‘I Can’t Believe What I’m Confessing to You’: The Wikileaks Chats

On May 21, 22-year-old Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning initiated a series of online chats with former hacker Adrian Lamo after a story on Lamo was published at Wired.com.

The chats continued over several days, during which Manning claimed that he was responsible for leaking classified material to the whistleblower site Wikileaks.



Wired: Read More

Here is just one of the chat logs.

May 22

Manning told Lamo that he had provided Wikileaks with 260,000 classified State Department diplomatic cables. Lamo asked him for details on what scandals the cables might expose. Manning didn’t provide a lot of detail, but he pointed to one cable (a “test”) that Wikileaks already published. He didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “test.”

(1:39:03 PM) Manning: i cant believe what im confessing to you :’(

(1:40:20 PM) Manning: ive been so isolated so long… i just wanted to be nice, and live a normal life… but events kept forcing me to figure out ways to survive… smart enough to know whats going on, but helpless to do anything… no-one took any notice of me

(1:40:43 PM) Manning: :’(

(1:43:51 PM) Lamo: back

(1:43:59 PM) Manning: im self medicating like crazy when im not toiling in the supply office (my new location, since im being discharged, im not offically intel anymore)
(1:44:11 PM) Manning: you missed a lot…
(1:45:00 PM) Lamo: what kind of scandal?
(1:45:16 PM) Manning: hundreds of them
(1:45:40 PM) Lamo: like what? I’m genuinely curious about details.
(1:46:01 PM) Manning: i dont know… theres so many… i dont have the original material anymore
(1:46:18 PM) Manning: uhmm… the Holy See and its position on the Vatican sex scandals
(1:46:26 PM) Lamo: play it by ear
(1:46:29 PM) Manning: the broiling one in Germany
(1:47:36 PM) Manning: im sorry, there’s so many… its impossible for any one human to read all quarter-million… and not feel overwhelmed… and possibly desensitized
(1:48:20 PM) Manning: the scope is so broad… and yet the depth so rich
(1:48:50 PM) Lamo: give me some bona fides … yanno? any specifics.
(1:49:40 PM) Manning: this one was a test: Classified cable from US Embassy Reykjavik on Icesave dated 13 Jan 2010
(1:50:30 PM) Manning: the result of that one was that the icelandic ambassador to the US was recalled, and fired
(1:51:02 PM) Manning: thats just one cable…
(1:51:14 PM) Lamo: Anything unreleased?
(1:51:25 PM) Manning: i’d have to ask assange
(1:51:53 PM) Manning: i zerofilled the original
(1:51:54 PM) Lamo: why do you answer to him?
(1:52:29 PM) Manning: i dont… i just want the material out there… i dont want to be a part of it

(1:40:20 PM) Manning: ive been so isolated so long… i just wanted to be nice, and live a normal life… but events kept forcing me to figure out ways to survive… smart enough to know whats going on, but helpless to do anything… no-one took any notice of me

Poor guy. I cannot imagine the things, emotions, he was going through. Just imagine having all those cables, you know that you'll be in serious trouble if you were to leak them, but on the other hand you know it's the right thing todo to inform the People.

He should of joined the ATS Community, we would of noticed.

More Chat Logs Here



And also a thread I created of the Tipster.

Wikileaks Tipster Talks


[edit on 29-7-2010 by Oozii]

This Lamo sounds like a complete douche.

From some of Mannings chats:

(02:35:46 PM) Manning: was watching 15 detainees taken by the Iraqi Federal Police… for printing “anti-Iraqi literature”… the iraqi federal police wouldn’t cooperate with US forces, so i was instructed to investigate the matter, find out who the “bad guys” were, and how significant this was for the FPs… it turned out, they had printed a scholarly critique against PM Maliki… i had an interpreter read it for me… and when i found out that it was a benign political critique titled “Where did the money go?” and following the corruption trail within the PM’s cabinet… i immediately took that information and *ran* to the officer to explain what was going on… he didn’t want to hear any of it… he told me to shut up and explain how we could assist the FPs in finding *MORE* detainees…

He sounds more like a whistleblower acting on his conscience, only to have Lamo rat him out.

lemme put it in simple terms

Manning = Hero with a conscience

Lamo = Douchebag with an inferiority complex

It's sad that he talked to the guy with confidence. And maybe thought that reporting him was the last thing he'd do.

And it so happened that the guy he trusted, and told him just about everything, in a way ratted him out.


Things are heating up with wikileaks, Not sure what will happen next, but in my opinion it doesn't look good.

Originally posted by boondock-saint
lemme put it in simple terms

Manning = Hero with a conscience

Lamo = Douchebag with an inferiority complex

Oh yeah, Manning is sure a real hero isn't he? Maybe he is a hero to the rest of the world who want nothing more than to see America fall, but to his fellow men and women I'm sure he is looked upon as a traitor and I seriously hope he is charged with the maximum.

You guys might think you should know every thing that happens during war and I know this is a conspiracy website so you will all leave the USA's soldiers safety out of the equation just to appease your own curiousty but I'm going to be the first to tell you that when you are at war things happen and leaking classified information to the rest of the world, including the people our men and women are still fighting, seriously puts the rest of the soldier's lives on the ground over there in SERIOUS jeaporady.

War is not a pretty thing, it never has been and never will be. The USA Government are not saints, that is for sure; nor are any of the other Governments in the entire world. But the majority of the soldiers fighting for all countries are not to be blamed for the mistakes of their Government and leaking documents that could potentialy risk the lives of the people trying to finish the job in afgan and iraq does not make you a hero, it makes you a coward.

[edit on 29-7-2010 by Final Solstice]

[edit on 29-7-2010 by Final Solstice]

[edit on 29-7-2010 by Final Solstice]

reply to post by Final Solstice


It is true that things happen in wars. But this war ain't like any other war. This war that we are currently in has a main objective.

If we loose focus of the main objective and just let things play out, you no longer have a main objective. You just have a meaningless war that take meaningless lives.

This leak from Wiki is not going to be any worse than its going to be handled. The leak has proven to some degree that we ain't playing by the rules we have set ourselves to reach our objectives with this war.

We have broken our own rules of engagement. When you break the rules you have to take responsibilities.

Originally posted by Final Solstice

But the majority of the soldiers fighting for all countries are not to be blamed for the mistakes of their Government and leaking documents that could potentialy risk the lives of the people trying to finish the job in afgan and iraq does not make you a hero, it makes you a coward.

[edit on 29-7-2010 by Final Solstice]

Let us not forget those cowardly bastards that put those brave soldiers in the situation for no apparent reason other than to continually ring the cash register of war. Really, leaking those documents was about as life threatening to our troops as running out of toilet paper in the latrine.

gj
edited to clean up the latrine

[edit on 30-7-2010 by ganjoa]

Lamo was covering his butt. He probably felt like he was being set up by an FBI sting operation, so he did the only thing he could once Manning told him all that stuff: He called the cops. It's called self preservation.

Lamo claims now he did it because he felt it was the right thing to do, you know, for National Security reasons. That's 100% B.S. That guy couldn't care less about National Security. He did it because he was scared and is now just trying to save face by making himself look like a douche bag, instead of the scared little hacker he is acting on self preservation.

Manning should have NEVER told anyone. It's almost as if he wanted to get caught so he could get credit/recognition for what he did.


[edit on 30-7-2010 by harrytuttle]

Yes, of course. In this new world, if you go along with what your government says, following nationalism, and dont rock the boat although you know its wrong, thats bravery. And if you try to let people KNOW the evils that your country is doing....knowing you can get into a lot of trouble and sacrifice your life, thats cowardice. Standing up for what you believe in= cowardice. Going along with evil= bravery. We should go back and rescind all that criticizm of the NAZI soldiers participating in the evils of concentration camps in light of what brave men we all realize they now were.

The re-education of the american people would now have you believe that standing up for yourself, defending yourself, and putting your life on the line for others is the WRONG thing to do. Of course they would, as these actions destabilize the draconian control they are trying to have over our lives. And of course, they have educated the new generations of americans to feel the same way. This is the whole point of the intensive training to follow orders in boot camp, so that you dont question, and put aside moral ambiguities. I suppose that those soldiers in vietnam, who participated in raping and torturing villagers along with their platoons, were just being brave in letting go of their morals as well, and "going with the flow".

reply to post by Final Solstice


Oh yeah, Manning is sure a real hero isn't he? Maybe he is a hero to the rest of the world who want nothing more than to see America fall, but to his fellow men and women I'm sure he is looked upon as a traitor and I seriously hope he is charged with the maximum.

You have chosen a side, "America f yeah!", thus your objectivity & opinions are owned by someone else... like a mental slave. Your assuming keeping America in it's current proto-fascist war mongering configuration.. is a "good" thing.

Good for who?.. the elite?

I wont speak for others, but the general idea I get is that many of us free thinkers are on the side of humanity.. colored cloths mounted on sticks & phony emotional nationalism along with gangster party leaders smiling out lies.. all take a back seat to whats best for humanity.

Lying to starts wars is wrong, on-going wholesale slaughter based on lies is wrong, covering up war crimes & epic fails that cost trillions.. WRONG.

If America fails, it's because American elite have driven this nation down the wrong road.. if America fails & the war machine withers on the vine.. untold thousands of people will live as wars for profit & resources are abated.. and we the people just might have a shot at re-claiming authority over a govt gone rogue... imagine being the pacifist republic the founders envisioned with the trillions wasted down the war addicted military industrial complex rat hole invested in Americans... living in peace where strangers don't wake up hating and wanting to kill you as payback for your govts policies.


.. objectively, I don't see it as all that bad...