HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019771.jpg
1.62 MB
Extraction Summary
2
People
6
Organizations
6
Locations
3
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page proof / house oversight evidence
File Size:
1.62 MB
Summary
This document is page 283 from a book (indicated by the filename 'Epst_...' likely referring to author Edward Jay Epstein) titled 'Snowden's Choices,' bearing a House Oversight Committee Bates stamp. The text analyzes Edward Snowden's motivations, characterizing him as a calculating defector who used stolen NSA secrets on thumb drives as 'bait' or currency to secure protection from Chinese and Russian intelligence services. It details his CIA training at Fort Peary and argues that his choice of Russia contradicts a desire for civil liberties, suggesting his primary goal was escaping American retribution.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Subject |
Former CIA/NSA employee described as a defector who stole files and fled to Russia.
|
| Narrator | Author |
Refers to themselves as 'me' ('His decision suggests to me...'). Likely Edward Jay Epstein based on filename/ISBN code.
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency; Snowden's former employer.
|
|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; agency from which files were stolen.
|
|
| FSB |
Russian security service.
|
|
| Chinese intelligence service |
Organization Snowden believed could protect him in Hong Kong.
|
|
| Russian security services |
Organization Snowden relied on in Moscow.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Government body associated with the Bates stamp.
|
Timeline (3 events)
Locations (6)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Initial location Snowden fled to; meeting place with officials.
|
|
|
City in Russia where Snowden sought protection.
|
|
|
Country chosen for Snowden's new life.
|
|
|
Mentioned in context of NSA sources and intelligence services.
|
|
|
Country Snowden fled from.
|
|
|
Location of the CIA's 'farm' training facility.
|
Relationships (2)
Snowden stole files from the NSA.
Put himself in the hands of Russian authorities in Moscow.
Key Quotes (4)
"actions here, including his contacts with Russian officials in Hong Kong, speak louder than his words."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019771.jpg
Quote #1
"His decision suggests to me a highly intelligent, carefully calculating man who was hell-bent on finding a new life for himself in a foreign country."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019771.jpg
Quote #2
"He was also willing to use some of his classified documents as a medium of exchange, if not bait, with journalists to get the public attention he sought."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019771.jpg
Quote #3
"It is not uncommon for a defector to change sides in order to find a better life for himself in another country."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019771.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,399 characters)
Snowden’s Choices | 283
actions here, including his contacts with Russian officials in Hong Kong, speak louder than his words.
Just as he believed the Chinese intelligence service could protect him in Hong Kong from a physical attack by agents of the United States, he could assume that the FSB could protect him from them in Moscow. He was not entirely naive about its capabilities. During his service in the CIA, he had taken a monthlong training course at the CIA’s “farm” at Fort Peary, in which counterintelligence officers taught about the capabilities of the Russian security services. He couldn’t have believed that Russia would allow a defector from the NSA who claimed to have had access to the NSA’s sources in Russia and China to leave Moscow before its security services obtained that information.
It is not uncommon for a defector to change sides in order to find a better life for himself in another country. Some defectors flee to escape a repressive government or to find one in which they believe they are more closely attuned to its values. Russia, however, is ordinarily not the country of choice for someone such as Snowden seeking greater civil liberties and personal freedom. So why did Snowden choose Russia for his new life?
The four choices just discussed that Snowden made, taken together, show that Snowden was determined to succeed where others before him had failed. He not only wanted to take full credit for stealing files from the NSA but also wanted to escape any American retribution for his act. His decision suggests to me a highly intelligent, carefully calculating man who was hell-bent on finding a new life for himself in a foreign country. A common thread that runs through these four choices is a willingness to do whatever was necessary to achieve this new life, including disregarding his oath to protect secrets and instead transporting them on thumb drives to a foreign country. To protect himself, he was also willing to rely on the influence of adversary intelligence services in Hong Kong and put himself in the hands of Russian authorities in Moscow. He was also willing to use some of his classified documents as a medium of exchange, if not bait, with journalists to get the public attention he sought.
These choices paid off for Snowden, the new hero of millions. In
Just as he believed the Chinese intelligence service could protect him in Hong Kong from a physical attack by agents of the United States, he could assume that the FSB could protect him from them in Moscow. He was not entirely naive about its capabilities. During his service in the CIA, he had taken a monthlong training course at the CIA’s “farm” at Fort Peary, in which counterintelligence officers taught about the capabilities of the Russian security services. He couldn’t have believed that Russia would allow a defector from the NSA who claimed to have had access to the NSA’s sources in Russia and China to leave Moscow before its security services obtained that information.
It is not uncommon for a defector to change sides in order to find a better life for himself in another country. Some defectors flee to escape a repressive government or to find one in which they believe they are more closely attuned to its values. Russia, however, is ordinarily not the country of choice for someone such as Snowden seeking greater civil liberties and personal freedom. So why did Snowden choose Russia for his new life?
The four choices just discussed that Snowden made, taken together, show that Snowden was determined to succeed where others before him had failed. He not only wanted to take full credit for stealing files from the NSA but also wanted to escape any American retribution for his act. His decision suggests to me a highly intelligent, carefully calculating man who was hell-bent on finding a new life for himself in a foreign country. A common thread that runs through these four choices is a willingness to do whatever was necessary to achieve this new life, including disregarding his oath to protect secrets and instead transporting them on thumb drives to a foreign country. To protect himself, he was also willing to rely on the influence of adversary intelligence services in Hong Kong and put himself in the hands of Russian authorities in Moscow. He was also willing to use some of his classified documents as a medium of exchange, if not bait, with journalists to get the public attention he sought.
These choices paid off for Snowden, the new hero of millions. In
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.indd 283
9/30/16 8:13 AM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019771
9/30/16 8:13 AM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019771
Discussion 0
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this epstein document