24 May 1999

    Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 19:31:35 +0200
    To: jya@jya.com
    From: "C.Wiebes" <wiebes@pscw.uva.nl>
    Subject: Sigint conference announcement

    SIGINT IN EUROPE DURING THE COLD WAR

    More and more students of the Cold War begin to realize that the
    intelligence communities played an important role during the Cold War. In
    recent years in particular the importance of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)
    has been stressed and especially the capabilities and possibilities of
    reading and deciphering diplomatic, military, commercial and other
    communications of other nations.

    This growing awareness of the importance of intelligence applies not only
    to the activities of the big services but also to those of the smaller
    nations like for example the Netherlands. For this exact reason a couple of
    years ago the Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association (NISA) was
    established in which academics and (former and still active) members of the
    Netherlands intelligence community work together in order to promote
    research into the history of Dutch intelligence communities. This growing
    interest had led in Holland to publications dealing with the history of the
    Dutch internal security service (1995), the Dutch Navy Intelligence (1997)
    and the Netherlands foreign intelligence service (November 1998).

    As honorary secretary of the NISA it is my pleasure to announce that the
    NISA will host an international conference dealing with

    THE IMPORTANCE OF SIGINT IN WESTERN EUROPE IN THE COLD WAR

    This conference with a particular emphasis on Sigint and the Northwestern
    European nations will take place on Saturday November 27 in Amsterdam.

    The line up of the program is as follows:

    SPEAKERS:

    09.45: 	Opening of the Conference and Welcome to the
    		speakers and participants

    10.00: 	Matthew Aid (United States, ex-NSA)
    		Introduction on the importance of SIGINT in the Cold War

    10.45:	coffee

    11.00: 	Richard Aldrich (United Kingdom, University of Nottingham)
    		GCHQ and Sigint in the Cold War

    11.45:	Erich Schmidt-Eenboom (Germany, Forschungsinstitut für
    Friendenspolitik)
    		The BND, German Military Forces and Sigint in the Cold War

    12.30:	lunch

    13.30:	Alf Jacobsen (Norway, NRK)
    		Scandinavia, Sigint and the Cold War

    14.15:	Cees Wiebes (Netherlands, NISA)
    		The history of the WKC (Dutch NSA/GCHQ)

    15.00:	Tea

    15.30:	Wies Platje (Netherlands, NISA)
    		Dutch Sigint and the conflict with Indonesia, 1950 - 62

    16.15:	Round Table discussion
    		The importance of Sigint during the Cold War

    17.00:	Closing Remarks + Reception

    	Since the number of seats is strictly limited to 100, you are requested to
    submit your registration as soon as possible. Places will be attributed on
    a first registered-first served basis. The conference rate is US $ 80
    including lunch and drinks at the reception. Please register as quickly as
    possible by sending an E-mail or letter to the honorary secretary of the
    NISA, Dr. Cees Wiebes, at the following address:

    Dr. Cees Wiebes
    Honorary secretary NISA
    P.O. Box 18 210
    1001 ZC Amsterdam
    The Netherlands
    E-mail: WIEBES@PSCW.UVA.NL