Magazine Says NSA Is Tappiiiig Phones Telex from Britaiii
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A 14 Saturday, July 19, 1980 THE WASHINGTON POST Magazine Says NSAiS Tappiiiig Phones Telex From Britaiii •• , By • Leonard Downie Jr. tion by-Campbell of wiretappintand WsOhlriirtors Pool Foreizn Service other surveillance. `in, Britain i :and,:: E:iNDON, July 18—The British • bases its claims on unnamed sources magazine New Satesman has accused in the British and .American intelli- gence communitiesand on circum-. ' By Richard:Furno—The Washincton Post the U.S. National Security Agency of . using a secret telecOmmuniCations ' stantial evidence about the Menwith Hill station. , , ■• • rants for telephone:.tapping last year. cehier iii northern England to tap tel- : e0116ne and Telex communications • The story noted in detail the tight '. But each wirratrE; 'the contents of throughout EUrope with the help of security and • great secrecy' surround- which are kept secret, apparently cav- era the Subject of what could be a thi'llisitish government.. • communicationing the base, its spike-age' aerials, receiving satellite large ..number of . individual taps. Ve monitoring is carried out on a laige scale with the aid of computers dishes and protective domes, its. so-.Campbell has alleged that many other at,aarASI: 800-employe Menwith H111 phisticated computer and cominfinica•. wiretaps by security agencies. , are not stataion in the Yorkshire moors, ac- tionsequipment , in masslve ..concrete, covered by warrants. blockhouses and its close prnicirnity to In response to political and media cor,ding to the New Statesman, which - following. a series of New attar!: the station the largest civilian and apparent interconnection with a pressure tall relay tower in Britain's micro- • Statesman articiles by Campbell, the surveillance post maintained outside .' . government appointed a senior appel- the United .States by NSA, the intelli- wave teleconiniunicattoris system. The 'stork concluded that NSA ern, late judge to review and report fur- gence agency for the United States ployees at Menwith Hill, working ther on the wiretap warrant process. around' the .c16Ck, Ilse -edahplitefe 'td ' - -This has .not-satisfied critics, how-- • - -The weekly magazine, which in m- sift through "the,comnaunicatarai of ever, .,1 eluding the 125,000-member i . -tin, av hieh <sent years has added aggressive inves!, private Citizens, ctirp lssi lov...1 P.olt 1:1 1 ce.. Engine lig - Lint ogat;tvcreporting to its Ieft-wing .ernmentO ter lifer*. _ t. luts, riiicleTatik awn r ''drt ori-7`laPjaing ilticat commentary, also accuses Brit- , or ecoilorniis'yaillie th:'.14,,,, . 7.'theltdleri‘ntie P' in which some.SoMe.:41t its 4in's.Poit Offfee,*; which runs the tele- rnettilietS:.1147 inticiated . being' in- ■ ' . genCe-CoMminiitY.",i'l;:."'gt ',,'" C *bole systeni here, of providing •/ J$A 'Ms work is s4 - ti Abe ..'„jOillied4,T.he linion't4rePort,'!4ritieizes withapossibli'Megal access in interria• em. e:r. rilip, verrigient ii10.‘.,.......tot'lleing too leged, that most. of -of .... &anal communications in and out ,of: plOyeelaliae on: the re, :bas :,• n ,, , ed, 171,10)4 *Irittn through ` must 40Piort to a securitiOeagfki their 4.• ,s• 11 ' betty Iiiicii. In' delay system. contacts with British nationals outside .."° reland • 'arid 'iiiiiarictiOned rc The British Defense Ministry has it. wiretapping and calls for legislation iOpd that NSA uses the Menwith ,.e . ti? tiro-' et the British public.'froin The . Americans 'actually are "' • Oten!tlf41Y enormous",...aati-Ait,„0,•;• ill station„-to monitor telephone calls ::-..what more integrated. than mat aiii4 ' tuoside Britain•or,calla between Britain Many live in thettiuriviinding comijaw,..4.4b4Oes'.:' ' ' ,in.-'. 4nd the Urged ,States:. But the New ifities. `where thataafelcrinWri for thWe :. '-Canipnet 27, who 04' Statesman pointed out that the.se. de- iiiveStigat ve repo k; :electronic friendliness and for', tale fact they. .... ,snranLitance for aeVekali.?,,a4ro,,. was : dials do not cover Veleit or teleran' never' iscuss their wcriat. •''' • irhaffic, telephone "calls between Eu- hired ,by • the N $4 , slten .1a,fter, .Ailhe Nei Statigitiaaniaotedt A 'a, Australian journ 41 ce ••,Pitge be 10pe and. BrIbabv,. oflaetwpm Europe lean :,,iritelligaii*pgralbknoWV-', and the I:frilled thrbugb. Brit,' ieame t 0, Taga edged durint1915 ' in al hear- it''' has tri to reyivi4 d :14::' sdn- ings that all trans-Atlantic communi- litical journal's ci British officials describe Menwith ytilof!"414 11? cations by air or cable could,belntinP"; ence with investiga 11 as a NSA comMunications relay cepted, and-there vihave been, i! pr dam -found in Bri Lion for "rapid and secure cOmmu- ous reports of international coMifi icatioria" between. United States mill- newspapers, except -' „._ cations being monitored here by th j. Times, where Page -,ha 410,41013,121E installations abroad and the American Oitary in gOoperagpii„Ei.0 been head of its investtgatiife4tAgtAtl ted States via satellites and other.. the British. ; ' team. s. Earlier this 1. yeai, Campbell #ecu- • Campbell, who has a degree In pIlysj: merican officials here said they rately described the location snd,fainc,. lea from Oxford University, was un- d maintain their policy of not dis- tion of s telephone facility in tondos) succeasfulliiaroseftntedseyeraT years iocs ng any security installation like , lased by British police • and security ago fu7 airEgetny 'viollitink Britain's e NSA station at Menwith Hill, ref!' a'aencies,' to monito., lhousands. ot- officia: Secrets Act by his inquiries tring reporters to British officials in- calls". .within Britain in an operation into aovernment surveillance. Camp- Stead. c. bell Said-Most of MS information eau- VThe New Statesman report, written - subsequent government 'report ally comes from technical information $jr Duncan Campbell;and Linda Mel- made by the Home Seeretaiy.claimed ' in pub**, records. about Britain's corn- vern, is part of an extended investiga- that he had issued only 4S7 new= war- munication systems. „ .