An INR (State Department) analyist wrote a
classified report detailing a meeting that took place in early 2002. This document was leaked, by the administration, well before sections of the document became public in the 2004 Senate Report on Prewar Intelligence.
The information contained in this 2002 State Department classified document, that Plame was CIA and that she dispatched him, was exactly what was leaked in 2003 to Cooper by Rove and to Novak.
In the 2002 classified report the INR analyst states that the meeting was "apparently convened by [ the former Ambassador's wife ] wife who had the idea to dispatch [ him ]" . The Senate Report includes Plame's statement that "she only attended the meeting to introduce her husband and left after about three minutes".
The text I have in bold here is the actual text of the INR document and the Senate Report. These quotes are shown in quotation marks in the Senate Report on Prewar Intelligence July 7th, 2004 (page 40).
the leaks and links are below.
This
classified document has been mentioned in several news articles starting in October 2003 and is the probable source, according the Newsweek's Isikoff, "
for the information that Rove and others were then dishing out to reporters" The information being that Plame was CIA and that she authorized his trip.
This is it, this is how the White House knew Plame was CIA. This classified document was leaked by the administration in the following news reports. This document was made public in part in the Senate Report in 2004, but it was leaked before that.
Reference to this classified document first turns up on October 17, 2003 in the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ credits "two people familiar with the memo", I find that fact that they mention people not some official interesting in it's own right since this is a classified document.
An internal government memo addresses some of the mysteries at the center of the White House leak investigation and could help investigators in the search for who disclosed the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency operative, according to two people familiar with the memo.
The memo, prepared by U.S. intelligence personnel, details a meeting in early 2002 where CIA officer Valerie Plame and other intelligence officials gathered to brainstorm about how to verify reports that Iraq had sought uranium yellowcake from Niger.
The Washington Post article of December 26th 2003 is referring to the original Wall Street Journal article and the classified document.
Sources said the CIA is angry about the circulation of a still-classified document to conservative news outlets suggesting Plame had a role in arranging her husband's trip to Africa for the CIA. The document, written by a State Department official who works for its Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), describes a meeting at the CIA where the Niger trip by Wilson was discussed, said a senior administration official who has seen it.
Then in August 2004 Isikoff himself writes about this classified report. He placed the report with Powell on the Africa trip in the week following Wilson's July 6th op-ed.
A senior State Department official confirmed that, while on the trip, Powell had a department intelligence report on whether Iraq had sought uranium from Niger--a claim Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, discounted after a trip to Niger on behalf of the CIA. The report stated that Wilson's wife had attended a meeting at the CIA where the decision was made to send Wilson to Niger, but it did not mention her last name or undercover status.
On July 7th 2005 Arianna Huffington refers to the classified document referring to information the White House players had recieved from the State Department.
According to the players, the key to whether this story has real legs -- and whether it will spell the end of Rove -- is determining intent. And a key to that is whether there was a meeting at the White House where Rove and Scooter Libby discussed what to do with the information they had gotten from the State Department about Valerie Plame being Joe Wilson's wife, and her involvement in his being sent on the Niger/yellowcake mission. If it can be proven that such a meeting occurred, then Rove will be in deep trouble -- especially if it is established that Rove made three phone calls leaking the info about Plame and her CIA gig... one to Matt Cooper, one to Walter Pincus, and one to Robert Novak.
On July 11th, 2005 CNN
Isikoff puts the classified state department document front and center.
ISIKOFF:
That classified State Department report appears to have been -- or may well have been the source for the information that Rove and others were then dishing out to reporters. And if that's the case, there still may be -- we don't know yet, but there still may be an instance where classified information was provided to reporters.
A couple of points
First is the fact that the administration was leaking information about a classified document. Remember this was a State Deparment document and was classified.
Second note the way Plame's attendance is characterized in the different news reports as compared to the original text in the 2002 classified document and the Senate Report.
Third it is very interesting that Powell had this document with him on the trip to Africa that occured right after Wilson went public in his July 6th 2003 op-ed. The Africa trip was from July 7th through July 12th 2003.
Fourth, and this is the most important part. The information contained in this 2002 State Department classified document, that Plame was CIA and that she dispatched him, was exactly what was leaked in 2003 to Cooper by Rove and to Novak.
Cooper's email
"KR said, wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd [weapons of mass destruction] issues who authorized the trip"
. The same points were stated by Novak in his
July 2003 column.
but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report
UPDATED
I should have added the fact that the CIA disputes the facts in the INR document
WAPO December 2003
CIA officials have challenged the accuracy of the INR document, the official said, because the agency officer identified as talking about Plame's alleged role in arranging Wilson's trip could not have attended the meeting.
Note: I have changed my text regarding what information was known to the Administration to more clearly reflect the INR document. ( switched she authorized the trip to she dispatched him)