Author(s): Phelan James

Crime/Thriller

Ex-Navy operative Lachlan Fox is now working as an investigative journalist. When a number of European power-brokers are killed he starts to suspect something very big is going on. His instincts are right. Since the forming of the UKUSA (pronounced U-KU-ZA) Treaty in 1948, the five member countries (USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) have developed ever-capable electronic Signals Intelligence services. Put simply, their intelligence agencies currently have the capability to intercept every spoken or written word that travels via telephone, fax, email, radio, microwave, satellite, fibre-optic transmission, etc. in the world. France has been vocal in their opposition - but the truth is, they want in. While military and terrorist communications are targeted, Echelon (the main UKUSA program) spends most of its time and resources targeting political and economic assets around the globe. This information is disseminated to US companies via The Advocacy Centre, set up by the Clinton Administration in 1993, and that year alone added $35B to the US economy through export gains. Being responsible for the security of Echelon's information is an enormous burden.