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2020-04-24 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
What Did U.S. Intel Really Know About the ‘Chinese' Virus?
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Posted by Besoeker 2020-04-24 04:02|| || Front Page|| [7 views ]  Top

#1 Nothing, too busy spying on Trump and preparing for well paying job (with Chinese owed News conglomerates) after retirement.
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-04-24 04:14||   2020-04-24 04:14|| Front Page Top

#2 If you or your friends are clandestinely funding selected researchers and source reporting in Wuhan, releasing the 'oh shi*' balloon early would certainly put your sources, methods, and potential culpability at risk. Better to let discovery take it's course and hope the host nation disposes of your sources.

These are non-trivial matters. The appropriate political 'closed-door' notifications must be made. Ample time for stock trading and portfolio adjustments must be provided. Our highly valued Chinese trading partners must be given time to prepare.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-04-24 04:17||   2020-04-24 04:17|| Front Page Top

#3 It was a top level highly classified up to take the world I Dr with Petri dish dollars insteAd of Petro dollars!
Posted by Ebbinetch Spawn of the Nebraskans2768 2020-04-24 06:26||   2020-04-24 06:26|| Front Page Top

#4 Suspiciously close to the Chinese line that it came from the US, from a "source" never heard of before. Especially notice the attempt to absolve the Chinese of covering up the outbreak, as if they didn't arrest doctors and take down research information.
Posted by Rob Crawford 2020-04-24 06:59||   2020-04-24 06:59|| Front Page Top

#5 Ref #4: Especially notice the attempt to absolve the Chinese of covering up the outbreak, as if they didn't arrest doctors and take down research information.

When the air travel restriction were imposed, were members of the Saudi Royal Family high level Chinese nationals permitted to return to China in spite of the travel restrictions ?

Asking for a friend.
Posted by Besoeker 2020-04-24 07:39||   2020-04-24 07:39|| Front Page Top

#6 I have no idea what you're talking about, Besoeker, or its bearing on the story.

The U.S. was repatriating citizens after the travel restrictions, so I wouldn't be shocked if the Chinese were doing it as well.
Posted by Rob Crawford 2020-04-24 08:05||   2020-04-24 08:05|| Front Page Top

#7 /\ Thanks for answering my question. Yes, I do recall the repatriations. The 9/11 restrictions, a poor analogy. My bad.
Posted by Besoeker 2020-04-24 08:13||   2020-04-24 08:13|| Front Page Top

#8 With regard to intelligence in China, recall that some years ago China killed off many of our spies over there.
Posted by trailing wife 2020-04-24 09:01||   2020-04-24 09:01|| Front Page Top

#9 "China could not be "covering up" what was only identified as a new disease on December 30..."

None of this clears them from closing domestic transport to/from Wohan while leaving it open to the world. Of promoting hug a Chinese person day in Italy or sending bad PPE to a dozen countries while playing savior.
Posted by rjschwarz 2020-04-24 10:38||   2020-04-24 10:38|| Front Page Top

#10 The 9/11 restrictions, a poor analogy. My bad.

I recall the rush to return was for State Department employees and dependents. Common tourists were pretty much left on their own.

So some urgency to get access to first-hand trained observers.
Posted by Skidmark 2020-04-24 11:37||   2020-04-24 11:37|| Front Page Top

#11 The repatriation of high level foreign nationals analogy is apt. Much to be garnered if we had competent agencies suitably focused.
Posted by Classical_Liberal 2020-04-24 11:46||   2020-04-24 11:46|| Front Page Top

#12 "I recall the rush to return was for State Department employees and dependents. Common tourists were pretty much left on their own."

Several 100 private Americans were evacuated at the same time and on the same planes as the State people. They were not "left on their own" - some decided to stay for a variety of reasons. By law - we cannot leave them on their own. We are required to offer the same evac options as official Americans. Total AmCits evacuated from Wuhan is about 550. I'd bet less than 50 were official Americans as Wuhan is small consulate.

To date - State had evac'd about 60,000 AmCits worldwide.
Posted by Bangkok Billy 2020-04-24 12:00||   2020-04-24 12:00|| Front Page Top

#13 I went to that website, read the article, and wonder if it is total BS or a muddy blend of BS and a few possible facts. The writer seems like a nut. Doing a deep virus scan now.
Posted by Whiskey Mike 2020-04-24 13:07||   2020-04-24 13:07|| Front Page Top

#14 Ah'm on the outside and my recall is mushy, but law and rule and events rarely align.

The first group of U.S. citizens to be evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan are mostly U.S. State Department employees and their families. They were flown by government-chartered cargo jet to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County about 60 miles (97 km) east of Los Angeles.

And sometimes I muddle facts with news. Thanks for the clarification.
Posted by Skidmark 2020-04-24 15:04||   2020-04-24 15:04|| Front Page Top

#15 Jan/31
U.S. State Department organizing more flights for Americans to return from Wuhan -official


The State Department official said "as space is available, seating will be offered to U.S. citizens on a reimbursable basis, to leave from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to the United States.
Posted by Skidmark 2020-04-24 15:17||   2020-04-24 15:17|| Front Page Top

#16  If you or your friends are clandestinely funding selected researchers

As I, ahem recall, the recently reported monies to the Wuhan lab was @3.7M. That's more in line of a 'this might be interesting' university grant. I was thinking there was something like a $5M minimum threshold for an actively managed project.
Posted by Skidmark 2020-04-24 15:27||   2020-04-24 15:27|| Front Page Top

#17 /\ Non-for profits and foundations have historically served as 'cut-outs' for laundering money via grants or endowments to selected entities. Once it goes into the big pot, it's very difficult to trace back to it's origins.
Posted by Besoeker 2020-04-24 16:13||   2020-04-24 16:13|| Front Page Top

23:01 Marilyn Tojo7566
21:59 daniel
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