HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019493.jpg
1.61 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
6
Organizations
6
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book manuscript/proof page (house oversight committee record)
File Size:
1.61 MB
Summary
This document is page 5 of a book prologue (likely 'How America Lost Its Secrets' by Edward Jay Epstein, given the filename 'Epst' and content) stamped with a House Oversight Committee number (019493). The text details the author's investigation into Edward Snowden's 2013 flight from Hawaii to Hong Kong and subsequently Russia, questioning Snowden's logistics, motives, and the security failures of the NSA. While the user query mentions Jeffrey Epstein, the content of this specific page deals exclusively with Edward Snowden; the 'Epst' in the filename likely refers to the author, Edward Jay Epstein.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Subject/Fugitive/NSA Analyst |
Former NSA analyst who fled to Hong Kong and Russia after stealing secret documents.
|
| The Author (likely Edward Jay Epstein) | Investigator/Author |
Narrator ('I') investigating the Snowden case; filename 'Epst' suggests Edward Jay Epstein.
|
| Trent Martin | Fugitive |
Fugitive wanted for insider trading, extradited from Hong Kong to the US.
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency, former employer of Snowden.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Government body indicated by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT'.
|
|
| Great Britain |
Former sovereign of Hong Kong.
|
|
| China |
Sovereign power over Hong Kong responsible for defense/foreign policy.
|
|
| Russia |
Country that granted Snowden asylum.
|
|
| United States |
Country seeking Snowden's extradition.
|
Timeline (2 events)
1997
May 2013
Relationships (2)
Snowden was an 'analyst in training at the NSA' who committed theft of documents.
The Author
→
Source/Journalist
→
Intelligence Community
Author mentions speaking to 'my sources in the intelligence community'.
Key Quotes (3)
"Snowden's escape left in its wake an incredibly important unsolved mystery: How had a young analyst in training at the NSA succeeded in penetrating all the layers of NSA security...?"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019493.jpg
Quote #1
"the unauthorized transfer of state secrets from the United States to an adversary country is, by almost any definition, a form of espionage."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019493.jpg
Quote #2
"Snowden could have flown to countries that do not have extradition treaties with America in far less time."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019493.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,382 characters)
Prologue | 5
terms of the 1997 transfer of sovereignty from Great Britain, China is responsible for Hong Kong's defense and foreign policy, including intelligence services. He then proceeded to Russia, which has no extradition treaty with the United States. Russia granted him asylum, making it unlikely that U.S. authorities would ever have the opportunity to question him.
Snowden's escape left in its wake an incredibly important unsolved mystery: How had a young analyst in training at the NSA succeeded in penetrating all the layers of NSA security to pull off the largest theft of secret documents in the history of American intelligence? Did he act alone? What happened to the documents? Was his arrival in Russia part of the plan?
Because I had written several books on the vulnerability of intelligence services, this was a mystery—a "howdunit," if you like—that immediately intrigued me. Even if Snowden had acted for the most salutary of reasons, the unauthorized transfer of state secrets from the United States to an adversary country is, by almost any definition, a form of espionage.
I decided to begin my investigation of this case in Hong Kong, because it was the place to which Snowden first fled after leaving Hawaii. Snowden had planned the trip for at least four weeks, according to the mandatory travel plan he had filed at the NSA. When I spoke to my sources in the intelligence community, they could not explain Snowden's choice. It would not necessarily protect him from the reach of U.S. law, because Hong Kong had an active extradition treaty with the United States. Just a few months earlier, Hong Kong had made headlines by honoring America's request to extradite Trent Martin, a fugitive wanted for insider trading.
Nor was Hong Kong particularly convenient to Hawaii. There were no nonstop flights there from Honolulu in May 2013. Snowden flew eight hours to Narita International Airport in Japan, where he waited almost three hours. He then flew five hours to Hong Kong. Snowden could have flown to countries that do not have extradition treaties with America in far less time.
Adding to this mystery, at the time he departed Honolulu, Snowden had not yet arranged for any journalists to meet him in Hong Kong, and as far as U.S. intelligence could determine, he had
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 5
9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019493
9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019493
Discussion 0
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this epstein document