This article first published by Ohmynews on 2006-10-14 14:22 (KST)
CIA keeps a close check on the well-being of world leaders
Time magazine recently quoted a U.S. official as saying that President Fidel Castro of Cuba "has terminal cancer and will never return to power."
The official said: "Certainly we have heard this, that this guy has terminal cancer."
However, Time itself expressed doubts about the reliability of the news. "Of course, such intelligence reports could be wrong," wrote Sally B. Donnelly and Timothy J.Burger.
The 80-year-old Cuban leader had a serious abdominal surgery on July 31. His health has since generated much speculation, especially from the U.S. side, which is longing for the departure of the ailing leader. However, official reports on his health have remained few and vague to date.
It is not the first time that the U.S. has commented on Castro's Health. This week, however, the article in Time reminds me of the CIA practice of medical and psychological profiling.
In Nov. 2005, the CIA issued a report saying Fidel Castro has the "debilitating Parkinson's disease" -- which was mocked by Castro himself at a five-hour address before Havana students.
CIA experts at the agency's Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior (CAPPB), which was established by the CIA psychiatrist Jerrold Post in the early 1970s, came to the conclusion after analyzing his public appearances.
According to Ronald Kessler, author of The CIA at War and Inside the CIA, the CIA has long employed analysts to provide psychological and medical assessments of foreign leaders. Such kind of work has also been classified as "covert operations."
Assessments of the health of world leaders have been used by the U.S. president and other top officials to gain an understanding of how a leader may act in a particular situation, and to gain an edge in negotiations. It is alleged that the CIA sometimes leaks the information to the media as part of a disinformation campaign.
During the Cold War, CAPPB paid special attention to Soviet leaders. According to Ronald Kessler, CIA agents had used "any means at their disposal" to get medical information on Soviet leaders. They examined their appearance on TV, and they used money to buy information from their delegation members. The agents went as far as getting their waste for analysis. "If a political leader was in town, they would try to raid their toilets," Kessler said.
However, when the Cold War ended, the attention switched to terrorists and the so-called "axis of evil" leaders. Those who have been most analyzed are Sadam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.
A job advertisement posted on CIA's Web site recently declared: "CIA's Directorate of Intelligence (DI) is looking for physicians to produce assessments for senior policymakers on global health issues, such as disease outbreaks, and the health of foreign leaders."
When questioned by Time, a Cuban official said, "The United States Intelligence Services have been wrong for more than 47 years in their predictions not only in relation to the health of the Cuban President but also in all aspects regarding our country."
He said the statement made by Castro himself on July 31 was a real "definitive assessment" of his health. "Surgery and treatment for intestinal bleeding obliges me to spend several weeks in repose, away from my responsibilities and duties," Castro said.
The surgery also led to Castro's 80th birthday celebration being moved back to Dec. 2.
CIA keeps a close check on the well-being of world leaders
Time magazine recently quoted a U.S. official as saying that President Fidel Castro of Cuba "has terminal cancer and will never return to power."
The official said: "Certainly we have heard this, that this guy has terminal cancer."
However, Time itself expressed doubts about the reliability of the news. "Of course, such intelligence reports could be wrong," wrote Sally B. Donnelly and Timothy J.Burger.
The 80-year-old Cuban leader had a serious abdominal surgery on July 31. His health has since generated much speculation, especially from the U.S. side, which is longing for the departure of the ailing leader. However, official reports on his health have remained few and vague to date.
It is not the first time that the U.S. has commented on Castro's Health. This week, however, the article in Time reminds me of the CIA practice of medical and psychological profiling.
In Nov. 2005, the CIA issued a report saying Fidel Castro has the "debilitating Parkinson's disease" -- which was mocked by Castro himself at a five-hour address before Havana students.
CIA experts at the agency's Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior (CAPPB), which was established by the CIA psychiatrist Jerrold Post in the early 1970s, came to the conclusion after analyzing his public appearances.
According to Ronald Kessler, author of The CIA at War and Inside the CIA, the CIA has long employed analysts to provide psychological and medical assessments of foreign leaders. Such kind of work has also been classified as "covert operations."
Assessments of the health of world leaders have been used by the U.S. president and other top officials to gain an understanding of how a leader may act in a particular situation, and to gain an edge in negotiations. It is alleged that the CIA sometimes leaks the information to the media as part of a disinformation campaign.
During the Cold War, CAPPB paid special attention to Soviet leaders. According to Ronald Kessler, CIA agents had used "any means at their disposal" to get medical information on Soviet leaders. They examined their appearance on TV, and they used money to buy information from their delegation members. The agents went as far as getting their waste for analysis. "If a political leader was in town, they would try to raid their toilets," Kessler said.
However, when the Cold War ended, the attention switched to terrorists and the so-called "axis of evil" leaders. Those who have been most analyzed are Sadam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.
A job advertisement posted on CIA's Web site recently declared: "CIA's Directorate of Intelligence (DI) is looking for physicians to produce assessments for senior policymakers on global health issues, such as disease outbreaks, and the health of foreign leaders."
When questioned by Time, a Cuban official said, "The United States Intelligence Services have been wrong for more than 47 years in their predictions not only in relation to the health of the Cuban President but also in all aspects regarding our country."
He said the statement made by Castro himself on July 31 was a real "definitive assessment" of his health. "Surgery and treatment for intestinal bleeding obliges me to spend several weeks in repose, away from my responsibilities and duties," Castro said.
The surgery also led to Castro's 80th birthday celebration being moved back to Dec. 2.
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