YouTube
2019: In an interview with Ian Trottier, Mel discusses his book, “Whistleblower at the CIA”, as well as the Trump presidency.
5/11/2018: At University Bookstore in Seattle, Mel discusses his book “Whistleblower at the CIA”.
4/16/2018: On Heroes and Patriots, Mel discusses the bombing of Syria, Trump’s pardon of Scooter Libby, and the revolving door between CIA and Pentagon.
2017: On Report from Santa Fe, Mel discusses his book “Whistleblower at the CIA”.
2017: In a conversation with Truthdig editor-in-chief Robert Scheer, Mel discusses the topics of his book “Whistleblower at the CIA”.
2017: In an interview with Cat April Watters, Mel discusses his role writing situation reports for the CIA during the 1967 Six-Day War, and how the Israelis lied about attacking the U.S.S. Liberty.
2016: For OurFuture.org, Mel provides a brief assessment of the 2016 Democratic candidates and American militarism.
2015: At the Brennan Center for Justice, Mel gives a wide-ranging interview around the topics of his book “Failure of Intelligence: the Decline and Fall of the CIA”. (7 videos)
2015: Interviewed by John Sakowicz, Mel discusses his concerns about CIA Director John Brennan
2014: Interview on RT’s “Conversations With Great Minds”.
Part one: Mel discusses the politicization of intelligence and militarism.
2014: In part 2 of his interview with RT’s “Conversations With Great Minds”, Mel discusses Eisenhower’s farewell warning, and the failures of successive administrations.
2014: At the National Archives in Kansas City, Mel discusses the history of the CIA through the lens of its relationship with presidents from Truman to Obama
2013: Mel speaks about his book “National Insecurity: the Cost of American Militarism”
March 26, 2013: Mel speaks at the Time to Reset Defense conference
2013: Interviewed by Armstrong Williams, Mel discusses how reducing military spending will help stabilize the economy and support long-term national security.
2013: At the Commonwealth Club of California, Mel speaks about his book “National Insecurity: the Cost of American Militarism”.
12/03/2010: On Antiwar Radio, Mel discusses some of the implications of Wikileaks’ Cablegate data-dump.
10/08/2009: On Antiwar Radio, Mel discusses U.S. involvement in Afghanistan from the 1980s to the present
9/29/2009: On Antiwar Radio, Mel discusses the US occupation of Iraq, the torture investigations, and the Washington Post’s complicity.
11/17/2008: On Democracy Now, Mel discusses the appointments of John Brennan & Jami Miscik to Obama’s transition team.
“Where are we with regards to ‘Change’? This sounds like more continuity.”
6/23/2008: On Antiwar Radio, Mel discusses the politicization of intelligence under Robert Gates, and the inevitable failure of the war in Iraq.
2007: In an interview for Talking Stick TV, Mel discusses a wide range of topics around U.S. foreign policy and intelligence from the 1960s-2000s, including Vietnam; Israel & the U.S.S. Liberty; the Soviet Union; arms control; and CIA directors Helms, Casey & Gates
2007: At Franklin & Marshall College, Mel discusses the history of the CIA and politicization of intelligence leading to the invasion of Iraq (8 videos)
Recent News and Latest Book
The Coronavirus and the Urgent Need to Redefine National Security
For far too long, the United States has been wastefully spending its precious budgetary resources on a nineteenth-century military strategy and a strategic arms policy that has brought no advantages to the American people. For the past three decades, our national security policies have been ineffectual and irrelevant to the genuine threats we face today. These threats do not emanate from Russia or China. Rather, they stem from an underfunded and highly vulnerable public health system, a cyber world that is out of control, and a crumbling infrastructure.
The CIA will give your book a pass so long as it praises the agency
The Feb. 1 news article “Bolton faces potential legal battles in standoff with White House over book” provided much-needed discussion of the arbitrary and capricious nature of the government’s pre-publication review process. Having submitted many book-length manuscripts to the Central Intelligence Agency, I have learned that books from senior officials that praise the CIA get very quick review and approval. Former CIA directors such as Robert Gates and Leon Panetta are never challenged. If you are an agency critic, however, you can wait as long as one year to get approval. Government censors rarely provide an explanation for their redactions, and authors have no system for challenging these decisions. Moreover, the censors are far more concerned with information they find embarrassing to a particular agency rather than concerning themselves with genuine national security secrets. As a result, the public is deprived of relevant information on many national security issues that require discussion and debate. Congressional committees and media outlets are similarly deprived.
