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March 2002
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest : e2k_news@hotmail.com
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From 'C' we receive this most interesting commentary:
While searching on the Internet for information about the former Soviet propaganda station Radio Peace & Progress I came across an interesting commentary concerning shortwave radio and the events of September 11. Many of the points made can easily be related to our own interests in radio and intelligence matter - I hope you may find it of interest.
"Prior to the end of the Cold war, Radio Moscow and Radio Station Peace and Progress were the world's biggest short-wave broadcaster. Nowadays, probably the biggest short-wave broadcasting nation in the world is China, closely followed by Iran. Both countries also operate jammers. As a short-wave listener and technical monitor, the interference from these countries has become a major problem.
I wonder what would be the situation if they had done away with short-wave a couple of years ago, as all the great gurus were urging from their comfy offices with their laptops in front of them. I once paraphrased Mary Antoinette "Why do they need short-wave, they should be asking for the World Wide Web." I was a lone voice begging for the short-wave. Probably no one took me seriously, but then few people imagined that a handful of terrorists would (almost) start the next World War.
Those who destabilise World peace by going onto the streets in countries like Pakistan and Indonesia are not sophisticated, wealthy people who can log on to the Internet. These multitudes can still be influenced most effectively via a portable radio. Luckily the pace of change has been slow.
That's just as well, otherwise Afghans might have found satellite telephones being dropped on them from the air instead of wind up clockwork radios. Or else they would have had a daily newspaper delivered by F16s every morning. But the problem with that is the literacy rate in Afghanistan is only some 20%.
Even though a radio station that I work for gives me $40 Internet allowance every month, using the Internet in Sri Lanka is so expensive that I have only on a few occasions listened to any Real Audio!
And every time I log on I have one eye on the seconds ticking away.
The September 11th attack on the World Trade Center in New York not only hit the Twin Towers, but was also an attack on millions of people all over the world. Even the people from the so-called 'developing world' (that is such a patronising term) who used to enjoy a little bit of Internet from their places of work now find that their companies are keeping a close tab on telephone bills.
Some short-wave stations started cutting budgets for radio broadcasts in languages like Dari and Pashto, only to find it necessary to fly expensive Commando Solo aircraft to broadcast their messages to Afghanistan a couple of years later. Short-wave hasn't reached the end of its natural life, but it has been the victim of people who think it's better to be penny wise and pound foolish.
G. Victor A. Goonetilleke, 4S7VK. Sri Lanka. - via Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep."
DofKent wrote to E2k asking,"Did anyone see Time Team [TV Prog] excavating on the lawns of the Officer's Mess at RAF Chicksands? I noted the careful camera angles."
The above was the headlines to the BBC World news piece on 27th January 2002. The Cuban authorities have confirmed that the base at Lourdes has indeed closed down. A few Russian personnel remain on site to oversee the removal and shipping of equipment back to Russia. With around 1500 Russian personnel at the base it cost an estimated $200m per annum to rent.
The reports of the Omagh bomb trial mentioned that an American spy satellite had been involved in tracing the mobile phone calls which had resulted in a conviction.
E2k asks why would a US spy satellite be involved in sucking up N Irish domestic phone calls from mobiles? Is this a case of spying on allies or does the UKUSA pact run darkly deeper?
The British Government is on record as having made an apology for not offering enough support.
The 12 planespotters have to return to Greece in April to stand trial on charges of gathering secret information.
Former commissioner of police Laurie Lewis is now the co-ordinator of the Guyanese Joint Intelligence Committee, succeeding former assistant commissioner of police, Joe Beckles. Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon announced Lewis' appointment at a post-Cabinet press briefing. Lewis retired from the Police Force on 3rd September, 2001 after serving ten years as commissioner.
Dennis Yates [58] jailed for his handling of the stolen rare Abwehr coding machine has been released from Spring Hill Prison, Buckinghamshire after serving less than 3 months of a 10 month sentence. A further charge of blackmail still lies on file.
DofKent also sent in the feature from Saturday 16th February 2002 Times Magazine. Pages 39 and 40 carry a report by Lucy Elkins. Its title, somewhat long, adequately describes the piece's content:
"When an antiques dealer was found guilty of handling the Enigma machine stolen from Bletchley Park, most people thought the story was over. But the theft was just part of an internal campaign that saw blackmail notes and death threats sent to the Park's director - and the culprits have yet to be found."
The Intourist Hotel, Moscow closed its doors for the last time 7th January, 2002.
The building was built from an idea of President Krushchev who wanted a skyscraper in Russia. The building had 23 floors opening in 1970.
It was infamous for its cold food, small spartan rooms and poor service.
A western style hotel will be built on the site at the end of Tverskaya Street [previously Gorky Street]. Like the forerunner, this new hotel, when built will be only two or three minutes walk from Red Square.
The hotel was always mentioned with reference to prostitutes and bugged rooms. The Times [8th Jan] states, 'The rooms were reputedly bugged and the bar full of informers..." According to reports within British newspapers the hotel, never a welcome destination in its heyday, was in nvery poor state as its last 46 guest left on 7th Jan.
A former USAF Sgt was arrested whilst trying to board a flight to Switzerland.
The former Sergeant who was based at the secretive National Reconnaissance Office in Virginia apparently stole and emailed material to a foreign government [widely believed to be Libya].
The Sergeant's emails were intercepted and dealt with by the FBI who are said to be particularly good at cyber-forensics.
A recent advertisement appeared in a G2, according to a news cutting sent to us by 'E'. Linguists can attract a starting salary of £17607 and be initially based in Cheltenham. A global mix of languages are required at degree standard, African, Asian, Middle Eastern or a less commonly studied language [particularly Arabic, Persian, Hindi or Chinese]. Also mentioned were Russian and European languages.
The advertisement goes on to ask 'What were you doing when Chinese soldiers stepped into Tiananmen Square?' This question was followed by a revelation by a linguist, called Alex who knew where he was. He was ready to take his first overseas secondment.
[For the information of those reading this I was in the company of 'P' and listening to Shanwick prior to hunting out a few evening number stations].
Of course if you are clever enough to be a Technologist or Mathematician [System Designer or Applied Researcher] another advertisement reminds the reader that he would start at £18500 progressing to £36100.
Due to the huge backlog of intelligence material resulting from the 'war' on terrorism HM Government has resorted to the mobilisation of 140 members of the TA Intelligence Corps. Such a call up last happened in 1956 [Suez Crisis]. The specialists all serve part-time with the 3rd [Volunteer] Military Intelligence Battalion, based in London. It is understood that 40 of the experts will work in support of British forces in Afghanistan and may need to travel to Kabul. Whilst in this country it is possible they will be based at establishments such as GCHQ, Cheltenham or the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre at Huntingdon. JARIC is responsible for analysis of satellite and other imagery.
The other 100 will be attached to the MoD Defence Intelligence Staff and the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, responsible for British operations in Afghanistan.
The employers of the 140 specialists will be able to claim financial help from the Government. The Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon told the Commons that mobilisation was 'a necessary step in the ongoing war against terrorism. He then summed up situation, adding 'Success depends largely on the timely and accurate dissemination of intelligence information.
Two MI5 employees were attacked as they intervened in the assault of friends at a restaurant in Notting Hill. One was stabbed in the chest leaving him needing 17 stitches. Blackfriars Crown Court heard how the two men had been out with friends and were attacked as they left the restaurant in an unprovoked attack. It has been stated that this attack was not related to the employ of the two persons referred to as Mr X and Mr Y. It was later announced that two men, arrested at the time were found guilty and await lengthy custodial sentences.
Despite struggling with debts of between $10 & $14 Billion (U.S. $), depending on which newspaper you read, somehow NTL (National Telecommunications Limited) have managed to convince the MoD (Ministry of Defence) no less that they are worthy of their business. The Press Release is given in full below:
"NTL has secured a contract with the Ministry of Defence to manage, market and develop an initial 112 MoD communications towers in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) deal that will see both organisations benefit from commercial use of the sites. This is an early success for the government's Wider Markets Initiative (WMI) which is intended to exploit the revenue potential of government assets.
NTL will take full responsibility for managing the towers and will add them to its portfolio of over 2100 communications sites available for use in the UK by mobile communications operators., income from sites will be apportioned, enabling the MoD to maximise the income from its real estate, while NTL can offer operators further key sites with minimal up-front investment.
Colonel Dougie Rowlinson from the MoD's Defence Communications Services Agency said: "This pathfinder WMI for the MoD towers has the potential to generate considerable income for the public purse. NTL is an experienced site operator and has shown real commitment to this PPP deal. We can foresee a long and successful relationship in maximising the use of these towers."
Chris Allerton, sales and marketing director for NTL's Wireless Solutions group added: "We're delighted to be working with the MoD in developing these valuable sites. Many of them in strategically important locations from the south coast to Scotland, and will make excellent 'hub' sites for network operators. Everyone wins in a deal like this, and it is common sense to make best use of existing sites rather than seek to build new ones."
[For those ENIGMA2000 readers with nothing better to do - NTL inform me that a photograph of NTL Broadcast's managing director Alan Watson with Col Dougie Rowlinson (what a great name) is available electronically on request. Does that mean they will keep a note of who asked for it !]
This interesting question appeared in 'The Times'.
'The capture of the Enigma machine was a crucial turning point in the Second World War. Did the Allies have a similar machine and was it ever captured by the Germans?'
The answer:
The British Armed Forces used Typex, which was an improved version of commercial Enigma [without a plug board]. The US Navy had the even more advanced Electric Cipher Machine MkII [ECM]. The Combined Cipher Machine, an adaptation of both Typex and the ECM was employed for inter-Allied traffic. A Typex machine, without its rotors, was captured by the Germans, though no ECM or CCM was ever captured. The Germans did not solve traffic enciphered on any of these machines.
It was not so much the capture of an Enigma in Norway and later from U-110 that was crucial to Bletchley Park's success against Enigma, as the gift from the Poles in August 1939. However three additional naval rotors captured in 1940 did help with naval Enigma. [R Erskine/The Times 13/02]
Protesters have delivered a fresh blow to controversial plans to build a £2.9 billion nationwide police radio network. A campaign against the string of radio masts near homes on health grounds has already slowed the building of the network by mobile phone giant mmO2 (formerly BT Cellnet). And now, mmO2 has been forced to drop proposals to site high-tech masts in a Cotswold village after a local backlash.
The Airwave network is already used by police in Lancashire and Greater Manchester and is due for adoption by all forces by 2005.
And protesters last week forced the company to scrap plans to site an Airwave mast in Amberley in Gloucestershire. Lynne Edmunds, joint co-ordinator for the pressure group Mast Action, said the scheme was to have gone to a planning inquiry next month (January 2002), but mmO2 withdrew the application. The Police Federation, which represents most officers, will decide shortly whether to urge its members to boycott the project because of health worries. 'Airwaves' uses a wireless technology known as TETRA, which offers wider coverage than existing systems, improved reliability and would allow different forces to communicate with each other. But it also emits low level electromagnetic radiation from its masts and handsets. Opponents say this has been associated with illnesses such as heart problems and tumors. Police Federation Chairman Fred Broughton said: 'We are concerned about officers being used as guinea pigs. If our concerns are not answered we may advise our members not to use the system. Airwave will cost mmO2 £500 million to install but should generate revenues of over £2.9 billion over its lifetime. Vice-president Jeff Parris said: 'The system has been approved at the highest level and I believe that the Home Office's response to the Police Federation should ease concerns.' Andrew Leach Financial Mail on Sunday.
The OSI is charged by the Pentagon to disseminate truthful information openly.
It is headed by a Brigadier with around 15 staff who report directly to the under-secretary of defence for policy. Apart from truthful information it has recently been reported to be working on ways to influence and mislead the media in a number of countries, including Western Europe and the Islamic world.
Originally formed to spread positive messages about the war on terrorism it reportedly used disinformation and misinformation to mislead ally and foe alike.
Diplomatic quotes are:
"Everyone uses disinformation for military reasons, but I have never heard of using official sources to spread false information to the media of an ally."
"The Pentagon is not exactly regarded as the fount of truth and justice now, so I don't know what sort of damage to its reputation this might do if it leaked out. All I can see this sort of thing doing is giving a mighty good excuse to our enemies for dismissing all coalition claims as black propaganda."
[This brings to mind one particular film [Sea Chase, 1955] where John Wayne, playing a German Merchant skipper on the high seas at the beginning to WW11, was driven to avoid both German and British Navies. Prior to a news conference he stated that he had no intention of speaking with newspaper men about his predicament. The German Diplomat, to whom he addressed his remarks said, "No you shouldn't. You are not a diplomat and have not been trained to lie." A good film, that line stuck in my mind]!
The Greek telecom tycoon, Socrates Kokkalis 63, was charged yesterday with fraud, money laundering and espionage that includes alleged links to the former East German spy agency. He was educated in Moscow and East Berlin and set up Intracom, who supply Greece's OTE telephone company.
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