Night Of First Ed Snowden Story, Streets In Front Of Guardian's NY Office & Home Of Its US Editor Suddenly Dug Up
from the hmm... dept
The Guardian is running a fascinating excerpt from Luke Harding's upcoming book, entitled The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man. The excerpt is entitled How Edward Snowden went from loyal NSA contractor to whistleblower, but that's not entirely accurate. Most of that story has already been told, and what's repeated of Snowden's thought process isn't particularly new or enlightening. What is much more interesting are some of the details in the immediate run up and aftermath to the Guardian publishing that first story on a Wednesday evening. First, there's the way the US government tried to pressure the Guardian not to run the story:Events were moving at speed. MacAskill had tapped out a four-word text from Hong Kong: "The Guinness is good." This code phrase meant he was now convinced Snowden was genuine. Gibson decided to give the NSA a four-hour window to comment, so the agency had an opportunity to disavow the story. By British standards, the deadline was fair: long enough to make a few calls, agree a line. But for Washington, where journalist-administration relations sometimes resemble a country club, this was nothing short of outrageous. In London, the Guardian's editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger, headed for the airport for the next available New York flight."Gibson" is Janine Gibson, the Guardian US's editor. But the really scary part of the story is what came next, which, as far as I know, hadn't been reported anywhere else until now:
The White House sent in its top guns for a conference call with the Guardian. The team included FBI deputy director Sean M Joyce, a Boston native with an action-man resume – investigator against Colombian narcotics, counter-terrorism officer, legal attache in Prague. Also patched in was Chris Inglis, the NSA's deputy director. He was a man who interacted with journalists so rarely, he was considered by many to be a mythical entity. Then there was Robert S Litt, the general counsel to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Litt was clever, likable, voluble, dramatic, lawyerly and prone to rhetorical flourishes. On the Guardian side were Gibson and Millar, sitting in Gibson's small office, with its cheap sofa and unimpressive view of Broadway.
By fielding heavyweights, the White House had perhaps reckoned it could flatter, and if necessary bully, the Guardian into delaying publication. Gibson explained that the editor-in-chief – in the air halfway across the Atlantic – was unavailable. She said: "I'm the final decision-maker." After 20 minutes, the White House was frustrated. The conversation was going in circles. Finally, one of the team could take no more. Losing his temper, he shouted, "You don't need to publish this! No serious news organisation would publish this!" Gibson replied, "With the greatest respect, we will take the decisions about what we publish."
That evening, diggers arrived and tore up the sidewalk immediately in front of the Guardian's US office, a mysterious activity for a Wednesday night. With smooth efficiency, they replaced it. More diggers arrived outside Gibson's home in Brooklyn. Soon, every member of the Snowden team was able to recount similar unusual moments: "taxi drivers" who didn't know the way or the fare; "window cleaners" who lingered next to the editor's office. "Very quickly, we had to get better at spycraft," Gibson says.Some of those may be coincidences. When you think the world is out to get you, plenty of ordinary activity may look extra suspicious. Of course, on the flip side, as the saying goes: just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. The story of having diggers tearing up the sidewalk that night, both in front of the Guardian's office and in front of Gibson's home, are the ones that seem extra suspicious and extra troubling. Remember, this came right about the same time that the DOJ was getting shellacked for targeting journalists, and was in the middle of promising that it wasn't going to do that any more. But, what are promises when you have an angry surveillance state coming down on you, knowing that a bunch of their most stupid programs were about to be exposed?
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Filed Under: chris inglis, ed snowden, janine gibson, journalism, nsa, robert litt, sean joyce, surveillance
Reader Comments
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Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Tap phone / internet connections? Couldn't this be done elsewhere?
Add a kill switch on electrical or other utility service?
Plant a bomb?
Break in through some non-obvious entrance? Or do something to enable future such break in's to office?
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Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
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Re: Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
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Re: Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
could *possibly* have some 'real' practical reason to plant bugs/whatever; BUT, far more likely that it is just muscle-flexing to show those mere citizens that they didn't know who they were messing with: THE biggest, baddest ORGANIZED krime syndicate in the world, the USG ! !!
fuckers...
i REALLY don't get it: are they TRYING to get us to the point where we hang them all ? because i'm having trouble seeing what the end game is, otherwise...
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Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
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Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
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Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
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Re: Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
Add a kill switch on electrical or other utility service?
Something along those lines maybe. I'd bet a lot of coins on a direct tap into the cables going to the house but I wouldn't rule out the kill switch. I wouldn't be surprised if they had stingrays permanently installed near the places.
Full scale surveillance ;)
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Photo?
If they start screaming about how its a violation of their rights or that your interfering with their duties, then they must be law enforcement of some kind.
No one else would care.
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The effect can more terrorizing than anything that they were planing on doing.
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I'd say it's sinister stuff, but given the assclowns we're talking about I wouldn't be surprised if potholes were the aim.
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Finally, something the FBI/CIA/NSA/ICE actually does a good job with.
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This is the government you're talking about here....
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The tails system?
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Re: The tails system?
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I mean our government is rather inept at handling construction contracts. You are telling me they formed a contract, hired a crew, and got materials/people all on site within 24 hours?
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Maybe not
With that said, I'm with you on the still needing proof, but it's certainly possible.
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Re: Maybe not
Hell, let's not bring those guys into it - I mean, they *really* bungled that 245-Trioxin containment issue.
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Since this is military they are called Core of Engineers or Seabees.
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I would need some serious proof of that. I find that completely unbelievable. Not from the "they would do that" perspective, but from the "they are competent enough to ACTUALLY do that" perspective.
I mean our government is rather inept at handling construction contracts. You are telling me they formed a contract, hired a crew, and got materials/people all on site within 24 hours?
Follow the money... always do this... you will find that once the Management steps the freak back and just writes a check leaving the technical details to the pros then stuff gets done done done in ways you would not believe.
The machine is well oiled to work against you... just not well oiled to work for you.
I work in IT, management is the beginning, middle, & end of every problem. Mixed in behind that are the full of themselves pro's talked at by people that don't know what they want.
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Response to: Geno0wl on Feb 3rd, 2014 @ 8:29am
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Remember what FDR said...
This level of happenstance? No way.
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Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
Meanwhile, NSA and the co-conspirator corporations (especially Google) go right on spying and increasing their spying.
Exposed: Google’s “Smart Home” Surveillance Plans
http://www.activistpost.com/2014/02/exposed-googles-smart-home-surveillance.html
Edward Snowden: Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple, and the rest of our internet titans must ask themselves why they aren't fighting for our interests the same way -- Ed, those soul-less amoral entities care only about the billions they get BEING snoops! (65 of 195)
04:33:36[f-090-0]
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Re: Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
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Re: Re: Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
And used it to exploit the masses in every conceivable manner.
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Re: Neither Snowden nor this "story", months late, is THE STORY.
At a story that's naught but frugal.
He cares not for scandals,
Or NSA handles
And everything's the fault of Google.
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My additional ponderings are about the book and Snowden himself, will receive a portion of the sales/profits for his defense.
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Digging up sidewalk for what purpose?
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Only problem is, that it was a mountain of stupid.
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FTFY
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I have a problem with the title of the book. It has the simple mistake that most US people make, ie. USA =\= World.
A more appropriate title would be:
The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of Ministry of Love's Most Wanted Man
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I love this response. It's the perfectly polite "Fuck you." The only thing I would have added if I were her was to remind them that they were on the Guardian's turf not the NSA's and that they were only invited there and told about it before it went to press as a matter of courtesy to allow them time to formulate a response. That courtesy did not HAVE to have been extended and doesn't have to be in the future.
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I would dig up...
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I am sure Snoweden put everybody remotely associated with him on a priority list at all alphabet suop agences, but this is not how they operate, according to open records.
BTW, repair of public sidewalks in Brooklyn is responsibility of property owner next to it. Nice shot.
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omg wtf 2 sidewalks
These "side" detail isn't evidence of secret US Gov surveillance.
cf, Snowden for the evidence of secret US Gov surveillance.
Sidewalk works is sidewalk works. Unless you found a paper trail?
Don't blame Luke Harding for painting pretty pictures with his words, even non-fiction writers must do this; for a book isn't much of a good book if it doesn't enjoy any readership.
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LOL
Then you'll know we mean business."
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Re:
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Data Access
This link should enlighten you to how information can easily be achieved via electrical power sources.
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Re: Data Access
So I guess it could be done.
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Electrical outlets can be used as a collection source
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Re: Electrical outlets can be used as a collection source
actually no, not every computer emits 'impulses' it is easy to secure a computer from tempest hazards with shielding.
No, you cannot identify exactly what you are doing, at best you might be able to get a fuzzy picture of your monitor (from the radiation from the cables), but little else, and even less now with digital monitors, that makes it almost impossible, with RBG monitors its slightly easier.
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QUICK, lets watch every episode of "Get Smart".. !!!
oh, a lazy window washer !!!
An American taxi driver who does not go the shortest way !!!! or does not "know" the correct fair !! (for a tourist!).
and doing council road/pave works at NIGHT ! on a week day! (in a city!)..
why would they do that AT NIGHT, and not at the very busiest time possible ?
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USMOB
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