A "burn notice" is an official statement issued by an
intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives.
Means of inf ...
to other agencies. It states that an
asset
In financial accounting, an asset is any resource owned or controlled by a business or an economic entity. It is anything (tangible or intangible) that can be used to produce positive economic value. Assets represent value of ownership that c ...
or intelligence source is unreliable for one or several reasons, often
fabrication
Fabrication may refer to:
* Manufacturing, specifically the crafting of individual parts as a solo product or as part of a larger combined product.
Processes in arts, crafts and manufacturing
* Semiconductor device fabrication, the process used ...
, and must be officially disavowed. This is essentially a directive for the recipient to disregard or "burn" all information derived from that individual or group.
Examples
*
Ahmed Chalabi
*
Curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curv ...
—"The CIA has since issued an official 'burn notice' formally retracting more than 100 intelligence reports based on his information."
*
Manucher Ghorbanifar—1984 and 1986. "The CIA considered Ghorbanifar a dangerous con man and had issued a 'burn notice' recommending that no U.S. agency have any dealings with him."
*
Ali Abdel Saoud Mohamed, who was recruited by the CIA and immediately revealed himself to be a double agent. "The CIA issued a burn notice to U.S. and allied intelligence services that Mohamed was not to be trusted."
[John M. Berger, ''Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam'', pp 54, ]
Potomac Books Inc, May 15, 2011
In popular culture
* The
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...
television series ''
Burn Notice
''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar ...
'' centers on
Michael Westen
Michael Alan Westen is a fictional character played by Jeffrey Donovan in the television series ''Burn Notice'', created by Matt Nix. Westen, a spy and former U.S. Army soldier serving in special operations, is widely known as a top CIA operative ...
(portrayed by
Jeffrey Donovan
Jeffrey Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American actor. He played Michael Westen in the television series ''Burn Notice'', and appeared in films such as '' Hitch'', '' Believe in Me'', '' Changeling'', and ''Come Early Morning''. He played Ro ...
), a former
covert operative
A covert operation is a military operation intended to conceal the identity of (or allow plausible deniability by) the party that instigated the operation. Covert operations should not be confused with clandestine operations, which are performed ...
who has been burned and is trying to find those responsible.
* In the
season 1 episode of
''Archer'' "Job Offer", Malory Archer puts out a burn notice on her son
Sterling Archer
Sterling Malory Archer (codenamed Duchess after his mother's dog) is the fictional titular character on the American adult animated sitcom '' Archer'', which aired on the basic cable network FX from 2009 to 2019 and is currently broadcast on si ...
after he accepts a job with competing intelligence agency ODIN, which was then made to look like an ODIN
false flag
A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misr ...
operation.
See also
*
Fabricator (intelligence)
References
Espionage
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