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Rossiya via AFP - Getty Images
A combination of video grabs from footage broadcast by Russian state-run television in 2006 allegedly shows a man, said to be a British spy, in a park outside Moscow collecting a fake rock being used as a high-tech version of the spy's traditional letter-box or dead drop in which agents can anonymously deliver or retrieve information.
RTR via Reuters
Russian television said there was a transmitter inside the fake rock.
In an embarrassing episode for the British security services, Tony Blair's former chief of staff has admitted that the U.K. used a fake rock to spy on Russia. Reuters reports:
In a television program aired on Russian state television in 2006, Russia's FSB security service accused Britain of using the gadget for top secret communications in Moscow, but London did not admit to the charge at the time.
Now Jonathan Powell, who was chief of staff to then Prime Minister Tony Blair, has confirmed the Russians were correct.
"They had us bang to rights," Powell says in a BBC documentary to be aired on Thursday.
"There's not much you can say. You can't really call up and say 'terribly sorry about that and it won't happen again'," Powell says. Read the full story.
RTR via Reuters
Russian television showed an X-ray of what they said was a transmitter in the rock.
Tony Blair's former chief of staff admits in a BBC documentary that Britain used a rock with communications equipment inside to spy on Russia. Msnbc.com's Alex Witt reports.
Leave a Comment:
The Irony lost is that the Russians are spying on this spy. The difference is that in Russia, all the "spy" money goes to spying within their own country. Ah yes, big brother is alive and well. Spy on!!!
Two words: British intelligence.
http://www.spybusters.com/Great_Seal_Bug.html
I hate it when a bigfoot steals my geocache.....
Roighto guvna, I just be collecting me rawk and be on me way!
That's it? That's the whole story? Lame
Third rock from the sun? Er I mean Kremlin!
This stand to reason that we should not leave any stone unturned. I am going to start in my yard.
And Powell says IT won't happen again.. giggle-giggle* :] Was he talking about throwing a fake rock with a transmitter or spying on Russia!?
Did anyone notice the tree in the background... tell me that isn't transmitting something!
Unknown at the time to James was that the Russians had also been clever enough to place a counter rock lol.
If the Brits were smarter they would have picked up the rock next to theirs. Because thats where the Kremlin hid the extra key to the front door. haha (neat pictures of caught in the action).
Looks just like my pet rock must be a double agent.
Must be another british rock invasion
You should see the stuff in the SPY Museum in DC, the shoe transmitter, the carving of the seal of the US presented to Ambassqdor, our new embasy built by russian workers, most parts off site, riddled with hollowed out columns and and mics, had to install a glass or plastic isolation room inside a room just to do any work.....we found small transmitters that varied frequency by the amount of DC voltage applied,, Soviet embassy here in DC was built on a high spot in DC so it had direct line of sight with many sensitive buildings in dc. Most spy stuff is discovered by accident, someone moves a chair or table, or clock, or table item and something falls out, or the item is too heavy or they notice a wire or something on bottom, the Seal of US accidently fell and popped apart, I forget how long it had been over the Ambassadors desk...10 yrs or something all those "secret" or off the record meetings....all recorded.
It may be humorous but there also have been many of our agents and Britains that have lost their lives providing needed intelligence, to name one Major Nicholson, In Berlin, he had made one successful, picture taking mission inside a Russian tank Facility(photos of the new T-72 tank special armor, special gear inside he got inside one at night in a garage for maintenance or something) in EAST Berlin and had just finished another separate photo mission he was shot in the back by Russians and left to bleed to death, the new camofaluge BDU's were still a sensitive item due to low radar sensing, the russians tried to keep the Uniform, the doctor i worked with went to retrieve body and argued util the Russians gave up the uniform. The soldiers from Berlin Brigade wanted to storm the wall and extract revenge, it was pretty tense period. Russians threatened to seal off West Berlin(110 miles inside Communist territory) would have been the largest POW camp in the world!!!
Well, if you want to get serious about it lets open old wounds, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby and Dick Cheney. Who needs counter-spy's when you've got partisan "friendly fire."
I think of the little ditty from 1957 when the Russkies launched the first spy satellite ... one of the versions went like this:
Twinkle, twinkle little Sputnik
You is Russian dirty tricknik
High up in der sky so sly
Like a secret commie spy
But how der hell can people sleep ...
When all night long go "Beep, Beep Beep"
:-)
~ Peace to all ~
Games little boys play....
I wonder how they found out that the rock was a spy... I know... they were playing the "I spy something with the letter R". Or was it the the battery pack that was disguised as a pickle sitting beside the rock. hmmm. Or it migt be a very simple thing... "Why is that rock in the middle of the road?". By the way... the tree was the aerial.
now we find out why they will leave no stone unturned
Looks like Geocaching to me
Has anyone heard from my pet rock?
Ok, so how long had the Brits been using it before it was found and reported on by the Russians? Sure, it seems silly but if it was used for any purposeful amount of time, it was still somewhat effective.
listen to SpyCast on Itunes and hear even more wonderful stories such as this!
From the pictures, it looks to me like the only images that the rock camera took were of snow covered empty ground and trees without leaves etc. Unless the real secrets were located behind the person who was taking the picture of the guy picking up the fake rock. The British probably let the Ruskies find it because it is too damned cold there to retrieve pictures of squirrels looking for nuts.
Spying on others is a well established tradition in ALL countries. Yet each country gets offended when they find that someone was spying on them. Talk about double standards!!! What I find strange is, why would the British need a rock in the outdoors when all they have to do is zoom in with Google Earth which will give them a better view of the cute russian spy ladies. Unless of course they used the rock cam because they were looking for UPSKIRT SHOTS which Google Earth has not reached that level of sophistication yet. LOL
Uh...what?