[Peace-discuss] Fwd: of interest?

[Alfred Kagan]

>>
>>Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 08:24:26 +0000
>>Subject: of interest?
>>From: lou kushnick <lou.kushnick at ntlworld.com>
>>To: belden <a-fields at uiuc.edu>
>>X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by 
>>datasrv1.cso.uiuc.edu id h228OP1H011661
>>
>>I know you willfind this difficult to believe of a great democracy
>>
>>A Secret Document Details a US Plan to Bug Telephones and Email of Key
>>United Nations Security Council Members
>>
>>Read the memo:
>>http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905954,00.html
>>
>>Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war
>>by Martin Bright, Ed Vulliamy in New York and Peter Beaumont
>>Sunday March 2, 2003
>>© 2003 Guardian Newspapers Limited
>>
>>A leaked memorandum labeled "TOP SECRET' reveals that the United States
>>government is conducting a secret 'dirty tricks' campaign against UN
>>Security Council delegations in New York as part of its battle to win votes
>>in favor of war against Iraq.
>>
>>Details of the aggressive surveillance operation, which involves
>>interception of the home and office telephones and the emails of UN
>>delegates in New York, are revealed in a document leaked to The Observer.
>>
>>The disclosures were made in a memorandum written by a top official at the
>>National Security Agency (NSA) -- the US body which intercepts
>>communications around the world -- and circulated to both senior agents in
>>that organization and to a friendly foreign intelligence agency asking for
>>its input.
>>
>>The memo describes orders to staff at the agency, whose work is clouded in
>>secrecy, to step up its surveillance operations "particularly directed at
>>... UN Security Council Members (minus US and GBR, of course)" to provide
>>up-to-the-minute intelligence for Bush officials on the voting intentions of
>>UN members regarding the issue of Iraq.
>>
>>The leaked memorandum makes clear that the targets of the heightened
>>surveillance efforts are the delegations from Angola, Cameroon, Chile,
>>Mexico, Guinea and Pakistan at the UN headquarters in New York -- the
>>so-called 'Middle Six' delegations whose votes are being fought over by the
>>pro-war party, led by the US and Britain, and the party arguing for more
>>time for UN inspections, led by France, China and Russia.
>>
>>The memo is directed at senior NSA officials and advises them that the
>>agency is "mounting a surge" aimed at gleaning information not only on how
>>delegations on the Security Council will vote on any second resolution on
>>Iraq, but also "policies", "negotiating positions", "alliances" and
>>"dependencies" -- the "whole gamut of information that could give US
>>policy-makers an edge in obtaining results favorable to US goals or to head
>>off surprises".
>>
>>Dated January 31, 2003, the memorandum was circulated four days after UN
>>chief weapons inspector Hans Blix produced his interim report on Iraqi
>>compliance with UN resolution 1441.
>>
>>It was sent by Frank Koza, chief of staff in the 'Regional Targets' section
>>of the NSA, which spies on countries that are viewed as strategically
>>important for United States interests.
>>
>>Koza specifies that the information will be used for the US's 'QRC' -- Quick
>>Response Capability -- "against" the key delegations.
>>
>>Suggesting the levels of surveillance of both the office and home phones of
>>UN delegation members, Koza also asks regional managers to make sure that
>>their staff also "pay attention to existing non-UN Security Council Member
>>UN-related and domestic communications [office and home telephones] for
>>anything useful related to Security Council deliberations".
>>
>>Koza also addresses himself to the foreign agency, saying: "We'd appreciate
>>your support in getting the word to your analysts who might have similar
>>more indirect access to valuable information from accesses in your product
>>lines [ie, intelligence sources]".  Koza makes clear it is an informal
>>request at this juncture, but adds: "I suspect that you'll be hearing more
>>along these lines in formal channels".
>>
>>Disclosure of the US operation comes in the week that Blix will make what
>>many expect to be his final report to the Security Council.
>>
>>It also comes amid increasingly threatening noises from the US towards
>>undecided countries on the Security Council who have been warned of the
>>unpleasant economic consequences of standing up to the US.
>>
>>Sources in Washington familiar with the operation said last week that there
>>had been a division among Bush administration officials over whether to
>>pursue such a high-intensity surveillance campaign, with some warning of the
>>serious consequences of discovery.
>>
>>The existence of the surveillance operation, understood to have been
>>requested by President Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, is
>>deeply embarrassing to the Americans in the middle of their efforts to win
>>over the undecided delegations.
>>
>>The language and content of the memo were judged to be authentic by three
>>former intelligence operatives who were shown it by The Observer.  We were
>>also able to establish that Frank Koza does work for the NSA, and could
>>confirm his senior post in the Regional Targets section of the organization.
>>
>>The NSA main switchboard put The Observer through to extension 6727 at the
>>agency which was answered by an assistant, who confirmed it was Koza's
>>office.  However, when The Observer asked to talk to Koza about the
>>surveillance of diplomatic missions at the United Nations, it was then told
>>"You have reached the wrong number".
>>
>>On protesting that the assistant had just said this was Koza's extension,
>>the assistant repeated that it was an erroneous extension, and hung up.
>>
>>While many diplomats at the UN assume they are being bugged, the memo
>>reveals for the first time the scope and scale of US communications
>>intercepts targeted against the New York-based missions.
>>
>>The disclosure comes at a time when diplomats from the countries have been
>>complaining about the outright 'hostility' of US tactics in recent days to
>>persuade then to fall in line, including threats to economic and aid
>>packages.
>>
>>The operation appears to have been spotted by rival organizations in Europe.
>>"The Americans are being very purposeful about this", said a source at a
>>European intelligence agency when asked about the US surveillance efforts.
>>
>>==================================
>>CERJ at igc.org            wilmerding at earthlink.net
>>-------------------------------------------
>>John Wilmerding, Convener and List Manager
>>Coalition for Equity-Restorative Justice (CERJ)
>>1 Chestnut Hill, Brattleboro, VT, ZIP: 05301-6073
>>Phone: 1-802-254-2826 | 1-802-380-0664 (cellular)
>>CERJ was founded in New York in May, 1997.
>>-------------------------------------------
>>"Work together to reinvent justice using methods
>>that are fair; that conserve, restore, and even
>>create harmony, equity and good will in society."
>>-------------------------------------------
>>To join (or leave) the CERJ email list, kindly send
>>me an email message at wilmerding at earthlink.net
>>or at cerj at igc.org.  I'll need your first & last name,
>>your email address, and your state, province or
>>country of residence.  Thank you!  -- John W.
>>==================================


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu