ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120075-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 75
• Publication Date: April 15, 1976
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: Ci1A-117DP":1811B01125R000300120075-9
_ I
THE VILFiritIlTOU CP:7 .
April .19 A;
PAB - 57
r'rrrtTrNfost people are in-
- dined to think or-oko-
tronie bugging of other
ANCF
people's limes, ,offices,
and persons in terms of the.....o. II.vwood stereo-
)e. A reasonably adroit individual places a few
.nsmitting devices in the appropriate places and
unsuspecting victim proceeds to tell all..
Such is the stuff that low cost television movies
made of. In real life, planted transmitting
vices (called Mugs" in the trade) are not too
icient, are subject to atmospheric changes, and,
st important (as the Watergate burglars learn-
to their great dismay), subject to discovery.
There are other, more modern, means of eke-
ilk surveillance. They arc more reliable, less
')ject to detection, and, with implications for the
vacv of the great body of citizenry, operable
virtually anyone. The two most commonly dis-
zed arc microwaves and laser beams.
quipment using microwaves plays a major role
lodern American industry. Most long distance
phone calls are carried by microwave relay;
I can be rapidly cooked in a microwave oven.
the field of intelligence gathering, ? a micro-
c beam can activate hidden transmitters (even
e that have been permanently emplaced in
foundations of buildings or in plaster walls
the like). The laser beam, subject of much
ular science discussion, is simply a beam of
tochromatic (or coherent) light (as opposed to
scattered or incoherent light that we receive
the sun or a lightbulb).
he laser beam has many industrial, medical,
military applications. It can be used to cut
to repair damaged retinas in the human
(sort of an electronic scalpel), and as a rang.
and target designating device. In the field .of
ligence it can be used to monitor conversa-
; behind closed doors and windows. By con-
rating a beam of coherent light on (for
Tie) a window, it is possible to monitor the
.ersations behind it through analysis of the
,d vibrations. As the sound of the voices vi-
:s on the window pane, the laser beam also
ites in the same manner. This vibration is
y turned back into human speech.
hile the lasers ustd f
W *tie proo- ?
ably- physically harmless to huinail beings, the
same cannot be said for mirlowaves. Tk, recent
uproar in the American Ernbassy in Molow over
the heavy microwave radiation of the embassy by
Soviet operatives is a 'case in point. In general
terms, microwave radiation is particularly dang-
erous to persons \NILO have implanted heart pace- ?
makers. Indeed, such persons arc routinely yearn-
ed to stay away from areas in which microwave
oven are operating.
Beyond those with pacemakers, microwave ra-
diation can be deleterious to anyone's health if
the exposure is significant enouglj. There is evi-
dence that at least a fcw of the Americans as-
signed to the embassy suffered physical and psy-
chological harm. Whether this was the actual in-
tent of the Soviet operatives is unknown but the
fact remains that many Americans were unable to
function effectively in that environment.
Fortunately there are some countermeasures
which are fairly effective in reducing the risk of
compromise of sensitive conversations. Screens
can be emplaced on windows which can have the
effect of stopping microwaves. Metallic paint (or
even aluminum foil) can be placed bn walls to
neutralize buried bugs. Since laser beams operate
on a line of sight principle, conversations conduct-
ed in rooms without outside windows would be
reasonably secure.
There are, of course, some very grave political
considerations in the Soviet actions. They have
attempted to interfere with the legitimate activ-
ities of a foreign power within its embassy (a place
which, by custom, convention, and treat)', is :Is
much the territory of that power as its own na-
tional capital).
Beyond the question or the propriety of the
Soviet action (and, perhaps, of much graver long-
term import), are the implications for the aver-
age American of the development of these new
types of surveillance equipment. While an em-
bassy has a large number of resources at hand to ?
counter these systems, the average citizen does
not. Especially in the area of laser development,
as the new technology becomes more and more
available to the average citizen, the likelihood of
abuse of this technology svill rise.
While it may be possible (indeed, in a demo-
cracy, it is possible) to regulate the surveillance
activities of Covernment, it may well nigh be
impossible to guarantee the average citizen
against the invasion of privacy by a dishonest (or.
simply curious) individual.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120075-9