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by cskendrick
This is just the beginning of a line of inquiry. I put in a full shift just to dredge up these crumbs. Somebody else take over.
The Federation of American Scientists keeps tracks of U.S. arms transfers. The part that caught my eye was the "Section 655 Report to Congress" for FY 2004. Now, I spent the last several hours poring through the details, looking for a pattern of arms transfers that didn't quite add up... ...and found something fishy almost immediately. It's cryptography equipment, and spare parts for same.
First, the machines
There were only a handful of major purchasers in 2004. They are, in order:
Now, these could represent one-off purchases. Second, components and spare parts
On both lists, the major purchasers tend to be close allies; you don't want just anybody getting a hold of sensitive gear like this. I'd be interested in why Latvia, hardly a net manufacturer of secrets, needs so much gear -- or why we'd be selling it to them. Something else - Latvia has not offered comment or denial on the CIA secret prison allegations...but that might well mean nothing at all. Interestingly enough, the DOS had a few qualms about Latvian respect for human rights in 2004...but just a few. Among them...
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment The Constitution prohibits such practices; however, there were reports that some government officials employed them. The Government took steps to address the problem. You have to love the soft touch. Current SOS Rice has no qualms, though, thanking Latvia for its participation in Iraq...
"Their continued presence will be essential in ensuring new democratic institutions have the chance to succeed and in preventing Iraq from becoming a safe haven for Islamic terrorists," the press service of the Latvian government quoted Rice's letter to Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis. Welcome to Stutthof This is Stutthof concentration camp. While located in Poland, it is the final destination for many of Latvia's Jews, that is, those that were not slaughtered in situ. It is not so infamous as Dachau or Auschwitz, Chelimo or Treblinka. And yet, it has its own story to tell. In an epic replete with atrocity, Stutthof offers something truly ghastly -- though some contest what I'm quoting here as urban legend:
One of the worst crimes committed by the Nazies has been in Stutthof. Professor Rudolf Spanner, an SS officer and "scientist", was owner of a small soap factory located in Danzig. In 1940, he invented a process to produce soap from human fat. This "product" was called R.J.S. - "Reines Judische Fett" - which means "Pure Jewish Fat".
Hundreds of inmates were executed for the "production" of soap. Rudolf Spanner was very proud of his invention. Following testimonies of some survivors, he used to spend hours and hours just to admire his "invention". At the liberation, the Allies discovered chambers full of corpses used for the production of soap. After the war, Rudolf Spanner was not arrested and continued his "research"... It bears mentioning that the Latvians do not have the benefit of being pure victims (or spectators) of 20th century terror. It could be argued that their country's position on the fault line between not one but two violent political creeds left many from several generations of Latvians immunized from the influence of its better angels. Among these were the Latvians who joined the Einzatzgruppen, including the infamous Arajs Commando, the Latvian SS unit credited for killing approximately one-third of the Jews of Latvia all by themselves. Among their number was one Karlis Ozols, a longtime war fugitive. The point of this apparent Lat-Bash Sometimes, it is easy to forget that little countries can participate in huge atrocities, too. Bulgaria and Romania, now...they're both pretty big countries. Both were major sidekicks in the Cold War. Ditto both World Wars, and for the wrong teams. The West has long been in the habit of holding the Bulgars and the Romanians at arm's length. How long? It's been a while since Bram Stoker parked his Dracula legend in the mountains of Transylvania. Latvia is yet another country overlooked, on account it was easy to do so, was Rwanda. What makes all this so unsettling is in the headlong rush to integrate all three Baltic states into the Western fold as a strategic play vis a vis Russia, we may well have let a wolf into the fold. As for why the Latvians would help out in such business One word: Russia. Whatever it took to keep the Americans invested in keeping the Baltic states out of Russian hegemony, the better. Why no one would want to look too closely Again, the word is Russia. The EU is launching investigations; they will not look at Latvia or any of the Baltic countries too closely, because of the consequences of finding what they do not want to find: destabilizing the one part of Eastern Europe that could, even now, result in a war between East and West. For a similar reason, the Russians are not looking too closely, either. The last thing the Moscow government wants is a rumble with the Americans over foul treatment of a class of persons -- Islamic insurgents in general and suspected AQs in particular -- that their own army kills on sight in Chechnya. However, any break of news about secret American prisons in Eastern Europe would be tempting geopolitical hay for Putin. And this is against the backdrop of a rather dangerous story that played out while we were all worried about Harriet Miers and waiting on Fitzmas... BALTS, NATO, EU DIGESTING LESSONS FROM RUSSIAN PLANE CRASH IN LITHUANIA
Lithuania has completed a three-week investigation into the Russian Su-27 fighter jet's September 15 intrusion and crash in the country (see EDM, September 20, 27). The plane, flying tail in a seven-plane squadron en route from Russia's Leningrad Region to Kaliningrad Region over the Baltic Sea, deviated some 200 kilometers overland into Lithuania, lingered more than 20 minutes in Lithuanian airspace while changing its direction and altitude several times, and finally crashed into a field. Radar spotted the Russian plane belatedly, and NATO jets only "intercepted" it when it was already nose-diving, after the pilot had ejected.
Lithuania's Defense Ministry has released a summary of the classified investigation results. This lays to rest the hypothesis that the incident was a botched intelligence mission or attempt to test NATO air defenses. Lithuania has lifted the charges against the pilot, Major Valery Troyanov, and repatriated him to Russia. That was darn nice. Also...
It remains unclear why the Russian plane was fully armed as if for combat (four missiles and a loaded gun with a reserve ammunition box) on this flight. The Lithuanians were curious about that, too. But what has everyone having kittens...
The Su-27 incident exposed gaps as well as technical and organizational flaws in the air defense system, which in Lithuania as well as in Estonia and Latvia forms an integral part of NATO's air defenses. The obsolescent radars briefly spotted and lost the intruding Russian plane several times over. Three-dimensional radars are urgently needed in this NATO sector. The article in question is quite bullish on somebody (hint: the USA) underwriting the air defense of the Baltic countries, since they're doing us such a favor in (conspicuously-unmentioned) peacekeeping operations elsewhere. What's really going on Heck if I know. For all I know, the secret prison's really in Greenland. But it seemed like a good idea to get some speculation going. However, a lot of media focus is on Bulgaria or Romania. Maybe that's valid. However, I just don't quite see it, at least not anymore.
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Secret Prisons: Might Be Latvia | 1 comment (1 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Secret Prisons: Might Be Latvia | 1 comment (1 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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