Enigma control list | Beginners' corner
Numbers predictions | Conspiracy cantata | News Items
Web sites | Requests | Stop press | Contribution deadlines
Index | E2K NL Home
May 2003
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest :enigma2000-owner@yahoogroups.com
Morse stations | Voice stations | Oddities
Enigma control list | Beginners' corner
Numbers predictions | Conspiracy cantata | News Items
Web sites | Requests | Stop press | Contribution deadlines
Index | E2K NL Home
ENIGMA 2000 acknowledges receipt of two cuttings from ' male anon' detailing intelligence activities by Germany and France on behalf of Iraq, prior to its liberation.
Here it is folks, the definitive offering from the Government of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorism/
If you don't have access to the Internet you needn't worry -- it's not exactly helpful.
On page 29 of NL15 we listed certain locations that we had accessed under (USAFE) US Air Forces in Europe that we had reached via the www.disa.mil/ site but which was actually listed under http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/noproducts.asp. On trying to reach this page again we were rewarded with:
'You are not authorized to view this page You do not have permission to view this directory or page from the Internet address of your Web browser.
If you believe you should be able to view this directory or page, please contact the Web site administrator by using the e-mail address or phone number listed on the wwwmil.usafe.af.mil home page.
HTTP 403.6 - Forbidden: IP address rejected
Internet Information Services
Technical Information (for support personnel)
Background:
This error is caused when the server has a list of IP addresses that are not allowed to access the site, and the IP address you are using is in this list.
More information: Microsoft Support '
The last piece of Technical information is of interest.
We therefore advise any ENIGMA2000 members considering visiting this site not to bother to attempt it.
E2k anonymously received this interesting info:
RAF Standbridge has now closed, Chicksands has been sold off , and the huge elephant cage receiver gone.
It's counterpart at Edzell, Scotland also gone! Believe Uxbridge is just microwave link, and telephone exchange, rumoured to be closing.
Menwith Hill probably the most well known now, Bardford St John very active HF tx site and Croughton HF rx plus sat-com.
Other major USAF Sat-com base is Feltwell in Suffolk.
Mormond Hill, Aberdeenshire was a Troposcat link run by USAF, linking Boulmer in Northumbria and Iceland. They also ran a Wide band UHF net which is still in used periodically, the other sites in this net included St.Mawgan, Cornwall and Mildenhall, Suffolk. It is a very old system using hundreds of watts power on UHF Air band (multiplex modes).
On 16/03 BBC broadcast its current affairs programme 'Panorama'. It was titled 'Frontline Britain' and outlined the threat that Britain faces from Islamic Terrorists.
From pressing upon us that extremists linked to al-Qaeda have established terror cells in the UK and an attack on the country is considered inevitable in the form of a chemical, biological, or 'dirty bomb' attack it also stated that war with Iraq will stands to increase the threat.
The programme followed the twilight zone work of MI5, MI6 and Special Branch, examining what an intelligence source described as the `biggest change in posture since the end of the Cold War'.
The government's plans for a 'catastrophic' terrorist attack was examined and a retired emergency-planning officer told Panorama that we are simply 'sleepwalking our way towards a disaster'. Panorama unfortunately showed the governments expected responses to be sadly lacking; hospitals with leaky barrier suits, Emergency Planning Officers being told different stories from various gov depts and Fire Crews [Britain's Civil Defence] not having sufficient kit for such an event. Their area covered Fylingdales and Menwith Hill.
The German right-wing extremist group 'Blood and Honour' was taken to infiltrating peace rallies and shouting slogans against 'the Jewish-led war against Islam'. They are now reported to be looking to enter regional parliaments. As a result the German government decided to ban the group and allowed undercover agents from Germany's equivalent of the British Special Branch to infiltrate the group.
This infiltration was so successful that joining agents eventually achieved promotion and were known for their xenophobic rhetoric. Unknown as agents to ther agents who had infiltrated the group they were effectively reported on. Once in court the evidence presented, containing the racist and anti-constitutional utterances of one spy and reported by another, effectively closed the case. These remarks, it was said, 'were deliberately provoked and were derived from the party's ideology'. As a result the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe gave the Party the benefit of the doubt.
The British Forces Broadcasting Service has been lauded in The Times [07/03] for having two DJ's in a makeshift studio formed inside a metal cargo container.
The American forces are reportedly preferring to listen to the output of BFBS rather than their own American Forces Network. They prefer, it is reported, our music and respect the fact that the DJ's are actually on the plot, respirators at the ready and prepared to rough it out alongside their audience.
Their American Forces Network are safely ensconced in an air conditioned complex thousands of miles away.
The two DJ's are civilians and responsible for their output, unlike their American counterparts who are regularly censored by the generals. The two entertainers are well experience at being in inhospitable zones having been to Bosnia and Kosovo as well as Kuwait before. Their container is both a studio and sleeping accommodation and has been decked out with furnishings and fittings from a local department store.
As mentioned in a past newsletter two contestants are on trial after being accused of attempting to cheat 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' out of a million quid. Apart from the coughing fits suffered by an accomplice to signify the right answer the defendant are accused of considering pagers as a signalling device. There were to be four pagers, each set to vibrate and located at a different location of the contestants body. There is no evidence that the devices were used for that purpose.
The text of a memo detailed the US plan to bug key Security Council members. It can be read, in its entirety here:
http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905954,00.html
After its release on 2nd March by the British Newspaper 'The Observer' it was followed by an article 'Bugging Row prompts UN investigation'. Unfortunately the third paragraph reads 'The news comes as British Police confirmed the arrest of a 28 year old woman working at the top secret Government Communications Headquarters [GCHQ] on suspicion of contravening the Official Secrets Act.
The memo asked members at GCHQ to help to analyse US intercepts of 'certain UN delegations to the Security Council' made in their homes and offices. Council members were singled out; Angola, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, and Guinea, for attention and extra focus on Pakistan UN matters. But the memo also suggested that the US and GBR were not to be included in this operation - at least that's what the British copy said; did the US copy differ with the exclusion of GBR?
There was also mention of 'Dictionary', which screens intercepted data that has groups of words of significance that can be used for whatever it is the analysts seek. The investigative journalist had previously outlined the work of 'Dictionary' in a television programme aired some years back.
An interesting newspiece from 'E' indicated that six delegates from six countries, including Britain, had their phones tapped for at least eight years at the headquarters building of the EU. The devices were placed on lines between the central switchboard and the affected telephones at the Justus Lipsius building close to the European Commision in Brussels.
The installations were described as being very sophisticated which only a few intelligence services are able to install. The affected telephones were those of Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Immediately the French media blamed the CIA for this incursion but fingers have since pointed at Paris and London as being cunning enough to bug their own lines to disguise their part. The Chinese, Israelis and Russians have since been suggested as possible perpetrators.
The FSB has been given powers lost in the 1991 coup back. Whilst these powers include surveillance and border control some Russians are concerned about a return to totalitarianism.
As if things aren't bad enough with the Iraqi matter of the controversial US war and GB's part in it an interesting piece appeared in The Observer Newspaper 16/03.
Entitled 'Iraqi spy network set up in Britain' it had a sub-title 'Fear of terror attacks fuelled as defectors tell their stories'. These stories apparently outline an established active network of Iraqi mukhabarat agents in Britain, some, it is claimed, who entered as refugees.
It also stated that the Mukhabarat was responsible for the assassination of General Abdul Razzaq al-Hayef, a former Iraqi Prime Minister, outside a London Hotel in 1978. The Iranian embassy siege in 1980 is also believed top have been run by the Mukhabarat officer named as Fawzi al-Naimi, whilst the weapons for the operation were said to be smuggled from Kuwait to GB by the Abu Nidal terrorist group.
Of interest to the reader the UK espionage operations are run from the Mukhabarat's UK Desk, located in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad.
After the cessation of 'spy' flights over North Korean airspace, due to the interception of a KC-135 aircraft the US was reported to have resumed these flights. [Times 13/03].
Several libraries in California have begun to warn book lovers that the U.S. government may be monitoring their reading habits in a sweeping effort to crack down on terrorism, a practice that is occurring nationwide. "It's only been recently that people have become aware just how pernicious it is," said Anne Turner, director of libraries in Santa Cruz. "Our board decided to take a public stand and posted warnings at its branches as of Friday." [Tnx Jmm]
Two men have been arrested for aggravated trespass at the USAF base 'RAF Fairford' as they hung pictures of civilian casualties of the last bombing campaign in Iraq. Two women were previously arrested as a group of around 50 elderly women [many aged between 70 and 80] calling themselves 'Grannies for Peace' protested outside the base.
It is a good job they didn't trample on a US flag in sight of American personnel. It has previously been stated in a British Court [by the aggrieved parties under oath] that such an act caused fear amongst American Soldiers . A 60 year old protester had previously made her point by dragging the stars and stripes on the ground in front of their car some time last year and getting herself arrested.
Britain, in the words of respected investigative journalist Duncan Campbell is America's 'Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier'.
With the over reporting and opinions of the next Iraqi war a waft of journalistic freshness was briefly felt as the more sensible papers wrote about the different types of ordnance now available.
The Daily Mail 17/03 showed an array of weaponry [probably all US] some of which was interesting. The Blackout Bomb seen in use in Bosnia has no warhead as such and discharges carbon fibre capable of short circuiting power distribution cable. Another interesting piece is the E Bomb. This carries a high powered microwave device that will create a two billion watt electromagnetic pulse designed to effect electronic equipment within its 'footprint'. It is claimed that these microwaves can penetrate bunkers and scramble computers.
[I remember seeing devices fitted in bunkers to stop such an effect]. The Mail suggested major targets in Baghdad. Hope President Hussein doesn't read the Mail!!
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has been reported in the British press as being likely to being summonsed to court to give evidence in a case brought by Princess Margarita, her niece.
From the report it appears that Princess Margarita has accused her aunt of abusing her powers by having the Dutch Secret Services bug her Amsterdam flat bugged, mail intercepted and telephone calls recorded.
A secret love code used by Queen Elizabeth 1 has been cracked for the first time in 100 years. Two persons, a crossword compiler and an intelligence officer, who works in the cryptography division of British intelligence, tackled the letter.
The two came forward after reading an article in The Times in Novemeber 2002 concerningthe Elizabeth exhibition at the National Maritime museum.
The museum pitched the two against each other to see who could break it first.
The code consists of substituting Greek, Roman or nonsense letters although some symbols represented more than one letter, annd words were run into others.
The crossword compiler was the first to break the code. The reason given was the compiler's classic education, the symbols were written in a 'bastardised' Greek. The intelligence officer used his experience of breaking international codes.
At 0845 on 31st March 'PLondon' managed to have a question answered on LBC by former RAF Air Marshall Sir Timothy Garden, now employed in the Centre for Defence Studies at Kings College London.
P's question was, "How effective is Iraqi signals intelligence against British and American Forces communications?"
Sir Timothy answered, "I think we have to assume that they are pretty effective; they have had lots of time. Their military have put a lot of investment into it. We certainly discovered during the Kosovo operation that the Serbs were listening in and had advanced signal equipment. Looking at the general deployment of communications systems, and the like, in Iraq I'd be very surprised if they hadn't got a good capability."[Tnx PLondon].
The British Embassy in Baghdad to re-open soon, afetr being back in British hnads for the first time in 12 years. It's grounds, and some of the fabric of the building, had been tended by groundsman Abu Saleh. He also removed the Royal coat of arms for safe keeping. Whilst the building, like many others had been looted [there's a good Hindi word] several portraits of HM Queen still hang on the walls. It is expected that the Embassy will reopen on Saturday 3rd May.
In ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter Issue 12, page 34 'British Diplomats "rapid response" embassies' were described. It has been suggested that the first of these mobile embassies will be deployed from Kuwait to allow the diplomats some comfort as well as a reasonable working environment.
The FBI paid Katrina Leung a healthy £1.1M to spy on China for them between 1983 ans 2002. In good Hollywood style Ms Leung was also working for Beijing.
She also used a honey trap by seducing her handler, FBI contact man James Smith 59. When Smith visited her Californian home in 1991 Leung started copying classified defence papers carried in his briefcase.
Smith realised what was happening but continued to carry papers to her home until his retirement in 2000. Both parties are married. Ms Leung was arrested along with Smith. Smith has been charged with 'Allowing access to classified information through gross negligence.
[Tnx 'E']
A list containing over 160,000 names of informants used by the secret police [StB] in the former Czechoslovakia has been made available on the internet by the Interior Ministry of the Czech Republic.
In the days of the communist governed Czechoslovakia the StB used networks of spies and informants to build cases against apparent dissidents. The lists are known as the Cibulka lists but have never been confirmed or denied by the government.
In the past the StB carried out more than 230 executions and jailed circa 280,000 persons on political charges. 7000 persons were said to have been detained in mental institutions also.
Ian Parr who tried to sell defence secrets to the Russians for £130k was gaoled for 10years at his appearance at the Old Bailey on 04/04. Mr Parr had attempted to sell material from BAe Systems Avionics on seven very secret projects. These projects included the HALO system [used for locating hostile artillery] and the Strom Shadow stealth cruise missile [recently fired in anger at an Iraqi target].
For their apparent attempts to deceive Celador's 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' out of the top prize Major and Mrs Ingram and Lecturer Tecwen Whittock received fines and suspended sentences for their plot. The original plan was to use four pagers, each strapped to a different part of the body, to annunciate the correct answer. To questions heard through an open mobile phone They changed to a different plan, involving coughs to indicate the correct answer.
It has now been announced that ITV and Celador will now screen for mobile phone transmissions and ban mobile phones and pagers in the studio.
As Baghdad fell to coalition troops [note British were excluded] and the looting of Government offices took place the Iraqi Embassy at 21 Queensgate, London SW7 was invaded on 09/04 by jubilant Iraqi nationals. The police were called to deal with the matter and 24 persons were arrested for criminal damage. The Iraqi Embassy had long been administered by the Jordanian Interests section since the 1991 Gulf War. The admin staff had ceased to attend about a month in advance to the move to 'liberate' the Iraqi nation.
It was later announced that the 24 suspects had been released without charge [and no doubt the thanks of the Govt for letting them get inside there on a bona fide reason]. Two pictures that had been placed in the window on 09/04 and was visible all day 10/04 had disappeared 11/04. Police have kept a guard on the building to the extent that those having need to enter the building were recorded by an officer, in writing, in the correct book. A DPG officer was seen to guard the main entrance until the afternoon of 25/04.
Above the embassy is a log periodic antenna that rusts away. During the Gulf War it was constantly emitting RF, no doubt monitored by GCHQ. [See 'UK Eyes Alpha: The Inside Story of British Intelligence' by Mark Urban for interesting revelations].
Following the activity in Baghdad a single news report was heard via BBC World Service saying that hard drives from Iraqi Government department computers were being destroyed by persons unknown. That report was not repeated.
The 12 plane spotters who were acquitted of espionage [at an airfield] in Greece last November are still waiting for their bail money of £9200 per person to be returned by the Greek authorities.
Some of those charged have taken out loans to to pay the bail and suffer interest charges as a result.
Baroness Sara Ludford MEP [LibDem Euro MP, London] has recently hosted a lunch at the House of Lords for three of the twelve acquitted plane spotters and has written to the Greek Embassy in support of the claim for the return of the bail money.
From details available it appears that the Greek judges are none too sharp in their actions to close the case in Greece.
Finally………
Having dealt with a minor shack fire [lots of grey, acrid smoke from the shorted power cable to the FL2] whilst monitoring the 26/04 0410z sending of M10 on 6763kHz for ENIGMA 2000's Slavic Desk PLondon re-installed his filter. It was an unfortunate failure as the dedicated cassette recorder takes its audio from the FL2 and the intro from M10 was not recorded.
However, PLondon, managed a rare feat and actually decoded it by ear [those of you well acquainted with PLondon will know why it is a rare event] writing down the header as '555 200 18 946 31' then '99 18'. The transmission finished at 0425z.
After performing the necessary safety checks and reconnecting everything PLondon wanted to check his FL2 filter. Needing single sideband recovered audio he naturally went to 40 metres, where he found a PY1 at S9; that was not noisy enough. Moving to 80metres supplied the expected signal on 3780kHz from a small net, F5Vnn, G3Gnn and PA0Ynn.
At 0515z P was delighted to hear the G3 describe how he used a buzzer to transmit Morse characters, in his formative years, to a friend nearby with the help of his father's longwire antenna. Amusingly he recalled being admonished, most severely, by his father, for his experiment was carried out just a few days before D-Day. He mentioned that all amateur wireless activity was forbidden from the declaration of hostilities in 1939.
That reminded P of his activity of stirring the aether! Not using a 'rasping signal from a buzzer' P used one headphone, taken from a pair of SG Browns, to supply the pulse. The DC was from a 67.5volt battery and keyed via a surplus WT Key No 8 bought at 'Huggets' [what a decent bloke Tom Hugget was] for 9d.
The antenna was a lot of wire, removed from an old tubular hoover motor and wound round a 4'6" long bamboo pole.
This construction was taken out in an old gasmask case, set up in the middle of a green in Shrublands estate where PLondon lived. By previous arrangement two friends, now both licensed amateurs, listened out for the rhythmic pulses, dah di di dit dit di di dit dah …..etc. Poorly sent and read from a bit of paper this was received in two locations, one approximately 100yds away, the other around 200yds distant. PLondon often thinks of that early experiment in 'wireless' and what it has led to.
Whilst the G3 described what he had done PLondon sadly realised that he was not the first to have used this method to stir the aether as another member of that net stated in his over, 'I used a carbon arc' [hell's teeth!!] for the same effect. [Not as good as a T1154 though - right across the spectrum; harmonics stronger than fundementals!]
The subject of the QSO was Morse keys, straight and side swipe jobs. Suddenly one of the three says 'send Best Bent Bed Wire - it's like a song, very rhythmic.'
There are at least four people reading this who will know the origins of 'Best Bent Bed Wire'.
Readers will be horrified to learn that pleased with our early results, and spurred on by a common interest, the three friends saved up their pocket money [earned doing paper rounds at 7/6d [35.5p] a week] and bought 38 sets. We purchased a 19 set too and it was fitted up with a 38 AFV using all the correct cables and junction boxes; all purchased in Lisle Street.
As young lads we used to stand in the doorway next to GW Smith's [either no 3 or 34 Lisle Street W1] and look at the cards over the bell pushes - 'Young Photographic Model'. In our innocence we marvelled that the Photography trade should be so closely intertwined with our interest of Wireless!
For the benefit of the RA inspectors, who may consider retrospective action, we were all just under 12 at the time and beyond reach of the Criminal system! [Wish I'd known that then]! PLondon would like to state that he does not usually spend his time on any of the amateur bands listening to yet another 'contest'.
Incidentally, the FL2 and all the rest of PLondon's wireless paraphernalia continues to work well, Sundays M10 was 444 200 18 946 31 99 18 == 94294.
©PLondon
Morse stations | Voice stations | Oddities
Enigma control list | Beginners' corner
Numbers predictions | Conspiracy cantata | News Items
Web sites | Requests | Stop press | Contribution deadlines
Index | E2K NL Home