China taps into U.S. spy operations

The Washington Times ^ | December 21, 2007 | Bill Gertz

[george76]

China's intelligence service gained access to a secret National Security Agency listening post in Hawaii through a Chinese-language translation service, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

The spy penetration was discovered several years ago as part of a major counterintelligence probe by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) that revealed an extensive program by China's spy service to steal codes and other electronic intelligence secrets, and to recruit military and civilian personnel with access to them.

According to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, China's Ministry of State Security, the main civilian spy service, carried out the operations by setting up a Chinese translation service in Hawaii that represented itself as a U.S.-origin company.

The ruse led to classified contracts with the Navy and NSA to translate some of the hundreds of thousands of intercepted communications gathered by NSA's network of listening posts, aircraft and ships.

Naval intelligence officials familiar with the Chinese spy penetration said the access to both "raw" and analyzed intelligence at Kunia caused significant damage by giving China's government details on both the targets and the sources of U.S. spying operations. Such information would permit the Chinese to block the eavesdropping or to provide false and misleading "disinformation" to U.S. intelligence.

The officials did not say how long the Chinese operation lasted before being detected.

"There can be no higher target for an intelligence service, and that includes China's MSS and 2 PLA, than gaining access to an adversaries' codes and electronic intelligence," he said, because it is the ultimate in "foreknowledge" advocated by ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu.

The facility was singled out for criticism in the past by intelligence reform advocates because of its restrictive policies on information-sharing.

[LibLieSlayer]

chicoms are our enemy... boycott the Olympics! Now sit back and watch the chicom agents that have infected FR come in here and spin this as chinese love for America.

LLS

[Calpernia]

Canada had an interesting intel report released a bit ago:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1529927/posts
CIS - Canada: The Organized Crime Marketplace in Canada

[hedgetrimmer]

That’s never going to happen as long as we have politicians in the white house and congress who are making money by investing in china.

[george76]

Clinton’s Guests-List

http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/022897/clintons.htm

The Secret Life of Bill Clinton: The Unreported Stories

http://www.namebase.org/sources/bF.html

The overnight Guest List

http://www.zpub.com/un/bcguest.html

[george76]

About time for another bump. Hillary treated the physician like the travel staff.

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37edb5185038.htm

[Calpernia]

bump

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks to George for these clinton links in post 84.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Bump is right, when a clinton is involved.

Thanks for the link, and if you have more of the old ones, I am willing to read them.

So many that I read several years ago and lost the links to.

Your clinton link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37edb5185038.htm

[nw_arizona_granny]

Canada has not woke up to the truths of what they have in their borders.

I find articles and letters in the news all over Canada, that show they are still sleeping on terror and major crime.

Good report thanks for the link.

[Sun]

“These kinds of email addresses usually receive so much mail that the guys don’t look at them.

Did Gertz email you back?”

No, he didn’t. I realize that these people get too much e-mail to respond, which is why I give the nutshell version, in the subject line, and hope others will join me in contacting Gertz. Maybe calling the phone number would be better, even if it’s voice mail.

202/636-3274 or bgertz@washingtontimes.com

You know, when Bret Schundler, a STRONG conservative was running for governor in NJ, I contacted a conservative activist, and asked him to help out Bret Schundler.

I never received a response, but sure enough, I heard the conservative activist praising Bret Schundler on the radio, so you never know. Maybe my e-mail did the trick.

It doesn’t take long to e-mail, or call, and it’s free, so why not give it a try.

[thinking]

“Makes me wonder if this story isn’t quite what it seems. Assume for a moment that NSA isn’t quite as stupid as they are presented here and let that thought lead you to it’s logical conclusion.”

Yes....I am sure, that you have heard of disinformation....if I screw up, I seldom tell anyone....when I was working, if “we” screwed up, we worked all night to correct the situation, and never never told senior management...

[Philistone]

Here's what stinks about the story:

Naval intelligence officials familiar with the Chinese spy penetration said the access to both "raw" and analyzed intelligence at Kunia caused significant damage by giving China's government details on both the targets and the sources of U.S. spying operations. Such information would permit the Chinese to block the eavesdropping or to provide false and misleading "disinformation" to U.S. intelligence.

Translators are translators, analysts are analysts. The raw data would be cleansed of as much identifying info as possible before being sent to translation (things like sources). The 'raw' data gets translated. The 'analyzed' data would remain in-house.

Admittedly, the raw data, if correlated with the original transmissions by the ChiCommies, would give them some information on intercepts, and even on whether certain ChiCommie codes had been broken, but there would be no comparison between 'raw' and analyzed data since the translators wouldn't have access to the second.

"There can be no higher target for an intelligence service, and that includes China's MSS and 2 PLA, than gaining access to an adversaries' codes and electronic intelligence," he said, because it is the ultimate in "foreknowledge" advocated by ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu.

Pure garbage. The translators would not have had access to our codes. At best, the ChiCommies would have learned that we are listening in on their conversations. But then they already operate under that assumption (or should).

The highlight of the article is that "it is not known when NCIS learned of the operation". Given that it was counterintel op, we can likely assume that we gave as good as we got.

[B4Ranch]

Interesting reading. Thanks

Merry Christmas

[thinking]

Yes agreed....I have a feeling that we may have a similar background....

[nw_arizona_granny]

You are welcome, hope you could use something there.

A Merry Christmas to you.

[expatguy]

I suppose what I was saying in a roundabout way was that often times "native born foreign speakers" are overrated.

Think about it... ideally the best translator would be someone who has a native fluency in two languages which is in my opinion impossible. You can get close, but never 100% ... and so which side is more important?

Not only does one need to completely comprehend the target language, but they then need to then translate what they comprehend and understand into English. That process requires the knowledge of BOTH languages, not just one.

So what do you accept, one that is 100% foreign language and 80% American English or do you accept 100% American English and 80% foreign language?

[LibLieSlayer]

I really despise that POS ‘toon and all of his little turd family!

LLS

[george76]

Hillary! Uncensored

[Paul Ross]

Protectionist! Anti-Capitalist! Racist! (did I miss any?)

Yep. Don't forget W's implied defamation that anybody actually DOING anything about Chicom aggression...and FORCING ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENSURING OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE is "fearful" "retreating" and "isolationist".

Wonder who stuffed those noxious...and clearly insultingly wrong...buzz-words into his mouth for him...

[GOP_1900AD]

Another one who’s drunk the Thomas P.M. Barnett Koolaid. They are popping up like weeds. “Minstry plus economic growth will change China into a ‘core’ nation, blah, blah, blah.”