Responding to msg by nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous) on Fri, 19 Jan 10:23 AM

In the 1960's - 1970's when international cable traffic was in its computer infancy, access was had to EVERY CABLE MESSAGE passing through the message switches of U.S. common carriers.

If anyone else wishes to move this from the status of urban legend to something more solid, all they have to do is locate and ask people who worked in message switch operations at RCA Global Communications, ITT World Communications, or Western Union International, the three common carriers of that time.

We Jurgar Din

Yes, indeed. James Bamford in "The Puzzle Palace" details the long-term TLA-access to international cable traffic -- via Operation Shamrock -- beginning in 1945 and ostensibly ending in 1975. See Chapter 6, "Targets." Aside, in this chapter Bamford writes that Louis Tordella, who died earlier this week, "The Agency's chief keeper of the secrets," was central to targeting of thousands of Americans. Bamford says of Tordella, "If NSA was the darkest part of the government, Tordella was the darkest part of the NSA." Tordella allegedly shielded various NSA heads by not telling them what was going on -- to their great relief. David Kahn in "The Codebreakers" more extensively examines the history of spying on citizens in the national interest. It will be interesting to read what he is currently researching at the more PR-oriented NSA -- and perhaps provide pointers to deep-blacker orgs that have supplanted it through non-FOIA arrangements like those of Shamrock.