A Personal Message to Our Growing "Deeper Look" Community

A few words about Deeper Look and What I Hope to Accomplish Here

A Personal Message to Our “Deeper Look” Community,

I began “Deeper Look” in August 2024 in the runup to the election. After the election results were known, I gave it a rest for several months, ten resumed in January 2025. At that point community was not large — maybe 150 intrepid souls, most of whom had followed me over from Facebook. Then three days ago I posted A Deeper Look at Claims Trump Was Recruited by KGB in the 1980s. In that post I reviewed the recent claims by former senior Kazakh KGB officer Major General Alnur Musayev, in which he alleged that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in the 1980’s and given the code name Krasnov. I offered an assessment of his credibility and tried to provide balanced perspective and analysis.

The response was quite encouraging, and I want to thank all those who found their way to the post and, having read it, have subscribed to Deeper Look. The influx of new readers has changed the equation, which is why I’m writing this personal message. Today, as i write this three days after that particular post was published, our community has grown to around 2,500 and is trending toward a higher number at a rate of several hundred new subscribersper day. Thank you all for the vote of confidence.

New Developments in the “Krasnov” Matter

In the coming days I will review and analyze the new developments in the matter of the accusations of a recruitment in the 1980s. A second KGB officer, Yuriy Shvets, as made similar allegations to those made by Alnur Musayef. Meanwhile, some Russian language commentators on Telegram and in Central Asia have voiced skepticism about Musayev. All of this needs to e studied and analyzed, and i will be reporting on it shortly, while continuing to keep an eye on the many challenges facing Amerian democracy, our alignment in the world, and our national security. As I did in the post about Musayev’s claims, I will strive to clearly differentiate between what we actually know with certainty; what we may surmise with reasonable confidence; and what remains speculation.

In Investigative Mindset

I am cautious by both training and by nature. I’ve spent 35 years in intelligence and investigations and have a deeply ingrained “investigative mindset” that is wary of our natural biases and tries to counter them by withholding premature judgment, thoroughly gathering and assessing facts, and resisting the temptation to rush to judgment. This is not a recipe for excitement; rather it’s a process that is based on the fundamentals of intelligence and investigation, and is intended to yield reliable facts and useful analytic insight. That’s what I’m trying for.

A Word About My CIA Background

A few commenters questions wheter I’m really a former CIA officer specializing in Russia. The CIA doesn’t give out ID cards, but I do have this, which I’m proud of and am sharing online here for the first time.

Year of the Spy — 1985 in Moscow

I am also and author and filmmaker. Of particular relevance here, is that I have a non-fiction book “Year of the Spy” which has been provisionally approved by CIA’s Publication Review Office, but is not yet released. I’ll be publishing excerpts here from time to time. The book tells the story of the year that journalists dubbed “Year of the Spy” — 1985, when CIA began losing Soviet Agents one by one, and at the time we didn’t know why. I was part of the “boots on the ground” contingent in Moscow, and the book is a compilation of my experiences; the experiences of my CIA team members; and the experiences of the KGB counterintelligence officers who were our opposition on the streets of Moscow. Here’s the book trailer for those who might be interested.

My Commitment

My goal is investigate topics thoroughly and with an open mind, and make responsible assessments based upon all available information. I genuinely appreciate all subscribers, and for those who are prepared to provide financial support by becoming paid subscribers, I offer you a special thanks since your support allows me to allocate more time and resources to the research and investigation that drives the publication and, I hope, serves our community and our country. Thank you.