The Big Breach - Index of

The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comoficers in the field is the miraculously simple `offset' method. Likemany great inventions, it was discovered by accident.The problem with early invisible inks was that the writer could not seewhat he had just written. A visible ink which faded shortly after itdried was developed but that was not perfect because the indentationmade by the pen could be detected and the possession of the peculiarink itself could be compromising.The solution came one day in the mid-1980s, when a TS/SW technician wasdeveloping a conventional SW message sent by an agent in Russia. Thesecret message had been written on the back of an envelope with aninnocuous `cover' letter inside and posted from Moscow. As thetechnician swabbed the back of the envelope with developing fluid, asexpected the secret message began to emerge. But to his surprise, otherwriting - in a different hand and mirror-written - also started todevelop. Close inspection of the writing showed that it was an addressin Kiev. But who was the addressee and how had it appeared over the topof the message?There was only one logical explanation for the mysterious writing. Whenthe agent posted his letter, the back of the envelope must have fallento rest in the postbox on top of another envelope. That envelope musthave been addressed with an ink which possessed the property oftransferring an invisible chemical to paper in contact with it. Thetechnician realised that the Kiev address must have been written with acommercially available pen. If that pen could be identified, it wouldbe a superbly elegant, simple and deniable SW implement. MI6 mounted asystematic worldwide search for the magic pen and every MI6 station wasasked to send a secretary to the local stationery store to buy everymake available. TS/SW were soon at work testing them. Each was used towrite a few characters, a piece of paper was pressed over the top, thenswabbed with developer. It took many weeks to identify the magic pen -the Pentel rollerball. The `offset' technique has the dual advantagesthat the agent or officer can see what he is writing before taking theoffset copy and because the pen is commercially available it isdeniable and uncompromising. Offset is now used routinely by MI6officers in the field for writing up intelligence notes afterdebriefing agents. It is also issued to a few highly trusted agents,but is considered too secret to be shared even with liaison servicessuch as the CIA.Many other technical means are used for clandestine communicationbetween agents, officers and Head Office. Development and issue ofthese systems was the responsibility of the section known as TOS/AC(Technical and Operations Support, Agent Comms). One morning theybrought along their latest gadgets to demonstrate to us.The essential feature of these gadgets is that they are noncompromising,that is, they are identical or virtuallyindistinguishable from commercially available equipment. PETTLErecorders were particularly ingenious. Any normal audio cassette hastwo tracks running parallel to each other, one for each `side' of thecassette. PETTLE recorders exploited the unused part of the magnetictape which lies between the two strips. TOS/AC demonstrated an ordinarypersonal stereo which played and recorded on both sides of the tapelike a standard machine. But turning it upside down tripped apage- 44 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com