By Nancy Thomson

Many of us bask in the instant communications age with so much information at our fingertips. It is wondrous indeed. Most things have a dual purpose, however, and that is certainly the case with computers, and satellites. The grassroots uses these various communications devices to spread the word. An agency of the government uses the same more sophisticated equipment to spy on the grassroots, and everyone else via their messages.

In December of 1997, a European Commission report told about a global electronic network able to eavesdrop on every phone, emails, and telex around the world.

This report stated that within Europe, the United States National Security Agency (NSA) intercepts all of these communications. Information is transferred from Europe’s mainland to London, and on to Fort Meade in Maryland. A crucial hub of this operation is Menwith Hill in the New York moors in the United Kingdom.

All the rumors that persisted for so long were justified. The report confirmed for the first time the existence of the secret system called ECHELON.

Electronic surveillance systems developed during the Cold War were designed for military purposes. ECHELON is developed for non-military targets. It works indiscriminately by amassing large quantities of communications and then separating out valuable information by the use of artificial intelligence aides to locate key words. It even uses different national dictionaries to recognize key words in the various countries.

Intelligence operatives claim that the US controls the monitoring of spy bases which search almost all data communications.

Information gathered by ECHELON assists intelligence agencies in determining their targets.

This report urged a review of the involvement of NSA in Europe.

The NSA is the world’s most powerful intelligence organization and is the most secretive agency in our country.

Even the CIA is an open operation compared to the National Security Agency.

Known as one of the "black operations" it is an off budget item in congress.

Listening posts connected with NSA increased their ability to eavesdrop on personal and business communications due to the arrival of the internet.

An electronic spy system is now in place for the 21st century. A massive billion dollar expansion of the global surveillance system is planned by the American, British, and Allied agencies. A temporary name for this endeavor is Project P415. NSA will run it, but other closely involved countries include Britain, Australia, Germany, Japan, AND the People’s Republic of China.

Expansion of this project means new satellite and monitoring stations will be built on a global scale.

Watch for lots of new satellite launchings also.

Menwith Hill in the UK is the largest overseas station for the US satellite base network P415. It is operated undercover by NSA, and taps into all of Britain’s national and international communications. This communications has been turned into domestic monitoring.

A secret agreement called UKUSA (UK-USA) assigns different parts of the globe to divergent agencies.

Cheltenham coordinates the center for Europe, Africa and part of Russia.

The NSA controls the rest of Russia, most of the Americas, and Australia where another NSA listening post co-ordinates electronic monitoring for the South Pacific and South East Asia.

Satellite communications locate telephone or other messages of target individuals.

Margaret Newsham, a former Lockheed Space and Missiles Corporation employee gave testimony and filed a lawsuit concerning US government "black" projects Margaret worked in the US and Britain for corporations which manufactured intelligence operating and interception equipment for NSA, Ford Aerospace, and Lockheed. She informed a congressman about her concerns and investigators have subpoenaed other witnesses. Margaret Newsham was later fired from Lockheed.

A list of major classified enterprises operating at Menwith Hill besides ECHELON includes several other projects.

There is a staff of 1,200 and two thirds of them are Americans. One of the projects at this base is named BIG BIRD that, along with others is disguised as a "weather satellite," but actually they carry listening equipment. One such listening device is reported to have been placed aboard the doomed space shuttle Challenger, despite the fact authorities claimed it had only a civilian purpose.

The P415 network is developing some important new stations, Bad Aibling in Germany and two sites in China, (which are used for monitoring Russia). Third world countries such as India and Indonesia are launching satellites that will be targeted by Australian interception bases.

A center outside of San Francisco has been used to train staff from China’s military PLA (People’s Liberation Army)

Two super secret joint US/Chinese listening stations are in a region close to the Russian Siberian border. Silicon

Valley, near San Francisco, hosted special teams flown in secretly for training on computer systems designed to carry out domestic and international interception.

This information adds impetus to the phrase, "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU." This is happening with our own money. Has your congressman mentioned project ECHELON?