Swiss intelligence and CIA-Crypto affair ?
Swiss intelligence benefited from CIA-Crypto spying affair
A Swiss
parliamentary investigation has revealed that Swiss intelligence service were
aware of and benefited from the Zug-based firm Crypto AG’s involvement in
US-led spying.
According
to the conclusions of a nine-month investigation by the Swiss parliamentary
audit committee (GPDel), published on Tuesday, the Swiss intelligence service
knew that the US Central Intelligence Agency was behind the Swiss-based Crypto
AG as far back as 1993. The report says that Swiss intelligence later
collaborated with them to gather information from foreign sources.
The audit
committee investigation was prompted by revelations in February by Swiss public
television SRF, German television ZDF and the Washington Post that Crypto AG
was at the heart of a huge international spying operation led by the CIA, but
also involving the German BND spy service.
More than
100 countries bought the encryption devices from the Zug-based company, which
did business under the guise of Swiss neutrality. In reality, the firm belonged
to the CIA and Germany intelligence service, which could freely read what it
encrypted. Information intercepted with the help of Crypto’s devices changed
the course of events including the Iran hostage situation in 1979.
Crypto AG
never delivered encrypted devices to the Swiss authorities. However,
Switzerland has taken advantage of the eavesdropping made possible by these
devices according to the report. This was a service to our country said
Philippe Bauer, a member of the parliamentary delegation leading the
investigation. This was especially the case for the hostage affair in Libya.
The
investigation sought to determine who in the Swiss government knew about the
affair and when. As part of the investigation, the committee examined how,
given the political significance, the Swiss intelligence service and foreign
intelligence services were able to jointly use a company located in Switzerland
without parliament’s knowledge.
“The fact
that this collaboration could have been concealed from the Federal Council for
so long also highlights shortcomings in the management and supervision
exercised by the latter,” the report states. With this, it says that the
highest office in Switzerland shares some responsibility for Crypto’s
activities.
Πηγή : SDA,
SWISSINFO
