy Museum and the good people at Arlington National Cemetery. Among other people, we visited notable cryptologists William and Elizebeth Friedman and the scoundrel Herbert O. Yardley.
From a US Army War College publication of August, 1917 called "Notes on Recent Operations No. 3." Obviously before things got standardized on classification markings.
March 31, 2025 at 3:29 AM
From a US Army War College publication of August, 1917 called "Notes on Recent Operations No. 3." Obviously before things got standardized on classification markings.
This 1920 political cartoon, yes, from a socialist magazine, seemed apropos when I stumbled across it today.
March 28, 2025 at 2:13 AM
This 1920 political cartoon, yes, from a socialist magazine, seemed apropos when I stumbled across it today.
CIA cable from the newly released JFK documents. The congressional committee in question was the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Regarding this excerpt, I can only say "golly."
March 20, 2025 at 2:09 AM
CIA cable from the newly released JFK documents. The congressional committee in question was the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Regarding this excerpt, I can only say "golly."
Nice cover. "Copy No. 1 for the President of the United States." 1948 publication.
March 16, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Nice cover. "Copy No. 1 for the President of the United States." 1948 publication.
Not sure what to make of this 1979 US Army field manual.
February 28, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Not sure what to make of this 1979 US Army field manual.
This was quite good.
February 24, 2025 at 5:28 PM
This was quite good.
It wasn't only INR that had jocular titles on memos and suchlike.
February 12, 2025 at 4:28 AM
It wasn't only INR that had jocular titles on memos and suchlike.
Pretty remarkable discussion on Friday at the @socintelhist.bsky.social conference among three former Directors of National Intelligence and a former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence who had also been CIA director.
February 10, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Pretty remarkable discussion on Friday at the @socintelhist.bsky.social conference among three former Directors of National Intelligence and a former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence who had also been CIA director.
SecDef Hegseth requires PME institutions to teach that the US and its founding documents are the greatest force for good in history. It occurs to me it’s odd that he wouldn’t say the greatest force for good was Jesus and Christianity.
February 4, 2025 at 3:57 AM
SecDef Hegseth requires PME institutions to teach that the US and its founding documents are the greatest force for good in history. It occurs to me it’s odd that he wouldn’t say the greatest force for good was Jesus and Christianity.
Regarding the covering up of panels honoring women and minority greats of the National Security Agency: the National Cryptologic Museum posted this today. For now, this looks a victory for sanity and decency.
February 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Regarding the covering up of panels honoring women and minority greats of the National Security Agency: the National Cryptologic Museum posted this today. For now, this looks a victory for sanity and decency.