Posted on 10/23/2013 12:06:11 PM PDT by bkopto
FRANCE has demanded an explanation from Washington of a report that the US swept up 70 million French telephone records and text messages in its global surveillance net, even recording certain private conversations.
The fallout prompted a phone call yesterday from US President Barack Obama to French President Francois Hollande, and, the White House said, an acknowledgement by the US leader that the episode raised "legitimate questions for our friends and allies" about how surveillance capabilities are employed.
Mr Hollande's office issued a strongly worded statement afterward expressing "profound reprobation" over US actions it said intruded on the private lives of French citizens.
Spying among friendly countries is classic tradecraft but the sweep and scope of the National Security Agency program have surprised allies and raised indignation among those targeted - Germany, Mexico and Brazil among them.
The report in Monday's Le Monde - co-written by Glenn Greenwald, who revealed the surveillance program based on leaks from former NSA analyst Edward Snowden - found that when certain phone numbers were used, conversations were automatically recorded. The surveillance operation also gathered text messages based on key words.
"This sort of practice between partners that invades privacy is totally unacceptable and we have to make sure, very quickly, that this no longer happens," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. "We fully agree that we co-operate to fight terrorism. It is indispensable.
"But this does not justify that personal data of millions of our compatriots are snooped on."
Seeking to limit damage in relations with one of America's closest allies, Mr Obama called Mr Hollande to make clear the US government was reviewing its intelligence-gathering "so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share", a White House statement said.
The statement said some recent disclosures had "distorted our activities" while others had raised genuine concerns.
Earlier, the French government summoned US ambassador Charles Rivkin for answers. A statement issued by the US embassy in Paris said Mr Rivkin assured Alexandre Ziegler, chief of staff to Mr Fabius, that "our ongoing bilateral consultations on allegations of information-gathering by US government agencies would continue".
The level of the diplomatic consultation at the time - between the US ambassador and only an aide to Mr Fabius - suggested that France was modulating its response.
Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris on Monday for meetings on Middle East issues and could have been contacted at once if it appeared relations were in deeper trouble. But the matter was subsequently elevated with Mr Obama's phone call.
Mr Hollande's office said later that the French leader asked Mr Obama to make available all information on NSA spying of French communications.
Mr Kerry would not confirm the newspaper account or discuss intelligence-gathering except to say: "Lots of countries are engaged in the activity of trying to protect their citizens in the world."
Le Monde reported that, from December 10 last year to January 8 this year, 70.3 million recordings of French citizens' telephone data were made by the NSA. Intercepts peaked at almost 7 million in December 24 and again on January 7, the paper said.
The targets were people with suspected links to terrorism and those chosen because of their roles in business, politics or the French government, it said.
Former CIA officer Bob Baer, who was stationed in Paris for three years, said the French intelligence service regularly spied on American diplomats and businesspeople. That includes rifling through possessions in hotel rooms and installing listening devices in first-class seats of the now-defunct Concorde, to record American conversations, he said.
He said it was all Cheney’s fault and apologized for him.
In an Australian newspaper. When will the US media actually report on some real news?
Finally, something he has experience at doing . . . apologizing to other countries for the US.
If he would only apologize to the American people for afflicting them with ObamaCare and puposefully sabotaging their economy.
ON BEHALF of the NSA?
*HE* is the head of the executive branch.
HE did this.
” - - - “But this does not justify that personal data of millions of our compatriots are snooped on.” - - - - “
Well said, for France and America.
________
Impeachment file on Tyrant B. “Dereliction of Duty” Hussein Obama, aka Barry Soetoro, a legal citizen of the Sovereign Nation of Indonesia.
Please tell me he isn’t saying “I didn’t know...” Good grief, he is the most
The US news media has not reported anything worthwhile since 1963. That was the Kennedy assassination.
Zero claimed having no knowledge of any of this, of course, and then sang the Calvin & Hobbes “I’m Very Sorry” song.
Has he apologized to the citizens of the USA who’ve been spied on?
GERMANY: US MAY HAVE TARGETED MERKEL’S CELLPHONE
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/10/23/merkel-calls-obama-spying-mobile-phone
and even that is still being re-written
When will he apologize to conservatives for sic’ing the IRS on them?
Did Ms. Hilton accept the apology?
Later, the French surrendered.
Roger that. Each Discovery channel program has a major change too it with “newly discovered evidence”!!!!
Let me guess: “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
Wow technology is a bitch! Just when your brilliant NSA techies conquer the world by developing systems to spy on the entire planet, you discover no one is capable of putting together a viable program for healthcare. Used the wrong guys I guess.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.