From the New York Times, I'm a Stead Hurnden. This is the Daily.

Today, in a leaked cable, the CIA made an explosive admission

that the agency has lost dozens of informants to foreign enemies.

My colleague, Julian Barnes, on why the failures happened

and how the CIA got sloppy at its own game.

It's Friday, October 8.

Julian, can you tell me about this secret CIA message?

Yeah. Last week, the CIA sent a worldwide message

to all of its stations and bases around the globe.

So, every place, there is a CIA officer stationed.

They got a copy of this relatively short but pretty explosive cable.

And the message was that there is a real problem

with CIA informants being arrested, killed or compromised.

And what was unusual is this is usually the kind of information

that's the most closely held secret.

So, it sounds like the CIA's version of sending up a flare,

saying we are acknowledging that we are losing our people.

Is that a fair way to characterize it?

That's a great way to characterize it.

This was something where the CIA was trying to get the attention

of its officers, its case officers who run informants,

who develop sources, who collect the intelligence,

...