SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Smoke and mirrors are the weapons of choice in the intelligence game, tricky thinking, double dealing, truth being presented as if it where a lie and a lie well disguised to look like the truth. Of course the diseases that are born in this culture are paranoia, conspiracy mania and ultimately madness. 

With this in mind something very funny is going on, and it centres on a story in yesterdays Independent newspaper:-  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exclusive-uks-secret-mideast-internet-surveillance-base-is-revealed-in-edward-snowden-leaks-8781082.html

This piece is headlined:  Exclusive: UK’s secret Mid-East internet surveillance base is revealed in Edward Snowden leaks.

Yet Snowden has denied that he is the source for this story and indeed has previously never had any dealings with The Independent and would have no reason for doing so now. This leaves open the question of the source for this story, which unlike some other leaks is clearly detrimental to British security. For intelligence gathering in the Middle East, birthplace of Al Qaeda should obviously be an essential task of those who claim their role is keep us safe. Snowden himself has indicated that he has restricted information he believes would endanger lives.
So who leaked? Well the one party for whom this story has some value is the British Government which needs to discredit the position held by Snowden, Greenwald and The Guardian. Such an obviously risky story would do it, the question being then posed, “what do these people care about national security?”  Such tactics Greenwald alleges have been used before in the US. 

Of course government spokesman will scoff at this idea with incredulity, paranoid lunacy, anyone who believes such things a fruitcake, one sandwich short of a picnic. They may be right. Though just remember smoke and mirrors.
In the meantime it seems to me that the Independent has some questions to answer. Following an article by Glenn Greenwald in the Guardian:-  http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/23/uk-government-independent-military-base

The editor of the Independent tweeted. “For the record: The Independent was not leaked or 'duped' into publishing today's front page story by the Government."
Nobody, to my knowledge, had accused them of being duped. Given the controversial nature of the story the Independent is duty bound now to clarify further the provenance of this story. If it fails to do so an unpleasant odour will remain.

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