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Presenting analysis of political maneuvering around the Menwith Hill NSA/GCHQ listening station and the related US/UK ECHELON electronic intelligence gathering system, this broadcast characterizes the German/EU attack on Menwith Hill/ECHELON as “the Battle of Menwith Hill.” In turn, this conflict figures prominently in the international diplomatic machinations surrounding the 9/11 attacks-It may have played a significant role in the attacks themselves. The domestic prong could be accurately characterized as a Fifth Column, comprised of powerful politico/economic interests allied with, among others, the Bush family economic undertakings. Later in the program, the attack on ECHELON/Menwith Hill by the Free Congress Foundation will be discussed in the context of the Fifth Column attack on the U.S. It is the contention of this program that Al Qaeda and related institutions (such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Al Taqwa milieu) constitute an element of a dual-pronged, Underground Reich attack on the United States, not unlike that which led to the subjugation of France in World War II. The concept of what might be called “Proxy War” (to coin a term) is one to consider.
1. Embodying the historical and strategic analysis of the Battle of Menwith Hill, the program begins with an excerpt of text from the description for FTR 119, recorded in December, 1998. “In the wake of the Cold War, the lines of political struggle are being redrawn, with potential conflict between the United States and Germany (and beyond, the German-dominated European Union) threatening to replace the confrontation between the U.S. and former U.S.S.R. In the field of intelligence, the U.S.-German conflict is already beginning to manifest itself. This broadcast sets forth some of the most important and recent developments in the friction between American and German intelligence. After a brief discussion of Germany’s expulsion of an American diplomat who allegedly worked for the CIA, the broadcast reprises a section of FTR 103 originally broadcast in August, 1998. This section of the program sets forth friction between German intelligence chief Bernd Schmidbauer and the FBI over industrial spying, as well as a consummately important story about attempts by the European Union (read ‘Germany’) to compromise the National Security Agency’s vital Menwith Hill electronic listening post in England. Mr. Emory has characterized that pressure on the NSA facility as an act of war and believes it to be (in the ‘Information Age’) as strategically significant as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II.”
2. In the context of what follows, it is very important to note that the original broadcast referenced in the above description was recorded in August of 1998. That was the month in which Al Qaeda attacked the U.S. embassies in Africa and the month in which Osama bin Laden apparently stopped using his satellite phone for telecommunications. Is there a relationship between the beginning of the Battle of Menwith Hill and bin Laden’s switch to a courier system for operational communications?
3. Discussing NSA monitoring of bin Laden’s telecommunications, a recent bestseller noted the significance of August, 1998 in the context of Al Qaeda operations and a shift by OBL to a courier system. “But even though NSA had the capability to intercept many conversations to and from bin Laden and other members of Al Qaeda-including some of those allegedly involved in the bombing of the American embassies in East Africa-the information was not enough to prevent the attacks.” (Body of Secrets; James Bamford; Copyright 2001, 2002 James Bamford; [SC] Anchor Books; p. 616.)
4. “Many of the calls were intercepted by Britain’s GCHQ at their listening post at Morwenstow, near Bude, in Cornwall. There, close to the endless whitecaps of the Celtic Sea, nearly a dozen dishes pick up signals from commercial satellites such as Inmarsat and INTELSAT. The intercepted phone calls, faxes, Internet, and data transfers are then forwarded to GCHQ’s sprawling headquarters in Cheltenham. Once filtered and analyzed, they would be forwarded to NSA over secure encrypted communications links.” (Idem.)
5. “Other calls to and from bin Laden were picked up thousands of miles to the south of Afghanistan, at a listening post run by Australia’s Defense Signals Division located at Geraldton, a scruffy port on the Indian Ocean about 210 miles north of Perth. Situated in the westernmost part of the country, Geraldton was built in 1994 to eavesdrop on commercial satellites over the Indian Ocean.” (Idem.)
6. As noted above, August of 1998 was a fateful month in the sequence of events being considered here. That was when Al Qaeda attacked US embassies in Africa, President Clinton retaliated with cruise missile attacks on bin Laden’s camps in Afghanistan and the Battle of Menwith Hill began. Clinton was facing impeachment at the time, and was stated by the Muslim Brotherhood, among other institutions, to have conducted the attacks on Afghanistan and the Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant (FTR#‘s 344–46).“Eventually, following President Clinton’s 1998 American cruise missile attack on bin Laden’s camp in Afghanistan, and the realization that his location could be betrayed by signals from the satellite phone, he stopped using the instrument. Now when one calls his number, all they hear is a recording stating he is ‘not logged on or not in the dialed ocean region.’” (Idem.)
7. “Since 1998, bin Laden communicates only through messengers who make calls for him from distant locations. Nevertheless, these are also occasionally intercepted. One such call, picked up by NSA early in September 2001, was from a bin Laden associate to bin Laden’s wife in Syria, advising her to return to Afghanistan. At the time, it was filed away when instead it should have been one more clue, one more reason for director Hayden to worry on the morning of September 11.” (Ibid.; pp. 616–617.)
8. The program then reprises an excerpt of FTR 166 from July, 1999, highlighting German propaganda about the Menwith Hill station and related programs being the cause of Germany’s economic woes. Like “the Battle of Menwith Hill” itself, this is a very significant development from a strategic standpoint. (“U.S. Spy Satellites raiding German firms’ Secrets” by Tony Patterson; Electronic Telegraph; 4/11/99.)
9. A barometer of the recent adverse publicity stemming from the Menwith Hill situation, demonstrators have been demanding the institution’s attenuation. (“New Action at Spybase;” Yorkshire Evening Post; 9/16/99.)
10. Touching on an element of the discussion from previous broadcasts, we note again that the German scapegoating of Menwith Hill for the country’s economic problems coincided with an assault from the Free Congress Foundation in the United States. Noting the fascist heritage of the FCF and its intersection with the milieu of the ABN/Republican ethnic outreach organization, the program features discussion of the FCF’s attack on the Menwith Hill (Yorkshire) and ECHELON elements of the vitally important NSA/GCHQ electronic counterintelligence function. (“Big Brother Is Listening to You” by Lisa S. Dean; San Francisco Examiner; 7/5/1999.) The program notes that the attack by the FCF on ECHELON/Menwith Hill coincided with a German intelligence and public relations blitzkrieg against these same installations. The motive for the German “outrage” was alleged industrial espionage. Germany had the same capability, while charging that the ECHELON/Menwith Hill liaison had provided the United States with that capability. The program conceptualizes the FCF attack on ECHELON/Menwith Hill as presaging the 9/11 attack on the United States by the Underground Reich and its Islamofascist allies. By discrediting the U.S. electronic intelligence capability, promoting domestic U.S. opposition to ECHELON/Menwith Hill and alerting Al Qaeda elements to the capabilities of the intercept system, FCF and its Underground Reich allies might be viewed as having helped to prepare for the destruction of 9/11. The subject of FCF and its attack on ECHELON/Menwith Hill will be discussed in future programs.
11. When considering the admirable-sounding civic protestations of Lisa Dean, take into account the connections of the FCF to the milieu of the ABN and domestic white supremacists. (FTR#367). Take into account the following article, as well. It is openly seditious and makes Trent Lott look like a “Latte Liberal.” “A 1999 newsletter published by a man looking to lead California’s Republican Party included an essay suggesting the United States would be a better place if the South had won the Civil War. The piece, by William Lind of the Free Congress Foundation, was included in a GOP e-mail newsletter published by Bill Back of Yuba County, who’s currently vice chairman of the state Republican Party. . . Lind’s piece suggested that it was Reconstruction, not slavery, that really damaged race relations in the country and that economics eventually would have eliminated slavery, even without a war.” (“State GOP Official in Racial Controversy” by John Wildermuth; The San Francisco Chronicle; 1/5/2003; p. A23.)
12. “” ‘It’s not hard to believe that history might have taken a better turn,’ if the South had won the Civil War, the piece said. If the South were a separate country, it continued, ‘at least part of North America would still stand for Western Culture, Christianity and an appreciation of the differences between ladies and gentlemen.’” (Ibid.; pp. A23-A28.)
13. Much of the second side of the broadcast is an excerpt of FTR#331. The program takes up the subject of an allegation by German intelligence that the ECHELON system provided the U.S. and the United Kingdom with advanced warning of the 9/11 attacks. (“Newspaper: ECHELON Gave Authorities Warning of Attacks” by Ned Stafford [Newsbytes]; 9/13/2001.) With the epicenter of the conspiracy having taken place in Germany, this allegation by the Germans would appear to be an attempt at deflecting partial responsibility for the attack away from themselves. As noted in past programs, Germany has been attacking the ECHELON network and the related Menwith Hill listening station for years. In the past, Mr. Emory has voiced the opinion that ECHELON and Menwith Hill are essential to both U.S. and British national security and has analyzed the EU/German pressure to curtail these operations against the background of escalating intelligence friction between the U.S. and Germany.
14. Significantly, a long-awaited European Parliament report on ECHELON concluded that “many European countries had similar abilities”-that would undoubtedly include Germany. (“Report on U.S. Spy System” by Suzanne Daley; New York Times; 9/6/2001; p. A6.)
15. In light of that fact, why didn’t German intelligence know about the attacks? A Libyan arrested in Munich in connection with the attacks had been under investigation since April. (“Egyptian Terror Cell ‘Linked to Bin Laden’” by Heba Saleh; Financial Times; 10/12/2001; p. 5.)
16. The German prosecutor in charge of the investigation has been charged with ignoring evidence that might have led to the interdiction of the attacks. (“Berlin Demands Boost in Terror Probe” by Hugh Williamson; Financial Times; 10/9/2001; p. 2.)
17. Examining the geopolitical benefits that have accrued to Germany from the 9/11 attacks, the broadcast notes that German chancellor Gerhard Schroder stated that Germany will no longer play ‘a secondary role’ in international affairs. (“Germany Ready for More Senior Role in World Affairs” by Haig Simonian; Financial Times; 10/12/2001; p. 7.)
18. In light of recent developments vis a vis Iraq, the book Serpent’s Walk takes on added significance.
“It assumes that Hitler’s warrior elite — the SS — didn’t give up their struggle for a White world when they lost the Second World War. Instead their survivors went underground and adopted some of their tactics of their enemies: they began building their economic muscle and buying into the opinion-forming media. A century after the war they are ready to challenge the democrats and Jews for the hearts and minds of White Americans, who have begun to have their fill of government-enforced multi-culturalism and ‘equality.’”
(Excerpt from back cover of Serpent’s Walk by “Randolph D. Calverhall;” Copyright 1991 [SC]; National Vanguard Books; 0–937944-05-X.)
19. Recall that in Serpent’s Walk, the takeover by the Underground Reich takes place after a devastating bioterror attack on the United States using genetically-engineered micro-organisms. Bearing in mind Iraq’s own history of intersection with fascism and the Underground Reich, it is interesting to observe an unsettling fact about the likelihood of a bioterror attack by Iraqi-allied interests after a US military attack on that country.
“Despite claims that it has enough smallpox vaccine for the entire U.S. population, the Bush administration has announced a limited program of vaccinations. It has decided to limit them to about a million military and selected health care workers in the first iteration, and then 10 million emergency workers in a second round. Confronting ‘high confidence’ intelligence findings that Saddam Hussein has smallpox that could be released in American cities in retaliation for U.S. attacks that might begin next month, the administration displays a caution about defending Americans at home that contrasts sharply with its readiness to attack adversaries abroad.”
(“Unprepared for Smallpox” by Graham T. Allison; The Washington Post; 12/26/2002; p. A39.)
20. “The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Bob Graham of Florida, has estimated the likelihood of an American-led war on Iraq in January or February at 70 percent. Imagine Hussein responds as the latest, recently declassified national intelligence Estimate predicts he is ‘likely’ to do with a biological attack on Americans. Who believes that the newly established Department of Homeland Security will be able to provide early identification of the virus, supply vaccines to hospitals and schools across the country or administer vaccines to 280 million Americans? The public health debate has treated this issue as if we were preparing for a distant hypothetical. But the new information about Hussein’s capabilities makes it clear that a period of maximum danger lies not years, but months away.”
(Idem.)
21. “Should Hussein take a page from tom Clancy’s novel ‘Executive orders’ and dispatch operatives to a half-dozen American cities with perfume bottles filled with smallpox to spray in shopping centers, how bad could it be? Were this to happen early next year, the ‘Dark Winter’ war game organized by some of the nation’s leading think tanks last year offers clues about likely consequences. That scenario ended with 3 million Americans infected, 1 million of whom died.”
(Idem.)
22. “How likely is such an attack? Obviously, no one knows. But American’s best intelligence analysts offered their judgment on this question in the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. Only after a positive vote in congress authorizing use of force against Iraq was ensured were the relevant portions of this estimate declassified. Its conclusion is chilling. In a classified Senate hearing on the estimate, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) pressed the question: ‘If we initiate an attack and he thought he was in extremis or otherwise, what’s the likelihood in response to our attack that he would use chemical or biological weapons?’ The senior intelligence analyst answered: ‘pretty high.’”
(Idem.)
With reports of widespread warrantless wiretapping/GPS-tracking by US law-enforcement agencies, the NSA wants you to know that they’re not watching you and there’s nothing to worry about. All those new spying facilities are exclusively for spying on bad people. The private contractors hired to run the NSA’s spy centers say ditto:
And if any UK readers were a little worried about the US poaching your intelligence officers after reading that the guy heading one of the NSA’s new mass-spying programs is a former member of GCHQ (the UK’s analog to the NSA), don’t worry, you guys are doing just fine on the domestic spying front.
[...] FTR #394 The Battle of Menwith Hill: Signals Intelligence & the 9/11 Attacks This entry was posted in Intelligence, Internet-Spying-Secrets Documents, National Security and tagged ECHELON, GCHQ, Menwith Hill Listening Station, NSA, RAF. Bookmark the permalink. ← Daniel Laprès des Amis Québécois d’Israel commente la manifestation du PAJU, deuxième épisode [...]
[...] rather right-wing organization, if not fascist in nature. In effect, they joined the attack on the Menwith Hill listening post in the U.K., an installation that is crucial to North American and United [...]