WikiLeaks spaffs files showing NSA spied on French presidents A diplomatic storm is brewing in France after WikiLeaks published evidence that the NSA has spied on at least three French presidents and their senior staff for the last nine years. "The French people have a right to know that their elected government is subject to hostile surveillance from a supposed ally," said WikiLeaks …
Unless the NSA hasn't got 'round to resetting Snowden's login credentials yet (not exactly implausible, I suppose) I'd say that that suspicion is altogether more substantial than a "rumour."
"French readers can expect more timely and important revelations in the near future."
In many ways, I hope there isn't a second leaker for his sake or that he/she is now so far underground* that any of the 5-eyes won't be able to find him/her. All the wrath and frustration will be vented on the second one.
The question is, "is anyone surprised at this"? I wouldn't be surprised if every leader (including the US "leader" - for some value of leader) was being snooped by allies.
*Not dead but hiding.
"The question is, "is anyone surprised at this"? "
Some people, they are not. But one thing is suspecting, the sheep can always be told "oooh, the thin foil paranoia again!" , other is the psychological effect of reading and seeing official secret files leaked.
I'd be more suprised if they DIDN'T spy on us
Me too. The Americans spy on the French, and the Germans, Britons, etc. They all spy on the Americans, and each other, it's how the game is played.
No doubt there will be some face-saving diplomatic communiqués issued, but I'd imagine that the real reason for the crisis meeting at the Élysée is not because the Americans spied on French presidents, but that they successfully spied on French presidents. Someone in the French counter-intelligence services is in for a bollocking, and a head or two may roll behind closed doors.
Then again, we are talking about a president who popped out of the palace on his scooter for visits to his mistress, and didn't expect anyone to notice...
But nobody in France minded the President poppping round to see his mistress. What they were disgusted by was that he did it in such a common way as to use a scooter, when he should have been going round there in a chauffeur driven limo. Got to get your priorities right.
The French government planted a bomb in their own London ambassador's official residence garden in the 80s. This was because Mitterand was coming on a visit, and they wanted to bring their own armed security, and the government wouldn't let them. So the idea was to embarrass the British Diplomatic Protection Group, and thus win the argument - and bring their own armed guards over.
Diplomacy isn't always that friendly, even amongst allies.
"Then again, we are talking about a president who popped out of the palace on his scooter for visits to his mistress, and didn't expect anyone to notice..."
...and didn't expect anyone to care.
FTFY since this IS France we are talking about.
The UK and their scientists provided vital information, but they hardly developed the bomb on their own and gave it over. Nor would the UK have had the industrial capacity to refine uranium on the scale required since they were exposed to Nazi bombs. Or do you maintain the Manhattan project all just a ruse to keep some scientists out of the draft?
Withholding information on the bomb from the French seems prudent, given how some of them were quite willing to collaborate with the enemy rather than fight. If the bomb had been invented earlier and plans handed over to the French in 1938, the Vichy would have given them to the Nazis. London, Moscow and Berlin might be a bit more radioactive today had that happened.
Congress banned the US government from sharing nuclear secrets, on the grounds this would give the US a massive advantage for decades. The Russians had the bomb from a combination of spying and knowing it was possible before the end of the 40s. Britain had the advantage that we'd merged our program with the US when they joined the war - so even though they weren't sharing the results, we had some of the scientists who'd generated them to replicate them. And the Labour government were willing to spend in order to get it, whereas immediate post-war France didn't have the cash yet.
Although I've read some suggestions recently that we cheated on the hydrogen bomb. We built a really huge fission bomb, lied to the Americans (and the world), claiming it was a fusion one when it was tested. And then did a deal with the US to trade nuclear info. Since we'd gone for a different method of making the hydrogen bomb to them (which wasn't working out yet), and already had some fission designs they were interested in, we did a swapsie. Naughty, naughty!
Reminds me of Spooks. I'm sure in one of the episodes, Harry tells Tom after he starts having a fling with US agent "End it, you know there are no allies in this game."
Not saying its right, but echoing others here, its natural. Spying is what spy agencies do. Citizens, allies and corporates, everything is a potential threat. 'Threat' is broadly defined after all.
All this has done, is to illustrate (I'm was going to say prove) what a lot of people already asssume to be going on.
It became publicly known for a fact (instead of just suspected by some and known for a fact by few) that the NSA was spying on Germany. Did they think "that's fine, they're just making sure Merkel isn't a secret Nazi, they'd never do that to us!"
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
