********* From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] : :: : :: : Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:22:51 EST Subject: Re: FC: New Yorker article on how NSA surveillance is ineffective To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] : : : Declan: Never let it be said that I defend the NSA (for whom I once worked). But there is some truth to what General Hayden has said. There are many old line high-freak radio people at the Agency who can't seem to understand computer and network-oriented digital communications. This includes Barbara McNamara, an old line radio frequency type. Hayden concedes the war on encryption proliferation is yesterday's news. It is most likely the civilians at NSA that are pushing these ridiculous export controls (even the so-called revised controls already leaked to the media show that these old-timers want extraordinary access to foreign business dealings). I never spoke for our universal disarmament on signals intelligence operations, but some people who never worked inside Ft Meade are hyping stuff about ECHELON and other similar things. These capabilities all exist, but the AREA 51 types are latching onto the Barr/Burton hearings and may do great harm to their legitimacy. After all, these are the first potentially legitimate hearings on the abuses of NSA/CIA, etc. since the Church, Pike, and Abzug hearings of the 70s. Sy Hersh has had extraordinary access to DIRNSA. Hayden is crying out for help against those who pushed for such nonsense as Clipper and other things. I'm not sure he is as bad as the McNamaras, David Aarons, Stew Bakers, and George Tenets, none of whom have any earthly idea about the difficulties in maintaining an intelligence capability without looking like an intrusive fascist-type organization. ciao, Wayne -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------
