JOHN BEALE CASE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06716075
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: November 12, 2019
• Case Number: F-2015-01611
• Publication Date: December 11, 2013

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CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED
Media team:
Wednesday, December 11,2013 10:40 AM
[AIN] FW: John Beale case
Many thanks.
Dean Boyd
Director
CIA Office of Public Affairs
From:
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 10:38 AM
To: Isikoff, Michael (NBCUniversal);
Subject: RE: John Beale case
:Hey Mike:
Let me check with my folks on this one and get back to you pronto.
Dean Boyd
Director
CIA Office of Public Affairs
From: Isikoff, Michael (NBCUniversal) [mailto
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:49 AM
To:
Subject: John Beale case
�nbcuni.com]
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Dean�Just left you message. Doing something on the case of John Beale�the EPA guy who pled guilty to defrauding
the govt. by claiming he was doing undercover work for the CIA. (His sentencing is next week.) Have interview with
Patrick Sullivan, the EPA assistant IG who did the case anti says his office confirmed with CIA that not only did Beale not
work for the CIA, theres no record of him ever being to Langley. His exact quote: Beale's claim that he was working for
the CIA were a "complete fabrication," said Sullivan. "He's never been to Langley. The CIA has no record of him ever
walking through the door."
Can you something from you guys on whether that is in fact the case.
Mike
From:
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 3:41 PM
To: Isikoff, Michael (NBCUniversal)
Subject: RE: Final / NBC / Isikoff / Yemen CT
Roger, understood. Events that have been alleged. Again, the comments must be attributed to Adrnin official.
As for lunch, I've find it impossible to get out of this building for anything and am daily stuck in meetings about
meeting. Have only been able to get out to lunch once since I've been here. Sorry, but I'll have to get back to you.
From: Isikoff, Michael (NBCUniversal) [mailto
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 3:29 'M
To:
Subject: RE: Final / NBC / Isikoff / Yemen CT
lAnbcuni.corril
Dean�thanks. Got it and helpful enough But as long as were being precise in use of words, I didn't "allege" these
events! I was asking questions about what others are saying � to get the USG's guidance about it believes to be the
facts.
That said, what about that lunch we talked about? Pick some days.
Mike
From:
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 3:24 PM
To: Isikoff, Michael (NBCUniversal)
Cc:
Subject: Final / NBC / Isikoff / Yemen CT
Mike:
We have no guidance for you on either of the events you allege below. Feel free to say CIA declined comment.
If you need comments on the Administration's CT policy, transparency, etc, feel free to use the following quotes from
"an Administration official."
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� As a part of his commitment to transparency, in a comprehensive address at National Defense University on May
23, President Obama laid out the legal and policy framework for the U.S. counterterrorism strategy. The President
directly addressed the issue of civilian casualties in his speech. He made clear that it is a hard fact that U.S.
strikes have resulted in civilian casualties, a risk that exists in every war.
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� In the President's speech, he addressed why the United States may choose to undertake strikes using drones. He
said: Conventional airpower or missiles are far less precise than drones, and are likely to cause more civilian
casualties and more local outrage. Invasions lead us to be viewed as occupying armies, unleash a torrent of
unintended consequences, are difficult to contain, result in large numbers of civilian casualties and ultimately
empower those who thrive on violent conflict.
� In addition, he said: To do nothing in the face of terrorist networks would invite far more civilian casualties not
just in our cities at home and our facilities abroad, but also in the very places where terrorists seek a foothold.
Remember that the terrorists we are after target civilians, and the death toll from their acts of terrorism dwarfs any
estimate of civilian casualties from drone strikes.
� By narrowly targeting our action against those who want to kill us and not the people they hide among, we are
choosing the course of action least likely to result in the loss of innocent life.
� U.S. counterterrorism operations are precise, lawful, and effective and the United States does not take lethal
strikes when we or our partners have the ability to capture individual terrorists. Our preference is always to detain,
interrogate, and prosecute.
� We take extraordinary care to make sure that our counterterrorism actions are in accordance with all applicable
domestic and international law and that they are consistent with U.S. values and policy. Of particular note, before
we take any counterterrorism strike outside areas of active hostilities, there must be near-certainty that no
civilians will be killed or injured � the highest standard we can set.
� While we will not be commenting on the details or locations of specific counterterrorism operations, the President
has committed to undertaking these activities with the greatest possible transparency, and we will continue to
share as much information as possible with the American people, the Congress, and the international community,
consistent with our national security needs and the proper functioning of the Executive Branch.
� When there are indications that civilian deaths may have occurred, intelligence analysts draw on a large body of
information � including human intelligence, signals intelligence, media reports, and surveillance footage � to help
us make informed determinations about whether civilians were in fact killed or injured.
� Substantial information concerning U.S. counterterrorism strikes is collected through a variety of sources and
methods. That information has been and will continue to be made available to appropriate committees in
Congress. In order to preserve those sources and methods, however, we do not make the information publicly
available.
Thanks,
Dean Boyd
Director
CIA Office of Public Affairs
From: Isikoff, Michael (NBCUniversal) [mailto
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 1:14 PM
To:
Subject: Yemeni strikes
nbcuni.com]
Dean�On the matter we talked about....
1) Have interviewed today Faisal Bin All Gaber, an environmental engineer with the Yemeni Environmental
Protection Agency, who described the killing of his brother-in-law, Salem Ahmed bin Ali Jaber, an imam, and his
nephew, Walid Abdullah bin All Jabel, a local police officer, in a drone strike that killed five people ma village
near Mukalla in eastern Yemen on Aug. 29, 2012. This strike was featured in the recent Human Rights Watch
report and in his New York Times story last August...
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http://www.nvtimes.com/2013/02/06/world/middleeast/with-brennan-oick-a-light-on-drone-strikes-
hazards.html
Gaber says that his brother in law had preached against Al Qaeda on the Friday before his death. According to his
account, three apparent militants came to challenge him on his sermon when the drones strike occurred. He
describes seeing body pieces and being in shock after the attack, and being told a few days later in a phone call from
a Yemeni counter-terrorism official that the killing of his brother in law and his nephew was a "mistake." "I want an
investigation and to know who all is responsible for these deaths and who will be held accountable...the whole
village was terrorized by this strike," he said. He said people in his village were "very angry" about the strike and that
at least two teenagers�one 14 and 16 -- joined Al Qaeda after the attack, neither of whom has been heard from
since.
As you know, the President and CIA director Brennan has acknowledged civilian casualties from drone strikes. �
Brennan in his written response to Senate Intel said earlier this year that "in those rare instances, where civilians
have been killed, action reviews have been conducted...and "if appropriate, provide condolence payments to
families of those killed."
As far as the USG and CIA knows, is there any reason to question Faisal Bin Ali Gaber's account that his brother in
law, the imam, and his nephew, the police officer, were the inadvertent casualties of the Aug. 29 strike? If not, is this
a case where an after-action review was undertaken and is there any review or consideration of providing
compensation to the families?
2) The Los Angeles times has recently reported on the death of the younger brother of a suspected Al Qaeda
commander who was killed standing next to a car during a drone strike last June. A lawyer for Reprieve says that
the younger brother, Abdualaziz Hassan Horaidan, was ten years old. What guidance can you give us on this�
and whether there is an action after review undertaken?
Any comment and background guidance much appreciated.
Mike Isikoff
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