From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997 04:41:38 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Pearl Harbor Aggression (Was: 6 USAF Crashes in 7 days = InfoWar? (fwd)
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970920202112.00897b48@pop.pipeline.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Jim Choate wrote:

>Now consider, if you will, the requirements if we assume that we are under a
>concerted Pearl-Harbor attack from a rival 1st World power. How would that
>effect the issues discussed above?

For answer to this consider:

There a number of countries who believe they are under just that
kind of Pearl harbor attack from the US through high-tech 
information warfare, electronic surveillance and related crypto 
control demands, especially the requirement for GAK in US 
and foreign-made products.

US leaders insistence that the US be 1st before all others in 
information technology, rightfully scares the shit out of our allies who
are distrusting the US more and more, perhaps even giving them
ideas about getting together with US enemies to beat back the 
Microsoft of nations. A counter-strike Pearl Harbor may be in the 
offing because of US belligerence and threat of Pearl Harboring 
others. (Recall the frequent invocation of this term by US reps, 
perhaps a clue to pre-emptive aggression in the works.)

The harping of US leaders on unidentified threats is making non-US
folks rather nervous, not being sure that the US may not turn on
its allies for the slightest of missteps or demurs, and cut off the
bountiful flow of global intel -- as the TLAs are now threatening 
Congressional committees. Crypto Czar Arons world consultations
were apparently thinly veiled threats to compel GAK compliance.

For an example, see a recent exchange on theukcrypto mail list 
between Ross Anderson and two DTI reps about the impact of
US GAK policy:

   http://jya.com/dti-words.htm