By Nancy C. Thomson

Many months ago I wrote an article on ECHELON, a project that wasn’t supposed to exist. Now that disclaimer won’t hold because various foreign nations are publicly complaining about victimization via this global electronic network.

In what appears to be an attempt to downplay the effects and scope of this spy-in –the-sky, an article by Jeffrey Richelson states ECHELON is for real but is a limited program. Richelson, a researcher for the National Security Archives (a non-governmental institute) for the first time found a declassified National Security Agency reference to this project. One of the documents acquired from the Freedom of Information Act references ECHELON to a naval security function in Sugar Grove, West Virginia.

The Naval instruction document stipulates the commander at this site insures the privacy of US citizens will be safeguarded. Meanwhile, Michael Jacobs, deputy director for information systems security at NSA (National Security Administration) declared his agency would never spy on American citizens. "That is not our job." An editor of Secrecy and Government Project Bulletin Project on Government Secrecy Federation stated he didn’t know of any other government documents that reference ECHELON by name. "It’s certainly interesting from that point of view."

While Mr. Richelson declares he is not suspect of ECHELON’S many functions, European countries are developing a cold war about it. In August, 1999, a conference was held in Rovererto Italy where a discussion about computers, networks, international security, and the electronic eavesdropping system was highlighted. Since this project was developed by the US NSA, and British intelligence agencies ECHELON has become the talk of Europe. It is named the UKUSA arrangement because it combines the United States with the United Kingdom.

A report prepared for the European Parliament’s Scientific and Technical Options Assessment (STOA) was released in 1998 and it shocked the European leaders. Steve Wright, director of a British human rights group, said that ECHELON is part of a UK/USA spy system developed for nonmilitary targets. This includes governments, organizations, and businesses in almost every country. The fact that ECHELON intercepts all telephone calls, faxes, and e-mail, seemed so far fetched! Who would believe it? Logistics for such a spy network couldn’t be processed!

But it is.

Immense banks of supercomputers search out key words that comprise part of electronic "dictionaries." Certain words or phrases that are of interest to the intelligence analysts are used to filter the voluminous flow of data and are registered in the system. Some of these dictionaries contain names of groups such as Amnesty International.

France has just lately voiced their concern about being spied on by this surveillance network and has asked the US to explain why they are violating French sovereignty in this manner. Other countries are suspicious of the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States. The European Union, of which Britain is a member, forbids any country having an advantage in commerce such as ECHELON would provide.

The NSA is such a secret organization, it was known as the "no such agency." However, this government organization has finally run into the need to become accountable. Representative Bob Barr of Georgia is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He has demanded information from NSA concerning ECHELON. NASA has so far refused to turn over any documents or give any material pertaining to this electronic spy project.

A presidential directive issued by President Truman in 1952 established the National Security Agency. This directive remains classified to this day. NSA has the most enviable assortment of intelligence equipment in the world. NSA’s ECHELON network stretches across the globe into space, land –based stations, intelligence ships sailing the seven seas, as well as secret satellites 20 thousand miles above the earth. These intelligence entities are spinning around 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Commercial spying by NSA and sister agencies, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Central Intelligence agency (CIA) as well as the FBI took place in Seattle at the 1993 Pacific /Asian Conference. Limousines and hotel rooms were bugged. Information received from members of this conference concerning oil and hydro-electric deals were passed to heavy Democratic National committee contributors who would be bidding on these enterprises.

ECHELON and UKUSA political use included a request by Margaret Thatcher to monitor ministers of her government suspected of disloyalty. During the Nixon administration Kissinger used NSA to intercept messages of the Secretary of State. Later Kissinger found he was being NSA trailed during secret dealings with foreign diplomats. The Reagan government also used the spy organization for targeting officials and no doubt later we may find the Clinton administration was excessive in the use of the spying machinery, in addition to illegally obtaining the 900 FBI files.

International spying for commercial reasons that aid political goals rather than promoting what benefits the American people is bad enough. Receiving undercover information to blackmail or coerce government officials is even worse. But most disastrous of all is the domestic surveillance of American civilians for unpopular political or other beliefs. This abrogates the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution. At any time ECHELON’S capability can be turned on the American people and then it will be a point of no return. Given the government’s technical knowledge, there would be no way to combine for resistance. Support Bob Barr’s investigation of NSA’S spy giant ECHELON.