Chinese Espionage Techniques
04.03.2008 - 10:11 AMThe FBI has stepped up counterintelligence investigations of Chinese espionage in the U.S., reports the Washington Post this morning.
The paper reprises several recent cases, including, that of Chi Mak, convicted of stealing sensitive naval technology plans from a U.S defense contractor; Dongfan Chung, a Boeing engineer arrested in February, accused of funneling classified space shuttle and rocket documents to Chinese officials; Noshir Gowadia, indicted last fall for providing cruise-missile data to Chinese officials; and Gregg W. Bergersen, a Pentagon official who pleaded guilty this week to charges that he gave classified information on U.S. weapons sales to China.
What does this flurry of cases mean? A couple of non-mutually exclusive possibilities suggest themselves. One is that the Chinese are stepping up their collection efforts in the U.S. Another is that the FBI, in stepping up its counterintelligence and its work is bearing fruit. A third — a combination of the first and second — is that Chinese intelligence is not ten-feet tall.
That last possibility is suggested by some of the amateurish spycraft displayed by the Chinese in the Bergersen case. In one sense, the operation was fairly sophisticated. Bergersen was induced to take part in a false-flag operation, that is, an operation in which he believed he was selling secrets to a U.S. ally, Taiwan, when in fact the “businessman” he was dealing with, Tai Shen Kuo, was actually a spy from the mainland.
But there was also some remarkably sloppy behavior by the Chinese in this case. An elementary task of spying is maintaining covert communications. Kuo was eager to do so and he acquired PGP Desktop Home 9.5 for Windows, a commercially available program for encrypting emails. That was smart. It was not smart, on the other hand, to discuss this encryption software on an open phone line with his taskmaster in China. The FBI was listening in on the call.
The affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Bergersen contains many other arresting details. One high point occurs when Bergersen returns from a trip to Bulgaria and his wife finds a wad of espionage cash in his wallet. Bergersen told her it was gambling winnings. Her reaction: she insisted on taking half of it “as her share.” Bergersen related this to Kuo who offered to make up the amount that he had lost to his spouse. This generous offer was declined.
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April 3rd, 2008 at 10:27 AM
The FBI was listening in on the call.
Outrageous. Where was his presumption of innocence and right to privacy.
The Bush administration is becoming more oppressive every day.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 PM
The PRC has been active in espionage in the US for a long time. Of course technology is expensive, but while the US not only has lost sensitive technology to the PRC, with our trade imbalance, we are funding the PRC weapons systems! What a great deal for the PRC! We need some (more) congressional hearings. I do hope soccer dad is being facetious in his comments.
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 PM
Earth to Soccer Dad……without this type of phone tapping all will be lost to the Chinese or the Islamists. Maybe the FBI needs to listen in on your phone?
April 4th, 2008 at 5:47 AM
I know I should be focusing on Chinese espionage and how America counters it, but all I can think about is Bergersen’s wife demanding half of his “gambling winnings” because she felt it was her due. American men have lost the battle of the sexes, mainly through forfeit. I think Bergie could have told her the cash was a payoff for selling secrets to the commies, and she still would’ve demanded her due. Maybe she would’ve insisted on more than half, and maybe she would have turned him in to the authorities, but she would’ve made sure she got her cut.
Sometimes I wonder why I worry about the Chinese Imperialists or any other external threat. Not even the muslims would be taskmasters as harsh as American women are. I stopped feeling guilty about losing their phone numbers after a hookup a long time ago. More power to the guys who found good women, but I don’t waste my time looking anymore.
Who thinks Bergie’s better half will be waiting for him when he gets out of the slammer?
April 4th, 2008 at 4:28 PM
soccer dad — your very appropriate concern is allayed by the affidavit, in which the agent carefully observes that all surveillance of Bergerson and Kuo was done pursuant to court issued warrants.
As to why this push now, by the FBI, it may be partly because of the poor tradecraft of the spies, which makes them more obvious and enhances the sense that they are numerous. Having perused the affidavit on Bergerson, I have to say this guy is no prize, and being married to a wife who snatches half of his “gambling winnings” seems pretty just. Of greater professional interest is why the Chinese would pick him in the first place. From his conversations with Kuo it doesn’t seem that his access to the best “secret stuff” was very good. He certainly seems to have received little in the way of careful instructions from Kuo — just some requests, some casual meeting arrangements, and the indispensable Vegas bankroll. This wasn’t a high-level operation.
The implication from that — that Beijing is casting a wide net, rather than solely focusing its resources on fewer, more professional and targeted operations — would suggest both a need for, and profit from, casting a wider net of suspicion of our own. We’re going to find China a different counterespionage problem from Russia though. We’ll tire of casting that wider net before Beijing tires of casting hers. That I can pretty much guarantee.