HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499.jpg
1.58 MB
Extraction Summary
5
People
7
Organizations
9
Locations
3
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / printed manuscript (house oversight production)
File Size:
1.58 MB
Summary
This document is page 11 (Prologue) of a book, likely by Edward Jay Epstein given the filename prefix 'Epst', produced during a House Oversight inquiry. It details the investigation into Edward Snowden's movements in Hong Kong in 2013, specifically noting a mysterious 11-day gap between May 20 and June 1 where he left no digital or paper trail (no credit card usage, ATM withdrawals, or phone calls) before checking into the Mira Hotel. The text argues that Snowden's failure to acquire visas for Latin American countries suggests his plan was always to go to Moscow.
People (5)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Snowden | Subject |
Edward Snowden; former NSA contractor whose movements in Hong Kong are being analyzed.
|
| Greenwald | Journalist/Associate |
Met with Snowden in Hong Kong prior to June 8.
|
| Poitras | Filmmaker/Associate |
Met with Snowden in Hong Kong prior to June 8.
|
| The Author (I) | Narrator/Investigator |
Investigating Snowden's movements; conducting interviews.
|
| My Source | Informant |
Provided information regarding FBI/Hong Kong police findings on Snowden.
|
Organizations (7)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. intelligence |
Agencies seeking Snowden.
|
|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; source of documents taken by Snowden.
|
|
| Interpol |
Mentioned regarding the lack of a 'red alert' for detention.
|
|
| Swiss International Air Lines |
Potential airline Snowden could have used.
|
|
| FBI |
Investigated Snowden's trace in Hong Kong.
|
|
| Hong Kong police |
Investigated Snowden's trace in Hong Kong.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Entity labeled in the footer (HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499).
|
Locations (9)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location of Snowden's stay.
|
|
|
Snowden's final destination.
|
|
|
Hotel in Hong Kong where Snowden checked in on June 1.
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|
|
Potential departure point.
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Transit point for Swiss International Air Lines.
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|
Potential destination mentioned.
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|
Potential destination mentioned.
|
|
|
Potential destination mentioned.
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|
Potential destination mentioned.
|
Key Quotes (4)
"Snowden was a ghost during this period."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499.jpg
Quote #1
"“Could an American just vanish in Hong Kong for eleven days?” I asked."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499.jpg
Quote #2
"“Apparently, he did just that,” my source replied."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499.jpg
Quote #3
"Snowden’s inaction in not obtaining visas during this thirty-day period suggests that he had no plans to go anyplace but where he went: Moscow."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,348 characters)
Prologue | 11
proved ineffective in hiding him from U.S. intelligence and presumably other intelligence services seeking the treasure trove of documents he had taken from the NSA.
As for his next destination, I could find no evidence that Snowden had made any arrangements during his monthlong stay in Hong Kong to go to any Latin American country. Before he went public on June 9, he could have easily gotten a visa in Hong Kong with his still-valid passport to go to almost any country in the world, including Cuba (for which a U.S. passport was not necessary), Bolivia, and Ecuador. Yet he did not apply for visas during this time period. Even as late as June 8, after meetings with Greenwald and Poitras, his name had still not been revealed, no criminal complaint had been issued against him, and there was no Interpol red alert for his detention. He could have walked out of the Mira hotel, caught a taxi to the Hong Kong airport, and gone on Swiss International Air Lines via Zurich to any country in South America or to Iceland. But, as in the oft-cited Sherlock Holmes clue of the dog that did not bark, Snowden’s inaction in not obtaining visas during this thirty-day period suggests that he had no plans to go anyplace but where he went: Moscow.
However, the mystery that most concerned me was not where Snowden was housed in the interim between when he went public and when he went to Moscow. It was where, and in whose care, Snowden had been before he checked into the Mira on June 1. When I asked my source about this period, he said that as far as he knew, neither the FBI nor the Hong Kong police could find a trace of him during the period between May 20, when he passed through Hong Kong customs, and June 1, when he first used his credit card and passport to check into the Mira hotel. Other than those transactions, they could not find any credit card charges, ATM withdrawals, telephone calls, hotel registrations, subway pass purchases, or other clues to Snowden’s activities. As far as a paper trail was concerned, Snowden was a ghost during this period.
“Could an American just vanish in Hong Kong for eleven days?” I asked.
“Apparently, he did just that,” my source replied.
Snowden’s whereabouts during these eleven days was not a mys-
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 11
9/29/16 5:51 PM | HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499
9/29/16 5:51 PM | HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019499
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