HOW PRIME CARRIED ON SPYING BECAUSE OF SECURITY BREAKDOWNS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96B01172R000300020007-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 2005
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: May 15, 1983
• Content Type: NSPR

How Prime carried on
spying because of
security breakdowns
RUSSIAN spy Geoffrey Prime
avoided detection because of
repeated failures of the internal
security system at the Govern-
ment Communications Head-
quarters in Cheltenham. GCHQ
- the centre for Britain's
worldwide electronic intelli-
gence gathering - has strict
security regulations detailed in
an internal handbook. These
cover the handling of docu-
ments, use of photocopiers and
computers, travel restrictions,
and building security.
However, former employees
at the headquarters say that
highly classified documents
frequently went missing, per-
sonnel were not subject to
rigorous identity checks and
foreign travel was not carefully
monitored.
The assessment of damage
caused by Prime, set out in the
security commission's report,
remains in a classified appen-
dix. An American intelligence
source has told us, however,
that Prime's activities
amounted to the worst-ever
compromise in the field of
signals intelligence and the
source added last week: "I don't
think the depth of the damage
has yet been fully realised.
Certain kinds of systems are no
longer secret and could cost
billions of dollars to repair."
As the Sunday Times dis-
closed shortly after the Prime
trial, at which he received a
total of 38 years, Prime gave
away details of the most
sophisticatd satellite surveil-
lance system the west had ever
developed.
The security commission,
under Lord Bridge, acknow-
ledges the security problems at
the communications centre. But'
it fails to highlight the repeated
lapses of security procedures at
the base. The report says: "No-
one responsible for operating
the (security) system can be
blamed for the ease with which
Prime carried secret documents
in and out..
by Nick Anning
and Linda Melvern
also able to use an internal
photocopying machine at will,
in breach of stringent rules that
copiers should be used only by
designated operators.
Although the gates at the
Cheltenham headquarters are
manned by security officers, the
report says that no searches,
regular or random, were made
of personnel. Prime was able to
carry secret documents home in
spite of detailed regulations
which should have been in force
covering spot checks of the
whereabouts of top secret and
secret documents.
The commissioners say that
the "vast volume of documents
Prime: easy access
handled ... made it quite im-
possible for any system to be
operated which required the
presence of every document to
be accounted for ... ". The
volume of material was "enor-
mous ", and individual officers
had to transport documents on
trolley.
For several years, attempts
were made by the special
branch and a number of MPs to
pinpoint lax internal security at
the headquarters. Senior staff
There are several indications
in the report that the security
services are still sceptical about,,
Prime's information. , ::The
commissioners admit that it has
only been possible to-asceitain`
the precise nature of his spying
from his own account and says
that after thorough investi-
gations there appears to be no
reason to doubt the account is
"substantially accurate".
Mystery still surrounds the
spy's sudden resignation from
GCHQ in September, . 1977.
Prime said he left because of
pressure of work and personal
problems. The commission
reports that unsuccessful att-
empts were made to try to
persuade him to stay. Our
information is that there was
only one attempt.
The report also fails to
explain why, after his arrest -
which was five years after his
sudden, unexplained resig-
nation - part of his espionage
kit was still in his wallet
including details . of radio
frequencies and a top secret
memorandum. He claimed to
have given up spying after
leaving his senior post at
Cheltenham and yet the police
found a powerful radio and 26
envelopes pre-addressed to East
Berlin at his home.
The reason given by Prime
for his final meeting with the
Russians in Potsdam in
November, 1981-, is described
as "implausible" by the com-
missioners. Prime said he was
worried telephone calls from
Russians would raise his wife's
suspicions.
Prime had not worked for
GCHQ for over four years when
this visit took place. Yet his
controller considered the meet-
ing vital enough to fly from
Moscow to meet him. Further,
at this last meeting he was paid
more than ever before - #4,000
- although the report states "we
may not have the full story of
what he was paid".
inquiry in 1980 by a senior
11M J JCYClI ..ua' 6C3
r. td photograph classified docu- Home Office official, Sir James carried 14 year sentences. One
n!.ertts which should have been Waddell, remains unpublished. of these was for information he
returned to a security valp& dripo el lV $A8/I ssef~U& lMSB13li
the end of the day with n55~' e r complaints is made in the 1980 - a long time after he had
of possible detection. He was security commission report. left his job.
gave repeated assurances to
ministers that their house had
been put in order. An internal
THE'SUNDAY'TIMES; 15 MA'
AS electoral mud-slinging begins, the
undisputed cowpat hurling champion of
Great : Britain today ?faces the greatest
challenge of his career. After seven years
lobbing dung across the Surrey landscape
to record-breaking effect, Colin Compton
inust now compete under new rules which
purists fear could ruin the sport.
Following heavy,rain in April and May,
which led to The Great Cowpat Crisis,
Surrey Young Farmers have been forced to
amend the regulations so that the bovine
waste integral. to the sport may be thrown
in plastic bags.
"It will be a bad day for cowpat hurling,"
lamented Compton, a local farmer who has
done much to pioneer, the =. art in this
country. Right up till yesterday, the defiant
Luddite was moulding the Compton
cowpat, "a mixture of sheep and cow.,
dung," and. hurling it ' several hundred
yar lege
bre
mo
the
wat
int
san
mo
Gunmen raid
THE News of the World found
itself yesterday in the middle of
an unwelcome crime exclusive
when two armed men raided its
cashiers office in London. The
men, one of whom was armed
with a sawn-off shotgun, threa-
tened to shoot a cashier unless
he opened the office safes.
By . late afternoon, several
hours after the robbery the
News of the Word was still
trying to calculate how much
money had been stolen. Initial
reports suggested the figure
might be as high as #100,000
but the newspaper's own crime
staff suggested this was prob-
ably an over-estimate.
by Simo
Two maske
ambushed Do
cashiers, as h
office. They u
there would b
on a Saturda
casual worker
duce the n
Saturday night
Cass was fo
safes and was
News' of the
correspondent
hoping to
before, leavin
races, then