The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan,Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973 principally by American banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller,an internationalist who sought to address the challenges posed by the growing economic and political interdependence between the U.S. and its allies in North America,Western Europe,and Japan.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921,it is an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit organization. CFR is based in New York City,with an additional office in Washington,D.C. Its membership has included senior politicians,numerous secretaries of state,CIA directors,bankers,lawyers,professors,corporate directors and CEOs,and senior media figures.
Kissinger Associates,Inc. is a New York City-based international geopolitical consulting firm,founded and run by Henry Kissinger from 1982 until his death in November 2023. The firm assists its clients in identifying strategic partners and investment opportunities and advising them on government relations.
Valerie Elise Plame is an American writer,spy novelist,and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. As the subject of the 2003 Plame affair,also known as the CIA leak scandal,Plame's identity as a CIA officer was leaked to and subsequently published by Robert Novak of The Washington Post. She described this period and the media firestorm that ensued as "mortifying,and I think I was in shock for a couple years".
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States,commonly known as the 9/11 Commission,was set up on November 27,2002,to investigate all aspects of the September 11 attacks,the deadliest terrorist attack in world history. It was created by Congressional legislation,which charged it with preparing "a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks",including preparedness by the U.S. federal government for the attacks,the response following the attacks,and steps that can be taken to guard against a future terrorist attack.
The President's Daily Brief,sometimes referred to as the President's Daily Briefing or the President's Daily Bulletin,is a top-secret document produced and given each morning to the president of the United States;it is also distributed to a small number of top-level US officials who are approved by the president. It includes highly classified intelligence analysis,information about covert operations,and reports from the most sensitive US sources or those shared by allied intelligence agencies. At the discretion of the president,the PDB may also be provided to the president-elect of the United States,between election day and inauguration,and to former presidents on request.
Joseph Charles Wilson IV was an American diplomat who was best known for his 2002 trip to Niger to investigate allegations that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase yellowcake uranium;his New York Times op-ed piece,"What I Didn't Find in Africa";and the subsequent leaking by the Bush/Cheney administration of information pertaining to the identity of his wife Valerie Plame as a CIA officer. He also served as the CEO of a consulting firm he founded,JC Wilson International Ventures,and as the vice chairman of Jarch Capital,LLC.
John L. Helgerson is a retired career intelligence officer who spent 38 years at the Central Intelligence Agency,his final role was CIA Inspector General from 2002 until his retirement in 2009. He was responsible for investigating CIA interrogations of terror suspects,and compiled a report critical of agency practices in 2005 which was released in 2009 by the Obama administration.
Richard Bruce Cheney is an American retired politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. Often cited as the most powerful vice president in American history,Cheney previously served as White House Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford,the U.S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district from 1979 to 1989,and as the 17th United States secretary of defense in the administration of President George H. W. Bush. He is the oldest living former U.S. vice president,following the death of Walter Mondale in 2021.
Michael Joseph Morell is an American former career intelligence analyst. He served as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010 to 2013 and twice as its acting director,first in 2011 and then from 2012 to 2013. He also serves as a professor at the George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government.
Membership in the Council on Foreign Relations comes in two types:Individual and Corporate. Individual memberships are further subdivided into two types:Life Membership and Term Membership,the latter of which is for a single period of five years and is available to those between the ages of 30 and 36 at the time of their application. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have applied for U.S. citizenship are eligible. A candidate for life membership must be nominated in writing by one Council member and seconded by a minimum of three others.
The Analysis Corporation (TAC) was the Intelligence Solutions business of Global Defense Technology &Systems,Inc. (GTEC),now Sotera Defense Solutions,a defense contracting company. Based in McLean,Virginia,it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Strategies Group Inc.,the operating company of GTEC. From its inception in 1990 to its dissolution in 2012,TAC worked on projects in the counterterrorism and national security realm by supporting national watchlisting activities as well as other counterterrorism requirements.
The President's Surveillance Program (PSP) is a collection of secret intelligence activities authorized by the President of the United States George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks in 2001 as part of the War on Terrorism. Information collected under this program was protected within a Sensitive Compartmented Information security compartment codenamed STELLARWIND.
Marc Alexander Thiessen is an American conservative author,political appointee,and weekly columnist for The Washington Post. Thiessen served as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009 and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld from 2001 to 2006.
Command Group,"CG",founded as Command Consulting Group,is an international security and intelligence consulting firm,founded in 2009,headquartered in Washington,D.C.,United States. CG provides advisory services for governments,corporations,and high net worth individuals.
Avril Danica Haines is an American lawyer and senior government official who serves as the director of national intelligence in the Biden administration. She is the first woman to serve in this role. Haines previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Obama administration. Prior to her appointment to the CIA,she served as Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs in the Office of White House Counsel.
Beacon Global Strategies LLC (BGS) is a Washington,DC-based strategic advisory firm founded by Jeremy Bash,Philippe Reines,and Andrew Shapiro in 2013. Philippe Reines left the firm as of September 2017. According to the firm's website,Beacon Global Strategies specializes in matters of international policy,foreign affairs,national defense,cyber,intelligence,and homeland security.
Samantha Erin Vinograd is an American government official and foreign policy commentator who served as the Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism,Threat Prevention,and Law Enforcement Policy at the Department of Homeland Security from July 2021 to August 2022.
Joyce Hunter is the CEO of Vulcan Enterprises,an IT consulting firm based in Maryland. She grew up in Philadelphia,USA and in 2017,she can look back on over 30 years of work experience in the IT sector.
Beth Sanner is a former American government official,having served as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration. She was appointed to the position in May 2019.
