Mission to exonerate

["Michael Keaney" <Michael.Keaney@xxxxxx>]

Mark Jones writes:

This Bofors business is as fishy as hell, and the real truth remains to
be
uncovered IMO.

=====

Bofors Defence AB is now a wholly owned subsidiary of United Defense,
itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the privately owned Carlyle Group,
whose list of "Managing Directors" reads like a who's who of the
Ditchley Foundations (see http://www.thecarlylegroup.com/md.html). John
Major, Kenneth Abramowitz, James Baker, Arthur Levitt, Frank Carlucci
...

A recent FT article on transatlantic defence industry links was posted
on 3 July (http://csf.colorado.edu/pen-l/2001III/msg00151.html).

=====

Where is the Eye getting its leads from, BTW?

=====

Most of its material is public domain, with journalists like Paul Foot
and Francis Wheen making connections with past-acquired knowledge. The
original Hakluyt exposure came from the Sunday Times, a traditional
outlet for MI5-sponsored guff (such as Michael Foot, codename "Boot").
In this case it seems that the old inter-service rivalry between MI5 and
MI6 might be rearing its head again. Certainly, if we are to believe the
Hammond report, MI6 (aka the Foreign Office) has been dealing with MI5
(aka the Home Office and officially lower down the hierarchy) on a need
to know basis. Whether it's true or not, it doesn't make MI5 look very
good. Also, as we know now from Richard Tomlinson and others, MI6 have
invested a lot in "I-Ops", a special unit devoted to UK press management
and story-planting. The Sunday Telegraph is the prime outlet for this
stuff (as with its well-primed "Thatcher supports Portillo" story).
Where Foot et al would know for sure about Hakluyt getting MI6's
official blessing is another story. David Spedding was not, apparently,
one to parade his service's wares in public (unlike Stella Rimington).
Maclay himself, however, doesn't appear to be so circumspect, as with
his parading of his past media career and overtures to European academic
political scientists (see
http://csf.colorado.edu/pen-l/2001III/msg00429.html).

Michael K.