Nexus - 0706 - New Times Magazine-pages

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of any other government agency". On the other hand, the Officers in the field may include not only those officially youngest brother of Lawson's second wife, Rosa Monckton, had classed as diplomats, but also others operating under "deep" joined MI6 in 1987. In 1996, Anthony Monckton was appointed cover. Increasingly, MI6 officers abroad act as "illegals". It is First Secretary (Political) in the Croatian capital Zagreb. known that Service officers are sometimes employed during the Quite separately, the Princess of Wales—one of Rosa's closest day in conventional jobs such as accountancy and provided with friends and a godparent to the Lawsons' daughter—had clearly false identities. British banks—the Royal Bank of Scotland is been under some kind of surveillance, as evidenced by the 1,050- particularly helpful, and to a lesser extent the Midland—help sup- page dossier held by the US National Security Agency (NSA) in _ ply credit cards to officers working under cover. At the end of its archive, detailing private telephone conversations between each month, officers have to pay off their aliases' credit cards. Diana and American friends intercepted at MI6's request. While Banks also help transmit money overseas for covert operations. all stories linking MI6 to the Princess's death in the car accident in During the Cold War, banks in the Channel Islands and other off- France have been complete nonsense, it has been alleged that shore locations acted as a conduit for secret funding.* working closely with I/Ops in an attempt to deflect enquiries Recruiting or running agents and gathering intelligence are the away from the security services had been a chief of staff to "C", prime objectives of these deep-cover operatives, and their real Richard Spearman, temporarily posted to the Paris embassy with work, some claim, starts at six in the evening when the conven- his assistant, Nicholas Langman.’ tional diplomats begin their round of cock- Operational officers can be casually spot- tail parties. Such social events can be very ted by the ****** roller-ball pens in their useful for gathering intelligence and top pocket (it was discovered by accident spreading disinformation. Baroness Park that they have the ability to create invisible Officers abroad may also recalled that one of MI6's more successful ink), the Psion organiser and the specially . ploys was "to set people very discreetly adapted Walkman they carry to record con- be asked to aid more against one another". "They destroy each dle band of an ordinary commercialmusic | SOPRisticated operations | yor cer te odd hin that it was" pty cassette tape. They also use laptop comput- designed to build up the that so-and-so is so indiscreet"; not much ers for writing reports. It that seems like a Service's psychological more. Officers will also deal with paid recipe for disaster, the secret hard disc con- . soe support agents"—those who supply MI6 tains a protected back-up. profiles of political with facilities including safe houses and The station is usually sited in a part of the leaders bank accounts as well as intelligence. embassy regularly swept by technical staff . There are also "long insiders"—agents of for bugs and other electronic attack. It influence with access to MI6 assess- is entered using special door codes with 4 ments and sanitised intelligence. The an inner strongroom-type door for A special department Service's deep-cover agents have greater security. Following all the pro- within MI6 has tried burst transmitters with the ability to cedures learned during training, offi- . transmit a flash signal to MI6 via a cers handling material up to the In the past to procure the satellite when they are in danger.° SECRET level work on secure overseas urine and excrement of Officers abroad may also be asked Unix terminals (S****) and use a mes- . to aid more sophisticated operations saging system known as ARRAMIS. foreign leaders. designed to build up the Service's Conversations by secure telephone psychological profiles of political masked by white noise are undertaken leaders. A special department within via a special SIS version of the MI6 has tried in the past to procure BRAHMS system. A special chip the urine and excrement of foreign developed by GCHQ [Government leaders. A specially modified con- Communications Headquarters] appar- dom was used to catch the urine of ently makes it impossible even for the US NSA to decipher such Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu, while the "product" of conversations. Secure Speech System (H*******) handset units Cuban President Fidel Castro and Russian President Leonid are used by SIS officers within a telephone speech enclosure. The Brezhnev was "analysed" by medical specialists for signs of their most important room is electronically shielded and lined with up true health. to a foot of lead for secure cipher and communications transmis- sions. From the comms room, an officer can send and receive | TOMLINSON'S UNDER-COVER MISSIONS secure faxes up to SECRET level via the C****** fax system and Tomlinson's duties included recruiting agents to inform on for- S***** encrypted communications with the Ministry of Defence, eign politicians. His most important task was to infiltrate in 1992 Cabinet Office, MI5 (code-name SNUFFBOX), GCHQ and 22 a Middle Eastern weapons procurement programme network—the SAS. An encrypted electronic messaging system working BMP3—with the object of locating and disabling a chemical through fibre optics, known as the UK Intelligence Messaging weapons facility. Authorised by an unnamed senior Cabinet min- Network, was installed in early 1997 and enables MI6 to flash ister, the sabotage plan—one account suggests the planting of a intelligence scoops to special terminals in the MoD, the Foreign bomb—aimed to intercept a shipment of machinery and interfere Office and the Department of Trade and Industry. Manned twen- with its extractor fan equipment, despite warnings of the possible ty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, and secured behind a heavy _risk to the lives of dozens of civilian workers at the plant. thick door, the cipher machines have secure "integral protection" In November 1992, using the name "Andrew Huntley" and the known as TEMPEST. MI6 officers abroad also work alongside pretext of assisting at a conference run by the Financial Times, GCHQ personnel, monitoring foreign missions and organisations. Tomlinson went under cover to Moscow. His very sensitive sophisticated operations designed to build up the Service's psychological profiles of political leaders. A special department within MIG6 has tried TOMLINSON'S UNDER-COVER MISSIONS Tomlinson's duties included recruiting agents to inform on for- eign politicians. His most important task was to infiltrate in 1992 a Middle Eastern weapons procurement programme network—the BMP3—with the object of locating and disabling a chemical weapons facility. Authorised by an unnamed senior Cabinet min- ister, the sabotage plan—one account suggests the planting of a bomb—aimed to intercept a shipment of machinery and interfere with its extractor fan equipment, despite warnings of the possible risk to the lives of dozens of civilian workers at the plant. In November 1992, using the name "Andrew Huntley" and the pretext of assisting at a conference run by the Financial Times, Tomlinson went under cover to Moscow. His very sensitive 22 - NEXUS be asked to aid more urine and excrement of foreign leaders. OCTOBER —- NOVEMBER 2000