Who here knew Congress had it's own intelligence organization?

[Unperson]

The Federal Research Division.

The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.

Headed by a Chief, the FRD is organizationally part of the Collections and Services Directorate, the public-service arm of the Library of Congress.

The FRD is located in the John Adams Building, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, D.C.

Services

Research and Analysis
Providing of original research materials
Translation
Foreign language research
Literature surveys
Annoted bibliographies
database development
Studies and reports
Books, to include the Country Studies series
Writing and editing
Desktop publishing
website development
Digital conversions of other medias

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Research_Division

[bullimiami]

1. not i.

[onenote]

2. Why do you refer to it as an "intelligence organization"

which makes it sound like its a Congressional version of the CIA etc. Its a research arm that prepares reports on various subjects at the request of members of congress.

Here's a link to its annual report: http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo/CRS04_AnnRpt.pdf

[Unperson]

3. My bad. I got them mixed up.

Will edit. It's the Federal Research Division, LOC

[Unperson]

5. It is listed as a civilian intelligence organization.

In Jeffrey T. Richelson's "The U.S. Intelligence Community"

[Little Wing]

4. I don't have much of a problem

It just sounds like an overpaid search engine - only with prepared reports. And 80 million is change.

[Unperson]

6. One of their first "missions" was to identify targets within the Soviet Union.

As the Air Research Division. S it's a little more than just a search engine.

[Little Wing]

11. where did you get that information?

[treestar]

7. I didn't, but then you'd be amazed at the federal bureaucracies

that exist. There's a division or an office on just about anything.

[moondust]

8. Also see "Congressional Research Service"

Somebody's gotta do the footwork--looking up articles, compiling reports, translating documents, etc. The Library of Congress is a big place.

[Unperson]

9. Federal Research Division is a part of CRS.

But they are located in the Washington Naval Yard.

[H2O Man]

10. Correct.

DUers who read the Plame Threads are very much aware of these researchers. I've noted, for but one example, that Rep. Henry Waxman asked them to conduct a study to determine if VP Dick Cheney has -- as he demands he does -- the Constitutional authority to disclose classified information. Their research indicates that VP Cheney did not have the authority to have Scooter Libby disclose the classified NIE material to "journalists." (The president, however, does have that authority.) DUers can look back to the CRS's 3-10-06 letter on this issue.