Inside Story: The Diplomatic Cost of US Surveillance

As Washington reviews its intelligence gathering operations, what do revelations mean for relations with Europe?

John Kerry Admits US Spying Has 'Reached Too Far'

John Kerry

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US secretary of state promises some US spying practices will end as global outrage at surveillance builds

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has admitted that some of America's spying activities have "reached too far".

He said many of the surveillance practices were carried out "on automatic pilot, because the technology is there and the ability is there."

Speaking to a conference in London via viedolink [sic], Mr Kerry promised that a review of National Security Agency surveillance work would result in some spying activities being halted altogether.

"The president and I have learned of some things that have been happening in many ways on an automatic pilot, because the technology is there and the ability is there," he said.

"I assure you, innocent people are not being abused in this process, but there's an effort to try to gather information, but in some cases, some of these actions have reached too far and we are going to try to make sure it doesn't happen in the future." Read on and comment » | Bonnie Malkin and agencies | Friday, November 01, 2013

Spain Summons US Ambassador over Claim NSA Tracked 60m Calls a Month

Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister of Sapin

THE GUARDIAN: El Mundo newspaper reports having seen NSA document that reveals extent of agency's monitoring of Spanish phone calls

The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has summoned the US ambassador to explain the latest revelations to emerge from the files leaked by Edward Snowden, which suggest the National Security Agency tracked more than 60m phone calls in Spain in the space of a month.

Spain's European secretary of state, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, is meeting James Costos as the White House struggles to contain a growing diplomatic crisis following accusations that the NSA monitored the phones of scores of allies, including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.

El Mundo newspaper reported on Monday that it had seen an NSA document that showed the US spy agency had intercepted 60.5m phone calls in Spain between 10 December 2012 and 8 January this year. » | Paul Hamilos in Madrid | Monday, October 28, 2013

EL MUNDO: Margallo: si se confirma el espionaje, podría suponer 'ruptura de confianza' entre España y EEUU » | Ana Romero | Madrid | Lunes, 28 de octubre 2013

EL MUNDO: La NSA niega que Obama aprobara el espionaje a Merkel » | Europa Press – Berlin, Reuters – Washington | Lunes, 28 de Octubre 2013

Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in Berlin

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: According to SPIEGEL research, United States intelligence agencies have not only targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone, but they have also used the American Embassy in Berlin as a listening station. The revelations now pose a serious threat to German-American relations.

It's a prime site, a diplomat's dream. Is there any better location for an embassy than Berlin's Pariser Platz? It's just a few paces from here to the Reichstag. When the American ambassador steps out the door, he looks directly onto the Brandenburg Gate.

When the United States moved into the massive embassy building in 2008, they threw a huge party. Over 4,500 guests were invited. Former President George H. W. Bush cut the red-white-and-blue ribbon. Chancellor Angela Merkel offered warm words for the occasion. Since then, when the US ambassador receives high-ranking visitors, they often take a stroll out to the roof terrace, which offers a breathtaking view of the Reichstag and Tiergarten park. Even the Chancellery can be glimpsed. This is the political heart of the republic, where billion-euro budgets are negotiated, laws are formulated and soldiers are sent to war. It's an ideal location for diplomats -- and for spies.

Research by SPIEGEL reporters in Berlin and Washington, talks with intelligence officials and the evaluation of internal documents of the US' National Security Agency and other information, most of which comes from the archive of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, lead to the conclusion that the US diplomatic mission in the German capital has not merely been promoting German-American friendship. On the contrary, it is a nest of espionage. From the roof of the embassy, a special unit of the CIA and NSA can apparently monitor a large part of cell phone communication in the government quarter. And there is evidence that agents based at Pariser Platz recently targeted the cell phone that Merkel uses the most. » | SPIEGEL Staff | Sunday, October 27, 2013

Germany Presses for 'Complete Information' on U.S. Spying Allegations

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Germany’s interior minister is pressing for “complete information” from Washington on the alleged U.S. surveillance of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone and any other snooping.

Merkel complained to President Barack Obama on Wednesday after receiving information her phone may have been monitored. German spy chiefs plan to travel to Washington for talks.

Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich was quoted Sunday as telling newspaper Bild am Sonntag he wants “complete information on all accusations” and that “if the Americans intercepted cellphones in Germany, they broke German law on German soil.” He added wiretapping is a crime and “those responsible must be held accountable.”

News magazine Der Spiegel, whose research prompted the government’s response, reported that a document apparently from an NSA database indicates Merkel’s cellphone was first listed as a target in 2002.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry lands in Rome and Paris to talk about Mideast issues but is confronted by outrage over U.S. spying abroad. President Barack Obama has defended surveillance activities to leaders of Russia, Mexico, Brazil, France and Germany. » | The Associated Press | Washington | Sunday, October 27, 2013

Barack Obama 'Approved Tapping Angela Merkel's Phone 3 Years Ago'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama was told about monitoring of German Chancellor in 2010 and allowed it to continue, says German newspaper

President Barack Obama was personally informed about secret US monitoring of Angela Merkel three years ago, according to latest reports on the eavesdropping affair.

The President allowed the National Security Agency (NSA) to continue spying on the German chancellor, it was claimed.

Mr Obama was told of the secret monitoring of Mrs Merkel by General Keith Alexander, the head of the NSA, in 2010, according to Bild am Sonntag, a German newspaper.

“Obama did not stop the action at that time but allowed it to continue,” a US intelligence source close to the NSA operation told the Sunday newspaper.

The White House later commissioned an extensive NSA dossier about Mrs Merkel, according to Bild. » | Louise Barnett, Berlin and Philip Sherwell, New York | Sunday, October 27, 2013

My comment:

Obama's presidency is falling apart. He has p***** off so many of his friends and allies in a matter of weeks: France, Germany, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Brazil. He is leading America down a road that will both impoverish the country and destroy its reputation in the world. I see that respectable German newspapers are already talking of a post-American era. Obama talked so much of "hope and change" before his first election victory. What he should have talked of is 'despair and destruction'. Americans beware: It takes a long time to build a wonderful nation, but it can be destroyed in short order. – © Mark

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