Bin Laden Operation; Espionage Illegals Subjects For Raleigh Conference: August 24-26, 2011

July 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Bin Laden Operation; Espionage Illegals Subjects For Raleigh Conference In August

Former Director of NSA and CIA to Deliver Keynote Address

A rare opportunity to meet and hear the man in charge of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency during the lead-up to the operation to locate and kill Usama Bin Laden is available to the general public August 24-26 at the 7th Raleigh Spy Conference at the NC Museum of History in downtown Raleigh.

Michael Hayden, who served as chief of NSA from 1999 to 2005 — and director of the CIA from 2006 to 2009 — will address conference attendees on the topic “Killing Usama Bin Laden: Building A Bridge Pebble By Pebble” drawing on his first-hand knowledge as the man in charge of the nation’s two leading intelligence agencies during the preparations to locate and terminate the world’s most famous terrorist leader.

Under Hayden, NSA began a program to intercept electronic communications between known terrorist groups; at CIA, he defended information derived from intense interrogation – both initiatives leading to the required data to track down Bin Laden. Hayden was also a key player in the effort to break down the “walls” existing between intelligence agencies, defense forces and the FBI, a crucial factor in the joint operation that succeeded in Bin Laden’s death.

Due to the successful SEAL Team raid in Pakistan, Hayden agreed to change his talk in Raleigh to the Bin Laden operation. But four other speakers will address the main theme of the 7th Raleigh Spy Conference: Spies Among Us: The Secret World Of Espionage Illegals, a subject with a long history in the intelligence game that caused a media sensation last year with the arrest of ten Soviet citizens in the US living under false identities as “sleeper cells” to observe and spy for the SVR, the successor spy agency of the notorious KGB.

Michael Sulick, recently retired as director of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, the person that runs the spy side of the Agency; Nigel West, the former British Member of Parliament and expert author on intelligence matters; Dan Mulvenna, former counterintelligence officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and Brian Kelley, the former CIA counterintelligence officer and the “wrong man” in the Robert Hanssen case will present background information and case histories of famous espionage illegals who have played a major role during the Cold War and its aftermath.

An added attraction for the 7th Raleigh Spy Conference is the creation of the Writers Roundtable, featuring acclaimed intelligence author David Wise on his new book Tiger Trap: America’s Secret Spy War With China; Douglas Waller, former Time magazine Washington bureau chief and currently defense analyst for Bloomberg Government, on his biography Wild Bill Donovan - the founder of the Office of Strategic Services during World War 11, the precursor to the CIA; and Kent Clizbe, former CIA operations officer who has written his first book, Willing Accomplices, that investigates the impact of Soviet ideological propaganda in the US.

Conference attendees will be offered special booklets created by The Historical Collections Division of the Office of Information Management Services of the Central Intelligence Agency containing recently declassified documents and updated narratives uncovering the truth behind recent Cold War events, including the Korean War, Air America, the Warsaw Pact and the papers of former CIA director Richard Helms.

The 7th Raleigh Spy Conference opens with a pre-registration reception Wednesday evening August 24 at an area restaurant, followed by four speaker sessions Thursday August 25 at the NC Museum of History and the Spy Gala at an area club that evening.

On Friday morning August 26, the Author’s Roundtable begins at 9:15 AM, followed by the keynote address by General Michael Hayden at 11:00 AM. All conference sessions are held at the NC Museum of History.

For detailed information and to register, go to http://www.raleighspyconference.com, or email Cyndi Harris at mailto:cyndi@metromagazine.net. For telephone inquiries, call Raleigh Metro Magazine: 919-831-0999.



The Raleigh Spy Conference was founded in 2003 by Bernie Reeves, editor and publisher of Raleigh Metro Magazine.

What Others Have Said About The Raleigh Spy Conference: "In Washington, it's difficult for the public to comprehend important intelligence and terrorism issues since everything is partisan and politically charged. Outside Washington, there are few voices for the public to hear, and those heard are often wrong or media-driven. Few are able to explain to the public what really has happened, and is happening, in intelligence, counter-terrorism and national security - important issues, which, throughout history, have spelled the survival or loss of this or other nations.

The annual Raleigh Spy Conference is a rare opportunity to hear it straight, with an unusual 'insider's' perspective and knowledge. Each year this conference opens that door to share remarkable insights and stellar speakers with the public. If one claims a scintilla of world-affairs knowledge, it cannot be true unless the annual Raleigh Spy Conference is on your calendar."
— Gene Poteat, President, Association for Intelligence Officers, McLean, VA

Raleigh Spy Conference • August 24-26, 2011 • http://www.raleighspyconference.com