as I recall we have gotten early hints of this operation/book. ------- Forwarded Message Date: Sat, 05 Jul 1997 21:37:30 -0600 To: snetnews@world.std.com, act@efn.org From: Leander <leander@xmission.com> Subject: SNET: "Secret Power" by Nicki Hagar - -> SearchNet's SNETNEWS Mailing List Forwarded from alt.2600.moderated by me. Leander leander@xmission.com
"Secret Power" by Nicki Hagar The International Spying Networks UKUSA and ECHELON 301pp ISBN: 0-908802-35-8
According to this remarkable book, that has somehow escaped the flames of book banners crying "national security," the United States NSA and the United Kingdom's GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) operate a global spying network called UKUSA. To listen in on conversations across the planet, a massive eavesdropping apparatus was built, with tentacles which reach into dozens of different countries beyond the shores of either the US or UK as well as across the skies.
Describing the nature of UKUSA, its global affiliations, and operations represents a huge effort on the part of author Nicki Hager. He states early on in 'Secret Power':
"Many people are vaguely aware that a lot of spying occurs, maybe even on them, but how do we judge if it is ubiquitous or not a worry at all? Is someone listening every time we pick up the telephone? Are all of our Internet or fax messages being pored over continuously by shadowy figures somewhere in a windowless building?
"What follows explains as precisely as possible - and for the first time in public - how the worldwide [spy] system works, just how immense and powerful it is and what it can and cannot do.
"The global system has a highly secret codename: ECHELON."
And that is the foundation of a tremendous amount of research that describes in detail how the vast global spying network "collects all the telephone calls, faxes, telexes, Internet messages and other electronic communications that its computers have been pre-programmed to select," and then analyzes the contents and distributes it to members UKUSA and ECHELON partners world-wide.
The operational details of how the US (NSA), UK (GCHQ), Canada (CSE), Australia (DSD) and New Zealand (GCSB) intercepts signals, throws high power computing behind ECHELON 'KeyWord' dictionary attacks and what they do with that information is potentially alarming; especially since so much of this decades old practice has been kept under the wraps of security.
Secret Power names the names, provides the dates and the technical details on the world's largest, best financed and coordinated global spying apparatus ever conceived. Full of pictures, maps and charts, the reader will get a complete picture of just how much effort and resources go into international security, long distance eavesdropping, and spying.
From the Cold War to today, UKUSA and ECHELON have been fascinating and powerful intelligence functions to spy both on enemies and friends. "Secret Power" provides the first peek inside the world's most secretive and powerful electronic spy organization.
"Secret Power" reads like a thriller, except that it's true. It should be read by everyone with an interest in intelligence, espionage and the technology that modern spies use.
"An astonishing number of people have told him [author Nicki Hager] things that I, as Prime Minister in charge of the intelligence services, was never told...It is an outrage that I and other ministers were told so little." -David Lange, Prime Minister of New Zealand 1984-89
"...the most detailed and up to date account of the work of any signals intelligence agency in existence. It is a masterpiece of investigative reporting, and provides a wealth of information." -Jeffrey T. Richelson, leading authority on United States intelligence agencies and author of America's Secret Eyes in the Sky, and co-author of 'The Ties that Bind.'
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