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> > >http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,40747,00.html > >Carl Cameron Investigates > >Thursday, December 13, 2001 > >This partial transcript of Special Report with Brit Hume, Dec. 12, >was provided by the Federal Document Clearing House. > >BRIT HUME, HOST: Last time we reported on the approximately 60 >Israelis who had been detained in connection with the Sept. 11 >terrorism investigation. Carl Cameron reported that U.S. >investigators suspect that some of these Israelis were spying on >Arabs in this country, and may have turned up information on the >planned terrorist attacks back in September that was not passed on. > >Tonight, in the second of four reports on spying by Israelis in the >U.S., we learn about an Israeli-based private communications >company, for whom a half-dozen of those 60 detained suspects worked. >American investigators fear information generated by this firm may >have fallen into the wrong hands and had the effect of impeding the >Sept. 11 terror inquiry. Here's Carl Cameron's second report. > >(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CARL CAMERON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): >Fox News has learned that some American terrorist investigators fear >certain suspects in the Sept. 11 attacks may have managed to stay >ahead of them, by knowing who and when investigators are calling on >the telephone. How? By obtaining and analyzing data that's generated >every time someone in the U.S. makes a call. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: >What city and state, please? CAMERON: Here's how the system works. >Most directory assistance calls, and virtually all call records and >billing in the U.S. are done for the phone companies by Amdocs Ltd., >an Israeli-based private elecommunications company. Amdocs has >contracts with the 25 biggest phone companies in America, and more >worldwide. The White House and other secure government phone lines >are protected, but it is virtually impossible to make a call on >normal phones without generating an Amdocs record of it. In recent >years, the FBI and other government agencies have investigated >Amdocs more than once. The firm has repeatedly and adamantly denied >any security breaches or wrongdoing. But sources tell Fox News that >in 1999, the super secret national security agency, headquartered in >northern Maryland, issued what's called a Top Secret sensitive >compartmentalized information report, TS/SCI, warning that records >of calls in the United States were getting into foreign hands >&endash; in Israel, in particular. Investigators don't believe calls >are being listened to, but the data about who is calling whom and >when is plenty valuable in itself. An internal Amdocs memo to senior >company executives suggests just how Amdocs generated call records >could be used. "Widespread data mining techniques and algorithms.... >combining both the properties of the customer (e.g., credit rating) >and properties of the specific 'behavior�c.'" Specific behavior, >such as who the customers are calling. The Amdocs memo says the >system should be used to prevent phone fraud. But U.S. >counterintelligence analysts say it could also be used to spy >through the phone system. Fox News has learned that the N.S.A has >held numerous classified conferences to warn the F.B.I. and C.I.A. >how Amdocs records could be used. At one NSA briefing, a diagram by >the Argon national lab was used to show that if the phone records >are not secure, major security breaches are possible. Another >briefing document said, "It has become increasingly apparent that >systems and networks are vulnerable.�cSuch crimes always involve >unauthorized persons, or persons who exceed their >authorization...citing on exploitable vulnerabilities." > >Those vulnerabilities are growing, because according to another >briefing, the U.S. relies too much on foreign companies like Amdocs >for high-tech equipment and software. "Many factors have led to >increased dependence on code developed overseas.... We buy rather >than train or develop solutions." > >U.S. intelligence does not believe the Israeli government is >involved in a misuse of information, and Amdocs insists that its >data is secure. What U.S. government officials are worried about, >however, is the possibility that Amdocs data could get into the >wrong hands, particularly organized crime. And that would not be the >first thing that such a thing has happened. Fox News has documents >of a 1997 drug trafficking case in Los Angeles, in which telephone >information, the type that Amdocs collects, was used to "completely >compromise the communications of the FBI, the Secret Service, the >DEO and the LAPD." We'll have that and a lot more in the days ahead >&endash; Brit. > >HUME: Carl, I want to take you back to your report last night on >those 60 Israelis who were detained in the anti-terror >investigation, and the suspicion that some investigators have that >they may have picked up information on the 9/11 attacks ahead of >time and not passed it on. There was a report, you'll recall, that >the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, did indeed send >representatives to the U.S. to warn, just before 9/11, that a major >terrorist attack was imminent. How does that leave room for the lack >of a warning? > >CAMERON: I remember the report, Brit. We did it first >internationally right here on your show on the 14th. What >investigators are saying is that that warning from the Mossad was >nonspecific and general, and they believe that it may have had >something to do with the desire to protect what are called sources >and methods in the intelligence community. The suspicion being, >perhaps those sources and methods were taking place right here in >the United States. > >The question came up in select intelligence committee on Capitol >Hill today. They intend to look into what we reported last night, >and specifically that possibility &endash; Brit. > >HUME: So in other words, the problem wasn't lack of a warning, the >problem was lack of useful details? > >CAMERON: Quantity of information. > >HUME: All right, Carl, thank you very much. > ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
