Covert Operations.

My cousin writes, the following:

"Some people seem obsessed with poking into what the government is up to.
Subjects such as those would not be broadcast by the government, so I had a
pretty good idea it was not an official page. They may be on the Internet
somewhere, but I'll bet they are well encrypted.

Some years ago, my company made small portable transmitters and receivers.
They were lunch box size and would work with a bed spring for an antenna.
The "spy" would collect his information and then use a device about the
size of a tape measure to write his message in Morse Code. There was a
wheel with letters on it which you rotated and then pressed a button to
enter the letter's code. When you were done, you attached it to the
transmitter and sent your code at 300 WPM. Probably, it sounded like a buzz
and was over and done with before anyone could record it, let alone attempt
to use direction finding equipment to trace the source.

The cases of the radios had tight fitting gaskets and an air vent. After
you closed it, you shut the vent, and you could even store the radio under
water. They were perfect for covert operations. The radios themselves were
not secret, but I suspect the buyers were. A man at the plant like to use
one to send dirty jokes back and forth to an Army base in New Jersey.
Now, the Internet makes communications much easier. I'll bet governments
pay close attention to the traffic that leaves their borders. My son was on
line with his father-in-law who was in Israel at that time. He was saying
some nasty things about our ex-pres and could tell that his data flow was
erratic and probably being monitored. So, we do it, too.

You are right that these subjects are fascinating. I did at one time have a
security clearance because I was involved in our military radio project. I
visited Fort Bliss near El Paso and tested the radios out in the desert.
Their purpose was to track low flying aircraft and direct soldiers firing
AA missles.

A friend at work has been very curious about Echelon, and I've been trying
to get him interested in the Internet. He's 76 and still working. Maybe
your friend's web page will be just the thing to get him fired up and go
take a look. I told him about it this evening but left the message on voice
mail. I'll be sure to deliver it in person.

There has been a little in the news about Osamu bin Laden using the
Internet to direct his terrorist activities. I sure wish I had the time to
read the transcripts of that trial, but I'm not able to keep up with my
family e-mail. . ."

Date:         Tue, 30 Nov 2004 16:14:57 -0500
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To: John Young <jya@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
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