A 2009 cable sent from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to American U.N. missions around the world ostensibly directed American diplomats to engage in intelligence gathering.
The 8,358 word National Human Intelligence Collection Directive “reflects the results of a recent Washington review of reporting and collection needs focused on the United Nations,” per the document made public by the whistle blower web site Wikileaks Sunday.
The information points out that Clinton directed the diplomats she oversees to find basic biographical data such as diplomats’ names/addresses, frequent flyer miles and credit card numbers, to “biometric information on ranking North Korean diplomats.” Typical biometric information includes fingerprints, signatures and iris recognition.
The State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley denied that American diplomats were doing double duty as intelligence gatherers in a Twitter posting Sunday evening.
“Contrary to some Wikileaks reporting, our diplomats are diplomats. They are not intelligence assets,” Crowley’s tweet. “Diplomats collect information that shapes our policies and actions”
