Background The President of the United States has available certain powers that may be exercised in the event that the nation is threatened by crisis, exigency, or emergency circumstances (other than natural disasters, war, or near-war situations). Such powers may be stated explicitly or implied by the Constitution, assumed by the Chief Executive to be permissible constitutionally, or inferred from or specified by statute. Through legislation, Congress has made a great many delegations of authority in this regard over the past 200 years. There are, however, limits and restraints upon the President in his exercise of emergency powers. With the…
Author: John Greenewald
Background According to the Executive Summary of the document: A U.S. Navy ELINT satellite system became operational in July 1960 and was operated until August 1962. The mission was to obtain information on Soviet air defense radars that could not be observed by Air Force and Navy ferret aircraft flying ELINT missions along accessible borders in Europe and the western Pacific. The system was proposed by the Naval Research Laboratory in the spring of 1958. In parallel with exploratory development by the NRL, the Office of Naval Intelligence obtained endorsements of Project Tattletale from elements of the executive and legislative…
Background While searching for files on various topics, The Black Vault filed a request in March of 2019, seeking all records on the television show “Saturday Night Live.” Although there were no files specifically on the show itself; there were cross references. Cross references, according to the FBI, are “mentions of the subject of your request in files to other individuals, organizations, events, or activities.” The files released cross-referencing Saturday Night Live, were about a tape that was found in the room of attempted assassin John Hinckley, after he tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan outside the Hilton Hotel in…
Background According to Wikipedia: Gul Rahman (died 20 November 2002) was an Afghan man, suspected by the United States of being a militant, who was a victim of torture. He died in a secret CIA prison, or black site, located in northern Kabul, Afghanistan known as the Salt Pit. He had been captured October 29, 2002. His name was kept secret by the United States for more than seven years although his death was announced. In 2010 the Associated Press reported that before his death he was left half-stripped and chained against a concrete wall on a night when the…
Background The hypnotic interview is recommended as a viable procedure and a useful tool in aviation accident investigation. In the case study presented, an Army aviation accident investigation board for the first time accepted into evidence information obtained in a hypnotic interview. The hypnotic interview provided the board with evidence which was not previously obtained by other investigative techniques and which proved to be invaluable in the investigative and decision making process. The evidence suggested mechanical failure in a specific component, which laboratory testing later confirmed. The accident investigation board reversed the original opinion of “pilot error” to a unanimous…