Israel, control networks, tech firms, and subterfuge

Letters from O'Brien #79

Dear Mr Smith,

Just a short muse – thinking out loud really – as I’ve not written to you for a while.

I was thinking that over the past few years, the links and underpinnings of right-wing politics have become more obvious. These control networks almost always drive or redirect the public conversation in the western world.

There is a depth of control in the west which is more complex than many of us have imagined (until probably the great awakening during COVID). Thanks to decades of subterfuge, subversion, special operations, and such, multiple generations have had the wool pulled over their eyes.

The pager and walkie talkie attacks against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was an impressive (albeit violent) public demonstration of Israeli intelligence planning. Ordered from a Hungarian shell company (expertly shielding the masterminds), these pagers were built with nitro-glycerine explosives from day one. They were then ‘properly’ assembled somewhere in Asia - presumably added into some white-label production line while retaining logistical data for shipment - and then sent to a Taiwanese manufacturer, who promptly stuck their labels on the devices (likely in complete ignorance). These pagers then arrived in Lebanon, where they were distributed to Hezbollah personnel, and then for the better part of a decade, they laid dormant.

This impressive feat doesn’t even take into account the specifics of the order; agents or double agents likely infiltrated Hezbollah leadership to make the order, oversee the shipment, and finalise the distribution of the devices to specific personnel. In other words, this was an advanced years-long project.

Then in Iran, we recently saw how Mossad and army intelligence infiltrated key locations throughout the country, setting up drones, remote controlled missile launchers, as well as tracking key IRGC personnel at all times. The Iranian operation saw near-complete Israeli dominance on the intelligence front.

While the CIA/NSA pairing is still regarded as possessing the greatest technological capabilities in global intelligence, and while many have noted the CIA’s preparation and training allowed for Mossad’s successful infiltration of Iran, there can be no denying that the Israeli intelligence community is among the best in the world, and this may prove troubling if relations should break down between the United States and Israel.

ISRAELS CHOICE OF INTELLIGENCE OVER MILITARY FORCE

Historically, Israel’s military has never held an absolute advantage over its neighbours. While the IDF possesses a potent assortment of special forces units under army, navy, air force, and presidential command - some of which are considered among the best in the world - on the ground the basic armed forces of Israel have never clearly held the advantage over rival armies. This may be due to mandatory national service resulting in a less motivated, less rigorous, and less precise fighting force (truly motivated soldiers may try and join special units instead). This is generally fine during peacetime (many may be used in policing roles across the country), but under pressure this mixed assortment of young men and women will fragment and would best serve in a logistical role rather than on the battlefield.

Thus, in practice, the IDF usually relies on a small but highly effective tripartite force, rather than its conventional standing army; military intelligence (Aman) which can sort threats (or neutralise them in the case of Mossad), cross-branch special forces units to destroy pinpoint targets, and the Israeli Air Force for use in open combat. In other words, the only service branch with a consistently impressive record on the whole has been the IAF, considered one of the best air forces in the world.

Up until this point, this has worked for the Israelis. Many note that their successes usually come from US support, however this doesn’t change the underlying fact that this method - e.g. using special forces and intelligence over conventional ground forces - seems to be the Israeli standard order of battle. In fact, it has been the case since the Yom Kippur War, when Israel found itself almost overwhelmed by the conventional power of its neighbours.

Thus, Israel’s primary strength today is undoubtedly in the world of intelligence gathering, espionage, blackmail, targeted missions, and spy craft. It is this which must be understood in order to fully comprehend how control networks work in the west, which now implicates everything from the tech industry to the entertainment industry and media.

Enter Jeffrey Epstein. When it was revealed that Epstein was indeed guilty of what he had been suspected of doing for over a decade, the question of motive was front and centre. Most claimed he was simply a psychopathic lone actor feeding the desires of the elites. In the opinion of some, he was ‘Jewish’, and so he was - on account of his race - simply an insane guy running a ring of human trafficking and abuse. In other words, many asserted that he was a lone individual in some way or another, who represented a microcosmic example of what other elites were like. A rather low-resolution view at best.

It is clear in hindsight that Epstein was himself likely disturbed (in the psychopathic kind of way), and undeniably a highly effective actor - an intelligence asset; emerging out of nowhere, placed into positions in which he could connect with well-known individuals, and supplied with a seemingly never-ending amount of money and assets, he was far from a lone actor, as someone like Eric Weinstein will have you believe.

Epstein is one amongst many, his job was, in my view, to connect with key players in the entertainment industry, the media, and in politics. The goal? To attain blackmail material. Assets that can then be used by an intel agency to compel action among compromised individuals.

I think Epstein is a blatant, even sensational, example of what happens in all areas of influence, including politics, entertainment, academia, and so on; agents, compromised individuals, or organisations held to ransom to achieve some level of control.

If politicians are controlled, the outcomes go without saying. If actors, producers and directors are controlled, they can be used for all manner of propaganda. And a controlled media, of course, can change the public narrative more powerfully than all the above.

One of the best examples of a modern form of spy craft and long-term strategy concerns Israeli intelligence personnel working in Silicon Valley and the tech industry at large. Around 15 years ago, Netanyahu encouraged those who work in the Israeli intel community to create their own startups abroad once they had finished their service. This is similarly the case with former intelligence officers in the US.

Will these people be called upon at some point to use their position or company to achieve some goal for national security purposes— in this case Israeli interests?

Case in point. AU10TIX is an ID verification firm, used by Twitter/X. It is a subsidiary of ICTS International, which was founded by four former members of Shin Bet (Israeli domestic intelligence) in 1982. As it stands, AU10TIX is responsible for overseeing - and thus has access to - customer information on Twitter, presumably including email addresses, phone numbers, names, and perhaps passwords. This becomes troublesome when one considers how this information could be used. Recently, a right winger Twitter user was doxed by a journalist, who received his information from AU10TIX. While this is a microscopic example, one can imagine how such a service could be used to create chaos in a conflict, or perhaps even to discredit individuals.

Black Cube, in like manner, was founded by former Israeli military intelligence (Aman) members and is overseen by a former member of Mossad (Israeli foreign intelligence). The inference is that while Black Cube takes part in legitimate business as advertised, it can be called upon for military or intelligence purposes. For example, it has been used by the IDF in various operations, as well as being used by Harvey Weinstein (former powerful film producer) to discredit witnesses taking him to court and aiding Israeli Diamond Exchange interests in Africa by aiding Gertler International (read my former letter).

This move towards influence in the tech industry is the case in other industries as well. The problem is these plants are hard to identify. For example, it is possible that the film studio A24, is to some degree, part of a control mechanism; it was funded by Guggenheim Partners, it immediately saw mass ‘success’ through media appraisal and film industry awards ceremonies (again, assume these people making those decision in media and film are compromised), and most importantly the majority of the films released under the brand are subversive in their narratives. The topic of this sort of subversion is a letter for another day.

In the common mind, people believe this sort of subterfuge or espionage is only done by individuals (like an Epstein character), but in practice, the tech industry - especially those dealing with online data – can wield enormous power, as does the media. It is hard to say just how deep these control networks go. It is possible that backdoors have been built into so many things - software, weapons systems, hardware, etc. - that the US could be at significant risk. Mainstream would assume this would be the work of the CCP, but it could just as easily be the handiwork of so-called friendly nations.

Disturbingly we are seeing strong moves to silence public critics of the Israel lobby and Israeli influence in Washington. With the likes of Peter Thiel’s Palantir crunching data for the NSA, and many of the other suspicious characters in Silicon Valley like Sam Altman, Jacob Helberg, and Alex Karp now having access to the White House, it is easy to see how quickly this technology can be used either federally to crush dissent, or by foreign actors to undermine national interests.

We should be paying close attention to how these control networks function, who heads them, how do they get contracts in the private sector, and who opens the door for them to work for the federal government or military. The evidence is hidden in plain sight – we just have to have our eyes open.

Sincerely yours,

O’Brien