The Big Breach - Index of

The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.coman intelligence officer is not very marketable, and besides there arefew careers which can match the fascination and intrigue. So althoughMI6 set him up with a nice house and a lifelong pension and persuadedthe Russians to let his girlfriend and daughter join him, he wasrestless.He made coffee and took me through to his study where we could discussthe plan in private. A half-finished model of a Sea Harrier jump-jetand a tube of glue lay on the desk with his computer and a few manuals.I sat down in a black leather chair and outlined Russel's idea. `Whynot let me run it?' NORTHSTAR asked before I had finished. `I haveworked as a journalist with TASS, am a trained intelligence officer andRussian is my native language - I have the perfect background.'NORTHSTAR's arguments were persuasive, but the Russians were stillsmarting over his defection and if they found out that we were usinghim in operations against them it might damage the fledgling liaisonrelationship. `I'll have to ask if it is OK,' I replied. `But nopromises.'Back in Century House, I wrote up the proposal in the form of a minuteand popped it in my out-tray. First Russel, as my immediate linemanager,would want to pass comment. Next P5, the production officerfor Moscow station, would want to check that there were no implicationsfor other operations under his control. SBO/1, the security officer forRussian operations, would need to comment on operational security.R/CEE, the requirement officer, would want to comment on whether it waslikely to yield any worthwhile intelligence. Finally, the controller ofthe East European controllerate, C/CEE, would want to be kept informedabout what was going on beneath him. Such a circulation list wastypical and it could often take many weeks for all the decision makersto have their say. This decision-making process would be impossiblycumbersome in a commercial organisation, but its advantage is that itusually avoids coming to the wrong conclusion. The disadvantage is thatwhen the decision is obviously wrong, it is very difficult to reverse.Too many officers have laid down their reputation on paper and sostubbornly defend the decision, no matter how foolish it seems inhindsight.Fortunately, this decision was quick. Only a few days later, the minutewas returned to my in-tray by one of the messenger clerks. The handwrittenscrawl by the various addresses added to the bottom boiled downto an agreement to allow NORTHSTAR to be involved in the operation, buton no account could he be allowed to run it alone. I would have to stayclosely involved and monitor all his activities.Setting up the operation was straightforward. The only equipment Ineeded was an ordinary fax machine, which TOS supplied. I called mynewsagency `Trufax', alluding to the true facts that I hoped would bereceived by the facsimile machine, and attractively close to the nameof the Russian newsagency `Interfax'. Normally operations of this sortwould be run out of Century House, using an out-of-area telephonenumber and call diverter provided by British Telecom. But NORTHSTAR,like other defectors, was not allowed in the building so I rented asmall office, hardly big enough for a desk, on the top floor of arabbit-warren of an office block in Conduit Street. TOS manufactured asmall brass plaque bearing the Trufax name, which the building'scaretaker added to the other plaques on the outside door of thepage- 69 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com