issue Forty Seven

• Published 12 April 2007

   

A brief review of Number 47 now follows....


SECRETS OF THE STAY BEHIND CAVE

A remarkable plan to bury British 'spies' in the Rock of Gibraltar has resurfaced after researchers interviewed a former member of 'Operation
Tracer' - the naval intelligence plan that would have allowed London to monitor Nazi shipping manoeuvres in the event the strategically important
British outpost was overrun...

Dr Bruce Cooper, a 92-year-old navy doctor, and the last surviving member of a top secret British intelligence team, has provided details of a daring and
macabre WWII operation. Had Germany overrun Britain's strategic military Mediterranean base on Gibraltar - a small number of men would have remained
on the rock - buried alive inside an opening called the 'Stay Behind Cave'. One of those men was Cooper himself. The mission called for a six-man team
to radio intelligence back to London about German shipping manoeuvres....

In November 2006, researchers Jim Crone from discovergibraltar.com and Sergeant Major Pete Jackson MBE, senior tunnel guide with the Royal
Gibraltar Regiment, met with Cooper to discuss his wartime memories. Cooper said the naval intelligence mission, code-named Operation Tracer, meant that
if the Rock was threatened, the men would enter a secret chamber and make their way to a hidden observation point. From a tiny chamber overlooking the
Mediterranean Sea, they would pass vital intelligence back to London via a radio link.


LITVINENKO - SCENT OF AN ASSASSIN - HERE'S HOW

As police close-in on the killer of Aleksander Litvinenko, the 'domino effect' seems to have taken hold. A shooting in Washington, a positively
suspicious suicide in Moscow, and a Thallium poisoning have all been linked to the underworld - and events in London...

In late February 2007, a team of senior police and intelligence officials from Moscow travelled to London carrying vital clues concerning the death of
former FSB officer Aleksander Litvinenko. A fierce critic of the Kremlin, Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive Polonium-210 in London and died 23
November 2006. The Russian team, reportedly headed by an official from the Russian Prosecutor's Office, were taken to various locations in London and
allowed to question about 100 witnesses.

One man who has finally broken his silence is London-based Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky. Litvinenko was a former Berezovsky bodyguard
and once accused the Kremlin of ordering his assassination. Berezovsky told BBC's Newsnight that his 'friend' [Litvinenko] said Lugovoi was involved
with his poisoning. Berezovsky said Litvinenko had told him: 'Boris, I want to tell you one very important thing... I think that Lugovoi is involved in
my poisoning.''

A shooting, suicide and Thallium poisoning attracts more intelligence attention

As Scotland Yard closes in on Litvinenko's killer, a number of other incidents in Washington DC and Moscow have also attracted the attention of
the intelligence world, including the bizarre death of a leading investigative reporter who was about to expose a shadowy arms deal involving
Syria, Iran and Russia. Kommersant journalist Ivan Safronov was warned by the FSB that he would be in breach of the security act if he published his
findings. Days later he was found dead. Apparently he had committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor apartment of his Moscow apartment. The only
problem was, his jacket had been pulled over his arms and legs. The state prosecutor ruled out suicide.

Intelligence watchers believe an underworld assassin is plying his trade. Eye Spy examines the latest happenings.


MI5's NEW DIRECTOR-GENERAL
AL-QAIDA AND TERRORISM EXPERT TO LEAD SECURITY SERVICE

Dr John Reid, the Home Secretary, has announced that Jonathan Evans will become the Security Service's new Director-General. He will succeed Dame
Eliza Manningham-Buller on 21 April 2007 as MI5's sixteenth Director-General since the Service was formed in 1909. Background on the new MI5 supremo.


THE LUCKIEST SPY COIN
SPY STORY WITH ALL THE INGREDIENTS OF ESPIONAGE

In Eye Spy 46 we published details of a report prepared by US defence officials that said contractors had discovered tiny bugs inside a number of
coins after an overseas visit - or in this case overland - in Canada. The report caught the imagination of the media and journalists sought more
information.

The Defense Security Service said coins with 'tiny transmitters' were found planted on contractors with classified security clearances on at least three
separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006. It was suspected the coin in question was the Canadian $2 'Toonie', but the Pentagon refused
to elaborate. Some experts dismissed the report claiming the bugs would have only a limited operational life, and a short transmission range. However,
officials initially maintained that its report on the spy coins was accurate but said further details about the spy coins were classified. And then a
complete U-turn. The DSS announced: 'The allegations, however, were found later to be unsubstantiated following an investigation into the matter.'
Effectively the DSS could not substantiate its own published claims about the mysterious coins. Officials then embarked upon an internal review to
determine how the information was included in a 30-page report about espionage concerns.

Whether or not the story is true (and some experts believe it is), using everyday objects to gather, transmit or 'move' intelligence is an integral
part of espionage - in all its variants. This means that as well as using hollowed-out coins to conceal maps, monies, and even small weapons, such
objects have been issued to spies containing cyanide - vital in the event that the sleuth is captured. It's almost certain, for example, that the
killer of former FSB officer Aleksander Litvinenko in London last year, smuggled Polonium-210 into the UK using a disguised container or something
similar.

One of the most famous spy cases involving hollowed-out coins occurred in the 1950s, and was as fascinating as it was complex. It would culminate in
defections, new identities, the smashing of a complex spy ring, the recovery of a secret code, dead letter drops and the dramatic Cold War exchange of
two men both regarded as spies...


TRADECRAFT - VICTORIAN ESPIONAGE
Eye Spy looks at three 'Victorian' spy tricks once considered 'leading edge' technology... making copies of documents, manufacturing plastic, and of
course, invisible ink

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to make a copy of a letter, signature or drawing and using a copy machine was inconvenient
or simply unavailable-Have you ever needed to send a written message that wasn't intended for the inquisitive-Have you ever needed a plastic moulding
compound to copy a key or other object-A few simple lessons from introductory Victorian 'spy science' provide versatility with a very small investment of time and money.

Covert Copying

In the not-so distant past, the men and women who risked everything for their country, used tiny cameras to take photographs of documents, letters
and other things. Taking the picture was relatively easy, but there was always a chance the camera would be discovered. If found beforehand, it was
a device difficult to explain away. Therefore, in many cases, spies simply 'remembered' the content of a document or letter.

Undercover operatives have always relied on skill and luck. Many are opportunistic, but there is one factor that bonds together everyone working
in espionage... preparation. In days gone by, not everyone had the benefit of a nice tidy camera that tucked away in a match box. Eye Spy is not sure
who created the 'copy trick', but it is very old and almost certainly originated from a time of war...

Before technology enabled spies to instantly copy a document (or record its content), a spy had but two options: steal the letter, or duplicate its
message. However, it was possible using just two substances to create a solution that allowed him to make a copy. Often it was just a phrase or
paragraph that was important, this helped speed up the process - lest the spy be caught red-handed. But most useful, the copy trick took just a few
seconds. 


THE KGB's ATOMIC RECRUITER
IDENTITY OF SPY REVEALED AFTER 50 YEARS

While the name Alan Nunn May is synonymous with atomic espionage - he passed intelligence on the Manhattan Project to the Soviets - it has always been a
mystery who recruited the British scientist in the first place. This secret, along with many more, has finally been revealed after more than 50 years.
The National Archive has released a plethora of MI5 and intelligence papers dealing with the spy - codenamed PRIMROSE.

The case is significant in that a furious United States imposed tough restrictions on its sharing of atomic technology and, in effect, forced
Britain to develop its own bomb.

Nunn May's espionage activities for the Soviets were first drawn to the attention of the British authorities when Russian diplomat and KGB cipher
expert Igor Gouzenko, identified him to the Canadian police as the Soviet agent ALEX. On 5 September 1945, Igor claimed he had evidence of British
spies. Some of this information from Gouzenko resulted in Nunn May and Klaus Fuchs (another atomic spy) being interviewed by MI5. ALEX had been feeding
information on the atomic project and stolen samples of processed uranium to his handler GRANT, the Soviet military attaché Colonel Zabotin. Gouzenko's
approach to the Canadian authorities signalled the beginning of the end for Nunn May.

Eye Spy looks at the intelligence files that lay rest to a great spy mystery.


TRACKING THE ROGUE NUCLEAR TRADERS - NEW SYSTEM USES DATA TO IDENTIFY 'TRADE ROUTES'

Tracking the illegal movement of radioactive materials is extremely difficult, but it could help prevent a major catastrophe. Therefore, if a system could be enabled that follows the 'trade route' from seller to buyer, the intelligence world may have an insight into what is occurring and adopt procedures to shut down the operation. Researchers believe they have found a solution to at least part of the problem - a computer simulation that monitors traffic in contraband nuclear material. The system, however, relies heavily on the cooperation of all countries, in that the data (intelligence) must be provided for by the intelligence world, police and the IAEA. With the data in hand, a simulation programme is run that can track illicit trade in fissile and nonfissile radiological material. What's more, the programme can help determine where the material actually  originated from. It's not too dissimilar to geographical profiling a crime.

Eye Spy looks at a unique programme that could have exposed rogue scientists like A.Q. Kahn and his illegal nuclear network.


RUN FOR THE BORDER - SENIOR IRANIAN GENERAL DEFECTS TO WEST

Following a daring Western intelligence operation, Brigadier General Ali Reza Asgari, 63, Iran's former deputy defence minister, has reportedly
defected to the West. The escape plan was triggered in February after an Iranian contact advised the Israeli intelligence service, that Asgari was on
the verge of being arrested for espionage.

Asgari, recruited by the West in 2003 during an overseas business trip, is thought to have provided a wealth of information on Tehran's nuclear
ambitions, and its links with various terror groups, including Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad as well as the radical Mahdi Army and Badr Corps in Iraq. An
Iranian colleague confirmed Asgari had managed to smuggle a batch of top secret documents out of Iran revealing the country's nuclear missile
programme. Armed with this intelligence, it will be difficult for President Mahmoud Ahmadine to deny the country has a nuclear weapons programme running
in tandem with its energy ambitions.

The Saudi newspaper, Al-Watan, perhaps the first media outlet to report on the defection, said Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have stepped up
security around its nuclear sites - a 'clear indication' that Asgari has provided new intelligence.

Eye Spy looks at how Mossad secreted Asgari out of Iran and explains why this is about as good as it gets for MI6, Mossad and the CIA.


MANHATTAN'S RING OF STEEL
50-MILE NUCLEAR SHIELD TO HELP THWART TERRORISTS

The Department of Homeland Security has begun testing radiation detectors in and around New York City that are designed to identify vehicles, trains,
ships and even people carrying nuclear materials. By 2008, Manhattan will be surrounded by a 50-mile 'ring of steel'. The machines will first be
installed at the Staten Island port terminal where they will be used to scan cargo. Later in the year, the detectors will be installed at key traffic
bottlenecks such as bridges, tunnels, roads and waterways leading into the city. New York City and federal government officials hope that the detectors
will be able to reduce the risk of a terror attack using a nuclear bomb or radioactive dirty bomb.

The sensors will alert a major control centre if radiation is detected entering the city. Previous security efforts have tended to focus on dirty
bombs being smuggled into the city's port or dockland areas, but the new measures seem to indicate that the security services are concerned about a
device being built within the United States and transported by road.


PRODUCT REVIEW
COVERT BLACK ECONOMY

Eye Spy is pleased to announce details of a high-quality video recorder complete with audio and colour display - A PERFECT LOW-COST SOLUTION TO
ACQUIRING COVERT FILM AND AUDIO DATA.

Eye Spy's Covert Black system reviewed in issue 43 is ideal for the professional, but didn't necessarily meet the needs of all our readers, some
who wanted a system slightly more affordable. That's not always easy, but thanks to the efforts of colleagues who spent weeks looking for the 'perfect
combination set', we believe we have found something quite special.

Less money occasionally equates to inferior quality, but this is really not the case with Covert Black Economy - a system that still provides quality
colour film footage and audio. As with the more expensive set, this button camera recorder comes complete with a quality display, has audio capability
and, it's easy to use. There is one main difference - the price.

SPECIAL OPENING PRICE IN MAGAZINE!


INTELLIGENT MOVIES
BREACH AND THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Hollywood kicks out the guns, gadgets and gimmicks to bring a 'sense of normality' to the world of film and espionage

Two new Hollywood productions focusing on real-life espionage and intelligence events have captured the imagination of film-goers everywhere.
What sets these films apart from other so-called 'spy thrillers' is their pace and attention to detail. Breach - a new movie, or 'docudrama' describes
the shadowy exploits of one of America's most infamous spies - Robert Hanssen. It's already proving a hit in the intelligence world.

However, since its release in the United States, the movie has had mixed reviews from the media. The negative remarks have mainly come from
ill-informed writers who are used to high-octane spy thrillers, and quite frankly, over-the-top spy productions. For those who understand the often
complex, dark and mundane life of a spy, the movie is a fine representation of a real-life and lengthy spy saga that has been labelled 'the worst
intelligence disaster in US history.'

Breach is anchored by Chris Cooper who plays real-life traitor Robert Hanssen, a career FBI agent who provided the Russians with huge amounts of
classified and top secret information. For Cooper, researching the role of Hanssen was a dark affair: 'Frankly, when I saw a rough cut of the movie, it
creeped me out... this was not a pleasant guy to hang with.'

The production focuses upon the uneasy relation between Hanssen and Eric O'Neill (played by Ryan Phillippe), a young FBI operative conducting
surveillance and other investigations while he endeavours to become an agent. When he's asked to participate in a 'special assignment'.

The second film - The Good Shepherd has been described as a boxed history of the CIA, but that's a little unfair. The movie draws the viewer inside the
world of the CIA, and you don't have to be particularly interested in espionage to realise it packs numerous plots from Berlin to Havana into
almost three hours of absorbing viewing.

Robert De Niro has mastered the art of creating tension by a simple stare or one-liner, and in this ultra-dry movie his production stamp is evident
throughout. Like Breach, The Good Shepherd has sacrificed accumulating extra cinema bucks by totally ignoring the 'Boy's Own' stuff, the fancy weapons
and the glamorous spies. And perhaps, that's why just like Breach, some critics unfamiliar with the real world of intelligence, decided that the
film was a little too long and a little too edgy. That's despite rumours De Niro sliced off 30 minutes of running time.

The movie stars Matt Damon as Edward Wilson, in a role akin to a troubled and authentic agent.

While the film may be a little slow at times, De Niro cleverly includes incidents that are all too familiar in today's world of espionage. There's a
mole to expose, a mysterious photograph to decrypt, a tape recording to analyse and a secret war to fight. These sequences are given 'extra time'
and provide fascinating viewing. Perhaps against Wilson's personal troubles, some of these plots seem a little 'managed', but it's tempting to say, they
are far nearer the truth than many people would dare admit.

Larry King, the long-time CNN presenter described The Good Shepherd as 'the best spy movie ever made'- few would disagree.

Eye Spy looks at the films everyone in the spy world is talking about.


EYES ON ECHELON
AUSTRALIA GREEN-LIGHTS HUGE NEW US SPY BASE

Following three years of secret negotiations, the Australian Government has granted permission for the US to site a major new high-tech military
satellite communications' base on defence land in Western Australia. The existing intelligence facility at Kojarena, 20 miles east of Geraldton (250
miles north of the West Australian state capital Perth), will host the new base. Intelligence officials say the redeveloped site will provide more
accurate signals intelligence to outposts in the Middle East and Asia, as well as the United States. Building work is expected to start this year.

The base, known as Geraldton, is already linked to the global ECHELON spy system and will become America's third major communications complex in
Australia, joining Pine Gap and North West Cape as huge intelligence gatherers.


8MM GEM
'NEW' JFK FILM ENDS PART OF ENDURING MYSTERY

A previously obscure silent 8mm film has been donated to the 'Sixth Floor Museum' in Dallas by amateur photographer George Jefferies, 82, and his
son-in-law, Wayne Graham. The film, already cleaned and enhanced by the museum, starts by showing a smiling Jacqueline Kennedy (at close range)
wearing a pink coat and waving to the public who had lined the streets. For a brief moment the President's coat can be clearly seen bunched up around
his back. This would explain why the bullet hole trajectory does not match. Once the coat was unruffled, the hole would be offset to quite a degree.
Jefferies was standing about 10 feet away when he shot the film.

A look at the true significance of Jefferies' film.


ECHOES OF A GERMAN AUTUMN
RED ARMY FACTION TERRORIST RELEASED

German-born Brigitte Mohnhaupt, 57, one of Europe's most notorious terrorists has been told she will be released from jail after serving 24
years behind bars. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Mohnhaupt played a leading role in the assassination of senior West Germans and the attempted
murder of many more. The German government's decision was condemned by the relatives of her victims and politicians.

Stoney-faced Mohnhaupt was convicted of nine murders while acting as a leader of the Red Army Faction (RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof gang,
an anti-capitalist and thoroughly violent group.

Dirk Schleyer, whose father Hanns-Martin Schleyer was murdered by members of Mohnhaupt's terror cell in 1977, told journalists he was 'furious'and the
decision taken by lawmakers, 'simply not justifiable.  'His widow, Waltrude, said she was 'appalled.'

A look at this infamous terrorist group and the failed hijacking that ultimately led to the end of the RAF.


MOSSAD'S TORONTO SPY RING?

Egyptian intelligence claim to have exposed Israeli spy ring - sceptics dismiss report as 'nonsense'

According to Government officials in Cairo, an Egyptian national has confessed to working for a Toronto-based Mossad spy ring. Mohamed Essam
Ghoneim el-Attar 31, had been working in Canada allegedly gathering intelligence on local Arabs, in particular about financial transactions made
from North Africa to the Middle East.

El-Attar, who reportedly has Canadian citizenship, was arrested on New Years Day in Cairo. Egyptian officials say he has implicated two other Toronto men
in the spy ring. 'He has given a full confession and is in jail right now,' said Egypt's ambassador to Canada Mahmoud El-Saeed.

The trial of El-Attar has come to be referred to as simply Oel Ghesous il ginz', - the sex spy, simply because the prosecution say he is gay.


EYES ON THE NUCLEAR TRAFFICKERS

America's Customs and Border Protection Agency (CPB) has the capability to check and evaluate hazardous materials. As part of Homeland Security, the
agency is active in preventing dirty bomb and nuclear materials entering the United States. In recent times it has become more involved with mainland
operations and the collection of intelligence. The CPB also works closely with many foreign-based intelligence and security agencies and provides
extensive training. Its undercover agents are highly regarded in the security world.

CASE FILE: Nuclear Trigger Devices Bound for Israel. In April 2002, Richard Smyth, a former NATO advisor and president of Milco International, was
sentenced for exporting nuclear trigger devices to Israel. Smyth had been charged in 1985 with exporting 800 devices known as krytrons to Israel
without obtaining the required export license. Krytrons have civilian and military uses, but are considered ideal for triggering nuclear weapons.
Before trial, Smyth fled. After 16 years on the run, Smyth was arrested in Spain in July 2001 and extradited to Los Angeles where he pleaded guilty to
two counts in the original 1985 indictment.

Eye Spy looks at several cases involving the 'peddling' of nuclear components and materials.


FINANCIAL WARFARE PART 2
INDIRECT ATTACKS

Intelligence analyst Kevin Coleman continues his investigation on the implications of a financial attack on the West and how big business and the
individual can protect themselves...


LONDON A OBRITTLE TARGET'
UK THINKTANK WARNS GOVERNMENT

A London 'thinktank' has warned the government that Britain could prove 'brittle' if attacked again by al-Qaida. Key conclusions:

- Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons (CBRN) should be treated as one system of threats
-Potential terrorists hope that the UK would be brittle in the face of a CBRN attack and that they would benefit from the 'propaganda of the deed'
-The government could counter a possible 'demoralizing sense of defencelessness' by ensuring that the public's understanding of the issues
is proportionate to the threat - both before and after any attack


CAUGHT ON CAMERA
CCTV FILM USED IN TRIAL OF 21/7 TERROR SUSPECTS

Four minutes of film footage played at the trial of six suspected terrorists, showed the moment armed officers arrested Muktar Said Ibrahim
and Ramzi Mohammed as they emerged onto the balcony of a seventh-floor west London flat. And in another CCTV clip, Yassin Omar was picked up on CCTV
fleeing London dressed in a burqa. Numerous clips of CCTV showing the suspects has been played during the trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

Eye Spy takes a look at some of the most relevant footage, including the dramatic moment when intelligence led Scotland Yard to Delgarno Gardens on
the morning of 29 July 2005.


OTHER FEATURES

Dolphins set to protect VITAL naval base
The US Navy is set to deploy dolphins and sea lions to guard a Washington
state navy base. Naval intelligence has long recognised that these
well-loved animals have astonishing sonar abilities and could help thwart a
seaborne terrorist attack. The base in question is Kitsap-Bangor, an
important naval facility located on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.
Submarines, warships and research vessels are regular users of the base,
which some analysts believe make it a likely target for terrorists.

COUNTER UNIT
Britain set to establish a special agency to counter al-Qaida's growing use
of the Internet to spread its propaganda.

SWEDEN SET TO INTERCEPT ELECTRONIC TRAFFIC
Sweden's government is set to approve a contentious plan that will allow a
defense intelligence agency to intercept foreign e-mail traffic and phone
calls entering its borders. The move is in response to intelligence concerns
that al-Qaida has a presence in the Scandinavian country.

THE DAISES WILL BLOOM TONIGHT
Virginia Hall, the OSS/SOE agent who worked behind enemy lines in France
during WWII, was honoured belatedly for her bravery by the French
Ambassador, Jean-David Levitte, and the British Ambassador, Sir David
Manning, at the French Embassy residence in Washington DC. The crowded
affair was attended by OSS and CIA representatives and by Hall's Baltimore
relatives. Her niece, Lorna Catling, received the awards for her aunt who
died in 1982 aged 78.

DEPARTING MI5 DIRECTOR-GENERAL WINS AWARD
Eliza Manningham-Buller has won a prestigious award that encourages the
engagement of women in politics, the civil service and community leadership.

SON OF STAR WARS
Two European countries agree to site US interceptor missiles on their soil.
The move is in response to the growing threat of Iran's missile arsenal. Eye
Spy looks at the implications.

KGB MAPS THE WORLD
Thousands of old KGB maps have gone on sale which show how Moscow "mapped'
the world in readiness for world domination.

CUBANS JAILED FOR SPYING
Carlos Alvarez and his wife jailed for providing intelligence to Cuba.

IRAN AND THE NUCLEAR BOMB
US analysts prepare report on what might happen if Iran obtains a nuclear
bomb.

PATRIOT GAMES
FBI accused of 'bending' regulations to intercept information.

EYE SPY SHOP
ESPIONAGE AND INTELLIGENCE GATHERING EQUIPMENT/NEW TRADE BOOKS AND REVIEWS
 

Issue 47