DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR FORCE OFFICE OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS
6 4 OCT 2001
HQ AFOSI/SCR P.O. Box 2218 Waldorf, MD 20604-2218
Mr. John Young CRYPTOME 251 West 8 9th Street Suite 6E New York, New York 10024
Dear Mr. Young
This is in response to your 29 March 2001 Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request for information concerning
hustralian Intelligence Services, ZF400005W. Your request was
referred to us from the Department of the Army. AFOSI FOIA #
801 was assigned to this reiiest. We received ur request on
29 June 2001. lio
Portions of the information requested are exempt 1:90 disclosure to you. We have inserted notations in the attached documents to identify the portions deleted and the reasons therefore. The notations are explained as follows:
a. "b2" pertains to information relating to the internal personnel rules and practices of AFOSI or the Air Force. The authority for this exemption may be found in the United States Code, Title 5, Section 552(b)(2).
b. Ilb7c" pertains to information which, if disclosed to the public, could reasonably be expected to result in an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. We also withheld the names of our Special Agents so that they would not be subject to harassment and annoyance in the conduct of their offici-al duties and to increase their security in later assignments. The authority for this exemption may be found in the United States Code Title 5, Section 552(b)(7)(C).
"PRESERVING OUR LEGACY, PROTECTING THE FUTURE"
U
Should you decide that an appeal to this decision is necessary, ou must write to the Secretary of the Air Force within 60 days from the date of this letter. Include in the appeal your reasons for reconsideration and attach a copy of this~ letter. Your letter and envelope should be clearly marked "Freedom of Information Act Appeal." Address your letter as follows:
secretary of the Air Force Thru: AFOSI/SCR P.O. Box 2218 Waldorf, MD 20604-2218
If you~have any questions concerning your request please
feel free to contact me at (301) 870-1100. Your patience is
appreciated. Sin ely
C OLYN F. WARREN
hief, I ormation Release Division
tions and Informat
b t t ion Directorate
1 Attachment: Cy ~of AFOSI Referred Information - Less Exemptions
qTTEZ~UW RUM"SSA0005 058: `OwEEE5~P,,J5
E E E E- IT AT'
R 277245Z F:E~P::7>3
BANGKOK TRAI DSTR: CJCS(01) DJS(03) J3(12) J5(05)-
TO RUEBGVA/AFOSI WASH DC/IVOAP NMCC(Ol) SECDEF(07) ASD/1SA(10)
RUHHASA/AFOSI HICKAM APB HI/IVP STATE(01) -DIA(20) CIA(04) CSA(.Q-!t,-CN0(C
BT CSAF(01) CMC(01) NIC(01) N-S-.(01)
UNOWL4S E F T 0 FOUO 510 Cl FILE(Ol)(71)JRB/TT
31
IS IS IJR NRI 1 656 00~
1- AUSTRALIA-
2. UNKNO:-iN ENTITY1 AUSTRALIAN ESPIONAGE NETWORK IN ASIA
3p NIA
4. 14-18 FES 73
S. BANIKiKo THAILANDo 15-18 FEB 73
6
7: ITEM 15
8. i 656 0031 73
S. 26 FEB 73
1.0. 4
il. nIRM 6A2
-41. 2. AFOSI DIST 51v .$A-WlulL THA14AND 51D 49*801
l3s S A AFOSI DIST 51; L-ANGKOK'
o T''AILAND
PACE 2 RUMO F3A" ".Gk*q E F T--Q -
.L4 , COLs USAip DISTRICT COMMANDER
-~.5. OETAILS:
A. TH` !5 FEB 73 ISSUL: OF THE NATION# AN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE E;l i S P A P F-;-: PUBLISHED 'IN BANQK~)Kp ..'THAILANDs CQNTAINED AN ARTICCE Ox PAGE I ENTITLE-D, "AUSTRALIAN SPY UNI'T BREAKS- THAILANDIS CODE.01 A COPY OF THIS ARTICLE IS APPENDED AS ATTACHMENT It AND HE TEXT IS SUHMARIZED AS FOLL04SI THE AUSTRALIAN D~FENCE SIGN46S DIVISION iDSD)#* "A HIGHLY SEC;IET RRANCH OF THE DEFENCE DEPARtMENToll WHICH IS STATIONED IN Sit. : -- -POREm, IS S~LIEVED TO H4VE BEEN MONITORING THE CODES OF INDONESIA# MALAYSIA; THAILAND, CHINAv AND'INDOCHINA SINCE 1960, A - SP00SMAN FOR THN THAI PORFIGN MINISTRY SAID THAILAND WAS AWARE OF THS$E ACtIVITIES I'D HAD DISPATCHED DELINERATELY mISLEADINQ INFnRMATION IN THE PACT, POME OF Wil
THe INTERCE'PTED INFORMATiON HAS REPORT: DLY B~EN ;-'XGHANGfE-D H OTHER
COUNTRIESP INCLUDING ' THE UNITED STATES
b7c
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B THI-1 16 ~ FEB 73 ISSU~-- OF TH~ NATTI61N CONTAI:~--D AN ' 'TICLE
CN PAGE I ENTITLED# llt-.'-IS(;LAtMEls9t THE OF ARTI ;-E IS QUC-ED
VERBATIM AS FOLLOWS1
to- Oft
lH-;: FOREIGN MINSTRY M',Il*ERDAY AN-lUNCEQ IT HAS- NO COMMENT
rmll-- NIATIIDNIS REPORT OF AuSTk,';L'AN GOV .-.NM,L.NT CONDUl-TING ki*.Dlo MO.',.IT3plw-
00007
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
'13.83 3 Rummnoe5 -"eLAS Ct r i WO
1 NG ACTI/ITIES AGAINST T-Al~AN; AND O":ER SOUTH5AST .'.SlAN COUNTR-ES.
THE i,NNOUACEr,`,NT DISCLAIMED A REMA4K ATTRIBUTED TO A FOREIGN MINISTRY clliPOXESMAN STATI-4 THAT THAILAND WAS W'LL AWARE OF SYCH ACTIONS
AND OFTE-1 FED MISINFORMATION IN ILY EM, P C
TO ITS DA DIS - k T H,"
c. THE 18-24 FEB 73 ISSUE OF THE iSIANs A W:1.5KL-Y ENGLISH
I 'kED 0
L.ANGUAGE NEWSPAPgR PUBLIS IN BANGKUKi CONTAINED AN ARTICLS N PAOE
3 ENTITLED, "CLOAK'S OFF*THE HIDDEN EARSill A COPY OF THIS IS
APPENIDED AS ATTACHMENT 2,---AND THE TE ' XT IS OU'll ' 4AR-IZGD AS FOLLOWS1 THE AUSTRALIAN MILITARY ELECTRONIC SURVEILLAN06- UNIT ~O`ATIP IN SIANGAPORE: IS TO BE WITHDRAWN IMMEDIATELY ARD REOCATED IN A037RALIA. 9 INGAPORF DID NOT 11OFFICIALLY'l KNOW OF, THE EX-ISTENOE OF THI ~.UNITt ALTHOUGH BOTH ITS EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL- -WOULD KAVE B~EN DIFFJCL'LT -to CONCEAL. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER DELIBERAT=P-L-Y LEAKED NEWS OF THE EXISTENCE OF THIS VNIT TO AVOID,AN ~USTI-NALIkw,~ DOMESTIC POLITIC4L ISSUE CONCERNING THE STATIONING OF AUSTRA IAN MILITARY UNITS OVERSEAS-6 COMMENTS OF THE OPROVING OFFICERI THIS DISTRICT OFFICE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED A NEWSPAPER ARtIOLF L' ON: 0 E R N I N Go AN AUSTRA4 I AN -ESP I ONAGE NETWORK 1 N AS I A I I R 1 656 0208 ~27 5ID49-801j, DTD 10
PAGE 4 R, :MOSBA0005 "06" , SUFFIC.;1UNT DATA OR 8ACKGROUND INr ,RMATION Is NOT AVAILABLE IN TWE FILES OF THIS DIST RICT TO AFFORD EVALIAJATION AND COMMENTS C-N THE-. INFORMATION REPORTED ABOVE. 16''. AFO;I,PIVOAP ~FOSA/IVP VISTRIBUTION E FILE I:CE-I-,-) 17. N/A le a A% A,-.TICLE FROM tHE NATI ON 1P FEB 73 S. AsTICLE FROM THE ASIAN# i6m24-FES 73 COPj~S OF ATTAOHM'ENTS ARE BEING FORWARDED TO HO APQSI/IVOA AND vVP AND 4IL4 BE AVAiLADLE TO INtERESTED AGENCIES; LOCAL' DISTRIBUTESS MAY OBTA114 COPIES DIRQCTLY PROM AFOSI DIST 51l BT
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.CT% . 0. DATE Or REPORTI, 10 November 1972 Espionage Network I& sea. OF PAGUI
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4. okm or 1"rommAvoow: 3 November 1972 12. ORIGINATOR. AFOSI Dist 51, Bangkok,
Thailand: 51D49-801
5. PLACE AVID DATE 001 Ac,*- Bangkok, Thailand is. PREPARED BY& SJL~
ember 1972 AM~l District 51
'IL KVALUATIOW: SOURCE INFORMATSONdW_
Banj~jcoks Thailand
14. APPROVING hUTkQ` 'Ile 'd 'C'
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Tb& Barigh
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7he 3 Nov 72 issuzy of a Bangkok daily RaglAsh language newspaper contained an article concerning an Australian espionage network in Asia.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
lie' 3 i, '~2 Lsue of The Bankgok _Fost, an English language newspaper,,con in Asia - ex member".
talned an article entitled, "Aust operating spy network The, body of the article is quoted verbatim as follows:
"A secret Australian espionage organisation has been operating for years in AsJ& and has been responsible for many unexplained incidents, a former ArzW Intelligence officer said on television here. (Australia)
F0 now a television journalist,-said he spent four
yet in th organisation during the early stages of the Vietnam war, -
aid the special service 'was the cause of a lot of accidents to
a lot of people, especially along the Chinese border'.
Recruits were often university graduates who were recuited on an told boyll
I11- INS 17. DOW"ORADIRIG DATA; &TTACNMKHT DATA2
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COPTURIATION SHEET 113
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basis and received part of their training in London from the British Intelli,900ce Service, MI-6, he said.
s interviewed after the Sydney Daily Telegraph published a
page cle about the service, which it claimed had never been publicly
acknowledged by the Australian Government although, the network was established in 1949.
An article by the newspaper' s political. correspondent p said the &Vionage service was quite separate from the Austr~Laan security Intelligence Organisation, which had its ova chain of foreign agents.
The special service was not part of the joint intelligence organisation
centrqd in-the Defence Department In Canberra.
sald agents of the special organization were posted overseas
t,1M=ra1i="d;;omatic xissions and they then appointed their own agents
population in Asia.
said in the television interview that the speoial- service wa's
very oexpoiva to rum but Its efficiency was vexT low. The service operated
in 14here almost anything would be licensed'.
Interviewed on the same program, said most Australian politi
c edge of the special service becanse there was no'budget or,
lqaslative authority for"It.
=WWS W M AFMVING OFFICEL
The Mes of this office do not oontain sufficleaf data- or back&,uun di Infor-
I nation to afford fUrther coment on the Information contained in the body of this "port.
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