US Navy departs Deep Freeze -

Air Force Takes over

(see page 2)

Military/intelligence business goes on. A US Air Force pickup carrying "safe hand bags" to a
Starlifter bound for the US spy-base at Pine Gap in Australia. These weekly flights will continue under
the cover of Antarctic business with the Air Force entrenched at Harewood.

In this issue: J1l!.9.g

• ABC bids a low-key farewell to the US Navy 2
• "Echelon" - The word spread in Europe 3
• Waihopai - Questions asked in Parliament 5
• Boost to Waihopai's spying capability well underway 7
• Kiwi MI6 agent gaoled for threatened whistleblowing 8
• SIS comes out of the closet - Not! 9
• Philippines: Is Uncle Sam coming in through the back door? 10
• New US/Philippines visiting forces agreement 11
• New US base in Mindanao 12
• Okinawa: The struggle continues 12
• Spooky BITS 13
• Military madness - Hackers make a big hit but Iittle,change for the
new millennium 14
• Quest for Peace: Confession, Lies and Heroes (review) 15
• CIA File 16
• Obituary: Jacqui Barrington 18
• Mike MaDre, the NZ Constitution and Walhopai 19
ABC Bids Low-key Farewell to the US Navy
Three members of the Anti-Bases Campaign in
Chnstchurch bid the US Navy adieu on Friday
afternoon, 20 February 1 998 out at Christchurch
Airport. Our action was quiet and respectful as
befitted the occasion. The formal Navy ceremonies
that morning were somber. There were tears in the
eyes of hardened military men as they handed over
the logistics reins to the US Air Force, and
remembered those who have died in Antarctic
service over the many years of Operation Deep
Freeze.
We did not wish to disrupt the events of the day,
but we did wish to leave a small memento of our
presence there ). We were blunt: US Navy Good
Riddance? US Air Force Better Riddance! And
we signed it Anti-Bases Campaign (anonymity is
not our practice).
We also had a rather large postcard that we
wished to mail to Presiden' Bill Clinton using the
convenient U S Postal facJities at the Antarctic
Centre. But the P.O. was closed for the
ceremonies. So we left our calling card on the
premises and Bob Leonard , still a US citizen with a
few American dollars in his possession, returned
the following day to mail th·3 post card. This too
failed despite a long wait in 3 queue composed of
very loud and excited AI ',erican youths (with
outrageous accents) who were shipping their
personal goods back hom'.> after their summer
tours of duty on the Ice. When he finally got to the
desk to buy the necessary US stamps for the post
card, the clerk asked for his )DF identification. He
had him there. His Forest and Bird membership
card did not impress. He was forced to use the NZ
Post.
President Clinton has yet to reply to our request to
remove the U S Air Force fl)m Harewood along
with the Navy. We are not ev m sure he personally
received the post card. Of cOlrse we are prepared
to meet with the President to present our
arguments which we summarise in the following.
The real reason behind the Air Force
takeover at Operation De,ep Freeze
The Navy is being phased 01>1 Operation Deep
Freeze after 42 years Why did the US Air Force
win thiS particular game of endless Inter-service
rivalry in the U S military? Becau,:e-
Peace Researcher - Page 2
o In addition to its logistics flights for Antarctic
research, the Air Force also engages in
Channel flights on military/intelligence
business.
o The Navy had but a single role: logistiCS for
Operation Deep Freeze. Thus the Navy was
expendable and lost the game,
With this move, the US Government retains its
Deep Freeze camouflage for the Air Mobility
Command flights that serve large US intelligence
installations at Pine Gap and Nurrungar in
Australia. But because everyone expects to see
Starlifters and Galaxys at our airport, few question
their military roles. They are not covered by the
Antarctic Agreement with the New Zealand
government.
The Air Force flights serving Pine Gap and
Nurrungar have nothing to do with the Antarctic
and nothing to do with civilian logistics. Divorced
from Operation Deep Freeze the so-called Channel
Flights would have stood out like a sore thumb.
They would have been impossible for the New
Zealand Government to explain to the people of
Christchurch and the nation. I n other words, an all­
Navy logistics operation would have left the Air
Force Channel Flights as an isolated, intolerable
and indefensible foreign military presence in New
Zealand.
ABC sees the transfer of US Navy logistics to the
US Air Force at Operation Deep Freeze as a
negative development. It is not de-militarisation, as
ABC has urged for many years; it is trans­
militarisation - transfer of all logistiCS to one
service, the one that serves the widest array of
interests of the American government in this part of
the world.
The Anti-Bases Campaign is happy to see the
Navy go, But the US military presence in
Christchurch will not be significantly diminished as
a result. And we have reason to believe the
National Science Foundation might feel the sarne,
But of course they can't say so because they too
are an arm of the US government, albeit a civilian
one.
Why did the National Science Foundation (NSF)
choose the Air Force instead of the Navy to take
over all Antarctic flight logistiCS? It would have
made far greater sense to continue to use the vast
Antarctic flight experience of the Navy pilots than to
bring in Air Force pilots whose experience has
been in the Arctic, It seems clear that the NSF
probably didn't have much say in this matter. The
NSF funds and runs the America� Antarctic
Program. As a civilian agency, it has n� interest in
the military and intelligence roles of the Air Force,
but it has nevertheless lost its experienced Navy
pilots. The Ski-Hercules said to be owned by the
NSF will now be flown by New York I�ir National
Guard ( N YANG) pilots, who will also contribute
several NYANG ski-Hercules to the Antarctic fleet.
That of course could have been done without any
further Air Force Involvement at all.
"Echelon" - The word spreads in Europe
Recently, one of our Canadian correspondents
sent us a clipping from an Ore90n (USA)
newspaper with the headline " Listening post hears
everything but says nothing about it". It was dated
7 June 1 987 and was all about satellite spying at a
station at Sugar Grove, West Virginia Later that
year we were to learn of a similar s'ation being
planned for construction in the South Island at
Waihopai.
Ten years later, due mainly to publicat'on of Nicky
Hager's book "Secret Power", the European
Parliament and British media have aired
information on ECHELON, the global system for
satellite spying.
The Daify Telegraph ( 1 6
December 1 997) headlined "They are
eavesdropping on our every word". The news item
describes a European Commission (Ee) report on
the "global electronic spy network that can
eavesdrop on every telephone, email and telex
communication around the world . . . " Prominent in
the article is a world map revealing the locations of
the E C H E LON stations. Waihopai, neclr Blenheim,
shows clearly as one of only five " Intelsat monitors"
in the world. You know all about this of course if
you've read Nicky's book, or your recent Peace
Researchers, or indeed some recent m,,,dia reports
in New Zealand. But it seems hearten ing that the
word is getting out in the Northern Hemisphere as
well (the EP report has also been covered in the
New York Times, 24 February 1 998)
It has been a slow awakening. First accounts of
the American National Security Agency's growing
signals intelligence capabilities appeared in the
1 970s and early 80s thanks to research by Duncan
Campbell, James Bamford and others.
Their pioneering efforts are duly citee' in the EC
report, which was commissioned bV the Civil
Liberties Committee of the European Pi,rliament.
Peace Researcher - Page 3
Back in 1 996, the reasons for the Navy departure
were said to be to save money as the Antarctic
program funding was being reduced. But is very
hard to see how any money will be saved by one
military arm expanding to replace another. And
with the US South Pole Station slated for nulti­
million dollar renewal of all facilities, the Ught­
money argument rings a bit hollow.
++++++++++++++++++
Entitled "An appraisal of technologies of political
control", the report seems hard-hitting ir its
recommendations including -
• "All surveillance technologies, operations and
practices should be subject to procedures to
ensure democratic accountability . . .
• "Use of telephone interception by Member
states should be subject to procedures of
public accountability.. Before any telephone
interception takes place a warrant should be
obtained in a manner prescribed by the
relevant parliament. . .
• "The European Parliament should reject
proposals from the U nited States for making
private messages via the global
communications network accessible to US
Intelligence Agencies . . .
"
But how likely is the EuroParl to successfully
implement such recommendations? Not very, if a
report by Statewatch' is read carefully: "A special
report by Statewatch published at the end of
February [1 997] detailed plans for a joint initiative
drawn up by the Council of the European Union
and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
to introduce a global system for the
surveillance of telecommunications - phone
calls, e-mai/s and faxes. The planning is not new;
it has been going on for over five years with no
democratic debate by any member governme,nt of
the European Union.
You might well ask, How does this plan differ from
what is already going on with ECHELON? Perhaps
most importantly the system would be under
1 Statewatch Bulletin monitors the state and civil
liberties in the UK and Europe. E-mail: statewatch­
off@ge02.poptel.org.uk
international control, not US control as ECHELON secrets of its 'partners'" by virtue of its membership
now is (with four junior partners to the UKUSA in the UKUSA-ECHELON system,
Agreement, one of which is NZ), There is a draft
resolution that makes clear the intent of the Labour MP Tim Barnett, researcher-author Nicky
system Hager and Anti-Bases Campaign members worked
together closely in late 1 997 and In January 1 998
" the legally authorised interception of to bring the Waihopai issue and the Echelon
,
teleco mmunications is an important tool for the system before Parliament and the public - With
protection of national interest, in particular considerable success,
national security and the investigation of serious
crime," See later article (Questions in Parliament) for
details,
At least this statement of the purpose of massive - Bob Leonard
global interception makes reference to legality, a
refreshing departure from the UKUSA-ECHELON
system whose purposes are known only to the
inner circle of the intelligence community, Because
of the total secrecy surrounding ECHELON, global
citizens have good reason to challenge the legality
of its sweeping powers of interception and Its
accountability to no one,

It has to be the height of fantasy for the EuroParl TOP SECURITY -

and the F B I to propose a global system that would MAXWELL SMART STYLE
have to incorporate, indeed take over, the NSA's
ECHELON system for the "benefit" of all member
As the Pentagon prepared to attack Iraq in
nations, The alternative is for the EuroParl and the
February this year, a man walked into the offices of
FBI to create their own equivalent of that system
the State Department's Executive Secretary and
from scratch, How likely is that to happen, and
opened a zippered pouch containing some of the
who would pay the astronomical costs? And what
highest-level intelligence secrets of the U S,
does the NSA get up to with its global interception
Government. The man apparently placed most of
system? I n addition to the impressive detail in
the contents of the pouch in his own briefcase and
Hager's " Secret Power", we have some recent
then walked out of the heavily guarded enclave, A
clues:
top-priority FBI investigation is u nderway,
according to Time Magazine [March 1 6, 1 998] who
The NSA rarely features in the mainstream media,
ran an exclusive story, The report speculates that
but it did crop up in Time magazine recently, in an
the lost documents could have contained the daily
article detailing the brazen theft of highly classified
digest of National Security Agency intercepts
documents from the office U S Secretary of State
gathered from the g lobal network of satellites and
Madeleine Albright The pouch from which the
listening devices, These often bear the
documents were taken in full view of dim-witted
classification U M B RA, a category higher then TOP
State Department staff "could have contained
SECRET, because they relate to the most sensitive
the daily digest of National Security Agency
electronic secrets that Washington possesses,
intercepts gathered by ultra secret satellites and
Time notes that the intercepts would have included
listening d evices, These often bear the special
material from I raq and also information from spying
code-word UMBRA, a category beyond TOP
on NSA targets that are " , not only hostile
SECRET, reserved for the most sensitive
countries but also U,S, allies", (The spying on
electronic intelligence, Typically, the NSA
Washington's allies passes without commentl),
targets not only hostile countries but also US
Officials have not completely dismissed the idea
allies"(Time, 1 6 March 1 998, p, 26) [emphasis
that the material may have just been lost in a
added, Ed ] departmental cock-up,
On the same theme, Statewatch reported in its
January-February 1 998 issue (p, 1 9) that, "The
UK's overseas intelligence gathering service, MI6
" spies on other EU [European Union]
governments to strengthen their position in
negotiation", Among European nations"", the UK
alone has access to the most closely g uarded

Peace Researcher - Page 4

Waihopai Questions Asked in Parliament
·
On 22 December 1997, Tim
Barnett, Labour MP from
Christchurch, asked a set of
questions in Parliament about
developments and operations
at Waihopai. The questions and the responses,
replete with distortion and eVilsion, are
reported below. It is hoped that a fUl1her set of
follow-up questions will be presented to the
Prime Minister soon.
[Question] 1 7 6 1 3 Tim Barnett (TB) What are the
planned starting and completion dates for the
construction of the second antenna at the GCSB's
Waihopai Station. and what is the projected cost of
the new antenna and its construction?
Shipley: Construction of the second antenna at the
GCSB's Waihopai station has already started. As
was announced publicly in July this yea: [1997], the
antenna was planned to be in use withi� a year at
an estimated cost of $3.4 million. [Norice that the
cost is attributed to the antenna only and not the
full costs of developmentl
1 7614 TB: What are the planned starting and
completion dates for the installation of new
equipment for monitoring telephone
communications at the GCSB's Waihcpai Station,
and what is the projected cost of this equipment?
Shipley: Other than providing information relating
to the second antenna at the GCSB's Waihopai
Station, I am not prepared, for reason:, of national
security, to disclose further information concerning
the enhancement of the Bureau's operational
capabilities. [No denial of installation for monitoring
telephone communications!]
1 76 1 5 TB: Why has the requirement for planning
approval under the Resource Management Act
1 991 [been] waived for the construction of the
second antenna at the GCSB's Waihopai Station?
Shipley: Planning approval for the construction of
the second antenna at the Waihopai Station was
not waived. Section 4(2) of the Resource
Management Act 1 991 provides that th" provisions
of the Act do not apply to any work or a�tivity of the
Crown which the Minister of Defence certifies is
necessary for reasons of national security. The
Minister of Defence has issued such a : ' ertificate in
this case.
Peace Researcher - Page 5
17616 TB: Will a warrant be required before ,
GCSB can intercept the communications of New
Zealanders, as has been provided for under the
Crimes (Exemption of Listening Device).£Jrder
1 997; if so, who will be responsible for issuing the
warrants, and what will be the criteria upon which
they judge whether to allow the interception to take
place; if not, why not?
Shipley: The GCSB does not intentionally intercept
the communications of New Zealanders, nor does
the Crimes (Exemption of Listening Device) Order
1 997 provide for such interception. The Order-In­
Council permits the Bureau to intercept specified
foreign communications for foreign intelligence
purposes. No interception warrant is required for
such activities. [Note. "The GCSB does not
intentionally intercept the communications of New
Zealanders: (1) It does do so accidentally? (2) Its
mates (who ask the station to intercept
communications) can use Waihopai to do it (3)
Shipley does not define "foreign" intelligence]
1 76 1 7 TB: Did the I ntelligence and Security
Agencies Committee agree to the Crimes
(Exemption of Listening Device) Order 1 997?
Shipley The prinCipal function of the ISC in
relation to the GCSB is to examine the policy,
administration and expenditure of the Bureau The
Committee has no executive functions. As with any
other example of secondary legislation, decisions
relating to the Crimes (Exemption of Listening
Device) Order 1 997 were taken by the Cabinet
The ISC therefore had no role in agreeing to this
decision. My predecesser, Mr Bolger, did however
choose to ensure that all members of the ISC were
fully briefed on this matter before the final deGision
was taken.
1 76 1 8 TB: Will New Zealanders be allowed
access to information collected about them by the
GCSB at its Waihopai Station as has been
provided for under the Crimes (Exemption of
Listening Device) Order 1 997, under the Privacy
Act 1 993?
Shipley: I refer the Honourable Member to my
answer to Question Number 1 76 1 6. As no
information about New Zealanders will be coll'3cted
by the GCSB under the Crimes (Exemption of
Listening Device) Order 1 997, the que,;tion of
access under the Privacy Act 1 993 does not arise.
[Note again: "no information about New Zealanders
will be col/ected by the GCSB". It is common
practice amongst overseas intelligence agencies to
get their mates to collect information on their own
nationals so they can deny doing so 'hemselves.
See also Question 17621 below]
176 1 9 TB: How much has been spent on new
security measures at the GCSB's Waih'Jpai Station
in the last 1 2 months?
Shipley Approximately $300,000 has been spent
on new security measures at the GCSE's Waihopai
Station in the last 1 2 months. [This presumably
includes none of the new fencing and other
measures that went into place before1997. So what
new security is in place?}
1 7620 TB: Will any intercepted coml1unications
of New Zealanders as are allowed to be collected
under the Crimes ( Exemption of Listening Device)
Order 1 997 be supplied to other nations under
intelligence sharing arrangements?
Shipley: I refer the Honourable Member to my
answers to Questions Numbers 1 76 1 6 and 1 76 1 8.
1 7621 TB: Are allied foreign intelligence agencies.
such as the National Security Agency and Defence
signals Directorate, permitted to intercept
communications of New Zealanders at the GCSB's
Waihopai Station and, if they are not specifically
prohibited from doing so, what controls does the
New Zealand Government imposE on their
interception of New Zealanders' communications,
will this information always be seEn by New
Zealand intelligence staff prior to being transmitted
to the foreign intelligence agencies?
Shipley: The Waihopai Station is a New Zealand
Governrnent facility, wholly under the control of the
GCSB. Its purpose is the collection of foreign
intelligence, which does not involve collecting the
cornmunications of New Zealanders. [The fact that
Waihopai is "wholly under the control oUhe GCSB"
does not preclude other spook agencies plugging
into its interception systems.
5rUP/P6 6;10111 "THAT PMPu>YPP6
PP�FoRAlt SprreR WHI/..P
U�""PtJltJ6 7l::> �/C /
Peace Researcher - Page 6
Nicky Hager's book "Secret Power" and other
evidence, clearly shows Wahopai is part of a
listening network utilised by all the UKUSA
agencies.]
1 7622 TB What was the total cost of the police
operation during public protests at the GCSB
Wahopai Station in January 1 997, including the
police salaries, overtime payments, transport and
other extra costs beyond the average weekend
polioe costs in Marlborough?
Elder (Minister of Police) A total of 23 police staff
were employed at various times for the d uration of
the police operation from 1 7 to 1 9 January 1 997.
Police salaries remained the same as they would
have been, regardless of the operation, and the
only extra costs were abour $500 for meals.
Following the protests, 20 persons were convicted
of trespass. [Over the years ABC has been roundly
criticised a number of times for costs its protests
have imposed on the pOlice. Apologies now in
orderl]
1 7623 TB What directions and requests did the
Marlborough Police receive from the Government
and or the GCSB in relation to the style and
strength of policing during the public protests at
the GCSB Waihopai Station in January 1 997 and
did you issue any special directions to the police
conoerning that operation?
Elder: No directions or requests were received
from the Government, the GCSB, or myself in
relation to the style and strength of policing during
the public protests at Waihopai in January 1 997.
[Editor's Note: Comments in square brackets have
been added by the Editors. The questions and
answers are printed in full apart from using GCSB
instead of the complete written title. References to
the Crimes (Exemption of Listening Device) Order
1997 have been edited to avoid the inconsistent
use of Crime/Crimes and Device/Devices in the
questions as reported.]
BY MIKE PETERS
�
-'"�",",,<4�_
. '­
Boost to Waihopai's Spying Capability
Well Underway
Construction of the second antenna at Waihopai The two photographs below show the construction
proceeding with the new antenna being lifted onto
began oin May and is expected to be complete by
its base. It is sited at the rear (west) of the first
the end of June. The new developments will
radome. Staff from the manufacturers of the
double the GCS8's capacity to spy on
equipment are working with local contractors on the
communications. Most importantly it will now give
construction.
the spy base the capability to listen in on
international phone calls

Peace Researcher - Page 7

Kiwi MI6 Agent Gaoled for Threatened Whistleblowing
Richard John Charles Tomlinson, 34, is a New
Zealander with dual British citizenship, A
Cambridge graduate, he was recruited by MI6,
British external intelligence, in 1 992, That was a
fateful move, Posted to Moscow under diplomatic
cover, his job was to trace nuclear weapons from
the fomer Soviet arsenal. I n an unnamed Middle
Eastern country (probably Iran), his brief was to
disable equipment for chemical weapons,
Bosnia was the flashpoint - whilst them, to identify
war criminals, he became aware of claims by a
dissident Tory MP that Serb politi:ians were
making donations to the Conservative Party,
Tomlinson decided to investigate - the most likely
reason why MI6 decided not to employ him at the
end of his three year probation, citing his tendency
"to go off on his own frolics' (Usten"r, 24/1/98;
"The spy who spooks MI6"; Gordon Carnpbell),
Tomlinson decided not to go quietly, His girlfriend
had just d ied of cancer; he was depl'essed, and
pissed off at being dismissed, He wrote letters to
his superiors, threatening to contact a "hostile
Power" (ibid), In February 1 997, MI6 did a deal with
him, They paid him money for unfair clismissal, in
return for him handing over any secrets in his
posseSSion and a promise not to publish, But, in
April 1 997, he reneged, flying to Sydney and
offering a book synopsis to a publisher. Both MI6
and the police Special Branch came after him - the
publisher handed over the synopsis, which has
never been made public,
After his return to Britain, his house was burgled
and his computer stolen. In Octobe( 1 997, his
house and that of his parents were simultaneously
raided, with the seizure of more files and
computers. He was arrested, charged under the
Official Secrets Act with disclosing information
gathered during his MI6 employment, and
remanded in custody. His treatment was vindictive
- he was held in a high security prison; authorities
applied, unsuccessfully, to have him handcuffed
during court appearances.
Tomlinson was charged under the sweeping
Official Secrets Act passed by th" Thatcher
government in 1 989. He described it as so
sweeping that "I would have been guilty even if I
had disclosed the colour of the camets in the
office" (ibid) Tomlinson pleaded guil'!y, to get a
lighter sentence,and was duly gao ed for 1 2
months. H e became the first British agent gaoled
for secrecy violations since George Blake, 36 years
earlier.
Peace Researcher Page 8
Tomlinson may have the last laugh. With good
behaviour, he could be out in a few months, and it
remains to be seen whether he does exact revenge
on his former employers by spilling the beans. The
most striking thing is that although he was charged
with offences dating from John Major's
Conservative government, it was Tony Blair's
"New" Labour government that authorised his
prosecution. The same Labour that, in Opposition,
had been very vocal against the 1 989 legislation.
The more things change, the more they stay the
same.
David Shayler, a former MI5 (internal intelligence)
agent has made similar disclosures (see PR 14.
Ed.) and had to flee Britain to avoid prosecution. In
a series of revelations in the Mail on Sunday, he
said that MI5 still holds files on Home Secretary,
Jack Straw and Minister Without Portfolio, Peter
Mandelson (among others). The Labour
government got a court injunction to stop the paper
publishing any more of Shayler's revelations. Media
reaction was low key " only the Observer
editorialised: "The time has come to abolish MI5
and transfer its few legitimate functions to MI6 ... the
tracking of spies is the job of the police at home
and MI6 abroad" (quoted in Statewatch, January­
February 1 998). MI5 definitely seems to be on light
duties" in January 1 998 it was revealed that its
counter subversion F Branch has only "half a desk
officer who concerns himself with the pensions of
former officers" (Times, 1 2/1 /98). Only the fascist
Column 88 is now defined as subversive. Not only
was it heavily infiltrated by MI5 spooks, it no longer
exists. So what subversives are MI5 countering?
To cover its h istorical tracks, MI5 is destroying old
files on "subversives". This should be stopped,
because those files contain a multitude of crimes
by British Intelligence. Old files placed in the Public
Records Office in 1 997, for example, reveal that an
MI5 undercover agent was secretary to the leader
of the British Communist Party in the 1 930s. And
that a militant suffragette gaoled for ten years in
1 9 1 7 for plotting to assassinate the Prime Minister,
Lloyd George, was set up by MI5. Civil liberties
organisations in Britain have called for these old
MI5 files to be handed over to their subjects, to
enable them to sue.
British Intelligence is far from from dead. In
January 1 998, Republican News revealed that the
IRA had intercepted British Army files disclosing
intelligence operations throughout Ireland, not just
in Northern Ireland. This data included
surveillance . . Continued on next pageCir
.
SIS Comes out of the Closet - Not!
April 1 998 marked a new development in the
woeful history of the NZ Security (?) Intelligence
(??) Service (???). It published a glossy 29 page
booklet entitled "Security in New Zealand Today".
with intoductions from PM Jenny Shipley (the
Minister In Charge of the SIS) and its Director, Don
Mclver I won't go into the details, because I want
all PR readers to get their own free copy from the
SIS (see adresses at the end of article)
There was a great deal of media puffery, with very
little light shed on the subject. One of the few
astute journalists was the Evening Post's Hanks
Schouten. When he interviewed Mclver he floored
him by asking what had the SIS done about the
illegal introduction of rabbit calicivirus into the
country in 1 997. Mclver replied 'Nobody has ever
asked me that question before. It was not an issue
that fell within our definition of security" (8/4/98;
"Lifting the SIS veil"). But as Schouten pointed out:
"farming is vital to the New Zealand economy, so
presumably the well signalled illegal introduction of
the rabbit killing RCD virus by some South Island
farmers was a blatant piece of subversion
warranting SIS interest?" (ibid). Good point, but
don't expect to see SIS agents spying on farmers
just yet
"Secret Power" author, Nicky Hager, the man who
spies on the spies, said that the booklet is no
substitute for real change in the SIS. "In a decade
of increasingly secretive government and
intolerance of protest, the booklet fails to give
reassurance that the growing powers of the SIS
won't be m isused by the present or a future
government. It makes no mention of the SIS's
disreputable past, where numerous New
Zealanders' lives were intruded upon for taking part
in worthy political causes; causes many of which
are part of mainstream opinion today. If the Service
genuinely wants to reassure the public that it has
changed, then it should allow changes to the parts
of the SIS Act which have been misused in the
past
0!r from previous page data and maps and aerial
...
photos pinpointing the homes of Sinn Fein
councillors and peace talk negotiators. On past
evidence, such material could "fall off a truck" into
the possession of Loyalist death squads. This was
being done during a "ceasefire". It's high time that
Britain ended its war against the Irish and withdrew
its military and its spies from its oldest colony.
Indeed it's high time that Britain's eleborate spy
apparatus was pensioned off.
Peace Researcher - Page 9
"Instead the powers of the SIS were broadened In
1 996 while retaining the Cold War role of spying on
. subversives', a term that has been used to justify
targeting unionists, Springbok Tour . protesters,
peace activists, students and vanous other
opponents of government policies. If the agency
has genuinely changed, the public deserves to see
changes in the law". He said that it is worthwhile
that the SIS has dropped some of the pointless
secrecy of the past "After decades of obsessive
secrecy, such as hiding information about staff
numbers and structures, they have realised that the
agency's long-term survival is better served by
being a bit more open." He hopes the publication of
the booklet will prompt more public debate about
the SIS and lead to long-overdue changes to the
SIS Act (press release; 8 April, 1 998; "New NZSIS
Booklet Should Not Reassure Public').
GAD Watchdog's Aziz Choudry, the victim of the
bungled 1 996 SIS break in at his Christchurch
home (see previous PRs) issued a stinging
statement "At a time of cutbacks to health,
education, welfare and other sectors, and with the
end of the Cold War, the SIS are clearly struggling
to Justify their existence and their budgetary
demands to both the government and the New
Zealand public. It must be very stressful in the
nervous nineties, now that the supposed "commie
threat" has receded as fast as the hairlines of
some SIS operatives to conjure up new wacko
conspiracy theories 'In order to justify snooping on
people like me engaged in social justice and
development education work, and to explain
expenses such as pork pies and Penthouse
magazines.
"In reality the public purse is paying for the SIS to
potentially surveil or monitor anyone critical of
government policy. This could include unions
:
academics who are critics of the free market, Maon
working for tino rangatiratanga, and other
organisations and individuals that the SIS can
argue pose a threat to New Zealand's international
or economic wellbeing or are somehow
'subversive'.The existence of the SIS is one
symptom of an unhealthy climate of intolerance of
dissent which has grown in New Zealand ."
"The SIS will no doubt be jockeying to play a big
role around the 1 999 APEC meetings, slated to be
the biggest security operation in New Zealand
history. The public should remember it was the
SIS, with police complicity, who furtively broke into
a GAD Watchdog member's house and played
cloak and dagger games with a getaway vehicle
registered to a fictitious company in Wellington, not
so called 'activists' or 'protesters' . . .The thinking
person has far more to fear from the SIS than from
so-called radicals and subversives - which often
seem to be catch-all labels for anyone with the
courage of their convictions to take a stand against
the status quo As long as the SIS exists, anyone
who clings to the notion that New Zealand is a
democratic society in which all are free to express
their views and opinions should think again" (press
release, 8 April 1998; "SIS Booklet A Week Late
For April Fool's Day - Break In Victim").
Hank Schouten did ask Don Mclver about this
notorious break in. The Director replied: "It's not
something I can talk about because as you're
probably aware, it is subject to court proceedings.
The only thing I can say about that is again it's an
illustation of the fact that the service operates
within the law - if they want to take us to court, they
can take us to court" (Evening Post, 8 April, 1998)
Philippines
Is Uncle Sam Coming in Through the Back Door?
Cleaning Up The Mess
Peace Researcher has documented the toxic
legacy of nearly a century of US military bases in
the Philippines (the only Asian country to have
been an American colony). The bases were closed
and the US military left, as a consequence of the
historic 1991 Philippines Senate vote not to renew
the bases treaty. But the consequences won't go
away, and are still hurting people years after the
closure.
Supposedly there have been regular talks between
the US and the Philippines to solve the toxic waste
problem. But the People's Task Force on Bases
Cleanup pOinted out that, by January 1998, there
had only been three such official meetings since
1994. Spokesperson Myrla Baldonaldo said: "The
Philippine government only brings up the issue only
when people have become restive about it"
(Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 4, 1998).
Both former major bases have toxic contamination
problems. Retired US Admiral Eugene Carroll Jr,
deputy director of the US Center for Defense
Information, stated that during his Navy service he
had personally witnessed the contamination of
Subic Bay Naval Base by "immense quantities of
waste materials including metallic compounds,
Peace Researcher - Page 10
Aziz Choudry has filed a civil claim in Christchurch,
seeking $150,000 damages from the SIS. Things
are happening in that case but I'm afraid that PR
can't tell you about them because it's all sub judice.
But don't worry, you'll be the first to know.
. Murray Horton
To order your free copy of the SIS booklet, write to
them at Box 900, Wellington (ph 04 - 4726170) , or
Box 5578, Wellesley Street, Auckland (ph 09 -
3032675) or Box 2654, Christchurch (ph 03 -
3662742). Why not collect it in person? National
HQ is on the 7th and 8th floors of Defence House,
Stout Street, Wellington (the building featured in all
exterior shots in the TV series "Market Forces').
Cantabrians can pop up to see them on the 4th
floor of 70 Gloucester Street, Christchurch. Ask for
a cup of tea and a couple of bikkies - you're paying
their wages.
solvents, paints and other toxic substances,
including PCBs . . . " (Today, 5 October, 1997) .
Carroll said that the debris and waste from ship
repairs during the Vietnam War were "simply
flushed into the air, water and soil of Subic" (ibid).
In late 1997, the Clark Development Corporation,
which is now running the gigantic former Clark Air
Force Base in central Luzon, released an
environmental study by ASia Star Weston Inc. It
acknowledged that 12 sites within Clark have toxic
contamination, mainly pesticides and inorganic
residues of fuels.
The US Ambassador duly handed over some
information to the Philippines government. But Arc
Ecology, a Californian environmental group
specialising in toxic contamination, questioned the
scope of the Asia Star Weston report. And the
Canadian based Institute of Concern for Public
Health criticised official assurances that the toxic
wastes pose no health risk. The Institute's
president, Rosalie Bertell, pOinted out that its own
study of 13 communities within and outside Clark
yielded "startlingly high" levels of kidney diseases
and general kidney problems (PDI, 13 October,
1997).
In December 1 997, drums of unidentified contents
from Clark turned up in a nearby village, with
resultant health problems for locals. ,� 1 994 US
NGO study of the former Camp John Hay, an R &
R facility in Baguio City, had turned up seven areas
of possible toxic contamination.
Despite the soothingly reassuring official
environmental studies (consultants Woodward
Clyde have done one at Subic), the issue of
dangerous toxic wastes at the former US bases is
a legacy that is not going to go away any time soon.
New US/Philippines Visiting
Forces Agreement
Since 1 992 the US and the PhilippineE' have been
negotiating a new Acquisition and Cross Servicing
Agreement (ACSA), which could allow US naval
access to 22 Filipino ports. ACSA coulj also allow
the US to establish bases, with no Senate
agreement required, because they would be
sanctioned by executive agreements. In December
1 996, the US halted all joint exercises and ship
visits because the Philippines had scrapped the
legal immunity of US military personnel in the
Philipp·l nes.
Throughout 1 997, the two governments negotiated
a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFP, - the very
thing that has caused such bitterness in Japan,
especially Okinawa, and South Korea) This could
be considerably more far reaching than its previous
equivalents, which only applied within Subic and
Clark. The US applied pressure to grant diplomatic
immunity to US servicemen taking part in joint
military exercises in the Philippines Professor
Roland Simbulan, of the Nuclear Free Philippines
Coalition, said: "Status of Forces Agreements are
normally granted only to countries hosting US
facilities and military bases ... lt would be
unprecedented, and an abuse of tne right of
legation, to extend the diplomatic immunities and
privileges that we grant to diplomatE' to visiting
foreign military personnel" (APe; Focus,
NovemberlDecember 1 997). Negotiat,ons stalled
over issues such as whether the Philippines'
Department of Justice or a joint US/Philippines
panel would determine whether a US soldier
should be tried in local courts or under US
jurisdiction .
In February 1 998, the two government�; signed the
Agreement. now called the Visiting Forces
Agreement. Philippines Foreign Secretary,
Domingo Siazon, was at pains to stress that it is
not an i m munity agreement, nor a bases one.
However, Siazon also made clear that some former
Peace Researcher - Page 1 1
US bases would be reactivated . For instance, the
Crow Valley Range, within the former Clark Air
Force Base. The US Air Force previously used it as
a bombing practice area, and other air forces,
including New Zealand's, used it for the multi­
national Cope Thunder exercises. Clark was
closed by the 1 991 Mt Pinatubo eruption and Crow
Valley turned over to the Philippines Air Force. That
will be reopened.
But there was uproar from the mass movement
that had succeeded in throwing the US bases out
in 1 991/92. "We are outraged by the Ramos
government's move of selling off our people's
sovereignty by Signing the Status of Forces
Agreement and consequently making our women
and children vulnerable to abuse and exploitation"
said liza Maza, secretary general of GABRIELA,
the Philippines National womens organisation.
"There is no denying that the presence of foreign
military intervention almost always result to grave
abuse and exploitation of women and children as
showcased by Angeles and Olongapo" (the "R & R
cities that serviced Clark and Subic. Ed. ) . "With 22
more ports being opened for US military access
and in the face of grave economic criSiS, the
number of prostituted women may very well reach
a million before the next millennium" Maza added.
The group also stressed that the Immunity Clause
on the VFA virtually gives US military personnel
"diplomatic license to violate our women and
children". "Whether the US or the Philippines will
prosecute the offending US personnel is no longer
an issue. The fact is, our women and children will
be prostituted and abused" they added. From 1 981
to 1 988, fifteen cases of sexual abuse of children
between ages 1 1 to 1 6 were filed. All these were
against US servicemen and all were dismissed.
"This so called 'new phase' of Philippine-US
relations only promotes safeguard to continued US
imperialist interests in the country.The group said
that they will continue efforts to struggle against
"this invigorated foreign intervention just like we did
in 1 99 1 " ("GABRIELA Says No To VFA", 1 3/2/98).
This battle is far from over. The VFA requires
Senate ratification, and this has been held over for
the new Senate, after the May 1 998 election It's
not only the question of immunity from Filipino
jurisdiction which has caused outrage - the 1 987
Constitution declares the country nuclear weapons
free. The return of the US military, albeit only
"visiting", jeopardises this. Anything to do with US
military ties is political dynamite in the Philippines,
and the VFA has attracted opposition in the
Establishment as well. Its passage cannot be
guaranteed.
New US Base in Mindanao?
The fears of a new US base being established in
the Philippines took concrete form in '997, with a
major USAID funded project building an
international airport, port and roads in General
Santos City, southern Mindanao. This caused
suspicion and alarm in the region. Dan Vizmanos,
retired Philippines Navy captain and Ba/an national
president, said that the configuration of the airport,
port and roads was that of "a strategic military
base" (PDI, 23 October, 1 997). Bishop Dinualdo
Gutierrez, Bishop of General Santos City, urged his
flock to fight any move to locate a US Navy base
there. H e pointed out that the port opens out onto
the strategic Saranganl Bay (on the CE,lebes Sea),
which is sheltered from the typhoons that batter the
Philippines. Maybe just as importantly. it's a long
way from Metro Manila and the politica' hotbeds of
Luzon. South Cotabato Governor, Hilano de Pedro
Ill, said that the bilateral agreement 1:0 build the
airport allows for its use by "friendly countries" in
time of war (POI, 1 6 October 1 997).
The US E m bassy emphatically denied that it was
building a base, saying the project is for
infrastructure development in Mindana.o, following
on from other USAID projects in Mind·3nao dating
back to 1 987.The Embassy went furthe,', denying
Okinawa: The Struggle Continues
Peace Researcher has covered, for sElVeral years
now, the heroic struggle of the Okinawcln people to
be rid of the multiplicity of US bases forced upon
them by both the US and Japan. The bl"utal rape of
a 1 2 year old schoolgirl by three Gls, in 1 995,
brought m atters to a head and provoked huge
mass protests which captured the worlc's attention.
A new US/Japan agreement on Okillawa made
some minor concessions but basically u pheld the
status quo, The onus was put on the Japanese
government to ram it down Okinawa's throat,
preferably by armtwisting anti-bases Okinawan
politicians into doing their dirty work.
The latest example of this came in December
1 997. As part of the (April 1 997) agreement, the
US will close the Futenma Marine Corps Air
Station. But, by way of replacement, Japan has
agreed to build it a new offshore helipon, adjacent
Peace Researcher - Page 1 2
any executive agreements and: "We wish to make
it absolutely clear that the United States
government is not discussing an acquisition and
cross-servicing agreement with the government of
the Philippines" (POI, 23 October, 1 997)
The US project has already won it influential local
friends. Sarangani Governor, Priscilla Chiongbian,
said she favoured giving landing rights to the US
military because "they are friendly forces and they
gave us that airport". (POI, 2 November 1 997). But
the Pentagon still has to win a lot of hearts and
minds - the General Santos City Council pointed
out that it had passed three resolutions, in 1 990
and 1 9 9 1 , urging the President and Senate to
remove all US bases from the Philippines (which
the Senate duly did, against the fervent oppOSition
of President Cory Aquino, in 1 99 1 ), The Filipino
people, whether in Luzon or Mindanao, have made
it clear that Uncle Sam will only get back in over
their dead bodies,
- Murray Horton
Reprinted from Kapatiran 1 3, May 1 998, the
newsletter of the Philippines Solidarity Network of
Aotearoa, Box 2450, Christchurch, NZ.
to the city of Nago, The population voted
overwhelmingly against it, in a non-binding
referendum, But the Government twisted the arm
of Mayor Tetsuya Higa, dangling the carrot of
economic support for Okinawa, Japan's poorest
prefecture. The Mayor caved in, and outraged
locals held a sit in at his office, One said: "We don't
want any more United States bases - of any kind -
on Okinawa, It is saturated with U nited States
bases and we haven't been able to develop our
agriculture or anything because so much of
Okinawa is taken up by the United States military"
( NZ Herald, 27 December, 1 997 "Anger as mayor
gives way over US base"). Part of the Japanese
pressure was to placate the depressed
construction industry, clamouring for a slice of the
$US1 billion project, Prime Minister Ryutaro
Hashimoto has been severely criticised for
trampling on Okinawans' democratic rights, They
are not taking it lying down. Further mass protest
action was held in May 1998, centering on Kadena
Air Force Base, and featuring an international
conference
Perhaps the most eloquent account of life on
Okinawa a ppeared in the July/August 1997 issue of
APe Focus, a US church-based publication.
Mariko Matsuda described childhood horrors such
as an 11 year old girl killed by a trailer dropped
from a helicopter, and a B52 bomber crashing at
Kadena.
Today she and her family live only 100 metres from
the Futenma base fence. "From early morning until
late at night, we can hear the sound of helicopters
overhead . . . it drowns out our TV and we cannot talk
on the telephone . . . My daughter's elementary
school is located 300 metres from Futenma Base.
Whenever the helicopters fly over the school, the
noise is so great that the classes come to a halt
since teachers and students are unable to hear
each other. The school has been soundproofed so
that now the windows in the classrooms cannot
open.
SPOOKY BITS
Korean Spooks manipulate
Electoral Politics
Seven top-ranking officials of South Korea's
Agency for National Security Planning (formerly
known as the Korean Central Intelligence Agency)
have been sacked for running operations to
prevent current President Kim Dae-Jung from
coming to power. Two other spooks have been
arrested. The former head of the ANSP and his
deputies allegedly ran a task force to smear Kim
Dae-Jung with stories that he was a leftist favoured
by North Korea. Large sums of money were offered
to defectors and people living in the United States
to spread this story. Since Kim became President
in December ten per cent of the spy agency's 7,000
employees have been sacked.
Burma's Spies Get Priority
The Asia Defence Journal reported last September
that the Burmese Government has opened a high­
tech warfare and spying centre built and supplied
by a Singaporean company. The new Cyber
Peace Researcher - Page 13
Since Okinawa is very hot in summer, air
conditioners have been instal/ed in every
classroom. This expense is covered by the
'Compassion Budget'. that portion of Japan's
defence budget that goes to support the US military
presence in Japan . . . Okinawa citizens feel very
angry about the Japanese government's
, Compassion Budget' which funds the construction
of facilities inside the US bases in Japan, pays the
salary of Japanese base employees, and pays all
of the base electricity, gas, and water bills. This
'Compassion Budget' covers 70% of the total cost
of maintain',ng the US military presence in Japan.
"We cannot leave our island and move some place
else Just because we know the bases are
dangerous, Our hope is that the bases will be
reduced and ultimately removed from Okinawa.
We wish to live in harmony with the other peoples
of Asia, free of military bases, Our hope is that
Okinawa may become an island where true peace
will be achieved" That perfectly reasonable wish is
one that deserves the fullest support from the
peoples of the Asia/Pacific region.
- Murray Horton
Warfare Centre in Rangoon has been established
to tap domestic phones, fax and E-mail lines
throughout the country, Despite severe economic
problems and plummeting foreign reserves, the
military government in Burma spends more than
half its yearly budget on defence and security,
History Revisited?
The German Government has passed a
controversial law which grants police surveillance
powers that had been banned since the end of the
Nazi era. The Constitution has been changed to
allow the police to plant m icrophones and use other
devces to listen in on conversations. The draft law
excluded priests, members of parliament and
defence lawyers from surveillance but
amendments enforced by opposition parties added
journalists, lawyers, physicians and accountants to
the list of occupations exempt from bugging,
except in "exceptional circumstances". Whether
the exclusions will have any practical result
remains to be seen.
Stasi History Pieced Together
Workers in Germany continue to document the
dangers of secret intelligence organisations as
papers from thousands of sacks of shredded files
from the former East German secret police are
pasted together. "I came across very intimate
things, transcripts of telephone conversations, love
letters, " said one of the workers. "It's frightening,
unbelievable. They knew everything about
everybody." [Bangkok Na tion, 1 8 October 1 997]
One letter was from a person denouncing their
neighbour for failing to hang out the national flag on
a national holiday. Others showed a husband and
wife spied on each other for years without ever
suspecting their partner was doing thi�,. A bishop
and university professors were a(lents. The
documentation so far revealed is only a tiny portion
of the former agency's files.
M i l itary Mad ness - Hackers Make a Big H it
B ut Little Change for the New M i l len i u m !
As the right wing of Congress seeks to wipe out the
1 972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and move ahead
with development of a defence system to guard
against incoming missiles, an interna'iional group
of computer hackers is claiming to have accessed
software at the heart of US space warfare.
"Masters of Downloading" [MOD] say they have
stolen programmes from the American Defence
I nformation Systems Network. P, Defence
Department spokesperson has confirmed they are
"aware of an intrusion" but has dowl1played the
importance of the hack. However, an expert on
computer systems who has spoken with MOD is
"very very confident " that their claims are real.
[Sydney Morning Hera ld, 23 April 1 998]
The hackers say that last October they stole
software that controls the Global Positioning
System - a central element of US space warfare -
and programmes involved with pinpointing missile
strikes, guiding troops, and assessing ground
conditions. As the Pentagon moves closer to the
acquisition of a space warfare armoury and
increasing dependence on computer-based digital
warfare, any possibility of security breaches in the
system is likely to send the generals themselves
ballistic. "Advanced" forms of modern warfare have
spy satellites and sophisticated global positioning
systems as essential elements. Current U.S.
development of space war weapons is totally
dependent on computer programming, and
Peace Researcher - Page 1 4
Palestinian Security Abuses
Reported
A report from the Palestinian I ndependent
Commission for Human Rights claims that
detainees continue to suffer torture and other
human rights abuses at the hands of the
Palestinian Authority's security service. "Torture
and abuse are frequently practised by the security
services" . [ Ba ngkok Post, 2 1 February 1 998] Last
year six Palestinians died in custody. Because of
the absence of Government supervision the role of
the security apparatus has become more important
than the government itself according to the
commission, which was itself appointed by the
Palestinian Authority. The commission calls for a
ban on torture and "effective control on the security
apparatus". A universal theme!
***********************************************************
absolute assurances that there can be no
penetration of the system by outsiders. I n October
1 997 the US began testing laser weapons that
originated from Reagan's Star Wars fantaSies and
which threaten to renew an arms race based on the
means to attack and defend crucial military satellite
systems in space. I n one test a laser fired from a
military base in New Mexico struck a small
obsolete US Air Force satellite 400 kilometres
above the surface of the earth. But other tests
produced significant failures and some sectors of
the military are not happy about draining funds
from conventional areas to finance an enormously
costly and unproven new defence system. Costs of
such a system have been put around $250 billion.
Development of lasers to knock out the satellites
of an enemy and destroy incoming missiles has
been in progress for many years but until three
years ago the military were prohibited from test­
firing by Congress. Republicans have now adopted
policy that calls for deployment of multiple-site
missile defences by 2003. Critics say (amongst
other things) that the US has most to lose from
development of these weapons because it is the
most dependent on military technology in space.
Perhaps the Pentagon has zapped itself in the foot,
but everyone will suffer from beginning the new
millenium with the birth of another costly
apocalypse threatening arms race. Hackers may
be our only hope!
'New' US Strategy Revealed The directive restates the commitment to
maintaining a nuclear arsenal based on land-based
In November last year Clinton put his signature to
and submarine-launched missiles as well as air
Presidential Decision Directive 60 - a new U S
force bombs. It continues to reserve the option of
strategic plan that makes few changes to Cold
first use of nuclear weapons. While the new policy
War Intentions to blast Russia 0ff the face of the
does allDw for further reductions in the US nuclear
earth. But now the Pent,,, on will also be
weapons stockpile it will probably mean dispensing
preoccupied with plans to blast other states - be
with antiquated weapons and developing more
they nuclear powers or not - to extinction. Although
sophisticated specifically-targetted warheads and
the new directive is highly classified. reports so far
bombs. The annual cost of retaining the US
suggest that it orders military planners to broaden
nuclear strike capacity is about fifty billion US
their list of potential targets to include any state
countries dollars per year.
which might use chemical or biological weapons.
This directly contradicts a 1 995 UN Secunty
Washington's military planners will no longer
Council pledge where Washington promised nDt to
concentrate so myopically on Russia. but the on­
use. or threaten to use, nuclear weapons against
going development of weaponry in that country and
countries that have renounced their use or
in China means the Pentagon will continue with
development
strike scenarios against both these countries.
Bill Arkin, defence analyst and Pentagon critic,
Russia plans to heavily reduce the number of its
writes that preparing scenarios for a nuclear
ground forces over the next few years but will
response to non-nuclear weapons wrongly
continue to develop its n uclear weapons capability
assumes that deterrence is only credible if precise
China's rapidly developing technology means its
plans are in place, and wrongly assumes that
nuclear weapons will become more of a threat, and
nuclear weapons are the ultimate deterrent to
developments in India and Pakistan will surely
"rogue" nations. [Bulletin Df the Atomic Scientists,
further strengthen the Pentagon's antediluvian
March/April 1 998J He says PDD60 stems from
struggle to maintain its nuclear strike power
Pentagon fears that START I I I disarmament
initiatives might drop the US nuclear Inventory
down to around 2,500 warheads.
- Warren Thomson

Quest for Peace: Confession, Lies & Heroes

Greg Jones reviews a new book
by Will Foote
The author's sense of humour and obvious love of
Here is a booklet which crams a life-time of
people bubbles to the surface on nearly every
involvement with the 'peace movement' in
page; and he throws in some pertinent comments,
Aotearoa/New Zeland into sixty-three pages, so
as on page 34: "We're all fallible, we're all
don't expect a complete picture together with .
backsliders, we all get tied up in the minutiae of Ilf�
statistics and deep analyses - other books do that
We all need to know we're nDt alone. Maybe It s
As the author says in the preface, "this is a very
time fDr another PP&P," (referring to the Peace,
personal history . . . of those I've met or heard
Power and Politics Conference at Wellington in
about," and as a thumbnail sketch it succeeds with
1 993).
room to spare
There is more information in these sixty three
In a very short time (for me about ninety minutes)
pages than a lot of full-length books - which is good
one can be entertained and energised by a pacifist
news for people like myself who steer clear of large
who spent much of WWII in detention camps at
tomes like the plague. The style of writing makes
Strathmore and Paiaka and is still active today in
this booklet very accessible and an excellent
the "Top Df the South". A self-confessed agnostic
introduction into the local peace movement scene,
and humanist, Will Foote tackles the question
together with an overview of the insanity of war.
"what is the power-house of this movement?"
(page 55) and rounds off his very readable
C opies of the book are available fro m the author,
summary of the peace movement with a salute to
WJ. Foote, 1 7 Enner Glynn Rd, Nelson, for $ 1 0
three peace activists.
plus postage.

Peace Researcher - Page 1 5

4 ........
.. p
� ...
Former Officer Reveals; CIA
Communications Intercepts
Douglas Groat has been arrested for disclosing
some of the CIA's most closely guarded secrets -
details of American interception of other
governments' secret communications. Groat was
fired two years ago from the CIA's Directorate of
Science and Technology. Now he stands accused
of demanding money to keep his knowledge of
operations quiet, then last year telling two
governments how the CIA had cracked their
cryptographic systems.
The Agency's code-breaking capabilities are one of
its most jealously g uarded secrets. The popular
myth that most governments' communications are
nowadays unbreakable is widespread but the
spooks spend an enormous amount of money
breaking into buildings to plant bugs and listening
to phone calls with technically advanced
interception systems. Groat's activit;'3S are the
strongest recent confirmation that the scrambled
messages thus collected are accessed by CIA
code-breakers. No government or organisation can
be sure that Washington is not successfully spying
on its communications.
U.S. Attorney Wilma lewis, one of the prosecutors,
says, without a touch of irony. ".The alleged
unauthorised disclosure of [Groat's] activities could
have a significant impact on the nationcll security of
the U nited States." [Christchurch Press, 6 April,
1 998] Apparently the national security of the
governments whose communications are being
spied on is immaterial.
Groat's motives are not clear because the only
information at present public has come from the
U.S. Government. But no matter what these
motives, the disclosure that the CIA is listening to
the coded communications of other governments is
an exceptionally important piece of whistle-blowing
that should focus attention on the ever-increasing
power of Washington to control and subvert global
political and economic activities through
information covertly obtained by its spooks.
CIA and the Drug Trade
Since 1 996 when journalist Gary We,bb wrote a
series of newspaper articles detailin�l the CIA's
close relationship with the criminals distributing
Peace Researcher - Page 1 6
Fi l
crack cocaine in the US, investigations have been
proceeding into the Agency's use of drug money
and drug traffickers to further its own objectives.
CIA and J ustice Department reports say
accusations that Contra-connected drug dealers
were protected are groundless, but the reports
admit that some of Webb's accusations were true
and even under-stated. [Meanwhile Webb has
been forced out of journalism by establishment
pressure following his articles ]
The reports do acknowledge that cocaine
traffickers played a significant early role in the CIA­
backed Nicaraguan Contra movement and that the
Agency intervened to block a 1 984 federal inquiry
into the links, yet exonerate the Agency. Former
CIA Director John M. Deutch says the CIA report is
"convincing" (in absolving langley from blame) but
former operatives say the investigation was a
bunch of nonsense and simply went through the
motions. (Some of these, however, deny any CIA­
drugs links.) Major figures from the Nigaraguan
Contra era were never questioned.
The CIA's report admitted that the Agency knew
that a U.S. religious group was collaborating in a
guns-for-drugs operation but turned a blind eye,
saying they had no responsibility because
American citizens were involved. The Moonies
were active in supporting the Contras in the early
1 980s,. According to Bob Woodward ["Veil"]
several staff writers at the Moonie paper
Washington Times had been on the National
Security Council. Other Religious Right groups also
collaborated with the anti-Sandinista opposition.
Since 1 99 1 the CIA has become the coordinator of
counternarctics operations by the US Department
of Defense and law enforcement agencies. But in a
paper written by William Blum, former DEA team
chief Dennis Dayle is quoted as saying " . . in a 30
year history in the drug enforcement administration
and related agencies, the major targets of my
investigations almost invariably turned out to be
working for the CIA." The agency's long-running
covert support of political associates who are drug­
runners continues.
Two years ago Venezuelan General Quillen Davilla
was indicted for smuggling u p to 22 tons of cocaine
into the U.S. Davila was head of the Venezuelan
National Guard for four years. Once the CIA's most
trusted man in that country, he worked closely with
the CIA and DEA On at least one occasion a large superiors sufficiently quickly about the incident for
quantity of cocaine was stored 'In a CIA truck at a Agee to be apprehended. [LA Times, 1 4 October
CIA-funded counternarcotics centre. Several large 1 997J Such a thin story reinforces claims of CIA
shipments went to the US. According to Time harrassment against Agee, a former CIA officer,
Magazine [November 29. 1 993J a DEA investigation who wrote the seminal "Inside the Company: A CIA
showed the CIA helped Venezuelan officers run a Diary" and has been a vigorous critic of the CIA
profitable coke operation. The reason given was to
try and gather information on Colombia's drug
Bay of Pigs - CIA Debacle
barons. Langley admitted it was guilty of bad
After 37 years the truth about the CIA's attempt to
judgement Two officers involved left the Agency.
oust Castro by an invasion of Cuba has finally
emerged. In 1 961 the agency trained and equipped
C over t Action Quar terly [Summer 1 994J writes that
1400 Cuban exiles and landed them on the Bay of
Vladimiro Montesinos, the mastermind behind
Pigs expecting them to incite a popular uprising
Alberto Fujimori's seizure of power in Peru, is the
against Castro. Now the internal investigation
country's de facto drug czar. Peru's key anti-drug
made shortly after the fiasco has finally been made
agency, trained and equipped by the CIA, has been
public. It says that the CIA's ignorance,
used not for countering the narcotics trade but for
incompetence and arrogance towards the Cuban
repression and the entrenchment of FUJimori's
exiles brought on the disaster. A report in the New
power. In 1 997 the US Congress reversed
Zealand Herald [24 February 1 998] says the
restrictions on aid to Colombia's armed forces and
document criticised almost every aspect of the
voted $50 million for counterinsurgency and to stop
CIA's handling of the invasion: misinforming
drug trafficking. The Washington Post [December
Kennedy administration officials, planning poorly,
27, 1 997J notes that leaders of army-backed
using faulty intelligence, and conducting an overt
paramilitary groups have been implicated in the
military operation beyond agency responsibility and
drug trade and these groups have been
agency capability. "The choice was between retreat
responsible for civilian massacres, disappearances
without honour and gamble between ignominious
and torture. It is highly likely that the CIA, or
defeat and dubious victory. The Agency chose to
whoever controls the use of Washington's money,
gamble, at rapidly decreasing odds."
will again be closely allied with thugs and drug
pedlars while claiming to "save" Colombia from the
commies, and Californina kids from cocaine. CIA Versus Iran in Central Asia
Time Magazine [30 March, 1 998J reports "Recent
In Mexico the U .S. is providing the military with incidents in the former Soviet Republics of
extensive covert intelligence support and training Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and their less endowed
hundreds of its officers to set up anti-drug neighbour Tajikistan demonstrate a clear pattern of
operations. Officials say the assistance includes Iranian intelligence activity directed against U . S.
training, equipment and advice from the CIA [New installations and interests." Iran is attempting to
York Times, 29 December, 1 997J The same NYT counter the g rowing influence of Washington in the
article refers to recent news reports on the jailing of region and Iranian agents are "challenging their
army generals on charges of protecting drug U.S.counterparts in a murky game of cloak and
traffickers, allegations linking military officers to dagger " U .S. officials claim the Iranians are
torture and disappearance of criminal suspects, collecting information that could be useful in
and abuses of procedure. It also reminds readers terrorist strikes, and providing training in arms for
of the "disastrous CIA program in the late 1 980s to some groups in the region. Presumably
deploy a Mexican army strike force against the Washington's covert activities in a region so far
traffickers". Expect more of the same! away are much more innocent and more justified
than Iran's interest in its neighbours.
Campaign Against Phillip Agee
Continues
In October last year officials alleged that Philip
Agee went undercover as a spy for Cuba in 1 989
and tried to get secret information out of a female
staff member in the CIA's Mexican station. They
claim Agee posed as a member of langley's
inspector-general department, but an agent the
staff member took with her to a meeting with Agee
recognised him. Two officers, "considered among
the best case officers in the Mexican City Station"
[ l I I J were later disciplined for failing to notify

Photo right column: Phillip Agee

O b itu a ry : J a c q u i B a rri n g to n
Stephanie Mills
Jacqui Barrington died, of c ancer, in Dec ember
1 997, at the tragic ally young age of 52, We are
indebted to her G reenpeace colleague, Stephanie
Mills, for allowing us to print her funeral eulogy as
a tribute to J ac qui Ed
Jacqueline Barrington was an explorer and
adventurer, a charmer and a flier - an air hostess
who came down to earth, here in Aotearoa,
because she loved it so much, We are all the
better for her time here,
Jacqui was one of a bunch of wonderfully feisty,
formidable women- Elaine Shaw, Carol Stewart,
Faith Doherty, Sebia Hawkins and Bunny
McDiarmid - in Greenpeace's nuclear campaign in
the late 1 980s and early 1 990s, When I got stuck
last week trying to identify why such an eclectic
bunch of women got on, Jacqui assured me it was
because we were all hedonists, But I think it was
more than that - it was the mixture of smart
strategic thinking and the confidence and ability to
feel and connect with people spiritually, personally,
non-rationally - a mixture that Jacqui herself
embodied - and that moulded her campaigning
work,
Jacqui described herself as a "nuclear refugee"
from Thatcher's Britain and the cruise missile
threat of the early 1 980s, Like many of us, she
was inspired by the women's peace camp of
Greenham Common, and when she arrived in
Napier in 1 982 she joined the local peace group,
In 1 987, she joined Greenpeace as our Nuclear
Free Seas Campaigner, Charged with spreading
the "Kiwi Disease" - New Zealand's nuclear free
allergy - Jacqui set out to ensure the mild hayfever
of the Labour Government became a full scale
epidemic infecting everyone in New Zealand,
If being nuclear free has become entrenched in the
psyche of New Zealanders, as Richard Prebble
now bemoans, then a large part of it is down to
Jacqui. Her special contribution was her role in
converting the National Party and Federated
Farmers into supporters of the nuclear free policy,
She did this through some inspired pieces of
campaigning - combining the full force of her
formidable intelligence with a charm and W'lt that
disarmed her opponents, The Nuclear Free Sheep
tour is a textbook example: absolutely to the point
in terms of targeting and winning over a key
National Party audience of farmers; bringing
Peace Researcher - Page 1 8
something <lion I ' ,.lrough the words of a real
person - �"""";�e Steele, whose farm was still
suffering the consequences of Chernobyl years
later; but with sufficient silliness in the title of the
tour to raise a smirk on even a Southland farmer's
face, The month long tour, through the rural
heartland of New Zealand, resulted in Federated
Farmers voting against nuclear reactors in New
Zealand
The Nuclear Free Cup was another great idea - a
yacht race on Auckland Harbour to celebrate the
achievements of the peace movement, while
creating an annual reminder to our leaders that the
issue was not going away, Her creativity, her
harnessing of the energy of a wide range of people,
and her fastidious attention to detail were all
hallmarks of a great campaigner She went on to
use her skills and experience to work for the
forests and birds,
Jacqui would not wish to be sanitised or sanctified,
Her vision was strong, uncompromising and at
times, uncomfortable, She was a great lover but
also a great feuder, She could use her unique
brand of withering intimidation on the undeserv'l ng,
and tolerance was not a word you would easily
associate with her But she lived with a vigour, a
certitude of what was right, a passion for "showing
truth to power", and a talent for beauty that
enriched all of us, Her work was as colourful,
creative, serious and powerful as she herself was,
We'll miss her - as our friend, colleague, DJ at all
the best Greenpeace parties and all around lover of
life, Perhaps we'll remember Jacqui Barrington
best when we see her beloved kukupa - the swoop
and dance of courting, the exhilirating free-fall of
flight, the indulgence of a good feed, the cheek and
grace of a bird that is truly rare, Ben Okri's 'African
Elegy' [see back page] captures for me the sweet
rhythm and fire of Jacqui:
"We are the miracles that God made
To taste the bitter fruit of Time,
We are precious
And one day our suffering
Will turn into the wonders of the Earth,
There are things that burn me now
Which turn golden when I am happy,
Do you see the mystery of our pain?
That we bear poverty
And are able to sing and dream sweet things
And that we never curse the air when it is warm
Or the fruit when it tastes so good
Or the lights that bounce gently on the waters
We bless things even in our pain.
We bless them in silence.
That is why our music is so sweet
It makes the air remember
There are secret miracles at work
That only Time will bring forth.
I too have heard the dead singing.
Mi�e Moorel tne New Zealana Constitutionl ana Waino�ai
Bob Leonard raises the issue of whether it
would have been more difficult under a written
constitution for the government to manipulate
the law making Waihopai 'legal'.
Does NZ need a constitution? Mike Moore thinks
so: "Power to make decisions that will shape our
nation has been passed to courts and tribunals
without Parliament's or the people's mandate" (The
Press, 6 May 1 998, p. 5).
I would not find many issues on which I would
agree with Mike Moore. But I do think he's got
some good arguments for tightening the way
governrnent decisions are made that have
profound implications for "the people". The
example of recent changes in the Crimes Act is of
great concern to the ABC as it relates to the
Waihopai satellite spy station. In fact, the creation
of the Government Communications Security
Bureau (GCSB) which runs Waihopai was by
executive fiat under the royal prerogative.
Parliament as a whole had nothing to say in the
matter
Waihopai is currently being expanded with a new
antenna and dome and its capabilities will soon
include bulk interception of oral phone
communications (see PR- 14 for details on the
expansion).
What happened to the Crimes Act? The Governor­
General at the behest of the executive, and using
the simple device of Order in Council, simply
exempted Waihopai from provisions of the Crimes
Act ( 1 96 1 ) that prohibit the interception of private
oral communications. Thus, with the stroke of
pen, and no parliamentary debate whatsoever,
Waihopai was empowered to intercept record and
otherwise process your private international phone
calls in any way it wishes and without warrants or
any other legal restraints.
Peace Researcher - Page 1 9
And they tell me that
This life is good
They tell me to live it gently
With fire. and always with hope.
There is wonder here
And there is surprise
In everything the unseen moves.
The ocean is full of songs.
The sky is not an enemy.
Destiny is our friend" .
Democracy operating without the overall guidance
and protections of a written constitution is open to
gross abuse. New Zealand is one of the few
democracies in the world whose only "constitution"
is its ever-changing body of law - laws which can
be altered in several strange and wonderful ways
without so much as a polite memo to inform
parliamentarians outside the all-powerful executive
of the government. And once a law is in place
there is little recourse for ordinary citizens and their
representatives to challenge, change or repeal it.
A written constitution just might bring such blatant
abuses of power under control. It might mean that
Parliament must have the opportunity to debate
whether or not the people should have their private
communications intercepted and under what
circumstances and for whose benefit, if any. If Mike
Moore were to think deeply on his proposal for a
written constitution, he might just begin to see our
point about Waihopai and its outlaw agency, the
GCSB.
ABC will look at raising these issues with Mike
Moore, who in his two-month reign as prime
minister in 1 990 failed to abolish the GCSB and
demilitarise O peration Deep Freeze. We were very
disappointed at the time, but perhaps things are
looking up for democracy.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Despite severe cutbacks in Paris's defence
spending the French army continues to maintain its
flock (squadron?) of carrier pigeons The birds are
said to outperform stealth bombers in their ability to
penetrate enemy lines. They reach speeds of 1 00
kph, are invisible on radar, and are almost
impossible to intercept They have a success
record going back at least to the ninth century.
 Wai hopai S peaking Tou r

Christc h u rch ABC want to organise a speaking tour to publ icise the latest
Waihopai developments. Warren Thomson will be available to speak to
groups around the cou ntry in late J uly and Aug ust If you would l i ke to host
a public meeting or a small cottage group, contact ABC, Box 2258
C h ristc h u rc h , or E-mail Warren@chch . planet . co. nz. Offers to assist with
accommodation, with fundi ng, or with local media liaison, would be helpful.
Warren is Co-Editor of Peace Researcher and has been active i n Anti
Bases issues, particularly at Waihopai, for many years.

Wai h o pa i Petition

The Anti Bases Campaign is currently circulating a petition ai med at

closing Waihopai and shutting down the secret operations of the
Government C o m m u nications Security B u reau. The petition is to be
presented to Parliament in September. We would appreciate any help that
can be given to collect signatures. Contact ABC if you would l i ke to assist.

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