Is the Observer faking Anti-US news?

[Woodrow]

A UK based paper called the Observer is going to be publishing a story on Sunday about how the USA is supposedly spying on the members of the UN security council. They have based their story on a leaked memo that comes from inside the NSA (national securtiy council) Here is a link to the story:
http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905954,00.html

I've got a few "questions"
1.) how many Americans write the date in the european fashon? (I.E. Jan 15 2003 = 15/01/03)
2.) How many Americans spell Favorable: "favourable"
3.) How many Americans spell Recognize: "Recognise"
4.) How many Americans spell Emphasize: "Emphasise"
5.) The name in the "email is "Kozu" and the observer's story claims to have contacted a dude named "Koza" They recently updated their page and fixed their "Error"

Here is the supposed Email:

"To: [Recipients withheld]
From: FRANK KOZA@Chief of Staff (Regional Target) CIV/NSA
on 31/01/2003 0:16
Subject: Reflections of Iraq debate/votes at UN - RT actions and potential for related contributions
Importance: High
TOP SECRET/COMINT/XL

All,

As you've likely heard by now, the Agency is mounting a surge particularly directed at the UN Security Council (UNSC) members (minus US and GBR of course) for insights as to how to membership is reacting to the on-going debate RE: Iraq, plans to vote on any related resolutions, what related policies/ negotiating positions they may be considering, alliances/ dependencies, etc - the whole gamut of information that could give US policymakers an edge in obtaining results favourable to US goals or to head off surprises. In RT, that means a QRC surge effort to revive/ create efforts against UNSC members Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria and Guinea, as well as extra focus on Pakistan UN matters.

We've also asked ALL RT topi's to emphasise and make sure they pay attention to existing non-UNSC member UN-related and domestic comms for anything useful related to the UNSC deliberations/ debates/ votes. We have a lot of special UN-related diplomatic coverage (various UN delegations) from countries not sitting on the UNSC right now that could contribute related perspectives/ insights/ whatever. We recognise that we can't afford to ignore this possible source.

We'd appreciate your support in getting the word to your analysts who might have similar, more in-direct access to valuable information from accesses in your product lines. I suspect that you'll be hearing more along these lines in formal channels - especially as this effort will probably peak (at least for this specific focus) in the middle of next week, following the SecState's presentation to the UNSC.

Thanks for your help"

Do you really think that Americans would type in the British tounge and write their dates in the European format? I really think this is either a case of:
1.) American smear campign.
2.) Smear Campign with sloppy reporting.

[Woodrow]

Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war

Secret document details American plan to bug phones and emails of key Security Council members

Read the memo

Talk about it: dirty tricks?

Martin Bright, Ed Vulliamy in New York and Peter Beaumont
Sunday March 2, 2003
The Observer

The United States is conducting a secret 'dirty tricks' campaign against UN Security Council delegations in New York as part of its battle to win votes in favour of war against Iraq.
Details of the aggressive surveillance operation, which involves interception of the home and office telephones and the emails of UN delegates in New York, are revealed in a document leaked to The Observer.

The disclosures were made in a memorandum written by a top official at the National Security Agency - the US body which intercepts communications around the world - and circulated to both senior agents in his organisation and to a friendly foreign intelligence agency asking for its input.

The memo describes orders to staff at the agency, whose work is clouded in secrecy, to step up its surveillance operations 'particularly directed at... UN Security Council Members (minus US and GBR, of course)' to provide up-to-the-minute intelligence for Bush officials on the voting intentions of UN members regarding the issue of Iraq.

The leaked memorandum makes clear that the target of the heightened surveillance efforts are the delegations from Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Mexico, Guinea and Pakistan at the UN headquarters in New York - the so-called 'Middle Six' delegations whose votes are being fought over by the pro-war party, led by the US and Britain, and the party arguing for more time for UN inspections, led by France, China and Russia.

The memo is directed at senior NSA officials and advises them that the agency is 'mounting a surge' aimed at gleaning information not only on how delegations on the Security Council will vote on any second resolution on Iraq, but also 'policies', 'negotiating positions', 'alliances' and 'dependencies' - the 'whole gamut of information that could give US policymakers an edge in obtaining results favourable to US goals or to head off surprises'.

Dated 31 January 2003, the memo was circulated four days after the UN's chief weapons inspector Hans Blix produced his interim report on Iraqi compliance with UN resolution 1441.

It was sent by Frank Koza, chief of staff in the 'Regional Targets' section of the NSA, which spies on countries that are viewed as strategically important for United States interests.

Koza specifies that the information will be used for the US's 'QRC' - Quick Response Capability - 'against' the key delegations.

Suggesting the levels of surveillance of both the office and home phones of UN delegation members, Koza also asks regional managers to make sure that their staff also 'pay attention to existing non-UN Security Council Member UN-related and domestic comms [office and home telephones] for anything useful related to Security Council deliberations'.

Koza also addresses himself to the foreign agency, saying: 'We'd appreciate your support in getting the word to your analysts who might have similar more indirect access to valuable information from accesses in your product lines [ie, intelligence sources].' Koza makes clear it is an informal request at this juncture, but adds: 'I suspect that you'll be hearing more along these lines in formal channels.'

Disclosure of the US operation comes in the week that Blix will make what many expect to be his final report to the Security Council.

It also comes amid increasingly threatening noises from the US towards undecided countries on the Security Council who have been warned of the unpleasant economic consequences of standing up to the US.

Sources in Washington familiar with the operation said last week that there had been a division among Bush administration officials over whether to pursue such a high-intensity surveillance campaign with some warning of the serious consequences of discovery.

The existence of the surveillance operation, understood to have been requested by President Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, is deeply embarrassing to the Americans in the middle of their efforts to win over the undecided delegations.

The language and content of the memo were judged to be authentic by three former intelligence operatives shown it by The Observer. We were also able to establish that Frank Koza does work for the NSA and could confirm his senior post in the Regional Targets section of the organisation.

The NSA main switchboard put The Observer through to extension 6727 at the agency which was answered by an assistant, who confirmed it was Koza's office. However, when The Observer asked to talk to Koza about the surveillance of diplomatic missions at the United Nations, it was then told 'You have reached the wrong number'.

On protesting that the assistant had just said this was Koza's extension, the assistant repeated that it was an erroneous extension, and hung up.

While many diplomats at the UN assume they are being bugged, the memo reveals for the first time the scope and scale of US communications intercepts targeted against the New York-based missions.

The disclosure comes at a time when diplomats from the countries have been complaining about the outright 'hostility' of US tactics in recent days to persuade then to fall in line, including threats to economic and aid packages.

The operation appears to have been spotted by rival organisations in Europe. 'The Americans are being very purposeful about this,' said a source at a European intelligence agency when asked about the US surveillance efforts.


http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905936,00.html

[Jay ay Beee]

They've edited it for their readers who speak English properley...

Your point?

[Woodrow]

They've edited it for their readers who speak English properley...

Your point?

Uhhhh, No...

Show me where it says that they "Edited" it for their readers...

[Woodrow]

These people have just lost ALL cerdibility within the news world:

After people started to call them on their "Errors" they put this in the end of the story:

"Footnote: This email was originally transcribed with English spellings standardised for a British audience. Following enquiries about this, we have reverted to the original US-spelling as in the document leaked to The Observer."

First the "Koza" to "Kozu" error, and also I read that "the top secret marker of "Top Secret//COMINT//XL" should have read "Top Secret//COMINT//X1" to conform to any government coding."

They changed these without a footnote... Why? Who knows.

Another issue, Do the editors really think the british audience is that braindead that they won't realize the document originated from the USA, so it's going to have some spelling differences?

Why did they put the footnote in the article only after people started calling them on it? Thats shady journalism.

[King Tech Quadafi]

dunno bout the credibility of this report, but it wouldnt surprise me one bit

[Agua]

http://www.themoderntribune.com/norman_solomon_-_globalization_and_international_intervention.htm#AMERICAN%20MEDIA%20DODGING%20U.N.%20SURLEILLANCE%20STORY

[Woodrow]

The American media is staying away from the story because of the things I listed above. Why is the German media staying away from the story I saw about a crashed UFO in the newspaper stand at my supermarket? It's a big coverup I tell ya.

[Agua]

The American media is staying away from the story because of the things I listed above. Why is the German media staying away from the story I saw about a crashed UFO in the newspaper stand at my supermarket? It's a big coverup I tell ya.

brilliant post. unfortunately the "fake" report is a FACT. if you think they faked the story, you're quite naive, imo.

[Woodrow]

The American media is staying away from the story because of the things I listed above. Why is the German media staying away from the story I saw about a crashed UFO in the newspaper stand at my supermarket? It's a big coverup I tell ya.

brilliant post. unfortunately the "fake" report is a FACT. if you think they faked the story, you're quite naive, imo.

Everybody's got their opinions, dosen't mean it's right, but hey, who am I tell you whats right and wrong. if you wanna belive something, I'm not gonna stop you.

If it is real, it's some of the shoddiest Journalism I've seen in a VERY long while.

[Agua]

I mean what's so unbelievable about the story? the way in which it was written is indeed a bit strange, but that doesn't affect the content.

[ITW [the irish boy]]

Which is more likely :
a/adapted to european format for european readers
b/ a conspiracy campaign aimed at smearing the us.

If i had read it, and they spelled emphasise "emphasize" I would have thought the writer was some kind of idiot who couldnt spell write, i never knew americans spelt it that way. So the observer was probably trying to look smarter.

Anyway that kind of spying thing is not so strange. The Northern Ireland peace process was stopped recently coz Sinn Fein had a spy ring in Stormont. If sinn fein can do it, i have no doubt international countries can too.