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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University

@markstout.bsky.social
22K followers 6K following 3.3K posts

Former intelligence officer and university educator, current intelligence historian. Also live on the borderlands of military history. Former Historian at the International Spy Museum. I wish I were in Seattle. The cat is Boadicea. Not flying with Natalie.

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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Now there, my friends, is a font. I don't know what's going on with this. There were probably issues with the scanning by NARA but still something is going on with that thing.
I don't even know how to describe this font. The text says "TELEGRAM Outgoing, Foreign Service of the United States of America, Embassy Djakarta." The "telegram" is in a bold all caps with white highlightings inside some of the thicker parts of the letters.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Really enjoyed seeing Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs in DC two nights ago. Mike’s as good as he ever was and I hadn’t realized that his band now included former Heartbreaker Steve Ferrone. Mike is making great music and threw in a few Petty songs, as well. So much fun.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Also there are a few Senior Executive Memoranda.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I've just finally clocked that not all of these are PDB articles or PDB memos, per se. Some are "Senior Publish When Readies" or "Publish When Ready." I seem to recall the latter being informally called Power SEIBs when verbally discussed. The serial numbers on some of these gives it away.
02/14/2001
SPWR021401-03

Afghanistan: Bin Ladin's Interest in Biological and Radiological Weapons [redacted]
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
October 14, 2000.
Bin Ladin is capable of mounting multiple operations with no warning using his own al-Qaida personnel, allied Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) members, and other surrogates worldwide.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Bullet under that one, though:
[Redacted] and the recommendations to avoid loss of life are inconsistent with Bin Ladin's focus on maximizing US casualties.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Another tantalizing bit. Airplanes not specified here but still redolent of the 9/11 plot. Still, not clear from what we can read that it actually was in any way related to those attacks. This is from March 9, 2000.
"A manifesto was seized from [redacted] recommending that [redacted] target facilities--such as the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower--to create an uproar without loss of life or, alternately, attack population targets, such as skyscrapers, airports, or nuclear power plants."
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Y2K appears in these Bin Laden-AQ-9/11 PDB articles! From December 30, 1999.
Computer degradations due to Y2K glitches are likely to facilitate opportunistic attacks by groups of individuals, including attackers who may be affiliated with terrorist organizations. Bin Ladin affiliates arrested this month in Pakistan, for instance, are linked to the extremist Muslim Hackers Club.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Golly. This is from July 21, 1999. Thing is, the vast majority of the threats mentioned in these pieces--like this one--never materialized. Doubtless some (many?) because efforts were undertaken to thwart them.
Usama Bin Ladin last week said his group made a dry run of a bombing of the FBI headquarters and indicated the operation would take place "soon."
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Interesting point here from a PDB article of December 4, 1998. I've never seen this point discussed.
2. Some members of the Bin Ladin network have received hijack training, according to various sources, but no group directly tied to Bin Ladin's al-Qaida organization has ever carried out an aircraft hijacking.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The same piece, actually, that contained this bit that received all the attention.
[Half line redacted] Bin Ladin late last month said his preferred option is to strike the US on its own soil in Washington [a few words redacted] the same group responsible for the [Embassy] bombings in Africa may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city. 

--The HUM publicly claims the US used chemical weapons in attacking Khowst and vows to give a "matching reply."
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Interesting bit from one of the just-declassified PDB articles pertaining to Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaida, 9/11, etc. It's from a September 10, 1998 piece, specifically.
We suspect several recent walk-ins to our Embassies [2 lines redacted]--may be part of an effort by Bin Ladin to case US facilities."
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Cool insignia for part of the 3rd Observation Squadron which operated under that name from 1937 to 1943. Eventually evolved into the 3rd Special Operations Squadron which operated Predators. Photo is from the Smithsonian Institution.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Stars and Stripes was initially an official publication of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I, run out of the GHQ G-2's Censorship Division (which also did propaganda and some other stuff.) Nonetheless, it was beloved and seemed to speak for the doughboy even then.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Hey! You soldiers! Don't go tattooing stuff on your body that could be used by enemy order of battle analysts! In fact, no tattoos whatsoever, please. (From the USAHEC's World War I Survey collection.) #intelhist #wwi #fww
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
US military attaché HUMINT system along the Danish-German border at the end of WWI. The head of this network was someone operating under the vice-consular cover. The posts at the border are farms. Farmers were paid for each German deserter they brought up the chain. #FWW #intelhist
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Interesting tidbit from a declassified CIA document in the JFK records. A spy satellite manual sold to the Soviets allegedly alerted the them to the fact that a US imagery satellite they thought was non-operational was actually working fine. This caused them to take countermeasures against it.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
What is this that CENTCOM just dropped a bomb on in Iran?
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Funny bit in this. FBI talked with CBP apparently about possibly identifying forged drivers licenses from China. CBP said, dude, there are soooo many fake drivers licenses for kids wanting to buy alcohol. We can't sort through this haystack.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Anybody know what this Ethiopian pin/badge is?
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
TIL that for a while during World War II, the USG banned the broadcast of weather reports. The ban was partially lifted in October, 1943. From Broadcasting magazine, October 18, 1943.
The first few paragraphs of a magazine article entitled "Weather Reports Back on Air as Censorship Ban is Eased."
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Remarkable description of how the documents published in this book were obtained.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
NARA stacks years ago looking at their storage of old spy satellite film.
A sign on a movable shelving unit that says "RG 263; GAMBIT (KH-7); HEXAGON (KH-9); CANS 001 TO 1862."Two long sections of archive shelving with a seemingly endless number of film canisters on them.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Anyway, aside from the essay on the Minute Man Division linked to above, Joan Jensen's book "The Price of Vigilance" is the best thing out there on the American Protective League. I've attached a doc from the UW Library special collections appointing a Mr. Hills a block sergeant in Seattle. 6/6
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Are you a student doing work in intelligence history? There's an award for that!
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Marjorie Taylor Green just went off on X about Trump and Iran. Here’s part of it.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
What was wrong with Canada? From March 8, 1974. #CIA #NixonAdministration #intelligence #intelhist
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Wonderful drawing from "History and Anecdotes of the New York Branch Office of Naval Intelligence in World War I" privately printed in about 1919. The only copy in existence, AFAIK, is at the Naval War College.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
British Defence Ministry, 1974.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
This is my candidate for worst book purporting to be on military theory or history.
On the Psychology of Military Incompetence by Norman Dixon.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
CIA officer Hal Ford in 1984 on the challenges facing writers of intelligence estimates. Note the comment about Henry Kissinger.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
A few more.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
A bit late, but here you go.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Confidential Not to Be Taken into Front Line Trenches. US Army, 1918.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Protest against ICE in Arlington, VA today.
A crowd of anti-ICE protestors.A protest sign showing an eagle kicking an orange with a crown on it. The word “no” is written on the sign.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
It seems that NOFORN didn't exist then. CIA, 1952.
Classification Secret/Control -- U.S. Officials Only; Security Information
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
The "Kalenda Lateral Grille” cipher from the early 1950s. US spy stuff. No, I don't understand how it works.
A page of graph paper with shapes marked in dark lines on it and numbers handwritten in the boxes within the shapes.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
US War Department, November, 1945. This font seems vertically stretched. Look at that T; look at that C. To me they are faintly uncomfortable to gaze upon.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
RCMP Security Service, 1972.
Tres Secret written vertically.Top Secret written vertically.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
In 1958, the Canadians mentioned the possibility of Soviet nuclear submarines operating in Hudson Bay. I wonder if any study beyond this paragraph was ever undertaken on this. It's quite the notion.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
A red classification marking on a document. It says "TOP SECRET - UK EYES A."
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
From the British Joint Intelligence Committee in 1975.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
When I ran across interesting classification markings and caveats at the other site I used to post them. Think I'll resume that here. Here it's mostly just the purple ink that I like. CIA, June, 1953.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Interesting form from the declassified JFK records showing the foreign police and intelligence services--not just in the UK--that the FBI legal attaché in the US embassy in London was in liaison with as of 1968.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
This is the book. It's available for purchase right now from your favorite bookstore. Christmas is coming up soon. It is traditional to give gifts on Christmas. ... ... ...
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
This looks like a fun set of FBI files.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Remarkable early #ColdWar graphic from a 1948 book entitled "The East Indies Story" by "Fred Smith with numerous illustrations by Kelly Oechsli."
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
An October 1942 FBI leaflet asking the residents of Buffalo to report any "possible violation[s] of our national security statutes" or anything suspicious to the Buffalo Field Office. It concluded, however, with the paragraph below. Seemed relevant today somehow.
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Mark Stout, Ph.D from Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Say what you will about Ronald Reagan, he had better speech writers than Trump and he appreciated good rhetoric in a way that Trump couldn't even begin to comprehend. Reagan remarks to CIA officials on June 23, 1982.
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