-Caveat Lector-
Subj: [CTRL] Operation GLADIO - Part Four of Four Parts
Date: 98-06-03 01:08:39 EDT
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (R. William Davis)
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
copyright StatesWatch
OPERATION GLADIO (con'd)
HOLLAND
"A Dutch Defence Ministry spokesman confirmed that an arms cache uncovered
in Holland in 1983 was part of an underground NATO resistance network."
(Daily Telegraph, 13/11/90)
"Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers confirmed in a Tuesday letter to
Parliament that his government is running its version of the Gladio group,
but maintained it had informal links with NATO or other members of the
Alliance." (P Verschuur, Associated Press, 14/11/90)
"Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers said that 'I cannot exclude that [financial
contributions by] private persons were used in protecting and covering up
certain activities' of what he called the Stay Behind force. Dutch
newspapers reported last week that most of the organisation, also known as
Operations and Intelligence, was being paid for by wealthy industrialists
so that it could not be traced through government spending
records...Lubbers said earlier this month that the Dutch version of Gladio
was founded in the 1950s...He said the group did not engage in the more
military "guerilla-like activities" of its counterparts. (Associated Press,
21/11/90)
LUXEMBOURG
"In Luxembourg, Prime Minister Jaques Santer told Parliament...the
Luxembourg network was recently disbanded. (P Neuray, Associated Press,
14/11/90)
NORWAY
"Rolf Hansen, Norway's defence minister at the time, told Parliament that
the resistance groups were originally private, formed after the war. But
they had been placed under the supervision of the intelligence services,
he said. The Norwegian underground network was not answerable to NATO or
other countries, Hansen said, dismissing any connection with the CIA. But
he would not discuss details, saying the organisation's activities had to
be kept secret." (D Mellgren, Associated Press, 14/11/90)
"Christian Christenson, a former Norwegian intelligence officer, wrote
numerous books about the groups, as recently as this Autumn. He said
private groups were formed in 1947, sometimes kept Communists under
surveillance and became part of the intelligence service in 1948." (D
Mellgren, Associated Press, 14/11/90)
"The Norwegian branch of the network was exposed in 1978, when a policeman
stumbled upon one of its arms caches, containing at least 60 weapons and
12,000 rounds of ammunition. The owner of the property where the cache was
found, Hans Otto Meyer, an intelligence agent, was arrested but claimed
that Norwegian intelligence had provided some of the weapons for use by a
resistance cell. This was confirmed." (Richard Norton-Taylor, Guardian,
15/11/90)
PORTUGAL
"In Portugal, a Lisbon radio station has reported that cells of the network
associated with Operation Gladio were active there during the 1950s to
defend the rightist dictatorship of Dr Salazar." (John Palmer, Guardian,
10/11/90)
SPAIN
"Spain was invited to join a secret NATO group that coordinated a
clandestine resistance network, but declined and so knows nothing about the
workings of operation Gladio, the newspaper El Pais reported yesterday."
(Guardian, 26/11/90)
"France proposed Spain for membership of the network in 1973 but Britain,
Germany and the Netherlands blocked the move on the grounds that Spain was
not a democracy." (Richard Norton-Taylor, Guardian, 5/12/90)
SWEDEN (Sveaborg)
"The network, supported by the US CIA and Britain's MI6, existed from 1958
until at least 1978 and included 150 standby resistance leaders and special
arms depots across Sweden." (L Foyen, Reuters, 18/12/90)
"The Swedish government created in 1958 a full-fledged network known only
to the Prime Minister and a few selected cabinet ministers, military
leaders and industrialists. It was led by Swedish businessman, Alvar
Lindencrona, whose work for the International Chamber of Commerce made it
possible for him to travel inconspicuously to the US and Britain for
briefings with the CIA and MI6...It is unclear what happened to the
organisation after 1978 when Lindencrona retired. He died three years
later." (L Foyen, Reuters, 18/12/90)
"Sweden's Chief of Staff, General Bengt Gustafsson, confirmed reports that
a secret underground resistance group was formed in Sweden during the Cold
War, but said that the CIA were not involved." (Guardian 21/12/90)
""Right wing extremists in Sweden were part of the Stay Behind set-up and
I cannot understand why the Swedish authorities never took a closer look
at organisation," the former NATO man said. He went on to name the
organisation as Sveaborg, which was founded in 1941 by Otto Hallberg and
is a shadowy and highly secretive group, mainly composed of veteran Swedish
volunteer battalion members who fought in the Finnish-Soviet war, some of
whom went on to join the Waffen SS Nordland division." (Searchlight,
January 1991)
"Lennart Hansson, an ageing former close associate of Otto Hallberg, says
that even before the end of the war Hallberg had already begun to put
together the nuts and bolts of an anticommunist resistance movement.
Hansson admitted that this movement first made base with officials at the
US embassy in Stockholm in 1947-48 and that it was promised covert US
assistance in the event of a Soviet attack. "The name of the secret
movement," he said, "was Sveaborg and the nucleus of the movement consisted
of military personnel." In the 1950's Sveaborg had over 1,000 "contact
persons" who were the core of the would-be guerilla force. Many of these
people were serving in the Swedish armed forces and the group held regular
military exercises. Both Hansson and the still living Sven-Olov Lindholm
claim that the resistance movement was very much under Hallberg's personal
direction and control and Hansson maintains that contacts with the US
continued until about 1955." (Searchlight, January 1991)
"The former head of the CIA, William Colby, who was stationed in Stockholm
from 1951-1953, told the Swedish News Agency, TT, that he had been engaged
in establishing an armed anti-communist movement in Scandinavia."
(Searchlight, January 1991)
"Today Sveaborg keeps an extremely low profile but does exist and is said
to have taken younger people into its ranks. Its only public activity
takes place on 14 April each year when it gathers at a Stockholm cemetery
to honour Swedish Nazi "hero", Gosta Hallberg-Cuutla, who was killed in
action on the Finnish front." (Searchlight, January 1991)
SWITZERLAND (P26)
"Switzerland's secret resistance army had no links with NATO's Gladio
network, although it cooperated with British secret services, its leader
said yesterday. The force is to be dissolved by the end of the year. "We
first got to know of terms like Gladio from media reports. We had no link
to this organisation," said Efrem Cattelan, the head of P26, whose task
would have been to resist occupation forces after an invasion. Mr Cattelin
told reporters: "We did have connections with Britain for many years and
cooperated on training and supplies. The chief of staff, Heinz Haesler,
said that P26 would be dissolved on government orders by the new year.
Commandant Hans Senn, also involved with the unit, said it was not right
to judge the secret army by the standards of today, when the Cold War was
no longer a threat." (Guardian, 8/12/90)
TURKEY (Special War Department)
"The paper [Milliyet] also quoted former Premier Bulent Ecevit as saying
the unit had first been funded by the United States but that these funds
had been cut off by 1974. After that, he said, the unit asked for funds
from the defence budget. "Patriotic volunteers were members of the group.
They were trained specially to launch a counter guerilla operation in the
event that the country was occupied," Ecevit was quoted as saying...During
a wave of terrorism in the 1970s, leftist groups questioned the possible
role of the organisation, also known as 'kontrgerilla', in right-wing
terrorism." (Associated Press, 14/11/90)
"In Turkey, where the Communist Party is still illegal, the former prime
minister, Bulent Ecevit, said "patriotic volunteers" staffed a US funded
unit that was ready to go into action in the event of a communist takeover.
The government has refused to say whether it has been disbanded."
(Independent, 16/11/90)
"In Turkey, a unit known as the Special War Department was reported to run
that country's secret network." (Richard Norton-Taylor, Guardian, 16/11/90)
APPENDIX 1
State Research, no.2
November 1977
UNDERCOVER RESERVE FORCES
A paramilitary committee of former high-ranking service officers has, for
the past six years, been receiving official government support to set up
an undercover, anti-communist resistance movement in Britain (Daily Express
18/7/77). The Resistance and Psychological Operations Committee (RPOC) is
a covert group within the government-funded Reserve Forces Association
(RFA). The RFA is the representative body of British military reservists,
and the British component of the NATO-supported Confederation Inter-Allies
des Officers de Reserve (CIOR). The RFA-was formed in 1970 and is formally
an independent organisation, but its 214 individual and 90 corporate
members represent all the reserve units of the armed forces and the
government treats it as the spokesman of Britain's reserve forces.
Since 1971 the RPOC has been setting up the nucleus of an underground
resistance organisation which could rapidly be expanded in the event of a
Russian occupation of any part of NATO, including Britain. Close links
have been formed with similar units in several European countries, which
are actively recruiting 'anti-communist resistance fighters', according to
Chapman Pincher. They are also said to have established an intelligence
network which NATO chiefs regard as being of great value.
The RPOC was set up by a group of World War Two defence chiefs who
thought that the need has arisen again for an organisation like the
underground wartime Special Operations Executive (SOE), but this time
directed against communism. Amongst the group were: General Sir Richard
Gale, former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and founder of
the 1st Parachute Brigade; Sir Collin Gubbins, founder of the SOE and the
Commandos; Sir John Slessor; Marshal of the Royal Air Force, and former
Chief of the Air Staff; and Sir Algernon Willis, Admiral of the Fleet.
Under the then Tory government RPOC was given access to Ministry of
Defence Departments, including the Joint Warfare Establishment near
Salisbury commanded by Maj. Gen. Patrick Ovens,
a former Commando. The committee also formed close links with the Special
Air Services (SAS), and secured access to the Foreign Office's Information
and Research Department, which has historically been used as a cover
Department for M16 agents. The MOD gave the RFA a grant to pass on to
RPOC. Now, Pincher claims, the Labour government are worried that their
supporters will find out that the government has been encouraging a
rightwing paramilitary group, and they have therefore been quietly trying
to stifle the committee over the past months. RPOC has been deprived of
its grant (and thereby its official status), access to Whitehall
information has ended, and attendance at NATO meetings forbidden. The
committee still exists, however, with General Gale leading the right for
its survival.
APPENDIX 2
GLADIO
EP 22.11.90 joint resolution replacing B3-2021, 2058, 2068, 2078 and 2087/90
RESOLUTION
on the Gladio affair
A. having regard to the revelation by several European governments of the
existence for 40 years of a clandestine parallel intelligence and
armed operations organization in several Member States of the
Community,
B. whereas for over 40 years this organization has escaped all democratic
controls and has been run by the secret services of the states
concerned in collaboration with NATO,
C. fearing the danger that such clandestine network may have interfered
illegally in the internal political affairs of Member States or may
still do so,
D. whereas in certain Member States military secret services (or
uncontrolled branches thereof) were involved in serious cases of
terrorism and crime as evidenced by, various judicial inquiries,
E. whereas these organizations operated and continue to operate
completely outside the. law since they are not subject to any
parliamentary control and frequently those holding the highest
government and constitutional posts are kept in the dark as to these
matters,
F. whereas the various `GLADIO' organizations have at their disposal
independent arsenals and military resources which give them an unknown
strike potential, thereby jeopardizing the democratic structures of
the countries in which they are operating or have been operating,
G. greatly concerned at the existence of decision-making and operational
bodies which are not subject to any form of democratic control and are
of a completely clandestine nature at a time when greater Community
cooperation in the field of security is a constant subject of
discussion,
1. Condemns the clandestine creation of manipulative and operational
networks and Calls for a full investigation into the nature, structure,
aims and all other aspects of these clandestine organizations or any
splinter groups, their use for illegal interference in the internal
political affairs of the countries concerned, the problem of terrorism in
Europe and the possible collusion of the secret services of Member States
or third countries;
2. Protests vigorously at the assumption by certain US military personnel
at SHAPE and in NATO of the right to encourage the establishment in Europe
of a clandestine intelligence and operation network;
3. Calls on the governments of the Member States to dismantle all
clandestine military and paramilitary networks;
4. Calls on the judiciaries of the countries in which the presence of such
military organizations has been ascertained to elucidate fully their
composition and modus operandi and to clarify any action they may have
taken to destabilize the democratic structures of the Member States;
5. Requests all the Member States to take the necessary measures, if
necessary by establishing parliamentary committees of inquiry, to draw up
a complete list of organizations active in this field, and at the same time
to monitor their links with the respective state intelligence services and
their links, if any, with terrorist action groups and/or other illegal
practices;
6. Calls on the Council of Ministers to provide full information on the
activities of these secret intelligence and operational services;
7. Calls on its competent committee to consider holding a hearing in order
to clarify the role and impact of the `GLADIO' organization and any similar
bodies;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission,
the Council, the Secretary-General of NATO, the governments of the Member
States and the United States Government.
This information copyright © Statewatch
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
