The student who shamed the politicians

Dennis Ignatius

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The student who shamed the politicians

17SaturdayOct 2026

Posted by Dennis Ignatius in corruption, Politics

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[1] Kudos to Ummi Umairah Bakhit. At a forum this week, the university student had the courage to say what most Malaysians think about UMNO’s campaign to raise funds for Najib Razak’s fine so that he can spend the rest of his term under house arrest. It was, she said, “the stupidest thing I’ve seen in my entire life.”[1] Spot on.

[2] Najib was tried and found guilty. The damage he did to our nation was enormous, and we are all still paying the price for his corruption and abuse of power. To pretend now that he is a victim of politics, that he is somehow innocent and deserving of public sympathy and support, is perverse. For speaking her mind, Ummi has since faced online threats and harassment. Yet she has stood her ground and refused to be intimidated.

[3] Her outspokenness should remind our political elites that our students are watching – and they do not like what they see. More importantly, they are willing to speak out against it. That itself is a sign that hope is not lost. Perhaps a new generation is rising, one more concerned with good governance and integrity than with the usual distractions that politicians deploy to deflect attention.

[4] Just as revealing was the way the politicians on stage responded. Khairy Jamaluddin was quick to strike a principled pose. “We should not be afraid of talking about corruption even if it involves our leaders. What is wrong is wrong,” he said, adding that we must “never compromise when it comes to integrity. I say this as someone who has served in that government.”[2]

[5] Fine words. But as Najib’s minister, Khairy denied any element of corruption over the RM2.6 billion of 1MDB funds that found its way into Najib’s personal accounts.[3] He apologised only after BN’s 2018 defeat.[4] Yet this year he rejoined UMNO, a party whose president escaped his own corruption trial through a controversial DNAA, casts Najib as a victim of persecution and is now raising money to pay his fine. On all this, Khairy has been largely silent.

[6] The other two panellists, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari and Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi, appeared to dance around the issue with the usual bromides. Amirudin said he was glad that young people are still concerned about corruption, which he described as a long-standing problem; Onn Hafiz made it all about the weaponisation of the MACC and selective prosecution.[5] Neither, however, is on record as having spoken out consistently against the corruption cases that have emerged, or against the way successive governments have handled them.

[7] That, in a nutshell, is the problem: our politicians will denounce corruption everywhere except where it matters most – in their own ranks. One has made his way back to the very party now raising money for Najib’s fine; another is among its most prominent figures; the third serves a party whose government stands accused of treating corruption as a political tool. Selective outrage is not principle; silence, when it counts, is a choice. If only they were half as forthright as this young student.

[8] None of this should surprise us. Too many of our politicians treat principle as a bargaining chip – something to be traded away in the pursuit of power. Perhaps this is why politicians cannot be fully trusted to wage war on corruption. If we have to depend on them, nothing will really change. What we need are strong, credible and unimpeachable institutions to keep them in check – an MACC answerable to Parliament rather than the executive, and an independent public prosecutor of proven integrity, separate from the Attorney-General’s role as government adviser. Until then, treat all the stirring statements about fighting corruption and standing up for principle with the scepticism they deserve.

[9] Which is precisely why voices like Ummi’s matter. She has no party to protect, no patron to please. She simply called it as she saw it. Our politicians would do well to listen – and to remember that the generation now watching them will soon be voting.

[Dennis Ignatius |Kuala Lumpur |17 October 2026]

Teresa Kok’s defamation suit: Akmal Saleh ordered to pay RM300,000

Teresa Kok’s defamation suit: Akmal Saleh ordered to pay RM300,000


The allegedly defamatory remarks were made in a video posted by Dr Muhamad Akmal on the TikTok platform on September 7, 2024


Updated 25 minutes ago · Published on 19 Oct 2026 5:47PM

Muhamad Akmal was not present in court today when Judge Datuk Isa Aziz Ibrahim delivered the ruling on the case. - October 19, 2026



THE High Court in Melaka today ordered UMNO Youth Chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh to pay RM250,000 in damages and RM50,000 in costs to Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok, in relation to a defamation suit concerning a statement uploaded to social media.


The allegedly defamatory remarks were made in a video posted by Dr Muhamad Akmal on the TikTok platform on September 7, 2024.


Muhamad Akmal was not present in court today when Judge Datuk Isa Aziz Ibrahim delivered the ruling on the case.

In his judgment, the judge stated that the court found the statements made by the defendant in the video were defamatory toward the plaintiff and went beyond the bounds of legitimate criticism regarding public policy.


He stated that the defendant failed to substantiate the defences of fair comment and qualified privilege raised to justify the statements in question.

According to him, the court took into account the defendant’s admission that the video was recorded while he was in a state of anger and was intended to launch a personal attack against the plaintiff.


“The court finds that the video contains serious defamatory elements, as it portrays the plaintiff as an individual who consistently undermines the nation’s harmony,” he said.


In addition to ordering the payment of RM250,000 in total damages and RM50,000 in costs, the court also issued a permanent injunction restraining the defendant from republishing the same defamatory statements or any statements conveying a similar meaning.


The court further ordered the defendant to remove the video from all his social media accounts within seven days from the date of the order.


Teresa was represented by lawyer Datuk Sankara Nair, while Muhamad Akmal was represented by lawyer Syahrul Syazwan Salehin. – October 19, 2026

Consider shutting down pig farms nationwide: Wan Saiful

Consider shutting down pig farms nationwide: Wan Saiful

Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain

Published: Oct 19, 2026 2:59 PM


PARLIAMENT | Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) has urged Putrajaya to consider shutting down pig farms nationwide, amid the government’s move to assess the entire industry chain.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, the Wawasan Negara vice-president cautioned that any approach to the matter should avoid touching on racial or religious sensitivities and instead focus on issues of practicality.

He said points worth considering include pollution, the welfare of a majority of the public, and the sustainability of Malaysia’s pig farming industry.

“Personally, I feel it would not be excessive for me to propose that the federal government consider whether it is appropriate for Malaysia to continue having large pig farms when pork supplies can be obtained through imports, as done in Singapore.


“In fact, imported pork may be cheaper than that farmed in Malaysia,” he added while debating Budget 2027.


During the parliamentary session in January this year, Kalam Salan (PN-Sabak Bernam) similarly proposed the government cease pig farming operations in Malaysia and only import pork for the needs of the local non-Muslim community.

Asserting that pig farming in Malaysia is likely to face opposition from local residents, regardless of where such establishments are located, the opposition lawmaker also labelled Singapore’s lack of pig farming activities as a “safer” approach.


Ongoing govt study

In March, Agriculture and Food Security Ministry Mohamad Sabu said the government has launched a comprehensive study of the pig farming sector to assess the industry across legal, technical, economic, and social dimensions.

In a written parliamentary reply, the minister said the review would form the foundation for refining policies and implementation mechanisms, ensuring that the sector develops in a planned and responsible manner.

The minister also noted that 121 out of 355 registered pig farms nationwide (34 percent) have transitioned to a modern pig farming system, which he said incorporates a closed-house and zero-discharge model.



Later in July, Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin stressed that the government should not deny legally compliant pig farms the right to continue operating simply because of pollution caused by a minority of operators.

Instead, he asserted that enforcement should target farms that breach environmental laws instead of applying a blanket penalty to the whole industry.

Chan’s remarks came in response to Wan Saiful’s previous suggestion that all pig farming activities in his constituency be shut down due to pollution in Sungai Kereh.

At the time, Wan Saiful claimed the river faced “chronic pollution”, as untreated discharge and industrial effluent from nearby pig farms in Kampung Selamat were released into the waterway, affecting livelihoods in the area.

He had also suggested that the government liberalise pork imports to ensure adequate supply and a smooth transition from the industry.

'We face the effects every day'

In his debate today, Wan Saiful further disputed Chan’s (below) assertion that monitoring efforts at Sungai Kereh’s Parit Cina found that the situation is under control with no significant discharge of animal waste.


“Even though the deputy minister said it is under control, at my house, which is not far from the (pig) farm, just opening the door lets in that foul smell. There are also people living nearby who see the river water turning black instead of its normal colour.

“People who are unaffected might not feel anything, but we who live in the area bear the impact every day - that is why we know that this problem is actually not resolved,” Wan Saiful said.

He also said an action committee set up by Tasek Gelugor residents conducted pollution tests on Parit Cina last month and another earlier this month, with the results allegedly indicating water pollution.

In appealing for the farm to be closed immediately, Wan Saiful pointed to the Selangor state government’s decision to phase out pig farming in the Tanjung Sepat area, while discussing land rehabilitation and creating alternative income sources for farmers.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | The battle over Selangor's pig farms


Wan Saiful said the approach can be a model for what can be done in Tasek Gelugor.

“We must ensure that farmers are not left without assistance. Do not victimise them.

“Instead, the government needs to provide a fair transition plan, a clear implementation timeline, land valuation, appropriate financial assistance, and training so they can transition to other livestock or agriculture,” he added.

***

Cattle also - an insulting desecration to Hindus and the Kuan-Im sect of Buddhists

 

Use religious terms with caution, speaker tells MPs

Use religious terms with caution, speaker tells MPs

4 hours ago

Anne Muhammad

Johari Abdul says the use of words such as 'munafik’ could cause undue concern among those less familiar with their meanings.

Speaker Johari Abdul said MPs should take into account the different levels of understanding of religious terms among their colleagues, including those from Sabah and Sarawak. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul has reminded MPs to be cautious with the use of religious terms during debates, saying such language could lead to misunderstandings and prolonged arguments in the House.

Johari said the use of terms such as “munafik” (hypocrite) may seem normal to those with deep religious knowledge, but could cause undue concern among those less familiar with their meanings, including non-Muslims.

“I did not go to a religious school. I went to an English school, and I’m afraid of using words that may have deeper meanings that I do not understand.

“If someone calls me a ‘munafik’, I will go home with a fever. And that’s how it also is for both Muslims and non-Muslims, who tremble when they hear such words, especially when they come from those with religious knowledge,” he said.

Johari said MPs should take into account the different levels of understanding of such terms among their colleagues, including those from Sabah and Sarawak.

“(The use of such terms) can lead to unending debate. This is why I ask MPs to watch their conduct,” he said.

Earlier, RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) invoked Standing Order 36(4), which prohibits the use of offensive language, in response to Takiyuddin Hassan’s (PN-Kota Bharu) debate on the 2027 budget.

Rayer claimed Takiyuddin’s translation of a hadith into Malay, as well as the use of the words “munafik” and “hypocrite”, was directed at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the budget.

He said Takiyuddin’s speech went too far and asked for a ruling on the use of such words.

Johari said he would check the Hansard before ruling on the matter tomorrow, as he was not in the Dewan at the time and had not heard the speech in question.

Ten and counting: Singapore agency slaps haze notices on three more Indonesian companies

Ten and counting: Singapore agency slaps haze notices on three more Indonesian companies



Ships are seen in the Singapore Strait from Sentosa Island on October 18, 2026, as Singapore remains shrouded in haze caused by fires in Indonesia. — AFP pic


Summary

• Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) has issued Preventive Measure Notices (PMNs) under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act to three more Indonesian companies: PT Buana Megatama Jaya, PT Mananjung Hayak, and PT Baratama Putra Perkasa.
• This action, bringing the total to ten companies this month, is due to indications that smoke from fires on their Kalimantan concessions may have reached Singapore.
• The notices require the companies to deploy firefighting resources, halt any burning activities, and submit detailed fire management action plans to the NEA.
• NEA affirmed its commitment to enforcing measures against companies causing transboundary haze.

First Published: Monday, 19 Oct 2026 3:54 PM MYT


SINGAPORE, Oct 19 — Another three companies in Indonesia have been issued with Preventive Measure Notices (PMNs) under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday (Oct 19).

The three companies are: PT Buana Megatama Jaya, PT Mananjung Hayak, and PT Baratama Putra Perkasa.


In its media release, the agency stated that there are indications that smoke from fires in Kalimantan – on lands held via concessions under the three additional companies in Indonesia – may have drifted towards Singapore.

These three entities join a list of seven other companies which were served the notices on Oct 16.


This brings the total number of Indonesian companies issued with PMNs this month to 10.

Under the notices served, the companies are to deploy firefighting personnel to extinguish or prevent the spread of any fire on land owned or occupied by them.

They are also to discontinue, or not commence, any burning activities on such land, and submit to NEA any plan of action to distinguish any fire on such land, and submit action plans to NEA outlining how they will extinguish the fires and prevent their recurrence.


“NEA remains committed to taking enforcement action against errant companies found responsible for causing transboundary haze in Singapore,” the agency said. —- AsiaOne

DKU hauls Negeri Sembilan MB Ismail Lasim, 16 others to court over throne dispute

DKU hauls Negeri Sembilan MB Ismail Lasim, 16 others to court over throne dispute



The Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) and its secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin have gone to court seeking permission to start contempt proceedings against Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim, 10 former state executive councillors and six others. — Bernama pic


Summary

• The Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) and its secretary have filed an application in the Seremban High Court to initiate contempt proceedings against Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim and 16 others.
• This action pertains to their alleged disregard of a court order dated June 5, which restricted them from altering the council's status quo.
• The defendants reportedly took actions supporting a contested proclamation concerning the Negeri Sembilan throne, which included public declarations and procedural endorsements between September and October.
• The High Court is now set to deliberate on this matter.

First Published: Monday, 19 Oct 2026 12:55 PM MYT


SEREMBAN, Oct 19 — The Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) and its secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin have gone to court seeking permission to start contempt proceedings against Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim, 10 former state executive councillors and six others.

The application, filed at the Seremban High Court on Oct 15, names 17 individuals. They include the menteri besar, the former exco members whose appointments were revoked in September, and six plaintiffs in an ongoing case.


The DKU says the group ignored a court order issued on June 5, which barred them from interfering in the council’s affairs or changing its status quo. That order is still in force.

Despite that, the six plaintiffs are alleged to have continued backing a disputed proclamation over the Negeri Sembilan throne, making public statements and holding press conferences between September and October to declare it valid.


The menteri besar and the exco members are accused of pushing ahead with the proclamation by endorsing it at a state executive council meeting on September 15, sending a letter to the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal on September 17, and suspending senior state officials on September 22.

The case is now pending before the High Court.

Papagomo walks free after acquittal on sedition charge over Facebook remarks

Papagomo walks free after acquittal on sedition charge over Facebook remarks



Blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, was acquitted and discharged by the Klang Sessions Court today of a sedition charge over remarks allegedly made on Facebook three years ago. — Picture by Firdaus Latif


Summary

• Blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, known as Papagomo, was acquitted by the Klang Sessions Court of sedition charges for remarks allegedly made on Facebook.
• Judge Siti Aminah Ghazali ruled that the defence raised reasonable doubt, while the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
• The sedition charge, which Papagomo pleaded not guilty to, involved claims that the government was pro-Israel and pro-Western, potentially leading to a maximum three-year jail term.

First Published: Monday, 19 Oct 2026 3:12 PM MYT


SHAH ALAM, Oct 19 — Blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, was acquitted and discharged by the Klang Sessions Court today of a sedition charge over remarks allegedly made on Facebook three years ago.

His lawyer, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, said Judge Siti Aminah Ghazali delivered the decision at the conclusion of the defence case.


“The court noted that the defence had successfully raised a reasonable doubt, while the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt,” he told Bernama when contacted today.

He said only Wan Muhammad Azri, 43, testified for the defence, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam prosecuted the case.


On July 31 this year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered Wan Muhammad Azri to enter his defence after allowing the prosecution’s appeal against an earlier Sessions Court decision acquitting him.

On September 3 last year, Siti Aminah acquitted and discharged the blogger, ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him. However, the High Court subsequently overturned that decision and ordered him to enter his defence.

On January 8, 2024, Wan Muhammad Azri pleaded not guilty to a charge of making seditious remarks on Facebook by allegedly claiming that the government was pro-Israel and pro-Western.


He was accused of making the remarks on the Facebook page of Halid Hamidi, also known as Halid Mat Kool, which an individual at a condominium unit in Jalan Tong Shin, Bukit Bintang, here, viewed at 1 pm on Nov 8, 2023.


The charge was framed under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948, which provides for a maximum jail term of three years, a fine of RM5,000, or both, upon conviction. — Bernama

CIA's SECRET TIBETAN ARMY TRAINED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

From the FB page of:

Khai Beng Tan

 ·

CHAPTER 1: SECRET ARMY IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

In the 1960s, the U.S. secretly transported almost 300 Washington-allied Tibetan Chinese to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to create a clandestine army for an insurrection in China.

The top secret project, codenamed St Circus, was based at a remote center called Camp Hale, high in a mountain range later made famous worldwide by singer John Denver.

The CIA chose the location because they hoped the freezing, high altitude terrain resembled that of China’s Tibet province. To keep the public away, the CIA told residents of the area that it had been chosen for “atomic bomb testing”.

US military trainers at Camp Hale put the men through courses in sabotage, surveillance, communications, weapons handling, explosives, and so on.

By the 1960s, the CIA had refined a strategy to quietly create conflicts in which US competitors such as China and Russia would be fought by residents or neighbors, so that US nationals were never at risk—a clever technique still used today (see Ukraine, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and so on).

CHAPTER 2: DALAI LAMA’S WEALTH

The St Circus secret army project had multiple other elements.

- The CIA spent tens of millions of dollars parachuting tons of weapons to the Indian border with China to arm Washington-allied Tibetan rebels and mercenaries on the spot. The airlift was codenamed St Barnum, and the trained paramilitary group eventually had 1,800 heavily armed troops.

- The CIA paid US$180,000 a year directly to the Dalai Lama for many years. (For context, the average middle-class salary in India at the time was US$360 a year, so the Dalai Lama’s team were obscenely wealthy. The secret payment was listed in US State Department files as “a covert subsidy”.)

- While the US officially recognized Tibet as a province of China, the CIA wanted to fool the world (including US citizens) into thinking otherwise.

- They launched multiple “free Tibet” programs, making them appear to be grassroots campaign groups.

- They paid for “Offices of Tibet” to be set up in New York and Geneva, to be portrayed as unofficial embassies of “independent” Tibet, which they said had been “invaded” by China.

- The CIA also ran a comprehensive and well-funded general program to demonize the Chinese worldwide, codenamed St Bailey. This was an expansive attempt to create a false narrative claiming, falsely, that the Han Chinese were actively engaged in the genocide of the Tibetan Chinese.

But one aspect of the original plan was cancelled. The US wanted to get General Chiang Kai-shek on the Chinese island of Taiwan involved—but backed off when the Nationalist leader pointed out that Tibet was clearly part of China, having been a region or a protectorate of the country for many centuries.

CHAPTER 3: THE ENEMY WITHIN

Still, cash poured into the “three saints” plot—before it was attacked by an enemy within.

In the 1960s, China was as poor as the nations of Africa. But some people in the US, particularly national security adviser Henry Kissinger, felt that the capability of China’s leaders, and the country’s massive size, meant that it would rise steadily, and could turn into a serious player in the world stage: a country better to have as an ally than an enemy.

Furthermore, US operations in Asia, particularly Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, were struggling and desperately needed all Washington’s care (meaning cash) and attention.

So Kissinger decided to rein in the CIA’s efforts to create problems for the Chinese.

CHAPTER 4: SHOCK REJECTION

In August of 1969, the free-spending CIA put in a request for an additional US$2.5 million in cash for US-managed Tibetan insurgents.

Kissinger rejected the application, except for the annual US$180,000 pay packet for the Dalai Lama. He then wound down the other parts of the project except for the cheapest elements.

All that was left was “desultory radio broadcasts from Taipei and Seoul, leaflets dropped on the mainland, fake news planted in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and what the agency described as ‘activities worldwide to denigrate and obstruct the People's Republic of China’,” CIA historian Tim Weiner wrote.

In other words, only deceit-based demonization remained.

The CIA put a brave face on it, telling government committees that the narrative had not died. An 11 January 1971 internal Washington memorandum, now declassified, said:

“With Indian asylum and U.S. support, the idea of Tibet as an ethnic and cultural entity with a widely-acknowledged claim to freedom from Chinese Communist rule has survived.”

But even that didn’t survive for long.

CHAPTER 5: SECRET FLIGHT TO CHINA

Kissinger further horrified CIA leaders when he said he would be flying to China to create a rapprochement with its leaders. He took a secret trip there in 1971 to meet the highly intelligent Prime Minister Zhou Enlai on July 9.

Their conversation was recorded. It showed that Zhou knew full well about CIA-led campaigns to “free” Tibet and Taiwan. It also revealed Kissinger’s attempts to downplay the extraordinary amount of time and money the US intelligence agency had spent trying to create problems in China.

Referring to the “free Taiwan” campaign, Zhou asked: "The CIA had no hand in it?"

Kissinger replied to the translator that Prime Minister Zhou “vastly overestimates the competence of the CIA".

ZHOU: "They have become the topic of discussion throughout the world. Whenever something happens in the world they are always thought of."

KISSINGER: "That is true. And it flatters them. But they don't deserve it."

Zhou was not fooled. He pointed out that the agency clearly ran subversion operations to create trouble in China.

Kissinger responded by saying that most CIA officers "write long, incomprehensible reports and don't make revolution".

Zhou replied: "You use the word revolution. We say subversion."

Kissinger conceded that the Chinese premier was right. "Or subversion," he agreed. "I understand.”

The US national security adviser then promised Zhou he would halt CIA efforts to manufacture problems in China.

“We are conscious of what is at stake in our relationship, and we will not let one organization carry out petty operations that could hinder this course," Kissinger pledged.

CHAPTER 6: MORE BUDGET CUTS

He went home and further slashed the CIA’s China budget.

A partly declassified document from 6 September 1972 says:

“For FY 73 [financial year 1973] CIA proposes to continue the subsidy to the Dalai Lama US$[REDACTED], again reduce support for the contingency force US$[REDACTED], and fund intelligence activities and the New York office US$[REDACTED]. Support would cease for press activities, a political party, administrative training, and the Tibetan office [TEXT REDACTED].

Eventually both fake Tibet “embassies” were closed, and the global campaign of lies was shelved.

CHAPTER 7: RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

More than a decade later the use of Tibet as a demonization tool was revived.

It was brought back by a CIA-adjacent soft power regime change group, the National Endowment for Democracy (founded in 1983).

Today, "free Tibet" ops are continued by multiple NED-funded projects, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.

(The Tibetan genocide story remains untrue. The number and proportion of Tibetan Chinese in Xizang is growing faster than the number of Han Chinese, and the same is true of the Uyghur Chinese in Xinjiang.)

To this day, western mainstream media prints quotes from IPAC and other “Free Tibet” campaign groups on this topic while hiding their US origins and funding.

CHAPTER 8: NARROW ESCAPE

But declassified documents and books of CIA history show that more than 90 per cent of CIA infiltration or subversion operations against China in the 1950s and 1960s led to failure, with insurgents, agents or assets being caught, imprisoned or executed.

So that secret Tibetan army, trained in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, may wish to thank Henry Kissinger. They had a lucky escape.

[Sources: The Office of the Historian (US State Department), National Security Archive (US), Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner, and our own research.]