Hi Bob,

After having the scope of actual possibilities expanded before my very eyes, I admit that I am perhaps letting my head get the better of me. Other hand, our historical paranoia has more than proven out so far.

Look, I don't imagine for a second that "evidence" could not/would not be fabricated. Your message presumes that it would all go down in a straightforward manner that would make sense externally, and likewise that agendas across agencies are somehow unified. I doubt both of these very much. And to the mining point, remember that there might also be some reason for them to want to see crypto-currencies flourish. Overwhelming the hashing power just to gain some 'coin would have killed the project in a nascent stage. Inelegant brutality for such sophisticated folks.

I really hope you're correct though, and that I'm just a straight up kook, but I'm by no means convinced that this is the case.

-wendell

hivewallet.com | twitter.com/hivewallet | pgp: B7179FA88C498718

On Jan 1, 2014, at 12:26 PM, Robert Williamson wrote:

> It's been theorised that the 1933 address also belongs to DPR (https://blockchain.info/address/1933phfhK3ZgFQNLGSDXvqCn32k2buXY8a) and some people on the bitcointalk forums have managed to link some of these inputs to ones used in the confiscation in October, it looks like he has almost 2x the amount that was seized. So I doubt that the CIA/NSA ran it and put a load of the cash into a vanity address starting with 1933 (due to the 1933 confiscation of gold http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_6102)
>
> I am certain that the FBI are running SR 2.0 and have been since it launched, if they can see the full cash flow going in and out, it will be easy to eventually trace some of the sellers, even mixing will only help them to a certain extent, I'm unsure of how long they'll be able to do this though, they're really only pushing these people more underground.
>
> People like to build up theories when they struggle to believe things. Silk road was built by a physics graduate with an average knowledge of web design and security, he posted adverts for recruiting devs and moderators numerous times, he was also overly trusting of others which lead to his eventual downfall.
>
> The NSA or any government could have taken control over Bitcoin mining extremely easily during 2011/2012 and they probably could do so now. It would only cost a few million to have 22nm wafers manufactured and then they'd have the most efficient asics by a couple orders of magnitude than what're currently shipping a datacenter full of these and they could then start doing some high value double spends/only confirming their own transactions if they manage to get quite far over 51% and make some speculators start bailing until the proof of work is changed, or more competition joins the mining.
>
> The CIA drug trafficking op was more for gaining intelligence than them actually making money, I'm pretty sure I read something about some agents went rogue for themselves though.
>
> Sorry to shit all over your theory, I just can't see it that way, It's the same as the people who say Satoshi is a group of people/the CIA, people see big things/lots of money and they want to think that the person couldn't have done it on their own.
>
> Thanks
> Bob