Yemen: The cultural attaché office is one of the most active divisions within the US Embassy, assisting the CIA and the political and economic attachés in reaching targeted individuals. This office collects intelligence that benefits American interests in Yemen, each according to their specialization and field.

In this context, spy Abdul Qader Al-Saqqaf stated, "When I was employed in the cultural and media attaché, there was already a network of sources in place when I started working. This network included people who worked as newspaper correspondents, TV channel reporters, or with global news agencies. Some of them were friends, such as Hamoud Mansour, who was a correspondent for Al-Arabiya, and Mohammed Saddam from Reuters, as well as Nasr Taha Mustafa, who I got to know through the media attaché, Adam Erli, who was active in meetings, gatherings, and offices. I used to accompany these officials on visits to Aden."

He added, "At the beginning of my work with the cultural and media attaché under Adam Erli, I traveled with him to Aden to get acquainted with the city and some organizations, and we visited the famous 'Al-Ayam' newspaper in Aden, which also has a forum where journalists and political community leaders gather. Among those we visited was the lawyer Sheikh Tariq, an esteemed attorney handling port-related cases."

Replacing Yemeni Culture with Western Culture

The role of the US in the cultural attaché was not limited to this but included aims to undermine the existing culture in Yemen and replace it with Western culture. This included supporting educational institutions, language institutes, promoting co-education, empowering women and youth in society, and introducing a culture contrary to Yemeni traditions.

The cultural attaché's activities included scholarship programs such as the Fulbright Program for master's degrees. The aim was to send young people to adopt these goals, absorb democratic ideals, and benefit from the training courses and scholarships, returning to apply or advocate for them in Yemen.

The attaché also focused on education and curricula in schools, targeting students with their culture, changing educational content to meet their needs and culture, supporting the Ministry of Education, building relationships with them, and convincing them of their policies and culture in Yemen.

The cultural attaché engaged in meetings with various ministries, such as culture, institutions with intellectuals, activists, and networking to understand the details of how to apply these goals at a local level through local organizations, supporting them or at a governmental level with ministries like education, culture, and tourism. All these cultural policies and developmental programs aimed to erode Yemeni culture and replace it with American culture.

Cultural Targeting through the Attaché

Among the cultural attaché's programs was the "Fulbright" Program for master's degrees. Spy Shaif Al-Hamdani said, "This program targets outstanding university graduates to travel to the United States for one or two years to pursue a master's degree."

There was also the "Academic Research" program, for traveling to the US to conduct scientific research for a year. The "Humphrey Fellowship Program," targeting state employees and other community segments to work with various American institutions according to their specialization for a year.

The cultural attaché's programs included the "International Visitor Leadership Program" (IVLP), one of the most active programs, targeting various society segments by sending them on visits to the US for three to four weeks, making these individuals sources of information.

Recruitment Strategy

Spy Hisham Al-Wazir stated, "Recruitment was a major focus of the US Embassy, beginning with building ordinary relationships with individuals, gradually strengthening these relationships through intensified meetings, providing facilities like sending them on the IVLP to the US, exposing them to Western and American values, and sending them to other American-affiliated programs or institutions to fully immerse them in American culture. This ensures they align with these cultural values and interests."

Spy Shaif Al-Hamdani explained, "As a cultural affairs specialist at the US cultural attaché, I gathered information about individuals nominated for the IVLP and provided it to the cultural attaché, Adam Erli, who shared it with US intelligence. I participated in meetings with other attachés to propose names for the IVLP, and I evaluated and analyzed the potential and effectiveness of certain individuals in gathering intelligence. I would also meet with participants returning from the US to discuss their experiences, positives and negatives of the program, and update their information for the cultural attaché."

Goals of the Cultural Attaché

After Yemenis returned from the program, they were often invited to private embassy events or meetings with officials who nominated them, ensuring they became future decision-makers and sources of information for various US agencies. Spy Shaif Al-Hamdani concluded, "While these programs ostensibly promote cultural and educational exchange, their true purpose is to build relationships with influential figures in various society segments, ensuring they can gather information and influence decisions in Yemen to maintain American control."

Recently, Yemeni Security Forces announced the dismantling of a significant espionage network working for the United States and Israel. This network had been involved in espionage and sabotage activities across various state institutions for decades.

According to a statement from the Security Forces, the network was directly linked to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had obtained sensitive information about various aspects of life in Yemen, including military, security, economic, agricultural, health, and educational fields.