EXIT SMILEY, ENTER IBM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96B01172R000300030005-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 14, 2007
• Sequence Number: 5
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2007/12/14: CIA-RDP96BOl 172R000300030005-1
J
-31' OCTOBER j9821*
THE-SUNDAY'_TINjES; ---
p An alarming rift appeared last seek between
British and American intelligence services, with .
the Americans leaking .4e. a_ il`s. of a security crisis
at the Government .Commur cations.Headquarte'rs .
in Cheltenham. But many ,people will be- equally
alarmed by the extraordinary network of computer-
ised eavesdropping which the' affair ''has high-
lighted. Report by' Linda Melvern .and :Mark
Hosenball in Washington;; Phillip Knightley and
Nick Anning in London /
Approved For Release 2007/12/14: CIA-RDP96B01172R000300030005-1
 Nick Aiming in _.,Approved For Release 2007/12/14: CIA-RDP96BO1172R000300030005-1
A FORMER United States opposite number
a friend in London last Between. us" we' have -
week. The friend asked how ensured ..that. the blankets
things were. going. "I'm and sheets:ar'e?more-tightly
doing a couple of freelance tucked -around the -bed in
jobs for Uncle. Sam," the which our. two sets "of people
former official' said. + What lie and, like you, I like it
jobs?, his -friend -: asked that way."-.
There was a long silence; This. bedfellow 'relation-
'then the American replied:` ship has been crucial to the'
" You don't think I'm going organisations' staggering
to tell you that down an joint capacity to intercept
open line to' London, do and decode signals:- " --
you?". ? GCHQ and NSA have ac-
His caution was under- cess to intercepted messages NSA `
~ the.;Atlantic;,:an 1\officer ?..GCHQ's listening: station.
standable. Every trans- from all over- the world. In said two years ago : " There -in Hong. Kong = which ? is
atlantic call-indeed every partnership with similar are three satellites over the:` part funded by, NSA -.
international and domestic agencies in Canada, Austra- Atlantic, . each .'capable of.--provided the Americans
call which goes out over the lia, New Zealand and the transmitting on 'about 20,000 with information. about the
air-waves-must now be con- Nato countries, they monitor circuits. There are eight -Vietnamese . attitude! t o .
sidered open to the eaves- military. and diplomatic mes- transatlantic -cables with peace negotiations during
droppers: the US National sages-by radio, 'telex, tele- about -5,000: circuits.-_ We. the 'Vietnam war and, Sup-
S e c u r i t y Agency and type and microwavev, as well monitor'-them. all." plied intelligence. to guide
Britain's Government Com- as ' commercial ; messages, ? ?. F US bombers on raids.-over
.
munications Headquarters satellite communications and NSA's'computers, -pro-- Hanoi. NSA,-for its .. part; '
Between them, these two in- telephone calls: grammed' to -,home .ini_iion a?. kept Britain up to date or
teiligence-gathering. .-organ- signal 'if 'the ick:
y .'p p'ra; Argentinian mldirary=`traffici
isations are able to monitor.- _~ . ;? ~ : -key 'word , cover 11 acres : ,-.'during: -the`. Falklands war;
the entire globe. Thecomputers canlook for Both.-:agencies gathe ed;in
%
The scale of their :eaves-, these ;key words at tbe.rate.forrieauon on American anti-`
dropping is still -not recog of four, million characters war';; p""rotesters between":
Wised by most people. Secret:' :second, which means. thaf 1967 and .'1973 'by listening
ly, and almost without pro-:..(, thev. could read and -index'"+to their-domestic- and inter:;
ications intelligence) has, f4 f `~ 1 -before:you -could pronounc
traditional spies). Technical watch lists of- organisa-
int,^as one British SJS officer van - The Puzzle Palace '; matically. intercepted. These.
of NCA' ?...1, ..
.. .. 'histor
y
-conversation`s: of .-Op- Soviet`:
GCHQ`--the acronyntn is ,officials drivin to t Krem- groups, known terrorists -and
O.ver:-the years,=-the.-.relay
used 'both for the intelli- g their` ympathisers;".: embas- tionsllip between -GCHQ and>>
in- in" their limousines. At
gence -system and for Ats sles,arade missionsand"some: -NASA grew so- dose that i
its. - headquarters .in ;Fort'
headquarters at Cbeltenhatri Meade Maryland it has hs;-pohtitins ? r n'. each stationed _,-ambassa
is the post-war successor ~ t ~~. dots' ~=-tofthe o.ther'sagency?
teased to:Soviet ships calling is 'Durin the earl sty e i
to the Government Code'and g' y` g s"of'~"These -were SU.SLOsenior
Cypher School, which pro- each other, to Soviet sate]- Britain's 'negotiate-ons to joiti US - liaison-- officer) .=and
lites, reporting from space, the Common Market, GCHQ-,';SUKLO .(senior K- liaison
. vlded -the Allies : - with
invaluable .information by to the construction: boss of . res~?;_ the`- tra.$c. .-passing _: officer) ' ,Personal '- friend-1
intercepting and breaking eria missile site in Sib between -our4- .prospective, ships strengthened-4b
"
coded German wireless sig- ria telephoning Moscow.-- European '
il, partners,' thus' in ; May this?yeaI ctbe retir
naIs. In a rare statement about giving Br?tish-negotiators.an='ing Ii7SA director, Rear Ad-
Since 1947, when a secret GCHQ-NSA _ability .to read_ important ,"card -..in w: their mural 'Bobby Ray . Inman,
treaty, " known as UKUSA, everything , passing across ---bargaining pack::: flew to-London -as-"the guest
linked GCHQ -with the:. -of,, the. present;, head--_ .of
embryonic`.RtSA, the'..twG,--- you,-whenihe.ratons-were around you for exemple:"8gtweenPis'??^? ''GCHQ, Sir-Brian`Tovey. At
networks, shave --freely ex-_; ? - we ,have ensuredthat'he' blankets and'sheets are more tightly tucked' the dinner, -a-speaker men-
changed information.' The; aroundtfie bed in ; whichourtwosets of people lie and,:like;you;-I, tinned ".this"very','special 're*-'
like It that war. .2helines had notalwa s been` clear, Rh at was not- late4nship--
doseness.of the relation shi Ii r
l
n --'
'
'
ourfault -- or so I?shall elwa s, mairta
nl
was described avidly= -
-In". ?, r ;'~
'? -All + of _ this gmakes the
1969-by a,-director of GCHQ breach that-nnow-appears to
in a .private letter- to his In cosier tinges : -a GCHQ director to his US "'cousin ". be,?:vpexling up. between th?e.
Approved For Release 2007/12/14: CIA-RDP96B01172R000300030005-1
 Approved For Release 2007/12/14: CIA-RDP96B01172R000300030005-1
two,agencies-`all fhe-"more
.striking. What has brought I
them_ to the point ,where,
their close '. partnership
seems inimminent danger.of
coming iv, THE" `.ACCUSATIONS,; S.
voiced-_ in Washington last
--week,-.were -that-GCHG had
Jailed to provide NSA with.?a
comprehensive - ?_'d a.m a g e
assessment -report -after, a
Soviet spy :ring had been un-
covered-.at Cheltenham- and I
;?2hat:-repeated ;requests- for'
this had met- with'- evasions..
This specific cojnplaint then::;
`broadened' intq,-:- a-~-general,
attack -on`,-' -GCHQ:--security,,,
-ziotonly at`?Cheltenhazn;::but;
',at' its overseas -_--stations..
' GCHQ, -the Americans said,:.`]
was:." as leaky as ' an. old
..
The manner in ;%,hich'the
.accusations 'surfaced.-= an:
..article , in '? the- New?York.-,
Times -' is signifi"cant. The'-:
New York Times. reporter,.
Philip Taubman ho-regu-
- larly.covers intelligence mat-
4, Yens, :insisted last -week _that.~
th'e . story -?, had- not-` been.
deliberately : fed,_ xo ?him.
..'.-Taubman.. said be -bad -been-;
speaking ,to , an intelligence
official --on"linoth'er= matter-'
and,; as the' interview . drew;
`4q,.--a close,-.had:asked-what;
-Washington %'. =knew ~..aboui
rumoured leaks -at. Chelten.:,
ham; The official responded;)
-with '-sufficienf. information- j
for.:`Taubman-towrite.'his
front-page 'stor
'Howeverr- our->:own en: -
quiries;iri =Washington--sug
gest.that-the leak toihe'New=
York. Times -was deliberate.y
There-' has:--been concern`!
-'in ..:American intelligence
circles for-some time.about
..the -whole. way.-'in-which
'primarily about .blueprints
for -action. .AIL have been
posturings-' .in"-t. a-? -contest.,
Every -stance `taken - about
virtually every-policy'-by:
avprv__n~litician'_-w.hether--in-
GCHQ is. run and a feeling if1e :'it1 elihood^. th.a:;t.
:.-'that- if the British govern GCHQ will: =.`: release
So= '. ust
:,~ment,was not to damage asses'stnenrrep4 she r of
?
t
o-S mainoviet--. opera-
prepared highly remote. But-the very t i
exercise more. control over.
Li
o
is
o 'm
on .is to monitor ;"volume i
! nature _.,nl = CGH
GCHQ, Then the 'Americans Q s work.*
ork. ?and location -lie amount.
were. Some Washington makes it..possible to-deduce
, 'of radio traffic and `where?it
in broad terms what.Has.
officials are said to regard is coming from. Changes in.,
the current. --Cheltenham leaked. from.Cheltenham;.to.< either'; can Lbe .?significant'I
affair as an opportunity to .assess_'its