Joining a small group of journalists on Tuesday, I asked U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, how important the U.S. intelligence community is to her day to day work.
“Hugely important,” she said. Noting that New York City is a hub of espionage activity for many different nations, Haley continued, “What we need is for the U.S. to know what other countries are thinking and doing. And for us to focus on what it takes for us to keep Americans safe. I value the intelligence community greatly, they have been hugely helpful in me doing my job and are really unsung heroes that don’t get enough credit for what they do.”
While Haley is focused on the security context here, the real utility of the U.S. intelligence community for her work is that which she can’t talk about. Namely, the role that the National Security Agency in particular plays in collecting intelligence on the deliberations of other U.N. delegations and the communication of those delegations with their host governments. This is where I think Haley’s mind is at when she says that the intelligence services have been “hugely helpful in me doing my job … ” Because this wide-ranging collection activity allows the U.S. to anticipate what other delegations are planning at the U.N.’s various meetings and to respond in advance.
When it comes to U.S. diplomacy, it’s a team effort between the State Department and a number of three-letter agencies.
