HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560.jpg
1.69 MB
Extraction Summary
4
People
6
Organizations
2
Locations
3
Events
3
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / excerpt (from 'how america lost its secrets' by edward jay epstein)
File Size:
1.69 MB
Summary
This document is page 72 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' (authored by Edward Jay Epstein, though not explicitly named in the text body). It details the timeline of Edward Snowden's initial contact with journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras in late 2012 and early 2013. The text describes Snowden's work at Dell, his alias 'Citizen Four,' and the preparations for leaking NSA documents via The Guardian. Note: While contained in a House Oversight file possibly related to an 'Epstein' search, the content strictly concerns the Edward Snowden leaks.
People (4)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Source / Whistleblower |
Identified as 'Citizen Four', worked at Dell, communicated with journalists about NSA leaks.
|
| Glenn Greenwald | Journalist |
Recipient of Snowden's communications, agreed to break the story in The Guardian.
|
| Laura Poitras | Filmmaker / Journalist |
Intermediary and recipient of emails from Snowden; communicated with Greenwald.
|
| Citizen Four | Alias |
The alias used by Edward Snowden during initial communications.
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube |
Platform where Greenwald's 2012 speech was circulated.
|
|
| The Guardian |
Newspaper where Greenwald agreed to break the story.
|
|
| Dell |
Employer of Edward Snowden at the time.
|
|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; Snowden monitored encrypted messages in the 'NSA tunnel'.
|
|
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency; Greenwald speculated the source was a station chief.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560'.
|
Timeline (3 events)
April 2013
Early to mid-June 2013
Projected timeline for the scoop and document release.
N/A
Locations (2)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Where Greenwald's speech circulated.
|
|
|
Work location context for Snowden.
|
Relationships (3)
Snowden wrote to him; Greenwald agreed to break the story.
Snowden sent e-mails to Poitras; Poitras relayed info to Greenwald.
Discussed Citizen Four's bona fides; collaborated on the story.
Key Quotes (4)
"mechanisms through which our privacy is violated."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560.jpg
Quote #1
"We can guarantee for all people equal protection against unreasonable search,"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560.jpg
Quote #2
"He’s real,"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560.jpg
Quote #3
"senior government employee in the intelligence community"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,506 characters)
72 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
course, the similarity of the phrasing might not have been entirely
coincidental. Greenwald’s 2012 speech had been put on YouTube and
widely circulated on the Internet just a few days before Snowden
first wrote to him on December 1, 2012. Snowden identified himself
as a privacy advocate, which was also how Greenwald often identi-
fied himself in his speeches. He also echoed other concerns Green-
wald had publicly expressed, including defending American privacy
from government intrusions.
coincidental. Greenwald’s 2012 speech had been put on YouTube and
widely circulated on the Internet just a few days before Snowden
first wrote to him on December 1, 2012. Snowden identified himself
as a privacy advocate, which was also how Greenwald often identi-
fied himself in his speeches. He also echoed other concerns Green-
wald had publicly expressed, including defending American privacy
from government intrusions.
Snowden promised the leaks he would supply would provide dra-
matic results. He asserted in one of his e-mails to Poitras that the
“shock” of the documents he would give Greenwald would result in
the public’s learning about the secret “mechanisms through which
our privacy is violated.” According to Snowden’s assessment, follow-
ing that initial uproar, they could achieve another objective in their
common cause. “We can guarantee for all people equal protection
against unreasonable search,” he wrote. In light of this convergence
of views, it is not surprising that Greenwald was fully convinced
of Citizen Four’s bona fides. He said to Poitras, “He’s real,” and he
agreed to help break the story in The Guardian.
matic results. He asserted in one of his e-mails to Poitras that the
“shock” of the documents he would give Greenwald would result in
the public’s learning about the secret “mechanisms through which
our privacy is violated.” According to Snowden’s assessment, follow-
ing that initial uproar, they could achieve another objective in their
common cause. “We can guarantee for all people equal protection
against unreasonable search,” he wrote. In light of this convergence
of views, it is not surprising that Greenwald was fully convinced
of Citizen Four’s bona fides. He said to Poitras, “He’s real,” and he
agreed to help break the story in The Guardian.
Poitras now revealed to Greenwald that Citizen Four would deliver
an entire trove of secret documents to them in six to eight weeks.
According to this timetable, the Greenwald scoop and the “shock”
Citizen Four promised would come in early to mid-June 2013.
an entire trove of secret documents to them in six to eight weeks.
According to this timetable, the Greenwald scoop and the “shock”
Citizen Four promised would come in early to mid-June 2013.
At this point in April, Snowden was in full control. Although
his job at Dell involved endlessly monitoring largely meaningless
encrypted messages in the NSA tunnel, he had been able to get three
major journalists to react favorably to his proposal. None of them
knew his name, position, age, location, or where precisely he worked.
Nor did they know the means by which he planned to obtain the
secrets that he dangled before them. They also did not know where,
or even if, they would meet their source. Their total knowledge about
him was the description he improperly gave of himself: a “senior
government employee in the intelligence community” (Greenwald
speculated that he was a disgruntled CIA station chief).
his job at Dell involved endlessly monitoring largely meaningless
encrypted messages in the NSA tunnel, he had been able to get three
major journalists to react favorably to his proposal. None of them
knew his name, position, age, location, or where precisely he worked.
Nor did they know the means by which he planned to obtain the
secrets that he dangled before them. They also did not know where,
or even if, they would meet their source. Their total knowledge about
him was the description he improperly gave of himself: a “senior
government employee in the intelligence community” (Greenwald
speculated that he was a disgruntled CIA station chief).
Even though they were operating largely in the dark, these three
journalists acted as almost any other ambitious reporter would if he
or she were offered a major scoop about illegal acts of the govern-
journalists acted as almost any other ambitious reporter would if he
or she were offered a major scoop about illegal acts of the govern-
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 72 9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019560
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