ECHELON - (USA)

ECHELON is a surveillance program collecting and analysing SIGINT originally created to monitor Soviet communications during the Cold War. Formally established in 1971, the system has since been used to monitor commercial and private communications worldwide. Operated by FIVE EYES nations. Allegations have surfaced of Industrial Espionage using the system and of civil rights violations.

ELEPHANT TRANSMITTER

ELEPHANT TRANSMITTER - (CIA) Pictogram-coded transmitter for indigenous forces to easily report enemy forces passing an observation post. Issued for the Vietnam war. Buttons featured representations of trucks, tanks, men - and elephants, a common beast of burden in the area.

ABOVE: Elephant transmitter in the CIA Museum.

ELECTRONIC DEAD DROP

ELECTRONIC DEAD DROP - Development of DEAD DROP using a receiver and burst transmitter. The transmitter is pre-loaded with information and when in range of the receiver is either sent manually or triggered remotely by an interrogation signal from the receiver. One example was the SRAC (UK SIS). The Short Range Agent Communication system was about the size of a cigarette pack, loaded from a laptop computer. The Receiver sent out a constant, low-power signal that automatically triggered a burst of high-speed HF from the SRAC. In the nineties 'Garfield the Cat' car window toys became popular concealments for the system as being mounted in the side window gave a clear signal path for the operation.

For an in-depth look at a SRAC, click the following link;

http://www.cryptomuseum.com/spy/cds501/index.htm

ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES

ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES - USA

Highly controversial range of interrogation methods applied at BLACK SITES. Detainees are put in stress positions (A squatting or leaning position, often against a wall, that becomes excruciating after a few minutes), forced into small boxes, subjected to mock burials, kept hooded, subjected to extremely loud noise or rock music, sleep deprivation, denial of clothing, repeated slaps, sensory deprivation, use of extreme temperatures and waterboarding. Waterboarding is a notorious method that has received much media coverage. There are variations, but essentially the subject is retsrained and a cloth or hood placed over their face which has water poured over it, giving the sensation of drowning. CIA prisoners were fed a liquid diet of Ensure and water before waterboarding to limit the risk of death from vomiting. Another technique is known as 'walling'. A makeshift collar is used to ram the subject into a wall.

A United States Senate Select Committee stated that the CIA's use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques was 'not an effective means of acquiring intelligence or gaining cooperation from detainees.' Put simply, frightened people and people in pain will tell their interrogator almost anything they think they wish to hear.

EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION

EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION

The practice of legitimised kidnap and extradition, usually to a BLACK SITE. Highly controversial.

ENIGMA

ENIGMA - GERMANY
Series of commercially-available cryptographic machines using electro-mechanical rotor designs. Most notably used by Nazi Germany, the Enigma code was broken by the Polish Cipher Bureau and the advanced models at Bletchley Park. A combined effort of capturing equipment, operator laziness (failing to rotate the discs as advised) and codebreaking techniques were used to break the Enigma, the resulting material codenamed ULTRA with the highest security clearance.

ELLI

ELLI - USSR
Soviet codename for their spy at the top of MI5. Operating from 1942. Possibly Sir.Roger Hollis, Chief of MI5.

ELINT

ELINT
Electronic Intelligence Gathering. Part of SIGINT. Defined as; Intelligence derived from electromagnetic radiations from foreign sources (excluding radioactive sources). Basically, radio waves that do not involve communications (i.e. SIGINT) The ELINT signatures of ships, missiles, planes etc can be detected and recognised from all types of surveillance platform from Satellite downwards.

EPV

EPV - (UK) ENHANCED POSITIVE VETTING

A lengthy process by which Intelligence agencies clear candidates for classified positions. An on-going process, EPV entails approaches to family members, professional colleagues etc and may be repeated throughout the candidate's career.