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The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comavoid repeating the same mistake and threw resources at the region,doubling the size of its station in Buenos Aires, building a chain oflistening posts in the Chilean Andes to give early warning of Argentineaircraft movements and opening a new one-man station in Uruguay. Soon asteady stream of intelligence was coming from these efforts.One piece of intelligence was of particular interest to the DIS(Defence Intelligence Staff) in Whitehall. The Argentines weredeveloping a new and top secret naval mine, made of plastic, renderingit difficult to detect using conventional minesweeping techniques. Itcontained electronics which enabled it to distinguish the noisesignaturesof British and Argentine ships. The DIS regarded the newmine as a dangerous threat and wanted details of its specification. MI6learned of a French weapons technician who was working on the projectin the Rio Gallegos naval base. They successfully recruited him, givinghim the codename FORFEIT.Smuggling the mine out of the Rio Gallegos base was not too difficultas FORFEIT had top-level security clearance and was trusted by theArgentine security guards. He loaded one of the mines into the boot ofhis car and drove it out of the base, claiming that he was taking it toanother naval base in Commodore Rivadavia for sea trials. The hard bitof the operation was smuggling the mine out of Argentina.Options for getting the mine to the UK were constrained by the need toensure that the operation was deniable, so MI6 dared not use asubmarine to sneak into one of the bays of Argentina's long,unpopulated coastline. MI6 considered recruiting a pilot to fly themine across the River Plate to Uruguay in a light aircraft, and thatwas why Freeman had been disappointed to learn of the Luscombe's feeblecapacity. In the end, an MI6 officer working under cover as a Danishchemical engineer rendezvoused with FORFEIT at a lockup garage inBuenos Aires, transferred the mine to the boot of his hire car anddrove it to the Uruguay border. Prior reconnaissance revealed that theborder police rarely searched vehicles but, just in case, thebusinessman had a cover story that the strange barrel-shaped piece ofplastic in the boot of his car was nothing more sinister than a pieceof chemical engineering equipment. In the event the cover story was notneeded and he drove it without incident to Montevideo. From there itwas clandestinely loaded on to a navy ship which was replenishing aftera Falklands tour, and shipped to the UK.Boarding a Swissair flight back to London in December 1987 at the endof an interesting year, I picked up a copy of La Nacion, Argentina'sleading newspaper. Down on page five there was an article about a lightaircraft which had crashed while making a night landing at a smallgrass airfield just outside Buenos Aires, killing the pilot. Policewere investigating the wreckage among rumours that the plane was beingused for smuggling. The pilot was unnamed but I knew it must beRodolfo.Back in London, without money, I needed a job, preferably one thatsatisfied my sense of adventure and desire to work overseas. I wrote toPilchard asking if the offer he had made in 1984 was still open. Hedidn't reply directly, but a couple of weeks later a letter arrived onFCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) crested paper signed by a Mr M.A.Halliday inviting me to an interview at 3 Carlton Gardens, London SW1.page- 13 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com
The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comSitting on the low leather sofa in the reception hall of the elegantJohn Nash-designed house overlooking St James's Park in central London,I was curious and intrigued rather than nervous. The meter ticking nextto my battered old BMW parked a block away was more worrying than theimpending interview. I checked my watch and hoped it would not lastlong. Recent editions of The Economist and Financial Times werescattered in front of me on the low glass-topped table, and I pickedone up to pass the time.I heard soft footsteps descending the stairs from the mezzanine floorabove and shortly a tall, pretty girl stepped out on to the marblefloor, her high-heels clacking as she approached. I put down TheEconomist and stood. `Mr Tomlinson?' she asked, smiling. I nodded. `MrHalliday will see you now. I'm Kathleen, by the way.' We shook handsand she escorted me up the stairs to the mezzanine floor where sheshowed me into one of the offices.A small and slightly built man in a wide-lapelled brown suit with astring vest glimmering through an acrylic shirt awaited behind a desk.We exchanged greetings and shook hands. He urged me to sit down on alow armchair and sat down opposite me, a low table between us. Hesmiled. `Do you know what you are doing here?' he asked.`Haven't a clue,' I replied cautiously.`Well first, can I ask you to read and sign this?' He handed me aprinted sheet of paper and a biro. It was an excerpt from the 1989 OSA(Official Secrets Act), headed `TOP SECRET’. He went over to the windowand gazed over St James's Park while I read it. I signed it vigorouslyto signify that I was finished, and he returned with another file. `Nowread this,' he ordered, handing me the green ring-binder.Halliday returned to the window, leaving me to read the 30 or soplastic-wrapped pages. They explained that MI6 was Britain's overseasintelligence-gathering organisation, administered by the FCO, and thatits objective was to gather intelligence from secret human sources onpolitical, military, economic and commercial policies of rival foreignpowers. A couple of paragraphs explained the selection procedure -almost identical to the FCO entry procedure, with one extra round ofinterviews. The positive vetting procedure - an inquisition into acandidate's private life - was described, then it outlined in generalterms an MI6 career. Six months of training, a first overseas postingafter a couple of years behind a desk in London, then alternate threeyearhome and overseas postings until compulsory retirement at 55. Atthe back was the payscale - not generous compared to salaries in theprivate sector, but still adequate.I closed the file and put it down on the low table. Halliday got upfrom his desk and rejoined me. `What do you think?' he asked eagerly,as though I had just finished inspecting a second-hand car he wastrying to sell.`I'd like to know more,' I replied cautiously.Halliday asked the usual interview questions with one unusual request.`One of the jobs we often have to do in MI6 is make a succinctpage- 14 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com
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