BREAK-IN!

Peace Researcher looks at the bungled break-in of a

Christchurch activist's house and reviews the history of the
Security Intelligence Service.

THE 6CSB UNCOVERED!

For ten years ABC has condemned the operations of the
1
Gove rnment Communications Security Bureau and worked to
expose them. Now Nicky Hager's new book "Secret Power"
explains exactly why. Peace Researcher reviews a book that will
shake the international spy network to its roots.

In this Issue:
Page

•• Secret Power P2
•• SIS Break-in PS
•• SIS Background PS
•• Verdict on Peace Women Pll
•• Australia-US Alliance Pll
•• Military Hi-Tech P12
•• Security in C ybers pace P13
•• Crack and the CIA P14
•• Spooky Bits P16
 New Zealand's Role in the
International Spy Network
A new book by Nicky Hager.
The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) is the most secret organisation in New Zealand.
It is also by far the country's largest and most significant intelligence organisation, yet not one in 1 00 New
Zealanders would even know its name. This book, which focuses on the GCSB but covers other NZ agencies
involved in intelligence work, aims to change that.

"Virtually everything - the equipment, manuals, ways of operating, jargon, codes, and so on - has been
imported in entirety from the overseas alli':s to be used in New Zealand as part of the internati:mai
system. Although superficially the intelligence alliance provides New Zealand with a great deal of
informatbn, it appears that very little of it. is important. The publicly claimed benefits of intelligence
cooperatbn, such as that New Zealand receives vital economic intelligence and informaton on terrorism,
do not stand up to examination.

I have found no significant evidence of the intelligence alliance defending New Zealanders or of the
intelligence it produces having an important influence on policy decisons. But there is ample evidence
that the intelligence alliance has contributed to the destructbn rained upon innocent people in wars
since 1945, and that most often it has been assisting powerful interests at the expense of the vulnerable.
Numerous examples are given of officials withholding informatbn from governments and the public - and
at times, actively deceiving them."

[From the introduction to Secret Power]

"In recent years some of the UKUSA governments have been somewhat more forthcoming about signals
inteiligence, sometimes with regard to historical events, sometimes with respect to organisatbnal
structure, and sometimes about some aspects of current operatbns. But secrecy is still intense.

Nicky Hager... has produced the most detailed and up-to-date account in existence of the work of any
signals intelligence agency. His expose of the organisaton and operatbns of New Zealand's GCSB is a
masterpbce of investigative reporting and provides a wealth of informaton.

The reader of Mr Hager's book will learn about not just New Zealand's signals intelligence activiti':s, but
those of its partners. Specifically the reader will learn about the origins, the evolutbn, and internal
structure of the GCSB; the Tangimoana and Waihopai ground statons and their operatons; New Zealand's
role in the UKUSA all",nce, and some of the signals intelligence 0peratbns of other UKUSA countrbs.
Secret Power also serves as a fascinating case study of the role of a junbr partner in an intelligence
alliance."

[Jeffrey Richeison, an authority on US intelligence, in the foreword to Secret Power]

Page 2 Peace Researcher

"In the m" - 1980s, we bucked the system, We may have been ahead of our
time on matters nuclear, but we were out of step with what was called the
"Western Alliance", It took a break with the United States and Britain tc
make the people of New Zealand aware that we were part of an internatonal
intelligence organisaton which had its roots in a different world order which
couid command compliance from us while withholding from us the benefits of
others' intelligence,

Life at the time was full of unpleasant surprises, State-sponsored terrorism

was a crime against humanity as long as it wasn't being practised by the
allies, when it was studiously ignored, In the natonal interest it became
necessary to say 'ouch' and frown and bear certain reprisals of our intelligence
partners, We even went to the length of building a satellite staton at Waihopal
But it was not until I read this book that I had any k:lea that we had been
committed too an internatbnal integrated electronic network,

It was with some apprehension that I learned that Nicky Hager was researching
the activity of our intelligence community, He has long been a pain in the
establishment's neck, Unfortunately for the establishment, he is engaging,
thorough, unthreatening, with a dangerously ingenuous appearance, and an
astonishing number of people have told him things that I, as Prime Minister
in charge of the intelligence services, was never told,

T here are also many things with which I am familiar, I couldn't tell him which
was which, Nor can I tell you, But it is an outrage that I and other ministers
were told so little, and this raises the queston of to whom those concerned
saw themselves as ultimately answerable,"

[David Lange, in the Foreword 10 Secr"t Power.)

[NB: in the excerpts above, the emphasis has been added by PR's editor)

Buy this book!

REAd THis book!
Tell others about it!
Nicky's research confirms
everything that ABC has been
saying, and active on, for ten years.
Now is the time to put these
issues on the public agenda.

Secret Power
is available through ABC, or from
Craig Potion Publishing, Box 555, Nelson.

Peace Researcher Page 3

 SECRET POWER
NEW ZEALAND'S ROLE IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPY NETWORK
N icky H ager. Craig PoHon Publishing. 299 pages. I llustrated. $34.95.
Reviewed by Murray Horton
The July 1996 bungled break in at the Christchurch
home ofGATT Watchdog activist Aziz Choudry, and
the series of well publicised events stemming from that,
has again tOcused attention on the Security Intelligence
Service. The SIS is doubtless the best known, not to
mention the clumsiest, New Zearand intelligence
agency.
But the biggest agency, the Government
Communicatio n s Security Bureau (GCSB), has
remained veiled in secrecy. Until now, that is. "Secret
Power", by veteran Wellington peace activist and
researcher, Nicky Hager, is a tour de force. The level
of detail presented about this most secret of intelligence
agencies is simply incredihle (right down to floor plans
and staff lists. I learned that the hrother of a friend is a
very high rankingGCSB official). I have been involved
in campaigns on all things to do with intelligence for
decades, and s pecifically on the GCSB's Waibopai
satellite interception spybase for ten years, but I still
learned an enormous amount from this book. For lay
readers, the impact will be nothing short of revelatory.
It should be compulsory reading for all MPs, as the
foreword by David Lange, former PM, makes clear that
he learned more about the GCSB from this book than
he ever did when he was nominally in charge of it.
The details are fascinating - the fact that the intelligence
relationship continued unahatea despite the US saying
it was cutting NZ off during the ANZUS Row; the role
of New Zealand intelligence in spying, for Australia,
on the Bougainville peace talks whilst theGovernment
was officially providing a neutral venue (a frigate); the
amount of spying on Japanese targets; the complete
uselessness of the GCSB during the 1987 Fiji coups;
and, much more seriously, the abject failure of New
Zealand or "Allied" intelligence to provide anything
on the covert French operation here which bombed the
Rainbow Warrior. It is not all serious - the only time
David Lange's "secure" phone rang, it was a wrong
number for a drycleaner's. Checking revealed that it
had been mistakenly fitted with a tollbar!
So what does the GCSB do? Very little, for New
Zealand. Governed by the super secret UKUSA
intelligence agreement (signed in the late 1940s,
Murray Hor/on lives in Christchurch and worksfor the Anli Bases Campaif!,11.
Page4
between the US, UK, Canada, Australia and NZ) it is
very much a junior subcontractor, collecting electronic
and signals intelligence for its Big Brothers. The
Americans' obsession with all things Russian means
that the Kiwi spooks painstakingly intercept all
messages to and from Russian fishing boats and
Antarctic research stations. British interests mean that
Argentinian Navy messages are intercepted from here,
to monitor any repeat of the 1982 Falklands War. The
GCSB's two spybases, at Tangimoana and Waihopai,
serve as New Zealand listening posts for our former
and our current colonial masters, all paid for by the
New Zealand taxpayer. The culture of'obsessive secrecy
means that only a handful of New Zealanders are
"indoctrinated" ie have any idea what goes on. The
GCSB sees its loyalty as being firmly towards other
members of the international intelligence alliance, not
its own country, government or people.
Hager's conclusion is:
"The partly foolish, partly irrelevant but also, often,
highly sinister intelligence activities documented
in this book could not have continued had they not
been so secret. The bureaucrats judged, accurately,
that the intelligence organisations needed to be
protected from the public and Parliament. That is
what a GCSB officer was talking about when he
said, during our first interview, 'The secrecy is not
for the Russians, it is for the general pUblic. If they
knew what the bureau does, it would not be allowed
to continue'. The purpose of this book has been to
lift the secrecy which has protected these
organisations from change. Fifty years after the
signature of a British officer took New Zealand into
UKUSA, it is time to leave an outmoded and
unnecessary alliance. What is needed now is a
government with the courage to take that step".
New Zealanders, including former Prime Ministers,
owe Nicky Hager a heartfelt vote of thanks for telling
us what is done in our name, with our money, but very
definitely not in our interests. This book is a powerful
weapon in the campaign to pull the plug on our colonial
dependence on the last vestiges of the Cold War. Memo
to GCSB: The war is over, get a life.
Peace Researcher
 "BOMBS"; SIS BREAK IN; POLICE RAIDS
A Sinister Sequence of Events In Christchufch
Murray Horton
In Julv 1996 the Government hosted the Annual Meeting of the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation)
Trade Ministers, in Christchurch. In response, the Christchurch-based group GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade) Watchdog organised the Trading With Our Lives: The Human Cost Cost of Free Trade Alternative
Forum. It featured several international speakers, active participation by several hundred people, and a lively and
colourful protest at the Christchurch City Council's civic reception for the Ministers and entourages. All in all it
was an extremely successful venture.

But a quite different story was taking place behind the scenes, one with extremely disturbing implications. It
didn't come to light until the whole thing was over. GATT Watchdog issued the following statement:

OUTRAGE AT POLICE RAiDS ON OF ANTI-APEC CONFERENCE ORGANISERS

"8()MB�JlAKING EQUIPMENT"
SUSPiCIOUS BREAK IN AT CONFERENCE ORGANISER
POLITICAL ATTEMPT TO SMEAR OPPONENTS OF FREE TRADE AS TERRORISTS

"On the night of Thursday July 18th, eight police searched the Christchurch home of Aziz Choudry, an
organiser of, and spokesperson for, the Trading With Our Lives: The Human Cost of Free Trade Alternative
Forum held at the same time as the APEC Trade Ministers Conference. The police had a search warrant
specifYing that they were looking for equipment used in the making of bombs or devices intended to look
like bombs. The "justification" for this was that such a device, bearing an anti-APEC slogan, had been
found outside the Christchurch City Council offices in the early hours of Thnrsday moming. At the time
of the police raid, Aziz Choudry was in Auckland, on a national speaking tour with Dr Alejandro Villamar
of Mexico_ one of the international speakers at the Forum. On the morning of Sunday July 21st. three
police with an identical warrant searched the Christchurch home of Dr David SmalL In neither case did
the police find anything to justify their searches

"This was not the only intimidatory incident directed at the Alternative Forum organisers. On the night of
Saturday July 13th, while Aziz Choudry was at the Forum, two men were disturbed on his property. They
escaped and were driven away without being apprehended or identified. The house had heen entered, and
whilst nothing was staler, things had obviously been inspected. Mr Choudry was at the time accomodating
several Forum participants. We strongly suspect these intruders of being agents of the NZ Security
Intelligence Service. Dr Small, a speaker at the Altemative Forum and a lecturer at the University or
Canterbury, was the person who inadvertently discovered the two men on Mr Choudry's property. It was
he who pursued the matter with the police.

"Obviously GAn- Watchdog disowns what happened al the City Council offices. Such actions are stupid.
We express the greatest outrage that the police and their political masters could think that this had anything
to do with GATT Watchdog. We organised completely public activities. One has to wonder al the
intelligence of our intelligence agencies. We believe there is a sinister motive to smear opponents of free
t.rade and rule by transnational corporations as "terrorists"

"We demand an inquiry into these incidents and apologies from the Minl.ster of Police and Minister in
Charge of the Security Intelligence Service",
L- _____________ ______

Front Company For SIS
This story developed a life of its own and ran as a major
media event for weeks afterwards. As David Small had
got the regist.ration number of the getaway vehicle, the
media were able to f()lIow it up. They f(lUnd that within
days oflhe break in, the number plate had been handed
in, in Wellington, and thus the vehicle was off the
national regjstration records. The vehicle vanished
the same day as the "bomb" at the City CounciL It
had been registered in the name of a very nebulous

Peace Researc()er Page 5

Wellington company called Amalgamated Office
Services. There were no records of this being a bona
fide company and phone calls were not answered. The
media tracked its office to a Wellington address, where
there was no sign of habitation, apart from the phone
(and that was soon disconnected). The building's owner
confirmed that the office was rented to a government
department, but refused to identify it.
To cap it all off the police dropped their inquiry into
the break in and refused to say why. They offered lame
explanations, such as "no crime has been committed"
(quite right, because the SIS is exempt from laws
covering breaking and entering) and also decided to
withhold information on the break in complaint, under
a section of the Official Information Act that neither
confirms nor denies the existence of the information
in question.
There are any number of fascinating details to this story.
Why should a hoax bomb outside the Christchurch City
Council's Civic Offices provide justification for police
raids? (The actual offence cited was one of causing
wasteful deployment of police resources). According
to police reasoning, because the Council had ordered
removed a GATT Watchdog window display in that
building. The display was timed to coincide with the
APEC Ministers Meeting; the Council decided it
wanted to welcome APEC and all it stands for and
didn't want an anti-Apec message in its own window.
The police application for a search warrant describes
Aziz Choudry as "upset" at this Council decision. Plus
the Council hosted the civic reception.
OK, so there is a certain logic in the cops searching
Aziz' house. But what about David Small? His only
connection to the Alternative Forum was as a speaker;
he is not a member of GATT Watchdog, let alone a
spokesperson. None of the other GATT Watchdog
committee members, including myself, were ever
approached by the police. He simply happened to be
the person who stumbled across the SIS bunglers,
caught them, and complained to the police. He was
wearing his Forum name tag, and was addressed as
"Dave" by the agent he caught. Police documents list
him as Aziz' flatmate - he is not, and never has been.
The only reason he was at Aziz' house that fateful night
was to pick up a TV and VCR for use at the Forum.
The cop heading the raiding party greeted David with
the words "You're the head of GATT, aren't you?"
Not only is this inoffensive academic a suspected
bombmaker, now he's done the Geneva-based
Secretary General out of a job, according to the
Christchurch police.
Page 6
Police File
But in other respects the police were cooperative. They
happily met with Aziz and David, assured them that
police weren't involved in the break in (confirming
anecdotal evidence that there is no love lost between
the cops and the spooks, rather like the inter-service
rivalry between the US Navy and Air Force at
Harewood). Most interestingly, to prove they had
nothing to hide, they gave them a copy of their file on
the "bomb". Getting a look at a police file is a rarity
and there is some fascinating material in it. There are
some real howlers there - Aziz' absence was attributed
to his being at an SPCA conference' Plus some
intriguing insights into the way the cops work - "Mr
Choudry is known to the Police and has been involved
in numerous protest actions relating to a variety of
Issues" A job sheet filed by Detective A.R. Lester
stated:
"Call at Choudry' s address to execute the Warrant.
There was no one home and no means of entering
the premises without force. In light of my having
been advised by Inspector M. O'Neill that Choudry
habitually complains to the Police Complaints
Authority about all Police matters involving
himself, Detective Sergeant Scott instructed that
the Warrant not be executed in the absence of
anyone at the address".
And, it's worth noting, the cops were very careful not
to damage anything or, in any way, misbehave whilst
searching the two houses.
Possibly the most fascinating thing in the file was the
naming ora third person as a suspect. We'd never heard
of this guy and he had never had any connection with
GATT Watchdog nor the Alternative Forum. Extremely
curious but quite in l i n e with the rest of the
"intelligence" in the file.
Antl-tertodst squad
almost t�ed away
Dressed. in :I!JJt�,a,g'�OdY
armour and c�ng submachinegurtS,
the Police Special Tactics Group had
just finished an anti-terrorist exercise
in the old Savoy theatre building in
Cathedral Square last night.
Coming out they found a tow truck
hooking up their assault trucks. No-one
had told thr""ecurity guard at "The.
Press" wbo had called the tow-truck to
remove the offending vehicles from
Press Lane.
Cops also caught playin/f silly buggers
during APEC Trade Ministers Meeting.
Press 17/7196
Peace Researcher
Who �I'lanted The "Bomb' '? Was The Break In To from the police or the SI S. Jim the Prime
Plant �F:vid"",,:""? Minister and Minister in of the EllS, said they
Needless to say, . re was ever heard of any never comment on matters of an operational nature.
b mnbs real ,or hoax. But
, c is a very! sin i ster side to Coming so soon af t er the passage of t he new
this whole b" busi,\-"s GATT W at ch do g and Secur ity and B olg er s
'

obviously carry om $:', ch a coul1ter-pro,iu(;ti've promise that the SIS would never be used a g ain st
act� nor do we \vho And we've made some domestic pOlitical this thwarted operati on
senous This was U'J crude de\ilce (des pite is a reminder to all!'JZ itical activists and our
having the cacroouish touch ()f "APEC bomb" international Big SISter is us!
helpfully on it. the perpetrators
have a cuphoard full aud nee d to differentiate And there will be more of this. The new Act expands
them� /lBC will be interested to see if"Waihopai bomb" the scope of SIS to include those alleg edly
or ';'Hare-wood b(Hnb"" turn up in future). HandwTiuen threaten "New Zealand's economic and/or
police noles say: person who did the job international we!ib'eirlg"� This was the clause most hotly
knew what he vvas correct dummy device. opposed submissions agai nst the BilL
Timer, circuit board, substance like powergel". P""""U by Parliament Auck land academ ie
Trevor McQuoid, the D epartment of Labour's Senior said: "When I raised the
Inspector of Explosives, it as "a sophisticated possibility that the dej'ini,tin,n could be used to monitor
hoax device'" At the scene" he deerned it genu ine and Of1latli"'ti{)!ls vHtS4�;"U 111 ieoilirnmte crm,mlc ! was told
ordered it detonated. af1.er that was it rk;covered ! was naive and 24/8/96) Brian
to be a hoax. Turner, the rnanager of 'f'rade Aid, said the break in
was an example of the SIS targeting ind ivid uals as
So who bUll! it and P'"J!l";U it" Nobody knows (or is "subversive," (ChristchurchSrar, 7/8/96). Both Kel,c,
saying). But P,"O"U') ;he SIS men caug ht at Aziz' house and T urne r warned of decreased official tolerance
the were not just th ere to be towards on!)"""!l! of sacred cows such as free trade,
were there to "'bombmaklng
to a court that you didn't The Flgihtb;adi
were in your house, when they > ve But people haven't taken tiES dOW[L On August
alier a "bomb" 9, a group of around 20 representatives of various
incident and ';'terrorists", Chrisicnurch groups called at the unmarked omen of
part.icu!adv ones with Islamic nam es like Aziz the SIS (4th 70 Gloucester Street), accompanied
Cbourlry, would (0 discredit those who by a bevy and TV cameras. F un nily enough,
oppose the Gove rnment 5 ' We on ly have to the door was firnl1y locked in their faces, bnt they hand
think back 1.0 1978 10 the bomb planted outside the delivered ( under the door) individual requests for their
Syrjney l1i lloo, which killed several in noce nt people, srs files. The Director of the SIS, D on J\1c!vor, has
durin g the Commonwealth He ad s of Government si nce refused. We al so leH a not i c e on th e door
Meeting, to see a very close to home illustration ofthe proclaiming: 'Tbe Security Intelligence Service lives
hysteria and that such incidents here� Y ou r bungling, anti-democratic,
provoke. lnno{�ent men, pol1tJ cai activists, spent years unaccountable n e ighbourho od s pies <,-
In pri son because of that very incident, with
the at agencies. And, on a attended by nearly
200 people c all ed for an inquiry into the SIS and
ABC (or more condemned both it and the Government for the break
Demilitarisation Hare\N'}ex:! I has fifstband expe rience in and rciatcd evel11s. included /lziz Choudry
or thi s sort of In,rid'i2nt ocr 1984 Harewood and David J ane . best sell ing writer and
protest camp at the ANZUS air forces wa rg a me Journalist la11 Wishar! Paradise Conspiracy");
exerciseo persons unknown torched the Spitfire and the ABe's Warren ThomsOlL Much fascinatin g
mounted {be Brevet Club, was the intl)rntati(iL1 at the meeting, and the
result and our artBntions "Vv'!;,;re diverted int.o audience rnad.t lIS flwn contrihutions. For example ,

the aceusi':i.tiun that \\'e had done it. weHknoVi!1 activi�:t Ken Martin told how he
Nobody was ever for that ei1 'her. had been an SIS m the 1960s, until he Joined the
"opposition ""
SIS Used "1;'(U"" ,!,sm,\""", t,i1-rt of��Sub'Vcrslves"
It is no into the houses of This hole can be seen as hut only because
political a.c1ivisls. Blit it !s vcr} rare to catch these they were oul, atld nni'oriv was too badly harmed
spooks in the a.ct. no, there never vvas any apology by It (re il'a!Hed un a relating to bombs or

Peace f{l;?$Borcher Page?

whatever). It follows in a
long line of S[S stupidity
(at least they didn't leave
behind any briefcases, ID
cards� pies or Penthouses
this time). B u t there's
••
nothing funny about an
unaccount a b l e State
agency b r e a k ing into
people's homes, with a
very wide definition of
what constitutes political
dissent. p a r t i c u l ar l y
coupled with police raids
on those same people who
became cOll\ic nien1
suspects after a very
SUSpiClOUS "bomb"
incident. To a l l t h o s e
reading this: if you're
involved, even if only by
The Christchurch SlS of/ice is ill the 4th slorey ofthis
collecting a TV and video,
Gloucester S't huilding. The curtains aYe a/lVGys drcnt'11
with activist groups, this
could happen to you. You could be the next in the tramc the broader question of the covert world of intell igeuce
That's why we all need to work together, both on and security agencies. It has everything to do vvith all
following up this pHliicular sequence of' eVl'nts. and on or liS,

THE SECURITY INTELLIGENCE

SERVICE aB THE BACKGROUND
!"Based on the speech given hy Warren Tholllson to a Christchurch meeting, August 23.
that looked at the SIS and the break· in of a house belonging to a Christehurch activist I

To make sure everyone is clear about our NZ :->ponk:--.
it should be pointed out we have 1\1.,'0 spy agencies.
The GCSB interccpts electronic signals, particular!)
international communications. Nicky Hager's recently
published hook brilliantly details its operatic)!1\. I Sce
related items this issue J But the focus here is the
Security Intelligence Service. which is a dOlllestie
surveillance and count.er-intelligence organisation.
The predeeesser to the current SI S was set up in 19·11.
headed by an English majur called Folkt�S
lJnj(lrtunately for Folkes. he'd only been operating a
few months \vhcn one Sydney Ross. CUilman, \\US
released from �.iaikcria prison and came to tell Folkcs
that he kne\\' of a ring of Nazi agents operating ill the
North Island and he was willing to watch them ()n behalf
of the Security Intelligence Bureau. So fe)!"" .1 1Il0ll1iJs
Ross travelled around with an expense accoullt, staying
in the best hotels, and making up rcports to keep ['olkes
happy. In the end hc went too far when hc predicted a
landing of Nazi agents near New Plymouth. Folkes
brought in thc army and police \\ho illstantly identificd
Ross as the (Oilman he was, and Folkcs and his
()rganisation \vere disbanded.
rhe security service role \Vas then given 10 police
Special Branch. During the /951 Water/iont Lockout
Special Branch proved particularly hcavy. Onc cxample
\\as reported earlier this year on National Radio.Two
activists were sacked from theirjobs because OfCO\Trt
pressure on employers when all they did vvas recycle
reports from mainstream f JS ne\\ spapers. Thl� grubb)
part played by the President ofthc Fecieratinll ofl ..abour
Fintan Patrick Walsh (and later Tom Skinner) in
supplying information to the spooks ahout their 0\\ tl
trade union mcmbers, still needs to he researched.
The current Security Intelligence Service was
established in 1956 under pressure from our overseas
allies, and its organisation strongly influenced by MI5.

Page 8 Peace Researcher

In its days Maor; anrf Labour MPs were under
surveillance (for example, Erurua Tirakatene and
Waller Nilsh's Jixmer office) and the Communist
was heavily infiltrated, As OIlC of the time, George
Fraser most of the information collected wa.s
garbage,
Undercover offlcers were femnd oper2itnc,g at Auckland
and Victoria U n iversities in the 1960s and 70s. David
Godfrey, the r31 lTlusquerading
as a studenl at Auckland caused considerable uproar .
Other targets were NZ Students Association,
Native Forest Ac1.ion CounciL the Latin American
Committee and various anti Vietnam War
organisations. At this the SIS was vetting, or
listmg, about 18,000 people every year. One of their
most infamous moments was the persecution of
William Sutch, a former head of the Trade and
Industries Depanmell\., The amlir was riddled with
incompetence, not least in the handling of the incident
in Te Arc Val where Smell was alleged to have
passed over a parcel t.o a person from the Soviet
Embassy, Sutch was arrested and put on triaL He was
acquitted.
Another operallon of inlerest to Clwh people was the
scltmg up in 1973 o f a telephone interception unit in
Rugby SI to listen in on Trevor Richards and the then
headquarters of HART', Halt All Racist Tours - the
group which led opposition to rugb: links with South
AtrierL
One of the stunning aspects of thcse and later operation s
is the SI S c o nception of what were regarded as
"subversives", Many of the groups reported on were
legitimate pressure groups who had no intention of
pursuing the violent overthrow of the government The
rnost outstanding co ckups (that we know about)
involving identification of""terroris1s" occurred in the
eighties Don Carson, who was an anti�Springbok Tour
, Finally, the break-in at Aziz Choudry's suggests wry
leade r. v,.--as reported to be preparing to use chemical
warfare, He had actually been purchasing neutralising
liquid for his father-in-Iaw's greenhouse, Tom Poata
was accused of bei ng a potential explosives user.
Unusually he won a eourt battle and had the SIS produce
his file which lamed out to be ful.l of errors and mistaken
conciusil)J'lS.
These cases were only exposed because Muldoon tried
to use SIS material about these mat1 ers in Parliament
ill[ his own po.lirieal purposes, Muldoon also produced
an error-ridden list of alleged Socialist Unity Party
members based on SIS inl,xmatiorLllre abjeclI'ailure
ortbe SiS to protect Oreenpeace hom Fre nch terrorism
needs no fUl1her comment.
---------------- ---
Peace r;:esearcller
At public hearings tor the recent Intelligence Agencies
Bill we were assured by Jim Bolg er and Helen Clark
that the S[S is now much more professional and we
don 'I need to worry about the abuses and incompetence
of the past. Officials also say that there are many
successes which they are nol able to reveaL Evidence
suggests that while this might be so there will also be
plent) of other cock-ups which are aiso unrevealed,
Recent incidents which have become public do not in
all' way support claims that things have got betteL
1n 1994 a former officer named Jillian Williams went
public over claims of sexual harrassment She and her
partner, who had also been an SIS officer, told the media
that the level of behaviour amongst our covert spooks
was about the level of three year olds, She also said
that in the late eighties early nineties when she worked
there the SIS continued to report on trade union officials
and university lecturers as well as diploJllats, Instead
of an investigation of \Ill illiams!s comments the
Government moved rapidly to prevent the media from
reporting the story, All that appeared was a repon in
an early edition orthe Dominion The allegations could
never be seen as a threat to national security, but our
media made only feeble attempts 10 look at the issue
and the slory vanished,
Also in 1994 Anthony Lealand, who arranges flreworks
displays was part ofa group organising an international
,
conierence on pyrotechnics, SOJlle military people were
involved, The SIS came banging at Mr Lealand's door
wanting to him to report on Russians taking part in the
cOllference, and talking of how important it is to "draw
a ring around NZ ini()rmation" to prevent it getting in
the wrong hands, It was obvious the spooks had no
knowledge whatsoever about the subjecL Moreover,
the Russian scientist they wanted infomlation on was
employed by CanterburY I fniversil},
strongly that the SIS, or similar covert operatives, are
still hlundering about. among NZ activists looking for
terrorists and subversives, Nearly 100 submissions were
made to the Select Committee on the Intelligence
/I.gencies RilL Virtuallv al i expressed fears about the
inadequacy of the legislation. This latest Christehurch
episode will do nothing 10 a llay these fear s .
Nothing seems to have changed, It's time to close down
the SIS and transfer what security operations arc
necessary to other grou ps At the very least our spooks
.
need to be brought under proper control and not left to
ope rate under the nc\\' legislation that does not achieve
accountability or e nsure that improper or. incompetent
acti\:ities do not take place
Poge9
 - ,
•

PrOleSI1991

In 1997 it will be ten years since the satellite spy base at Waihopai near
Slenheim was announced. This top-secret base is run by the cess and
works closely with overseas intelligence agencies on operations
concealed from our MP's.

( )n January 17-19, 1997 thl' Anti HdtWI> ( dmpdlgn will 111' t d n ht a t m g th..
dnnudl prulest dl Wdlh()Pdl W,' strongly .. n,llurdg" mlt'rl'sleJ p eopll'.
groups, & orgdlllsdtlonl"> h l l llllW dlong h l lIw protest weekenJ dnd show
Opposition to the spybdst' An mdh dtlOIl 01 dttt'nddnn' would bp Iwlplul

YOU wIlII1l�(>d to be db IIlJep,>ndent db pOSSible (I\' brmg own t dmpmg ppar)

Haslt tl)od IS provldpd AH< will dsk $10-'b20 P P to Iwlp cover pxpenses

Comact: ABC. PO Box 2258. Christchurch. Phone: lO3) 331-3465

E-mail: warren@chch.planet.co.nl

"age I[ Peace Researcher

 SURPRISE VERDICT CLEARS PEACE WOMEN
Four women peace campaigners left Liverpool Crown
Court in triumph in August this year after ajury cleared
them of charges related to $3,5 million worth of damage
to a military jet which tlley attacked with hammers.
The women had freely admitted the attack on the Howl
fighter at British Aerospace' s plant near Preston, where
it was one of 24 similar aircraft due for export to the
military government in Indonesia,
The majority verdict largely vindicated the protestors'
defence which said that the jet's export would have
flouted repeated United Nation condemnations of
Indonesian repression of the population of East Timor.
The women argued that they "had lawfill excuse to
disarm Hawk ZH955 because they were using
reasonable force to prevent a crime". They cited
international and British legislation against genocide.
The court. heard how the women cut through a perimeter
fence. entered a secure hangar and damaged the jet in
25 places, including its weapons systems. They also
left a 15 minute video in the cockpit. which was shown
to the jury. explaining their motives, and they had rung
a news agency immediately afterwards to say what they
had done. Expert witnesses included John Pilger and
Paul Rogers. professor of Peace Studies at Bradt(lrd
University.
AUSTRALIA'S
ALLIANCE WITH THE US
In the wake of the International Court decision to
declare nuclear weapons illegal. the Australian Anti­
Bases Campaign Coalition is calling for Canberra to
"rethink the relationships with the US, rethink the 30
US military bases which are aggressive and establish
the targets for nuclear warfare that are on our soil."
But in recent months Howard and his Australian
government have been ominously increasing militar)
tics with Washington. The administration in Canberra
is one of a tiny number of governments that cheered
the latest United States strikes on Iraq. (So did New
Zealand. but less enthusiastically.)
In July a Joint Security Declaration was signed which
updates the old ANZUS agreement (sans Ncw
Zealand). Part oflhe agreement involves upgrading of
Pine (iap, or more accurately" further upgrading of
Pine Gap. and the lease on the base has been extended
for another ten years. These moves have severe
Peace Researcher
The court's decision was greeted with passionate
approval by civil rights and church groups as a rare
example of the "'higher cause outweighing the ordinary
0'
considerations of criminal law. British Aerospace
admitted surprise at the verdict and immediately issued
the women with civil injunctions. The women promptly
tore them up. The initial verdlct must be a worry to the
military and intelligence authorities in Britain. They
have previously found it ditlicult to prosecute and
convict the Menwith Hill women le)f their repeated
assaults on the base. The latest development is unlikely
to be allowed to develop as a tlnn precedent
Unfortunately, such a precedent also seems only a
distant possibility in this country. The courts here have
consistently refused to accept "higher causes" a:-, �!
reason for acquittal Last June three ABC members
charged for trespass at Waihopai were convicted after
they were not pennitted to question the operations of
the base in their defence In 1994 Moana Cole and
Ciamn O'Reilly were convicted for protesting at
HarewoocL Their plea of action w prevent crimes
against humanity \vas dismissed
[This article is based on one appearing in lhe CJ-uardian
Weekly, 11 Angust 1996 J
ILITARY
implications for the Anti-Bases Campaign - both in
Australia and here in New Zealand.
The intention of the Whitlam Government to raise
questions ahout US operations at Pine Gap was a major
contributing factor to the dismissal of the Australian
Labor Government in 1975, As Pine Gap continues to
grow in importance Washington has more reason to do
all in its power to ensure the administration in Canberra
will support these activities in Alice Springs and
elsewhere. For New Zealanders, the revelations in
Nicky Hager', book prompt acute concerns about the
extent of this country's entanglement in the UKUSi\
intelligence web, a n d further developments of
American covert influence in this part "f tbe world arc
not welcome. The loss of UKUSA signals intelligence
facilities in Hong Kong furt.her emphasises the
importance of such facilities in Australasia.
Page 11
According to many analysts, the build-up of U S
facilities and personnel in Australia i s aimed at China.
Minor incidents between the two countries, especially
recent events where Beijing set up a confrontation with
Taiwan, have persuaded the Pentagon that a clash
between them is possible. Washington no longer has
certain access to major bases in the Philippines, there
is fierce resistance to the presence of its forces in
Okinawa. the Korean presence often gets negative
media coverage, and Japan has always been sensitive
to any troop deployments through its territories.
Thai land. Indonesia and Malaysia have refused to allow
basing of US forces or the forward positioning of
supplies to facilitate rapid response.
In contrast, the latest Australia-United States agreement
has a new U S Marine base being build outside Darwin
to cater for regular exercises. Operation Tandem Thrust
will take place in Northern Australia in 1 997 with 5,000
Australian troops and more than 1 7,000 US personnel.
Joint manOeuvres will take place up to three times a
year. Canberra is also considering a request from the
Pentagon to pre-position military equipment on its soil.
The plan is for these materials to support US action in
the event of military action in Asia.
MILITARY HI-TECH
The advent of a new millenium and the need to inspire
congressional budget allocaters has meant the Pentagon
is driving to develop ever more sophisticated weapons
systems, in spite of considerable difficulties in
justifying the weapons developments of the recent past.
Smart weapons accounted for 8% of the bomb tonnage
dropped on Iraq in the Gulf War, but represented 84%
of the bomb costs. According to Congress's General
Accounting Office, less than 40% of the Stealth
Bom bers' loads dropped on target. "The Pentagon
heavily overstated the military effectiveness of its so­
called 'smart weapons' in the Gulf War .. " [Sydney
. however, believes that further development will prove
Morning Herald. 1 1 July 1 996]
Now the Pentagon aims to develop an "unsinkable"
Navy ship which will be packed with hundreds of
m is s i l e lau n c h e r s , use t he m o s t up to date
communications and control systems, and require a very
small crew, or even no crew at all. The Navy plans to
build up to six ships and some proponents claim they
could be ready for testing soon after the turn of the
century. The ships may be multi-hulled and capable of
approaching close to shore to support land forces. One
ofthe appealing features for the military is the reduction
in costs that can b e achieved by relying on automation
rather than h u m an personnel. Another feature is
Pagel2
Increasing resistance to the presence of American forces
in Asia, and Washington' s concern about Beijing, has
meant that the Howard Government's rush to embrace
the Pentagon has been a welcome relief for U S strategic
planners who now have new options for operating in
Asia. Looking back now raises real questions about
whether there might have been covert US support for
Howard in the last election. New Australian defence
and intelligence policies certainly are a huge assistance
to Washington. In contrast they present an enonnous
huge problem i(lr any anti-base campaign. American
intelligence and milital) forces will be more heavily
dug in than ever before.
Footnote:
A San Diego woman has been found infected with a
new strain of AIDS acquired by her husband from a
Thai prostitute while he was serving overseas. The
subtype E virus is one of a new strain which has AIDS
researchers worried because of its rapid spread amongst
heterosexuals. The story again should bring to attention
some ofthe hidden costs of foreign military bases and
to the victims in the Asian populations accommodating
U S personnel.
probably the appeal to technophiliacs who ignore the
lessons of the past.
The anny is well on the way to developing its version
of digitaiised warfare and has begun to fit tanks and
other vehicles with new systems featuring computers,
special communications equipment to integrate
operations. and Global Positioning System receivers.
The arm y ' s first test of digitised units was not
particularly successful and it was "defeated" by the
regularly equipped opposition force. The Pentagon,
the concept and intends to ful l y digitise five divisions
by 2002, at an estimated cost of $3 billion.
The U S military already relies heavily on satellite and
A WAC surveillance and communications. It has a fleet
of Apache helicopters that can track more than 200
moving targets and electronically exchange infonnation
with each other. (lfthey can figure out a way for allies
not to shoot down each other's helicopters these could
work well over a battlefield.)
The General Accounting Office is not so convinced
that t h e c l a i m s of t h e m il itary and the arms
manufacturers for their weapons systems should be
Peace Researcher
uncritically accepted. In a recent report the
GAO said the such claims were "overstated,
m i sleading, i n c o n s istent with the best
available data, or unveriviable". [Sydney
Morning Herald, 1 1 July 1 996] The GAO also
raised questions about the cost of weapons.
Cruise missiles now being used over Iraq cost
about $ 1 million each.

The military are touting one of their latest

weapons, named " S h ortstop" as a fine
example of the promises of cheap well­
designed electronic equipment. One weapon
recently deployed in Bosnia to protect troops
from artillery and mortar fire has proved very
cheap and s u c c e ssful according to its
manufacturers. Shortstop fools artillery shells
into blowing themselves up prematurely by
altering the electronic signals that trigger the 'He's trying to get the computer to malfunction,
shells' fuses. It remains to be seen whether so we can start the war'
the system w i l l prove its worth or be just
another example of new-tech weapons that
promise much and produce little - except Compiled by Warren Thomson. See also Bulletin of
profits for the arms sellers. the Atomic Scientists, JulylAugust 1 996.

SE U RITY I N CYBE RSP C E

The U S National Academy of Sciences says that the
US Government should be encouraging the use of
electronic data encryption rather than trying to restrict
the practice. The current Washington administration
and its immediate predecessor have opposed the spread
of powerful encryption technology, arguing that its
widespread use would compromise national security
and hamper police work. rhe scientists' criticism i s
based o n fhe conclusions o f an NAS committee which
had access to classified information from intelligence
and law enforcement agencies and believes the benefits
of electronic encryption far out weigh the drawbacks.
[New Scientist, 6 June 1 996]
gained access to the U S Department of Justice' s Web
page and replaced it with computer graffitti which
included a swastika and picture of Adolf Hitler. The
department said the site was not connected to any
computers containing sensitive material but U S
Government departments are deeply concerned ·
especially fhe m ilitary. Thousands of attempts - some
successful - have been made to penetrate the Pentagon's
computers. [See Peace Researcher, June 1 996] At the
end of 1 995 an eighteen year old music student from
north London was charged with unlawfully gaining
access to computers of the United States Air Force,
and those of Lockheed Martin, at least 69 times.

Concerns over computer security continue to grow.
Specialists testifying before Congressional hearings
have suggested fha! corporations world-wide, especially
banks and hospitals, may have lost more than $800
million in 1 995 because of so-called "data-diddling"
perpetrated by latter-day p irates on the Internet.
[Independenl, reprinted in the Christchurch Press, 1 9
June 1 996] Gangs have apparently held City of London
business houses to ransom by threatening to destroy
their computer systems, and one victim paid up $30
million to rid itself of a "software bomb".
Recently it was reported that unidentified hackers had
Very efTective encryption, or electronic coding, is now
available to keep data and voice communications secret.
In the past this used to be restricted to governments,
especially military and intelligence operations. But now
cheap and efficient devices are increasingly being used
by businesses and private citizens. Banks now routinely
protect information with electronic codes. However,
some low-cost and e ffective systems have been
prevented from going on the market by the US and
British Govemments.
The main opposition in the U nited States to encryption
systems (apart from their own) comes from the Federal

Peace Researcher Page 73

Bureau of Investigation and the National Security
Agency. The FBI warns that criminals could use such
systems to hide i l legal or fraudulent transactions. The
intelligence agencies are concerned it will be harder to
monitor other governments. but more particularly,
'''subversive'' groups or private citizens.
The New Scientist reports Kenneth Dam, chairperson
of the NAS Committee, as saying widespread use of
cryptography is inevitable. Dam says while some of
the opposition to it is valid. it could have huge benefits
in protecting financial and telecommunications systems
from criminals and hostile foreign governments. The
NAS committee also wants the US Government to
loosen export controls which prevent companies selling
powerful encryption devices abroad, and drop the FB!
proposal to make sure it can gain access to all encrypted
files by holding a key to the codes.
The c o m m i tt ee may be overly optim istic. I t
underestimates the vast quantity o fsignals intelligence
agencies' interception of communications. and the
determination of those agencies to maintain their
capability to eavesdrop on all forms of public and
private communications. European governments forced
the manufacturers of a new mobile phone system to
downgrade their technology in 1 993. New Zealand's
Government Communications Security Bureau vetted
C RACK AN D TH E CIA:
AM E R I CA'S SECRET WAR
Peter Montague
The twin centres of the crack cocaine industry in the
USA are Los Angeles and Miami. The first time the
Miami Herald ever mentioned crack cocaine was April
20, 1 986. The first time the Los Angeles Times ever
mentioned crack cocaine was two months later on June
30. 1 986. That story said crack had been around for
"as long as 3 years, but its use was said to have exploded
in the last months of 1 98 5 and the first half of 1 986."
Why. by mid- 1 986, was it a nationwide problem?
Cocaine in the mid-1 970s. cost $200 a gram. providing
recreation for the rich, not for working people. But by
1 986 that had changed. The Miami Herald wrote April
20, 1 986: "Described until recently as a rich man's drng,
cocaine has filtered down to blue-collar households and
is finding an eager market among high school students
who can ante up $ 1 0 or so to buy some crack,' cocaine
in a highly purified form suitable for free-basing
[smoking]". How did crack spread throughout urban
Page 14
a communications system developed in Christchurch
in 1 992. There has been little sign since then that
countries under the UKUSA umbrella (or at least their
spooks) have given up on their determination to ensure
access to all communications.
The Pentagon's concerns are less with accessing other
organisations files and more with protecting its own.
As m i l itary forces become more dependent on
electronic equipment and communications it becomes
more vital that potential enemies do not have the ability
to penetrate or disrupt these systems. As the U S Army
moves further towards digitalised warfare [see previous
article] the matter becomes more vital. Current cruise
missile attacks on Iraq require almost hour by hour
assessment of targets - possible only through a
sophisticated system of satellites and communications,
and computer analysis. The fear of military planners is
that an enemy could penetrate their networks and
subvert the system. Computer warfare now ranks above
conventional warfare as the Pentago n ' s biggest
bogeyman.
The battle for cyberspace between hackers, authorised
and unauthorised . and those try i n g to defend
government and private systems from the hackers. is
getting hotter. At halftime the final result is very
difficult to predict.
neighborhoods during 1 983- 1 9867
The story begins in N icaragua. In 1 979, the Sandinistas
- a left-wing revolutionary army - defeated the U.S.
trained army of dictator Anastas i o S o m oza i n
N icaragua. Less than two years later, according to the
Washington Post (March 1 0 , 1 982), on November 1 6 ,
1 98 1 , C I A [Central Intelligence Agency] D irector
William Casey proposed to President Reagan that he
approve $ 1 9 mi llion for the CIA to organize a counter­
revolutionary force to overthrow the leftist Sandinista
government. The Post reported that President Reagan
accepted Casey' s proposal and authorized the CIA to
finance and train a parami litary commando force to
provoke a counter-revolution in Nicaragua. According
to Time Magazine. throughout 1 982 the CIA rallied
anti-S andinista m i l itary forces. creating bases of
operation in Honduras, on Nicaragua' s border.[April
4, 1 983]
Peace Researcher
This became known as Ronald Reagan's "secret war,"
but it wasn't much of a secret. I n fact, it was so public
that on D e c e m be r 8 , 1 9 8 2 , the U . S . House of
Representatives unanimously p1!ssed the "Boland
Amendment" to the 1 983 m i l itary appropriations b i l l
stating that n o n e o f the appropriated defence fund s
could be used t o "train. arm, o r SlIpport persons not
members of the regular army for the purpose o f
overthrowi n g t h e government o f Nicaragua". This
amendment made i t illegal for the CIA to continue
funding its anti-Sandinista army. which by then was
calling itselfthe FDN (Nicaraguan Democratic Forces),
but was better known as the Contras.
After passage of the Boland amendment, the Contras
desperately needed a new source of funds. (This was
several years before Oliver North set up h i s I ran
connection to d ivert money from anns sales to the
Contras.) According to a year-long investigation by the
San Jose (California) Mercury News based on court
records, recently declassified documents, undercover
audio tapes, and files retrieved via the Freedom of
I nformation Act, the FDN solved its problem by
opening the first pipeline from the Colombian cocaine
cartels to black gangs - the Crips and the Bloods - on
the streets of Los Angeles"
The Mercury News investigation highlights three
individuals i n particular: Danilo Blandon, Norwin
Meneses, and Ricky Ross. At Ricky Ross's drug trial
i n San D i e g o i n March, 1 99 6 , t h e U . S . Drug
Enforcement Administration ' s (DEA) star witness was
Danilo Blandon, telling h i s story for the first time.
Blandon was the son of a wealthy N icaraguan family
who fled from Nicaragua to Los Angeles on June 1 9,
1 979, at age 2 9 , just as the Somoza d i ctatorship
COllapsed" His family's ranches and real estate holdings
in Managua, and his wife's substantial wealth, were
con fiscated by the Sand i n i sta government. The
Blandons worked in Los Angeles to build an anli­
Sandinista movement, holding rallies and cockta i l
parties, but B l andoo testified that their efforts raised
l ittle money.
The trial record shows that, in 1 9 8 1 , B1andon was
introduced to Norwin Meneses, another N icaraguan
living in California. With Meneses, B1andon flew to
Honduras where they were introduced to the military
chief of the C IA"s Contra army. EnriqucBermudez.
According to the Mercury News, "Bermudez was hired
by the Central I ntelligence Agency in mid-1 980" to
create the FDK The Mercury News says, '·Bermudez
was the F DN ' s m i litary chief and. accord ing to
congressional records and newspaper reports. received
regular CIA paychecks fClr a decade. payments that
stopped shortly before h i s still-unsolved slaying in
Peace Researcher
Managua in 1 99 1 ." (The Contra-Sandinista war ended
in 1 988.) After meeting with the CIA's Bermudez,
Blandon testified in court, he and Meneses started
raising money for the COlltra revolution by selling drugs
in LA
Blandon's partner, Norwin Meneses, was known in
N icaragua as "Rey de la Droga" (King of Drugs). In
1 979, Meneses was under active investigation by the
DEA and by the F B I for selling drugs in the U S .
According to the Mercury News, "despite a stack of
law enforcement reports describing him as a major drug
trafficker, Norwin Meneses was welcomed into the
U.S. in July 1 979 as a political refugee and given a
visa and a work permi!. He settled in the Bay Area and
for the next six years supervised the importation of
thousands of kilos ofcocainc into Caliiorni,," " Meneses
supplied Blandon with Ions of cocaine and with assault
weapons, which B landon sold to young blacks in L A
B landon ' s profits wenl back t o H o n d uras and
N icaragua" to support the C I A · s Contra army-
There seems l ittle doubt that the CIA cooperated III
Blandon"s operation. Indeed, Vewsweek magazine on
two occasions printed interviews and other evidence
indicating that the CIA and the DEA both cooperated
in the Contra,' gUlls-und··drugs pipeline. [26 January
1 987, and 23 May 1 98 8 ; also Washington Post 20
January 1 987] The Mercury News has now provided
additional confirming evidence"
B1andon didn't really know what he was doing until he
met Ricky Rogs, a small-time African-American drug
dealer. Because Blandon could supply l i m itless
amounts of cocaine at rock-bottom prices, Ross began
to build an enomlOUS drug empire" When methods for
turning cocaine into crack became known in 1 983, Ross
already had a drug-dealing network in place. Norwin
Meneses routinely shipped 200-to-400-kilo quantities
of cocaine from M iami to B landon on the west coast,
who sold them to R()ss� Ross had 5 "cook houses"
turning cocaine into crack. A former crack dealer
described for the Mercwy Ne ws one of Ross · s cook
houses where huge steel vats of cocaine were being
stirred with canoe paddles atop restaurant-sized gas
ranges" At his recent drug trial, Ross testified that it
was not unusual to take ill between $2 and $3 million a
day. "Our biggest problem had got to be counting the
money," Ross testified.
Blandon told the DEA last year that during 1 983 and
1 984 he supplied Ross with 1 00 kilos a week. As this
crack t100ded into the streets ofL.A., the gangs, chiefly
the Crips and the Bloods, set up a national distribution
network, and crack cascaded across the country into
b lack neighbourhoods evelywhere, offering a cheap
Page /5
vacation from the m i series of ghetto life. For $20,
anyone could get wasted. The gangs themselves were
immensely strengthened by the money, guns, and
connections that the crack business brought them. And
of course the C I A ' s army got the m i l l ions it needed to
keep alive Ronald Reagan's secret war.
Today Ricky Ross i s facing life in federal prison
without the possibility of parole. Danilo Blandon is
free, working as an informant for the DEA. Norwin
Meneses has never spent a day in a U . S . prison.
A lthough he figured in 4 5 separate fe deral
investigations, he openly supplied Ricky Ross' s crack
empire from h i s home in the Bay area, and was never
touched by the law. He has since moved back to
Nicaragua.
According to the Mercury News, agents of four law
enforcement agencies -DEA. U.s. Customs, the L.A.
County Sherifr s Office, and the California Bureau of
Narcotic Enforcement - say their investigations into
Ross's empire were thwarted by the CIA or by unnamed
"national security" interests.
The rise of the crack industry has had lasting effects
Spo
LOCKERBIE: MORE TWISTS
Last issue of Peace Researcher carried a brief mention
of the claim by former US intelligence officer Lester
Coleman that a bomb was able to be placed on the Pan
American jet destroyed over Lockerbie because of an
arrangement between U S inte l ligence agents and
Lebanese terrorists. Now a retired Drugs Enforcement
officer has won substantial l ibel damages for the
suggestion that he was responsible for the breach of
security. Moreover, the publishers ofthe book in which
Coleman made h is claim have now said it was so
inaccurate that it should not have been published.
[Press, 4 June 1 996] The truth about Lockerbie looks
as likely to be revealed as an irrefutable explanation of
the death of John Kennedy.
US P RO PAGANDA COUP
A former director in the US Information Agency, Alvin
Snyder, has revealed that a video used to discredit the
Soviet Union over the shooting down of Korean
Airlines KAL 007 omitted crucial information about
the incident. Snyder. who was in charge of worldwide
television for the USIA, said the evidence that the
Soviet pilots thought it was a spy plane and fired
Page 16
on communities across America. Between 1 980 and
1 993, the U .S . prison population tripled (from 329,82 1
to 1 ,053,738). But not just anyone went to jaiL Crack
i s a poor person ' s drug; powder cocaine remains a
recreation of the rich. Congress and 1 4 states passed
laws making penalties for crack up to 1 00 times as great
as penalties for powder cocaine. As a result, blacks
were much more likely to go to jail, and for longer
periods, than whites. In 1 993 blacks were seven times
more likely to be incarcerated than whites. Almost three
quarters of new admissions to prisons are now African­
American or Hispanic.
Prisons are now the fastest-growing item in almost all
state budgets. California spends more on prisons than
it does on colleges and universities. [NY Times 2 June
1 996] Former defense contractors are now getting into
the lucrative incarceration business. [NY Times August
23. 1 996] A secret war indeed.
o Repri nted in abridged form from Rac h e l ' s
Environment and Health Weekly N o 509. August 29,
1 996, Environmental Research Foundation, P.O. Box
5036, Annapolis, MD 2 1 40 3 . Fax (4 1 0) 263-8944:
Internet: erf@rachel.clark.net7036.
warning shots was left out of the v ideo. The video was
shown at the United Nations and other venues as part
of a propaganda campaign against Moscow. It claimed
the Soviets fired no warning shots and did not signal
for the plane to land. Reagan' s Administration wanted
to influence its European allies and persuade them to
accept new American missiles in Europe. U S Officials
knew at the time, from audio recordings, that the Soviet
pilot who fired on the airliner could not identify the
plane, fired warning shots. and signalled it to land.
ORWElL'S SECRET PAST
George Orwell, author of 1 984 and the anti-Stalinist
Animal Farm, took hi s opposition to communist
totalitarianism further than previously known. Orwell
secretly cooperated with the British Foreign Office land
MI6?]. The Sydney Morning Herald [ 1 3 July 1 says he
volunteered to provide information that blacklisted
"communist" writers and journalists.
SHREDS OF EVIDENCE
In Nuremburg more than tlfty workers equipped with
adhesive tape are working on the world's largest jig­
saw puzzle. They are patiently attem p ting to
Peace Researcher
reconstitute the shredded files of the STASI - the former
East German Secret Police. Apparently the material
fills 1 7,000 sacks and at the current rate it w i l l take
400 years to complete the job.
SPOOK CITY TOURS
In July seven former KGB agent, published a book
which offers guided tours of European cities from the
spooks' point of view. The writers describe aspects of
their work in the sixties and seventies, the value of
Harrods as a place to lose a "tail", the joys of chatting
up women in Hyde Park, the magic of Paris and the
need to take sandwiches because Russian expense
accounts were so tiny>
POlITICAL USE OF FBI FILES
Clinton came under fire in June following the revelation
that the White House had requested Federal Bureau of
Investigation files on members ofthe Republican Party.
More than 40 0 files on at least 3 0 0 people were
improperly obtained in 1 993 and 1 994 in what the FBI
Director said was a serious invasion of privacy. C linton
tried to excuse the access to files by referring to it as
"an honest bureaucratic snafu" [Christchurch Press, 1 1
June 1 996] Questions should have been asked on why
the FBI held such files anyway, let alone the potential
for political abuse of the information.
FBI OVERSEAS EXPANSION
The FBI, w h o s e domain i s domestic activity, i s
doubling its overseas presence. The number of overseas
FBI offices w i l l rise form 23 to 46. New offices will
open in Beij ing, Tel Aviv, Cairo, and l slamabad this
year. The F B I believes it needs a bigger oversea
presence to deal more effectively with organised crime
and terrorism. Undoubtedly such an expansion will
canse more dissension in the competitive world of the
U S inte l l igence community w h i c h is currently
undergoing fundamental reviews of its organisation.
TORTURE IN ISRAEL - THE OTHER SIDE
Peace Researcher has run several snippets which have
implicitly criticised the brutality of Israeli security
forces. According to the Observer, Palestinian forces
also have their nasty traits. Araiat' s police in Gaza
picked up a human rights activist named lyad Sarraj
and tortured him while he was being held in custody.
Sarraj is a London-trained psychiatrist charged on what
his defenders say i s a trumped up allegation of drugs
possession. Arafat has promised torture will not be
tolerated and has given a former opponent a job as a
Mi n i ster with a mandate to prevent human rights
abuses.
GORDIEVSKY FINDS HIS SLOT
Oleg Gordievsky, a former KGB officer who worked
as a double agent for MI6, now has a new career as a
game show host . H e fronts a TV show where
contestants are sent Oll missions around Britain with
people on their trail. The longer they remain tree the
bigger their prize. Something of a comedown for
Gordievsky who was the senior KGB officer in London
while he worked for the British. He defected in \ 985,
and his handling enahled British intelligence to gain
many brownie points with the Americans.

AUSTRALIAN GOVT BACKS SPACE LAUNCH PLAN

In the last issue of PR, Hannah Middleton of the
Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition reported
proposals by an international consortium to develop a
new space centre near Darwin. The intention was to
build a launch site for communications and scientific
satellites. Since then the Industry Minister in Canberra
has announced the government would endorse the
billion dollar project, planned by an Australian-Thai
consortium. Environmental activists have expressed
concerns about such a space base.

About Peace Researcher

Peace Researcher i s published quarterly by the Anti-Bases campaign. Christchlll'ch. The editors are
Warren Thomson and Bob Leonard. Our journal covers a range of peace issues with emphasis on foreign
m ilitary bases and intelligence topics. Contributed articles will be considered for publication based on
subject matter and space requirements. We are particularlv interested in reports of original research on
peace topics in Aotearoa and the wider region of Australasia and the Pacific. Our address is:

Peace Researcher
P.O. Box 2258
Christchurch
Aotearoa/ New Zealand

Peace Researcher Page 17

 l
V'S" OF 1).lJNC!AN HPgfLL TO NZ .
The Christchurch Anti-Bases Campaign plans to bring Duncan Campbell,
one of Britain's foremost investigative journalists, to AotearoalNZ. The visit
will take place from 1 8 December to 20 January (the only time he is
available). As well as having a private holiday, Duncan will be available to
talk to media, meetings, and activists in various parts of the country.

Duncan Campbell:
• . investigative reporter for the New
Statesman since 1978.
e winner of numerous awards for coverage of
intelligence, defence, and justice issues.
• producer andlor presenter for some of the
BBC's hardest hitting TV documentaries
including "Undercover Britain"; "Secret
Society"; and "The Hill" which exposed the
extent of electronic spying in Britain.
• programme advisor for "Threads" (on
nuclear war) "The Edge of Darkness", amI
"A Very British Coup".
.. exposes on health fraud, crime, poverty.

THIS fS A REQLlESr fDR SLlPPDJ5 AND fLlNDfNC;

We seck assistance with trans-Tasman air tares and internal travel costs. We would
like to hear trom those interested in meeting Duncan and/or holding a public meeting.
We seldom get the opportunity to hear a journalist with such an international
reputation; onc who has put his life on the line 10r the progressive causes wc support.

Please contact ABC, Box 2258 Christchm'ch, or ph (03) 337-3465 for more
information or to send a donation

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