Spat in U.S. special services

 By Eduard Sorokin

Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair will no more have the right to appoint his own representatives to the U.S. embassies, as The Washington Post reported with a reference to sources in the U.S. intelligence community.

The decision on that score was taken by U.S. National Security Adviser James L. Jones, who took up settlement of differences between the National Intelligence and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) leaders. This decision means that CIA, as before, will have privileges in doing work abroad.

The conflict between the heads of the two intelligence departments broke out after Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair issued in May of 2009 a secret directive providing for the sending of National Intelligence representatives to the U.S. embassies abroad. Had this initiative been realized, then, in addition to CIA representatives, National Intelligence agents, subordinate to Blair, would have appeared in the U.S. embassies.

Before we continue, I think it is necessary to tell you this. The post of National Intelligence Director was established in the USA after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Earlier CIA director was regarded as the head of the intelligence community in the country. After the 9/11 attacks it was decided to institute the post of the intelligence service head, who would be above scandals between the numerous U.S. special services. He would face the task to coordinate their work and to formulate a single intelligence policy. The clause on the National Intelligence head was included in the law on the reform of the intelligence service and on the prevention of terrorism.

Sixteen special services have found themselves under the supervision of the Director of National Intelligence. And only one of them, CIA, has managed to preserve its independence in the main. The first chief of National Intelligence was diplomat John Negroponte, who was appointed to this post by George W. Bush in February of 2005. Then he was replaced by retired vice-general Mike McConnell. Dennis Blair, who didn’t work in the intelligence services before his appointment to the post, was approved as Director of National Intelligence in January this year. U.S. President Barack Obama believes that the appointment of a “person from the outside” will promote the improvement of relations between the intelligence community and the Congress, which worsened somewhat during the rule of former U.S. president George W. Bush.

However, this April Inspector-General Edward Maguire published a report, criticizing the work of the National Intelligence Director. Maguire believes that Blair failed to perform his duties, including the exchange of information between the intelligence departments. His attempt to coordinate their actions also proved a failure. And the question who should represent the American intelligence services in embassies abroad offers one more proof.