William D. Gertz (born March 28, 1952)[1] is an American editor, columnist and reporter for The Washington Times. He is the author of eight 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.[2][3]

Bill Gertz
Gertz in 2020
Born (1952-03-28) March 28, 1952 (age 72)
Occupation(s)Editor, columnist, reporter

Biography

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Gertz was born on Long Island, New York. He has attended 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.[4] He has been a media fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.[5] He lives in Maryland.[6]

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.[7]

Gertz was a senior editor at the Washington Free Beacon until October 2019, when he was fired upon the discovery of "a previously undisclosed financial transaction."[8] Gertz had taken a 100,000 US dollar loan from Guo Wengui, whom Gertz called a "leading Chinese dissident" in his reports.[9][10] Gertz later rejoined The Washington Times full time.[11]

Writings

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During 1996 Gertz reported in The Washington Times on Chinese sales of nuclear technology to Pakistan.[12] In 1997 he reported on Russian aid to Iran's nuclear weapon program, based on information given him by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.[13] In 1998 he reported on United States sale of missile technology to China.[14] In 2004, Gertz wrote that Syria, possibly with the aid of Russian troops, transferred Iraqi weapons of mass destruction stockpiles to its own military installations.[15]

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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]

Books

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References

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  1. ^ [Bill Gertz' Twitter on March 28, 2014: "Today's my birthday."]
  2. ^ Sieve City The New York Times 12-03-2000
  3. ^ Psst! Have a White House Secret The Christian Science Monitor June 16, 1995
  4. ^ Bill Gertz Regnery Publishing Archived September 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Bill Gertz, U.S. National Security Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine World Tribune
  6. ^ Bill Gertz author profile Random House
  7. ^ Judge declines to order reporter to reveal sources Los Angeles Times July 25, 2008
  8. ^ The Free Beacon Fired A Top Reporter For A “Financial Transaction” With Someone He Frequently Covered Buzzfeed News, October 12, 2019]
  9. ^ How a Tycoon Linked to Chinese Intelligence Became a Darling of Trump Republicans The New Yorker, October 17, 2022
  10. ^ A Conservative Journalist Admitted To Taking $100,000 From A Financier Connected To A Controversial Chinese Billionaire Buzzfeed News April 24, 2020
  11. ^ A Conservative Journalist Admitted To Taking $100,000 From A Financier Connected To A Controversial Chinese Billionaire Buzzfeed News April 24, 2020
  12. ^ The Nuclear Gamble The New York Times, October 11. 1996
  13. ^ Iran Girds For War The New York Times, September 28, 1997
  14. ^ The Missile Business The New York Times, April 10, 1998
  15. ^ "Russia tied to Iraq's missing arms". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2006-04-05. Retrieved 2006-04-03. The Washington Times, October 28, 2004
  16. ^ Is the 'China threat' real? Archived 2021-02-24 at the Wayback Machine Geoff Metcalf
  17. ^ A Catastrophic Failure To Think the Unthinkable The New York Times November 20, 2002
  18. ^ Author Bill Gertz Discusses ‘Treachery: How America’s Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies' Center for Individual Freedom
  19. ^ Where's the Real Power in Washington? New Book Claims It's Not in the Oval Office Fox News, October 13, 2008
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