Group of Former Intelligence Experts Urges President Biden to Stop the War

The Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), a group of former intelligence officers opposed to Washington’s “permanent war” policy, has issued an “Emergency Memorandum” to President Biden, which denounces the reckless incompetence behind what he is receiving as intelligence, and urging him to pursue a peace option. Among the signers known to our readers are Col. (ret.) Richard Black, Graham Fuller, Philip Giraldi, Ray McGovern, Scott Ritter, and Lawrence Wilkerson.

We provide excerpts from their memo, titled “Leopards vs. the Russian Bear”, below. The full text is here.

On the decisions to send Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks to Ukraine, they write: “What your advisers should have told you is that none of the newly promised weaponry will stop Russia from defeating what’s left of the Ukrainian army. If you have been told otherwise, replace your intelligence and military advisers with competent professionals – the sooner the better.

“It has long been clear that you have not been adequately briefed on two issues of major importance: (1) the war in Ukraine, and (2) the strategic partnership between Russia and China. We chose this genre of ‘ALERT MEMORANDUM’ because we want to prepare you for a major shock. Russia’s winter offensive is about to roll over the Ukrainian army. At that point, unwelcome choices will have to be made. Off-ramps must be sought – again, the sooner the better.

“Your intelligence advisers seem blissfully unaware of what is coming. Still less do they appear able to offer you options to head off further disaster for Ukraine without still more dangerous escalation. As for China, the partnership with Russia is now so close that there is now a risk of a two-front war with two strong nuclear powers strongly supporting each other against the U.S.”

The memo goes into two previous examples where what has since been proven to be false intelligence, led the U.S. into catastrophic wars, in Vietnam and in Iraq. And today, statements made by Biden’s top advisers “betray a woeful lack of understanding of Russia’s strategic concerns and its determination to use its formidable military power to meet perceived external threats. The statements also reflect abysmal ignorance regarding how US behavior has led willy-nilly to a profound shift in the world correlation of forces in favor of Russia and China – to include making them military allies in all but name.”

As a result, the VIPS urge President Biden to seriously explore “all possible off-ramps” for Ukraine. “Russia is not only determined to prevail but has the means to prevail in Ukraine – the infusion of arms form the West notwithstanding”, given that, contrary to the U.S., it faces an existential threat in Ukraine.

They end on a grim note: “Simply stated, it is not possible to ‘win the war against Russia’ AND avoid WWIII. It is downright scary that Defense Secretary Austin may think it possible. In any case, the Kremlin has to assume he thinks so. It is a very dangerous delusion.”