So sayeth the New York Times!
"Behind German spy cases, twists worthy of films" by Alison Smale | New York Times July 13, 2014
BERLIN — The Cold War is long since over, the capital is no longer Bonn, the “small town in Germany” of John le Carré fame, and few nations have exhibited a stronger reaction against the modern surveillance state.
Yet recent weeks have brought fresh reminders that the Spy vs. Spy game goes on in Germany, which remains caught geographically and historically between Russia and the West.
The espionage cases that have caused severe new strains between the United States and Germany grew, paradoxically, out of German concerns about renewed Russian intelligence activity.
Based on German news reports and sketchy data from government officials on both sides of the Atlantic, the two cases also appear to be linked, at least tangentially.
The more troubling case centers on a 31-year-old employee of the federal intelligence service who was arrested July 2. He was detained on suspicion of spying for Russia, then shocked interrogators by claiming to have passed 218 German intelligence papers to the United States.
That man, identified only as Markus R., came on the radar of German counterintelligence on May 28, when he sent an e-mail to the Russian consulate in Munich offering information, the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported Saturday.
Since the Russian invasion of Crimea, senior German intelligence officials say, the Russians had stepped up their activity in Germany, seeking information on Berlin’s next steps, so counterintelligence was on alert for such contacts.
Well, Crimea actually voted to join Russia, but why let omitted facts get in the way of wonderful NYT war propaganda?
Markus R. was reportedly eager to impress the Russians, and attached at least one intelligence document to his e-mail: an anonymous denunciation of a defense ministry official as a Russian spy that had crossed his desk at the federal intelligence headquarters, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The spin here is unreal! It leaves you with the impression he was spying for the Russians.
German counterintelligence officials sought to ensnare Markus by replying to him from a false Russian e-mail address, suggesting a meeting. Markus apparently did not take the bait, and the Germans, casting about for more clues, forwarded the Gmail address used by Markus R. to the Americans, asking if they recognized it.
“There was no reply” from the Americans, as the newsmagazine Der Spiegel put it. Instead, Markus shut down the e-mail address.
That meant he was WORKING FOR THEM!
His arrest and subsequent admission that he had actually been working for the United States infuriated the Germans and embarrassed the United States, especially given previous disclosures that the Americans had been eavesdropping on the communications of millions of Germans and had tapped the mobile phone of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Blah, blah, blah. Still spying on and collecting all information on innocent Germans.
Markus R., according to German news media accounts citing unidentified government and intelligence officials, had been working already for two years for the Americans, reportedly receiving about $34,000 for those 218 documents, and meeting his handlers three times in Austria, apparently to avoid detection.
Oh, he came cheap for something so trea$onous!
It seems he was not satisfied. Süddeutsche Zeitung, whose reporters have talked to Markus R.’s lawyer, depicted him as someone eager for more money, who apparently arranged a meeting with the Russians on July 19, prompting counterintelligence to detain him — still thinking they were dealing with a spy for Moscow.
But there was yet another twist in store. The anonymous denunciation of the German defense official that Markus had included in his e-mail to the Russians turned out to be at the heart of a separate case that German counterintelligence officials had been monitoring since August 2010, said Andre Hahn, a member of the parliamentary commission that oversees Germany’s intelligence services.
The defense official, who has not been publicly named, had come under scrutiny after investigators received the anonymous tip saying the official was working for the Russians. The investigators, according to some news reports, also found evidence that the man had taken trips paid for by an American friend.
But the evidence was apparently thin, and it was not until last week, in the wake of Markus R.’s arrest and the diplomatic strains it caused with the United States, that the federal prosecutor sent police to raid the man’s home and office.
A day later, Germany demanded that the top US intelligence official in Berlin leave the country, a step rarely taken by one ally against another. But a senior German official said Friday that there might not be enough evidence to prosecute the second official for spying for either Russia or the United States.
Nice way of trying to bury the matter!
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Maybe it is all a silly script of a cover-up!
Related: Snowden Was a Russian Spy
"Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency analyst who released reams of secret US government documents, ended up in Russia almost by accident. Seeking to travel from Hong Kong to Latin America, he was transiting through Moscow when the United States revoked his passport. Little about Snowden’s daily life in Russia has been revealed, but he has reportedly been seeking to move to another country, particularly Ecuador or Brazil. However, he risks being sent to the United States for trial if his plane is forced down in a country that has an extradition treaty with Washington. The Federal Migration Service would not comment to the Russian news agencies about the application, saying it was a private matter. But there has been no indication that Russia will expel him. Snowden maintains that he is a whistle-blower who brought to light the extent to which the US government was spying on citizens and foreign governments in a trawlerlike hunt for terrorism suspects."
FLASHBACKS:
"Germany angry over new spying tiff" New York Times July 07, 2014
BERLIN — With mystery enveloping a German intelligence service employee accused of spying — reportedly for the United States — German officials and commentators on Sunday angrily demanded a response from Washington, warning that an already troubled relationship was at risk of deteriorating to a new low.
A tempest in a teapot.
The demands for a statement from the United States were nevertheless couched in cautious terms, suggesting that the scandal, which exploded
Friday when Germany’s federal prosecutor reported the arrest of a
31-year-old employee of the Federal Intelligence Service, might not be
as bad as initially feared.
The chairman of a parliamentary inquiry into US intelligence activities
told German radio that it seemed there was no breach of security
surrounding his committee’s work, as some news reports had suggested.
Still, the anger was palpable. Chancellor Angela Merkel, on a trip to China, kept silent
on the matter, although reporters traveling with her cited unidentified
people in her circle as saying she was “surprised” and “disappointed.”
That's where my print ended.
Perhaps the most striking sign of the strained relationship was
Germany’s decision to summon the US ambassador, John B. Emerson, to the
Foreign Ministry on the Fourth of July, just before the US Embassy’s
holiday party for hundreds of guests.
The newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported that the ambassador had smiled and
greeted guests, but that the tension was noticeable: “It was as it has
so often been recently when official America meets official Germany. The
facade was perfect, but behind it there was little accord.”
An American whom Germans did hear from during the weekend was Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Berlin to promote the German-language edition of her recent book, “Hard Choices,” about her years as secretary of state.
A lot of people had gripes with the book.
While carefully skirting judgment on the new espionage scandal, she emphasized at a Saturday reception at the ambassador’s residence that the relationship between the United States and Germany was valued, and should not be “sidelined, downgraded, or destroyed.”
At an appearance Sunday, she said, “Let’s find out what the facts are,” noting that relations “should not be put at risk.”
I doubt they will be.
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"German police widen search in scandal over US spying" by Alison Smale | New York Times July 10, 2014
BERLIN — Police on Wednesday searched the Berlin-area office and
apartment of a man suspected of being a spy, the federal prosecutor’s
office said, deepening the espionage scandal that has damaged relations between the United States and Germany.
I'm sure they will kiss and make up quick.
No one has been arrested yet and the investigation is continuing, the prosecutor’s office said in a terse statement.
The statement did not specify that the suspect had been spying for the
United States. But a joint investigative reporting unit of the German
daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and two public broadcasters cited
informed sources as saying that the suspect worked in the “military field” and had spied for Washington.
Lieutenant Colonel Uwe Roth, a spokesman for the German Defense
Ministry, confirmed that federal prosecutors were carrying out an
investigation involving his ministry, but declined to give further
details.
If a second German is found to have been spying for the Americans, it would deepen the trans-Atlantic quarrel that erupted over an employee of the German foreign intelligence service who is said to have been run by the CIA after volunteering information two years ago. That case, revealed last week, deepened the mistrust that has clouded relations between Washington and Berlin for more than a year after revelations of US intelligence activities in Germany, including eavesdropping on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone.
Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, declined to comment on the continuing cases.
“The German government is in contact with the American side on many
levels, the federal prosecutor and the investigators are continuing
their work,” Seibert said.
“If the accusations are proven true, then it is a very serious course of
events which stands clearly in opposition to what the chancellor
understands as trustworthy cooperation between services and from
partners,” Seibert added.
Blah, blah, blah.
John B. Emerson, the US ambassador who was summoned to the German
Foreign Ministry on July 4 to discuss last week’s spy revelations, was
again in the ministry on Wednesday and met Merkel’s foreign policy
adviser, Christoph Heusgen, the US Embassy said. A spokesman said both
meetings took place at the Americans’ request.
Thomas Miller, the embassy’s top public affairs officer, declined to detail what was discussed.
The newspaper Die Welt, which has well-placed sources in the German
government, said the second suspect was a Bundeswehr soldier suspected
of passing information to US military intelligence.
Norbert Röttgen, a senior member of Merkel’s conservative party and head
of Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said he had told US
officials about the political damage the scandal is causing in Germany.
The ability of the U.S. through the NSA to blackmail foreign leaders looks bad to the people.
“At some point, the ‘no comment’ will not be enough,” Röttgen said by
phone from Washington, where he and other lawmakers have been meeting
with US officials.
At the same time, he cautioned
his German colleagues to understand Berlin and Washington have
profoundly different views on the role of intelligence services, and not to let these differences permanently hurt otherwise strong ties.
“We should not let the intelligence service stupidities be the measure of our relations because German-American relations are essential,” he said.
Meaning this is all a $hit show for public consumption.
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"US official ordered out of Germany" by Aalison Smale and Melissa Eddy | New York Times July 11, 2014
BERLIN — Germany’s relations with the United States plunged to a low point Thursday, with the government demanding the expulsion of the chief US intelligence official stationed here because, it said, Washington has refused to cooperate with German inquiries into US intelligence activities.
What would we have to hide from a friend?
“The representative of the US intelligence services at the United States
Embassy has been asked to leave Germany,” a government spokesman,
Steffen Seibert, said in a statement.
German officials have been frustrated in their efforts to receive
clarification from Washington since last summer, when it was reported
that the National Security Agency had been monitoring the digital
communications of millions of Germans. The government tamped down that uproar, but fury flared anew when it was revealed last fall that the NSA had been monitoring Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone.
The political cla$$ only gets upset when it affects themselves, and
even then not too much at their monitoring ma$ters and $tring-pullers.
Although President Obama has offered assurances that the United States will no longer spy on Germany, two cases of suspected US espionage that have come to light in the past eight days have sparked a fresh round of outrage.
Like anyone on this planet would ever believe a word that lying piece o-s**t sphincter says at this point.
“The request occurred against the backdrop of the ongoing investigation
by federal prosecutors as well as the questions that were posed months
ago about the activities of US intelligence agencies in Germany,”
Seibert said. “The government takes the matter very seriously.”
Seibert said Germany continued to seek “close and trusting” cooperation
with its Western partners, “especially the United States.”
As is usual with intelligence matters, the US Embassy had no comment on the expulsion request. But in a statement, the embassy also said it was essential to maintain close cooperation with the German government “in all areas.”
“Our security relationship with Germany remains very important,” the statement said. “It keeps Germans and Americans safe.”
(Blog editor was about to unleash a diatribe of expletives, but
fuck it. Why bother responding to the outrageous absurdities anymore?)
Merkel, speaking two hours before the expulsion request was announced, said in response to reporters’ questions that spying on allies was “a waste of energy.”
That is what I am doing here.
“We have so many problems,” she said. “We should focus on important matters.”
Illegal spying on you innocent people of Germany is thus NOT IMPORTANT!
Thank God Hitler lost the big war, huh?
Despite the apparent effort to keep relations on an even keel, the expulsion development marked a low point between two allies just as they need strong cooperation not just to combat terrorism and strengthen security measures in the digital age, but also to reach a broad trans-Atlantic trade agreement that is seen by both sides as a chance to create a single market of almost 800 million people.
And the NEW WORLD ORDER just ROLLS ALONG, huh?
Clemens Binninger, a member of Merkel’s center-right party, said the move was “a political reaction
of the government to the lack of willingness of US authorities to help
clear up any questions” arising over the past year in connection with
the surveillance of Germany and its leaders.
And that's all it is. According to your government, you German people can go eat scite.
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"Berlin aims to stay friends with US | Associated Press July 12, 2014
BERLIN — Germany’s foreign minister said Friday he will tell Secretary of State John Kerry at a meeting this weekend that Berlin wants to reinvigorate the two countries’ friendship ‘‘on an honest basis’’ after asking Washington’s top spy to leave.
Did they invent anal sex in Germany, or.... ??
Thursday’s decision to demand the departure of the intelligence
representative at the US Embassy in Berlin was ‘‘the right decision, a
necessary step, and an appropriate reaction to the breach of trust that has taken place,’’ Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin.
It followed reports over the past 10 days that US intelligence had recruited
two Germans — a man who worked at the country’s foreign intelligence
agency and a defense ministry employee. Steinmeier said those reports
were ‘‘troubling.’’
They added to friction and frustration about reports last year that the US was intercepting Internet traffic in Germany and eavesdropping on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cellphone calls.
The government is more concerned with its privacy than yours!
Steinmeier said he will meet Kerry on the sidelines of talks in Vienna about Iran’s nuclear program. The US State Department confirmed that a bilateral meeting would take place.
Deciding when the WWIII will be official are they?
There is ‘‘no alternative’’ to Germany’s longstanding partnership with the US in view of challenges in Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, Steinmeier stressed.
The whole affair is like a soccer match: A lot of oohs and aahs and nothing much happening.
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Good luck in the game today, my German friends.
NEXT DAY UPDATES:
"US, Germany vow cooperation despite espionage spat" by Bradley Klapper | Associated Press July 14, 2014
VIENNA — The United States and Germany, amid an escalating espionage dispute, stressed Sunday the importance of cooperation in solving several global crises but offered little indication they have fully mended ties.
After a meeting on the sidelines of nuclear talks in Vienna, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Secretary of State John Kerry each extolled the value of the two NATO allies’ work together on issues such as Iran and Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Please tell me they did not point to Israel-Palestine as a success, and as far as Iran goes.... sigh.
Steinmeier directly addressed the hard time in the key trans-Atlantic partnership, without explicitly mentioning reports of two German government officials recruited by US intelligence. The reports have rocked relations.
The weird thing is if you read the Sunday Globe NYT piece I began this post with you get the impression it was the Russians who were spying when nowhere in their pos article is Russia ever involved with anything. It was all the U.S. dumbkopf trying to set up the Russians, then with a nice glaze over it by the NYT.
I hope you understand why I truly am tired of this absolute garbage passing itself off as a newspaper.
‘‘Relations between Germany and the US are necessary and indispensable, and that’s for both of our sides,’’ Steinmeier told reporters in German. He acknowledged recent ‘‘difficulties’’ and urged that relations ‘‘revive on the basis of trust and mutual respect.’’
Kerry said talks touched on Iran, Iraq, and unrest in the Middle East, where Steinmeier is going Monday.
‘‘The relationship between the United States and Germany is a strategic one and enormous political operation,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘We are great friends.’’
I'm glad that has been cleared up.
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Also see:
Cup fever at City Hall Plaza never flagged
Germany Celebrates
We know.
