Bill Gertz
Encyclopedia
Bill Gertz is an American
editor, columnist and reporter for The Washington Times
. He is the author of six books and writes a weekly column on the Pentagon
and national security
issues called "Inside the Ring". During the administration of Bill Clinton
Gertz was known for his stories exposing government secrets.
, New York
. He has taken classes at Washington College
and George Washington University
. He has also written for National Review
, The Weekly Standard
and Air Force Magazine. He has lectured on defense, national security, and media issues at the Defense Department’s
National Security Leadership Program, Johns Hopkins University
School of Advanced International Studies, the FBI National Academy
, the National Defense University
, and the CIA. He has been a media fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University
. He lives in Maryland
.Gertz is a follower of the Unification Church.
In 2008, Gertz was subpoenaed to the Santa Ana, California
federal court to testify in the case of Chi Mak
, who was convicted of providing United States Navy
technology to China
. Gertz refused to answer questions about his sources, citing the Fifth Amendment
.
. In 1997 he reported on Russia
n aid to Iran's
nuclear weapon
program, based on information given him by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad
. In 1998 he reported on United States sale of missile
technology to China
. In 2004, Gertz claimed that Syria, possibly with the aid of Russian troops, transferred Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
stockpiles to its own military installations.
Gertz's 2000 book, The China Threat: How the People's Republic Targets America, presented the case that China's military was more modern and powerful than was its reputation in the United States military and intelligence communities. His 2002 book, Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to Sept. 11, examined the activities of United States intelligence agencies prior to the 2001 terrorist attacks. His 2004 book, Treachery: How America’s Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies, accused United States allies, including France
and Germany
of helping to arm terrorists
. His 2008 book, The Failure Factory: How Unelected Bureaucrats, Liberal Democrats, and Big Government Republicans Are Undermining America's Security and Leading Us to War, said that many federal bureaucrats hold liberal views on foreign policy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
editor, columnist and reporter for The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
. He is the author of six books and writes a weekly column on the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
and national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
issues called "Inside the Ring". During the administration of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Gertz was known for his stories exposing government secrets.
Biography
Gertz was born on Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He has taken classes at Washington College
Washington College
Washington College is a private, independent liberal arts college located on a campus in Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782...
and George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. He has also written for National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative opinion magazine published 48 times per year. Its founding publisher, News Corporation, debuted the title September 18, 1995. Currently edited by founder William Kristol and Fred Barnes, the Standard has been described as a "redoubt of...
and Air Force Magazine. He has lectured on defense, national security, and media issues at the Defense Department’s
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
National Security Leadership Program, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
School of Advanced International Studies, the FBI National Academy
FBI National Academy
The FBI National Academy is an independent program for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders. The first session began on July 29, 1935, with 23 students in attendance. At the time, professional development for law enforcement leaders was largely non-existent. The program focuses on...
, the National Defense University
National Defense University
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...
, and the CIA. He has been a media fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He lives in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.Gertz is a follower of the Unification Church.
In 2008, Gertz was subpoenaed to the Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
federal court to testify in the case of Chi Mak
Chi Mak
Chi Mak is a naturalized American citizen who worked as an engineer for California-based defense contractor Power Paragon, a part of L-3 Communications. In 2007, Mak was found guilty of conspiring to export sensitive defense technology to China.Mak's defense was that he thought there was nothing...
, who was convicted of providing United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
technology to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Gertz refused to answer questions about his sources, citing the Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215...
.
Writings
During 1996 Gertz reported in the Washington Times on Chinese sales of nuclear technology to PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. In 1997 he reported on Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n aid to Iran's
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
program, based on information given him by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
. In 1998 he reported on United States sale of missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
technology to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. In 2004, Gertz claimed that Syria, possibly with the aid of Russian troops, transferred Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
stockpiles to its own military installations.
Gertz's 2000 book, The China Threat: How the People's Republic Targets America, presented the case that China's military was more modern and powerful than was its reputation in the United States military and intelligence communities. His 2002 book, Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to Sept. 11, examined the activities of United States intelligence agencies prior to the 2001 terrorist attacks. His 2004 book, Treachery: How America’s Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies, accused United States allies, including France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
of helping to arm terrorists
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. His 2008 book, The Failure Factory: How Unelected Bureaucrats, Liberal Democrats, and Big Government Republicans Are Undermining America's Security and Leading Us to War, said that many federal bureaucrats hold liberal views on foreign policy.
Books
- Betrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American SecurityBetrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American SecurityBetrayal is a 1999 book by reporter Bill Gertz arguing that:*Bill Clinton's foreign policy strategies of "appeasement" with China and Russia have resulted in a betrayal of American interests, leaving "the United States weaker militarily as its enemies grow stronger and the world becomes more...
(1999) - The China Threat: How the People's Republic Targets America (2000)
- Breakdown: How America's Intelligence Failures Led to September 11 (2002)
- Treachery: How America’s Friends And Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies (2004)
- Enemies: How America's Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets-And How We Let It HappenEnemies: How America's Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets-And How We Let It HappenEnemies: How America's Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets-And How We Let It Happen is a 2006 book by Bill Gertz. In this book, Gertz brings to light instances where national security had been damaged by negligence and incompetence...
(2006) - The Failure Factory: How Unelected Bureaucrats, Liberal Democrats, and Big Government Republicans Are Undermining America's Security and Leading Us to War (2008)