HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019690.jpg
1.66 MB
Extraction Summary
2
People
6
Organizations
10
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / congressional oversight document
File Size:
1.66 MB
Summary
This document is page 202 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' (ISBN matches Edward Jay Epstein's book), bearing a House Oversight Bates stamp. The text details the history and operational scope of the NSA, its relationship with the 'Five Eyes' allies, and its expansion into regional bases to monitor internet communications. It includes quotes from former CIA officials James Woolsey and John E. McLaughlin regarding the necessity and extent of U.S. surveillance operations.
People (2)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| James Woolsey | Former CIA Director |
Quoted from a 2000 Wall Street Journal article regarding NSA spying on allies.
|
| John E. McLaughlin | CIA Acting Director (2004) |
Described the NSA as the 'very foundation of U.S. intelligence.'
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; subject of the text regarding intelligence gathering and surveillance.
|
|
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency; described as relying on NSA data as a foundation.
|
|
| Defense Department |
Mentioned regarding data gathering priorities.
|
|
| Congress |
Mentioned as funding intelligence operations since 1941.
|
|
| Five Eyes |
Intelligence alliance mentioned as an exception to certain NSA gathering protocols.
|
|
| The Wall Street Journal |
Publication where James Woolsey wrote an article in 2000.
|
Timeline (2 events)
Locations (10)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location where the 9/11 conspiracy was hatched.
|
|
|
Location where the 9/11 conspiracy was financed.
|
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|
Location where the 9/11 conspiracy was financed.
|
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|
Location of an NSA regional base.
|
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|
Location of an NSA regional base.
|
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Location of an NSA regional base.
|
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Location of an NSA regional base.
|
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Territory crossed by internet cables.
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Territory crossed by internet cables.
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Territory crossed by internet cables.
|
Key Quotes (3)
"“Yes, my continental European friends, we have spied on you. And it is true we use computers to sort through data by using keywords,”"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019690.jpg
Quote #1
"“Have you stopped to ask yourselves what we are looking for?”"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019690.jpg
Quote #2
"“very foundation of U.S. intelligence.”"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019690.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,464 characters)
202 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
share of their signals intelligence. From the perspective of defending
themselves from potential threats, the deal that these allies had with
the NSA was mutually advantageous.
themselves from potential threats, the deal that these allies had with
the NSA was mutually advantageous.
The NSA’s overseas intelligence gathering was not limited to
adversary nations. With the exception of the Five Eyes allies, it
gathered data that was deemed important by the president and the
Defense Department in friendly countries. These operations had
been approved by every American president and funded by every
American Congress since 1941. After all, even in the realm of allies,
activities take place that run counter to American interests. The 9/11
conspiracy, for example, was hatched in Hamburg, Germany, and
financed in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
adversary nations. With the exception of the Five Eyes allies, it
gathered data that was deemed important by the president and the
Defense Department in friendly countries. These operations had
been approved by every American president and funded by every
American Congress since 1941. After all, even in the realm of allies,
activities take place that run counter to American interests. The 9/11
conspiracy, for example, was hatched in Hamburg, Germany, and
financed in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Nor were American allies unaware of the reach of the NSA. “Yes,
my continental European friends, we have spied on you. And it is
true we use computers to sort through data by using keywords,”
the former CIA director James Woolsey wrote in The Wall Street
Journal in 2000. “Have you stopped to ask yourselves what we are
looking for?” Whether or not it was appreciated by other countries,
the global harvesting of communications intelligence by the NSA
was hardly a secret.
my continental European friends, we have spied on you. And it is
true we use computers to sort through data by using keywords,”
the former CIA director James Woolsey wrote in The Wall Street
Journal in 2000. “Have you stopped to ask yourselves what we are
looking for?” Whether or not it was appreciated by other countries,
the global harvesting of communications intelligence by the NSA
was hardly a secret.
As the NSA expanded further, it delegated part of its work to
regional bases, including ones in Utah, Texas, Hawaii, and Japan. The
paramount task of the NSA remained monitoring the channels of
communications that an adversary might use. The vast prolifera-
tion of these channels in cyberspace, which included e-mail, social
media, document sharing, and other innovations of the Internet age,
greatly complicated this task. Even so, this challenge was not insur-
mountable, because most of the Internet actually traveled through
fiberglass landline cables that crossed the territories of the United
States, Britain, and Australia. So the NSA found the technical means,
including voluntarily gaining access to major Internet companies, to
“harvest” vast amounts of this Internet data. America’s other intel-
ligence agencies quickly recognized the value of the communications
intelligence gleaned from foreign telecommunications. John E.
McLaughlin, who was the CIA’s acting director in 2004, described
the NSA as nothing less than the “very foundation of U.S. intel-
ligence.” It served as a “foundation” for the CIA because intercepted
regional bases, including ones in Utah, Texas, Hawaii, and Japan. The
paramount task of the NSA remained monitoring the channels of
communications that an adversary might use. The vast prolifera-
tion of these channels in cyberspace, which included e-mail, social
media, document sharing, and other innovations of the Internet age,
greatly complicated this task. Even so, this challenge was not insur-
mountable, because most of the Internet actually traveled through
fiberglass landline cables that crossed the territories of the United
States, Britain, and Australia. So the NSA found the technical means,
including voluntarily gaining access to major Internet companies, to
“harvest” vast amounts of this Internet data. America’s other intel-
ligence agencies quickly recognized the value of the communications
intelligence gleaned from foreign telecommunications. John E.
McLaughlin, who was the CIA’s acting director in 2004, described
the NSA as nothing less than the “very foundation of U.S. intel-
ligence.” It served as a “foundation” for the CIA because intercepted
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