Interesting, I guess for Americans knowing where every airforce base is as important as learning the state capitals. I believe that tells a lot about American culture, such as it is.

Archie1954, Vancouver,

Barksdale Air Force Base is in Louisiana, not California!
I guess the surveys are correct when they say that American children can't find the US on a map.

Lennie Patrick, CHICAGO,

"Shadow Warriors" by Kenneth Timmerman should be :"must reading for anyone who wants the truth about the FBI,CIA and the State Dept. and how they are selling us down the river. These operatives are doing these things for one reason: They hate George W. Bush. They have been willing to sacrifice the security of our nation to make our president look bad. Please read this book..it will make you very angry!

kit cat gal in Waxahachie

sharon, waxahachie, tx

I detected the distinct odor of cover-up when I first read of this a few days ago; my suspicions were confirmed when NOT ONE US media outlet printed the story. Payoff? Intimidation? Blackmail? You name it- I dont put anything past the present administration. I've seen too many bad deicisions made in Washington, seen too many 'retrospectives' on past misdeeds by the government, read too many books by former operatives who tell it like it is, and have labored under the ineptitude of the present administration to believe a single word that Washington releases. I put far more stock in what is NOT said then what IS said. When this finally comes to light- and I hope it's in my lifetime- I have a feeling we will see some citizens howling for the same justice we provided for Saddam Hussein.

Morgan Underwood, Birmingham, Alabama

Not surprising.

Read, "Tainting Evidence, Inside the Scandals at the FBI Crime Lab," by John F. Kelly and Phillip K. Wearne, New York: Free Press, 1998.

This will give you ideas how and why the FBI has operated in the past. It's just grist for the mill.

The military-industrial-political complex has deep connections, sad to say.

t. Engelmann, Denver, Colorado

I was curious as to why Ron Paul wanted to abolish the FBI; now I know why.

Al, Orrington, USA

Americans need to ask themselves what else their government is covering up or even making up. If their leaders are anything like ours, then they are probably vain sycophants and compulsive liers.

Rick, Manchester, UK

Thanks for printing this story. Too long have Americans been denied their right to know what criminal activity their intelligence operations are engaging in because of a complicit and irresponsible American media. It is the sure sign of a crumbling empire that its people be denied the right to know what their government is doing to them behind their backs. Yes the American media have been treacherous but there is no traitor so repugnant as one who hides in shadows while selling their countrymen to the highest bidder.

V. Parks, Columbus, USA, Ohio

Is anyone REALLY surprised by this? Spying is as old as the hills, It's not really news. I for one expect governments to be up to that sort of thing. I don't think it's wrong, just natural human behaviour.
At least the American government allocate resources to this endeavour, us Brits have to do this kind of thing on £1.50 a week.
Plus, if there was no espionage/James Bondy stuff going on then Tom Clancy would be out of a job.....think on...

Andy C, Bristol, Britain

I've waited for this bombshell of a story to show up in the U.S. press since I first read it two weeks ago only to hear the sounds of chirping crickets. Evidently, the story of treason by a high-level U.S. official isn't considered news for some reason. . Unfreaking believable.

I sent the story link from two weeks ago to a number of people in the press and even sent a letter to James Bamford (author of a number of books on the U.S. intelligence community) via his publisher. No reply from anyone. I didn't send this to Amy Goodman at DemocracyNow! Yet but will do that now. They broke the story on Sibel Edmonds if I'm not mistaken and maybe they'll do some followup.

I got the link to the Times piece today on Raw Story http://rawstory.com/news/2007/British_media_confirms_FBI_whistleblower_Edmonds_0120.html

They're identifying at the U.S. official involved as Marc Grossman. He's the man who created the memo that identified Valerie Plame to Richard Armitage among others and resulted in the exposure of Valerie Plame as a CIA agent. Those interested might want to look at Raw Story’s work at the link above.

Those trying to make this a Clinton Administration scandal might want to ask yourself why this is being covered up by the FBI and others during the Bush Administration.

Johnbo, Seattle, Washington, USA

How does an intelligence agency conduct spy activity if not by posing as an information clearinghouse on information? I'm sure there are other means but why is this so called whistleblower not being shot for treason just as Valerie Plame should. Where is prosecutor Fitzgerald at asleep at the wheel? It seems as we have intelligence leaked here do we not?

Joe Robinson, Carrollton, TX

Apparently "Activist" still equals stupid. Also apparently there is a supply of "talking points" regarding the validity of the story and who is SUPPOSED to be responsible for the alleged act. The same supply of the "talking point" must also be encouraging the "Activist" to write in and in the first line "give thanks" and elsewhere in the text mention something about the evil republicans. Just like noisy children, occupants of the shollow end must make their presence known.

Dean, Fort Worth, Texas

Thanks for printing this story - other than online, Americans don't get any news anymore - just corporate/goverment propaganda. So while you are at being real journalist, will you please do the U.S. people a favor and write about the missing nuclear weapon? As you will recall last year six nuclear weapons left Minot AFB in North Dakota - five nuclear weapons arrived in Barksdale AFB in California - where's the missing nuke? http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread302187/pg1

Also, I've read that a couple of the guards at these sites died shorlty after the incident - maybe you could shed more light on that. Thanks again for doing the news thing.

Brian G.

B Gallagher, Denver, CO

Brewster Jennings was listed by Valerie Plame as her employer on her voter registration. When the question of the nature of her purported "covert agent" status arose, people asked "How could she hide her CIA covert employment when Brewster Jennings, a known CIA front, was shown as her employer by herself in her public voter registration?" The Boston Globe sent a reporter around to the office and nobody was there. So now we read above that a Turkish member of the nuclear secret stealing group was warned that Brewster Jennings was a CIA front investigating the nuclear secret thefts.

John Enright, Egg Harbor City, New Jersey

As terrible as this article and its contents is, it is just business as usual for our government, Democrat OR Republican. All the press and all of the people of the USA can have no bearing on these things as the entire government is corrupt. Has been for as long as I remember. Sad but true. People who understand this tend to do their best to stay alive and get by.

Rick, Miami, USA / Florida

You really do have to wonder what documents Sandy Berger snuck out of the archives now don't you?!?! It is interesting that the American mainstream media is ignoring this, sort of like they did Monica until they were forced to do it!!!

Tom, Beaver Falls, PA

Steve in Portland is "certainly aware of the media bias against Republicans". Either a GOP plant or an example of American ignorance, take your pick. Our media is completely owned by Republicans. The idea that it would be a Democrat is ludicrous for that very reason. Does anyone believe that FOX, the Republican party's wholly-owned subsidiary would keep quiet. If you believe that, then you don't know as much about the US as you think. None of the other networks would keep quiet either . Their only interest is money and so they support the current administration and it's large business tax cuts (bribes). Tax cuts are great but not when you owe fice times as much money as you take in every year.

Mike, Ann Arbor, Michigan

I believe it because the reports are quite convincing. Both of our "allies" but particuarly Isreal (which I support on the whole) are quite capable of also spying on us. We have caught Israel with it's hand in the cookie jar before.
There are many misguided reasons why this file is being kept secret. One is that the FBI does not need another case of being in the middle of this. Exposing both allies would complicate our foreign policy (isn't that what State is there for?). The traitor(s) may still be working in crutial areas (impossible to explain this) to this day. It is very political as this would be added to a long list of William Jefferson Clinton's failures in protecting America's defense at every level. This administration has protected Clinton as much as it can. Posibly trying to set up a policy so the next president will protect Bush.

Daniel Sullivan, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

People in Britain generally haven't a clue what their government(s) have been up to over the last fifty years because they get all their news from the BBC or from their tabloid press so when they latch onto a story that is critical of the US, they tend to react like giddy school girls

Red Ruffansore, Redstate, USA

You just do not understand.

You have to have secrets otherwise everyone will know everythig and that removes power from a select few.

Secrets are vital to generate thousands of jobs to protect them and thousands of others to try and get them.

Secrets, of course, have nothing to do with national security - they are about protecting incompetence and preventing embarrassment.

Ask Dubbya and Dead-Eye-Dick - they have tried to make everything secret (or subject to Executive Privilege). And if they can't keep it secret - they will "recycle the tapes on a regular basis thus destroying thousands of emails".

R Bingham, Lauzun, France

am I wrong or was B. Clinton the king during the 1996 era and 2001 would hardly get Bush involved in such a short time frame
are we to think that if it concerned a republican they would have already been hung out to dry. ,been drawn and quartered and his/her parts thrown to the four winds. .No it had to be the same group responsible for the lack of security that let Sandy Berger to walk out with his pants stuffed with documents and he gets probation and has not yet lived up to his probation . It makes one wonder if the documents that were never returned were those same documents they seek today. If the documents are truly gone we will never know for sure who the traitor is and they might wind up being our next leader . sad sad and sad . wow . and 1996 would have been the last three years of Clinton's reign . wake up America please !

Ken Roberts , Lebanon , Ohio /USA

Someday soon ,America is going to wake up one morning and a U.S. city is going to vaporize before our eyes, probably during rush hour, It's just a matter of time. No doubt the culprits will be angry, 20 to 39 year old muslim men. What's even more disturbing is the fact that the weapon or at least the design will be of American origin.

Jack, Orrington, USA, ME

People in the US generally haven't a clue what their government(s) have been up to over the last fifty years. A few folks who have researched covert American activities know full well there are documents existing which, if a man were to even now go public on, would get him killed, either by a CIA contractor, by Iranian agent, or by Mossad. Ever wondered where the uncanny leverage comes from that enables recurring Israeli prime ministers to tell a US president go hang? If exposed, the Bush dynasty would collapse in public acrimony, and at least one so far unexposed document is bigger than Watergate. Even Seymour Hersh himself may not know of it.

Meanwhile, as many of these comments indicate, it's Hannity and Colmes time, or O'Reilly time, or Super Bowl Time, or Brittany's having another baby. So who gives a damn?

Peter Biddulph, Worcestershire, England

Have we gone mad? This is the tip of an iceberg the size of Texas... These high-ranking officials are the same cronies of the Nixon and Reagan administrations. Do we think it's somehow an accident that Brewster Jennings was a casualty of the outing of Valerie Plame by the White House? This group might have uncovered the truth... that we are feeding the enemy to prolong this terrible war while the Military Defense Market makes billions and billions of dollars. The group is outed, these nuclear secret trades continue, and high-ranking officials are essentially funneling taxes into their own pockets. With this whole mess, I hope we realize who the government is really protecting.

Tanya, Medford, OR

The cover-up must be to protect the identity of the "high government official" in the US. I am an independent but I am certainly aware of the media bias against Republicans. If it were a Republican official I have no doubt that this person would have been exposed already. Was it George Tenet? He was appointed by Clinton.

Steve, Portland, Oregon

Sorry, I was getting ready to watch the playoffs. Green Bay is playing at home in Lambeau and the temperature is down to about zero F. If Farve can't go to the air .....

Now, which illegal activity is it we're talking about this time???

GJL

PS: For the easily excited among you, the above is irony.

I understand that there's not much point in secret diplomacy or having a secret service if all is done in public. That's why our Congress has selected a small number of their peers (lower case p) to oversee these matters. These people are expected to see that affairs (don't tempt me) are carried out with the best balance of effectiveness, integrity (remember that?), and secrecy.

It's time to throw the rascals out, but it's getting hard to tell the rascals from the general herd of those who are simply incompetent or addicted to re-election.

Geoffrey, Madison Wisconsin, USA

Current, typical US Media response: "US officials selling nuke secrets abroad to potentially hostile states? This is serious! Let's get right on... Oh, look! Paris Hilton's using a new brand of lip gloss! Brangelina's got a baby bump! STOP THE PRESSES!!!"

Feh,

At least there are some people in this world who still give a damn about the truth. I'm with Michael in Denver: thank you, Sibel, thank you for taking a stand and doing what's right. Keep up the good fight!

N.

Neil H., Whitby, Canada, Ontario

This story and the story of the six nukes "accidentally" removed from their secure storage are unbelievably shocking! How can the US press not investigate and report on it as front page news?

Tom, Ballinger, USA,TX

If these secrets disappeared during the Clinton era, they were probably not stolen but a "gift".

Eric R Towse, Brooklyn, NY

Is the irony caught by anyone else that the original title of this story was "FBI "Covers Up" File Exposing Theft Of Nuclear Secrets?"

What's with the cover up of the cover up?

Aaron Williams, Bryan, TX

Thanks, Times, for covering this story. The media in the US are cowards that would rather cover OJ & Britney Spears than news of substance. I should work for a news agency to find out for myself why stories like this aren't getting reported in the US. It's a shame we have to get news about our own country from overseas.

TJ, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Haven't I heard previously the the "corrupt government official" was Denny Hastert--the Republican (of course) Speaker of the House?

John, Tijeras, USA/NM

who cares? Show me a government without secrets and I'll show a government that doesn't exist. Ever think that maybe the US is using this to shadow actual illegal transfers. Hell no, that would be too simple an explanation; surely it's a coverup....pffft....

Michael, Lafayette, IN

Once again, the clearest and most present danger to world peace is...the United States. Less than a year remains of Bush's incompetence and deceit, yet I fear that his thugs will become more like cornered animals as the "end times" draw near. I would expect some kind of false flag covert ops to try to percolate a war with Iran, followed by martial law in the US as general unrest swells, followed by the economy going completely underwater, followed by (if there is any justice left in the world) Bush, Cheney, Addington, Yoo, and all their acolytes being tried for war crimes, marched out, and shot. I hope I'm wrong about most of this, but, either way, this is the end of American hegemony, a victim of monumental hubris and willful stupidity.

Grant, Des Moines, USA/Iowa

As an American citizen, I can clearly state that I am ashamed of my country! I will venture to say that I speak for the vast majority of Americans. All of the information concerning this matter must come out into the open immediately.

Eric, San Diego, CA

By suppressing this vital piece of news, the US main stream media proves, how regulated and secretive they all are. Not much of a democracy !

Hans Schneider, Montreal, Que.Canada

Israel has been doing this for years. It is not politically correct to stop them, let alone report them on all incidents. The focus of this article is on the Turks, but Israel most likely had a larger role.

Jeff, Baltimore, MD

1996-2002?? Let's see -- it started and continued under President Bill Clinton, but stopped under George W. Bush. The high ranking officials would have been from the Clinton Administration. I bet that might be why the press isn't onto it. Maybe Sandy Berger shoving papers into his pants was about so much more.

Karen, NY NY,

Maybe Miss Sibel is naive, and blundered on a good counter terroism op designed to get names and faces intoel and or prlopage missinformation. Sucessful or not, it could verywell be endanging foriegn operative and this newspaper would be culpable.

MS, Washington, DC

Amazing, after a Vanity Fair article a couple of years ago nothing in the US press. Meanwhile friends send me reports from the UK, Germany, India and Israel. I forward the articles to everyone.

The same people who were pardoned for Iran/Contra, manipulated intelligence to go to war against Iraq, and are now trying for war in Iran (funny after illegally arming Iran in the 80s, isn't it?) seem to be involved in this case. Let's get them imprisoned and throw away the key.

Leigh, San Francisco, California

If I've learned anything from the internet it's this:
The "mainstream media" is nothing but a propaganda outlet for the government, big business and the owners.
Sibel should just speak. If they lock her up the backlash will
bring down the whole rotten system.

Paul, Birmingham, England

The anti-US types are too predictable in their reactions. I read it on the Fox News Website. Is it interesting? Of course. Is it totally accurate? Is it partially accurate? Let's wait and see.

R. Willis, Trout Valley, USA

Keep up the good work and reporting. This should be front page news, unfortunately, the US press is too consumed with superficial reporting at this time.

Alan, San Francisco, US/CA

The US media should be ashamed of itself for covering up this story. Thank you Times and thank you Sibel Edmonds.

Michael, Denver, Colorado, USA

Astonishing isn't it? The whistleblower is "gorgeous" and yet the US press won't report her story. Government secrecy and lies trump superficial assessments of beauty. Bless the Free Press! With allies like Pakistan, Presidents like Shrub and a comatose press pool things should continue swimmingly.

conchscooter, key west florida, USA

It is shameful that the US media have been mum on this important story. All they seem to be interested in is whether Brittany Spears, or some other air-head, went clubbing last night sans knickers. Kudos to the London Times.

John J. Kavanagh, Mercer Island, Washington, USA

Chris Gourlay, Jonathan Calvert and Joe Lauria, please keep slugging away at this, you know there is much more. You guys could become legends as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were to the Watergate story. This has legs and is of great interest to many people in the US. I buy the paper, but have come on here to show support, and to say that I have passed the link on. Your ratings will soar with content like this.

Sibel has so much integrity, she exhausted all the official procedures, no one listened. She is an American patriot, the world needs more people like her. One brave woman!

Andrew, London, UK

It is so astounding that niether the U S media nor the candidates jostling in their respective party primaries cited or spoke on our national nuclear security and the nuclear proliferation so blatantly carried out by Pak Govts. It is shame that FBI and CIA are working to cover up rather than tell the American people the nuclear proliferation carried out by our so called ally on terror. which ally is breeding the cess pool of terrorists with American aid.

Kumar, Portland,

I spent a week with Sibel Edmonds in Washington DC in May, 2007. She is gorgeous, very smart, and a person who I would be proud to have in my employ.

As an American dedicated to honesty and integrity, I can shout, "congratulations, Sibel; shame on the US Government".

Please, Hollywood, give this woman $10 million to appear as herself in the movie.

Betsy Combier
Editor, Parentadvocates.org

Betsy Combier, New York City, New York

Thanks so much for this story. Hopefully it will get the attention it deserves. It's way too quiet on this story in the states. Evidently, the press in the US's claim they are the fourth estate is greatly exaggerated.

Michael Monk, Raleigh, N.C., USA

Thanks for covering this story. The corporate media in the US won't touch this story. We don't really have a free press here. It's a shame I have to read international newspapers to find out what's going on in the world. Help!

Erin, Overland Park, Kansas, USA

Thank you very much for reporting this important story. It is vital that all of the information regarding this case is made public. I applaud your paper for doing what's right.

K Sturm, Merrillville, IN, USA

Thank you for this story! Our media here in the US sucks. They are just about all owned by Republican corporate interests and are not picking this up at all. I am so glad you are following this story, AND Sybil Edmonds story.

Judy Chambers, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania / USA

Infinite thanks for covering this most important story.

Novista, Allingham, Australia

Thank you very much for printing this story. I have been following the Sibe Edmonds case for a while now . I'm an American , and , I cannot believe our media has decided to stay mum on this . We activists on the internet are doing all we can to wake the American public up to what our corrupt government has been up to . Thanks Again .................................Barbara Nergstrom

Barbara Bergstrom, Astoria, Oregon, USA