NSA vacuuming down Internet traffic

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

Responding to msg by nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous) on Fri, 19 
Jan 10:23 AM


>In the 1960's - 1970's when international cable traffic 
>was in its computer infancy, access was had to EVERY 
>CABLE MESSAGE passing through the message switches of 
>U.S. common carriers.
>
>If anyone else wishes to move this from the status of 
>urban legend to something more solid, all they have to 
>do is locate and ask people who worked in message 
>switch operations at RCA Global Communications, ITT 
>World Communications, or Western Union International, 
>the three common carriers of that time.
>
>We Jurgar Din


Yes, indeed. James Bamford in "The Puzzle Palace" details the 
long-term TLA-access to international cable traffic -- via 
Operation Shamrock -- beginning in 1945 and ostensibly ending 
in 1975. See Chapter 6, "Targets."


Aside, in this chapter Bamford writes that Louis Tordella, who 
died earlier this week, "The Agency's chief keeper of the 
secrets," was central to targeting of thousands of Americans. 
Bamford says of Tordella, "If NSA was the darkest part of the 
government, Tordella was the darkest part of the NSA." Tordella 
allegedly shielded various NSA heads by not telling them what 
was going on -- to their great relief.


David Kahn in "The Codebreakers" more extensively examines the 
history of spying on citizens in the national interest. It will 
be interesting to read what he is currently researching at the 
more PR-oriented NSA -- and perhaps provide pointers to 
deep-blacker orgs that have supplanted it through non-FOIA 
arrangements like those of Shamrock.