Questions for Justin Oldham

I'm a big fan of Cold War spy fiction. I've written some things that have been inspired by it, too. The spies are out there, but they do their jobs differently now. The old school sneakers have retired, but the agencies who employed them live on.

Espionage is conducted differently today. In a world where global communications happen instantly, the better spies have to work harder than ever to stay in hiding. Digital technologies of all sorts make their jobs easier in some respets, but harder in others.

The mastercraft to which you refer has gone out of favor with many bureaucrats. That lone sniper or single bomber you refer to would still get a lot of air time, if he/she/they/it were discovered. today's politicians at the Federal level aren't used to the idea of using such subtle tools.

Bear in mind that assassination is against Federal law. It may still happen, but our intelligence agencies are very careful to cover their tracks when they do such things. Remember that "rendition" is no longer a secret. Today's media, when hostile to the government, can and will dig deep to find those secrets.

crazy i posted that to you last nite----today i stopped by the used book store we have-----i found a book called secret warriors by steven emerson----i just read the inside cover which says it's about the reagan admin. and that the cia couldn't be trusted and weren't competent so the pentagon formed their own covert ops teams----i can't wait to get into it---

to me though, crazy how i talked about this to u last nite and got this today--i'll have to get back to you later when i'm done for your thoughts...

i hope u keep this thread going ---nice to go directly to a "professional" to get a take on things----not just a keyboard hero.


one thing that does amaze me is that guy testifying how he rigged the vote mnachines and yet we're still using them and the american public is semi-upset-----we should be absolutely livid and refuse electronics

and don't quote me on figures--but that was so fishy they paid the old company like 3 mill or something and then hire a new one for like 12 mil.
this is idiotic---and should stink of conspiracy----a second grader could figure out that paying triple for similar service is a bad business practice

and yet we're ok with it----i sometimes think us americans have lost or kahonas--

or i guess we've been conditioned to realize we're powerless to change things , so we just get over it quickly and move on to expect the next con.

thanx for your thoughts and hope to be back soon to pick your brain some more!!!

p.s.--- on a scale of 1 to 10 how easy do you think ,if paul did good , it would be to steal votes from him?????

p.s. II----yes or no income taxes are illegal--unconstitutional???

The Cental Inteligence Agency has a long history of farming out its more difficutl operations. As you read Emerson's book, bear this in mind. The CIA charter and bureaucracy don't make the agency's mission entirely obvious. It's been estimated that they run as many as 1500 misisons per year outside the confines of their organization.

Today's intelligence agencies aren't run like they used to be. During the Cold War (as you'll see in Emerson), information was gathered and used in the field as it was processed. The folks back home at Langley didn't get the final product until it was used or dated. In most cases, they didn't know the full details of a mission until after it was over.

Even today, its still common for people to make the assumption that government agencies do everything "in house." In today's world, politicians demand increasingly greater control over missions that are already in the field. This control takes the form of micromanagement. that's one of the many reasons why today's CIA is regarded as incompetent. You'd be ineffective, too, if your boss issued contradicting orders to you minute by minute.

As interesting as the Emerson read will be, please bear in mind that its out od date. In today's environment, the kind of secret wars you'll be reading about would are started and sustained differently. I suggest that you concentrate your contemporary stides on Afghanistan to get the modern picture that'll show you how things are done today.

thanx for the reply---yeah i realize it's old----but that sounds like the stuff i mentioned early and I like----it sounds almost magical and crazy---with secret spies, espionage, etc-----
i don't even think that word, espionage, is used anymore, today, or even relevant, right????

i picture crazy james bond gagdgets and such...

any suggested reading---i guess i'll have to wait 10 years to read about afghanistan---til it can be declassified


but i'll take any suggestions,,, thanx

Originally posted by shortywarn
any suggested reading---i guess i'll have to wait 10 years to read about afghanistan---til it can be declassified

For starters, I suggest that you keep poking around ATS. You'll find a lot in the various forums that will make for good reading.

Otherwise, you might like THIS.

Hey there Justin!
I was wondering what you have been up to.
Happy new year.

Thanks much. It's been an incredible ride. I've been posting online since 2004, and I've never had this much impact. I will continue to make quality submissions. Let's see what happens when we reach 2000 posts for this forum!

I need to let you all know that I'll be away from ATS during the first week in July. I've got to travel so I can promote my new book. It's gonna be hell with groupies turning up every five minutes, but I WILL survive it. I'm very busy right now, and I might forget to bring this up again later. that's why I'm posting it here, now.

I'm just posting here to make it official. I will not be on ATS all of next week. I'll see you guys again after the 4th of July holiday.

I have returned from my 4th of July outting, and I'll be ready to resume discussions in 24 hours.I am posting here so that you will all know.

I have a piece of good news, and I'm posting it here for your general convenience.

I'll be on "Now That's Weird" with Ross Hemsworth on Friday, July 26. That's approximately 48 hours from the time of this post. The show airs at 6 PM, Eastern Standard Time. That would be 11 PM in the U.K.

Please feel free to pass the word.


[edit on 24-7-2008 by Justin Oldham]

I'm posting here to let you all know that...for the next three months...I won't be on ATS very much. I'm working on my next book, and I need some time to dig deep and just get it done. 2008 has been a good year for me, and 2009 promises to be even better. You know how it is. These books don't write themselves.

I've enjoyed my time here on ATS. For the last two and a half years, I've had a chance to explore what I feel is the most real of real conspiracies. The unchecked expansion of Federal power threatens the future of my country in ways that are enough to give me nightmares.

I've done my best to keep an open mind. I've provided links when and where possible. I have neve rengaged in plagarism. I haven't written anything that I'm afraid to put my name on.

I've bee nasked to make this final statement. So, here I am. I hope that otehrs will find my work to be useful, or thought provoking. I've already made my peace with this transition, and I've moved on to other things. I'm building a web site, writing new books, and trying new things.

The whole point of hte Conspiracy master project was to give sharp minds a chnce to say their piece and show their work. My challenge has been to stand up to criticism and to change minds. I'd like to think that I've done that as well as I know how.