David Rosenberg: Inside Pine Gap

Clarridge, Duane R, A Spy for All Seasons: My Life in the CIA , Scribner, New York, 1997

Clinton, Bill, My Life , Random House, Sydney, 2004

Hall, Richard, The Secret State: Australia’s Spy Industry, Cassell Australia, Stanmore, NSW, 1978

Harris, Reg, Legendary Territorians , Harris Nominees Pty Ltd, Alice Springs, 2007

Kealy, Leonce, The Pine Gap Saga: Personal Experience Working with the American CIA in Australia , Leonce Kealy, Sydney, 2008

Marchetti, Victor & John D Marks, The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence , Dell, New York, 1974

Moran, Lindsay, Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy , Penguin Books, New York, 2005

Paseman, Floyd, A Spy’s Journey: A CIA Memoir, Zenith Press, St Paul, Minnesota, 2005

Plame, Valerie, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House , Simon & Schuster, New York, 2007

Richelson, Jeffrey T & Desmond Ball, The Ties that Bind , Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1985

Stevens, David, Maritime Power in the Twentieth Century: The Australian Experience , Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW, 1998

Wallace, Robert & H Keith Melton, Spycraft , Penguin, New York, 2008

Weiner, Tim, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA , Penguin Books, London, 2008

Whitlam, Gough, The Truth of the Matter , Penguin Books, Ringwood, Victoria, 2nd edn, 1983

Many of the photos used in this book are from my personal collection. Many thanks to Professor Desmond Ball for providing some rare images of Pine Gap that have not appeared in print before ( ♣, ♦and ♥– ♠image section). I wish to acknowledge Tektronix, Inc for granting permission to reproduce the images found at the start of Parts I, II, III and IV. These are representative examples of signals and signal environments sometimes observed in the electromagnetic spectrum, which have been modified from their original appearance. My thanks also to St Philips College in Alice Springs for granting permission to reprint the image with Headmaster Chris Tudor. The images which appear on †, ‡, Δ, $, Οand ◊are from Getty Images, and the one on Θfrom Newspix.

Firstly, I wish to thank my literary agent, Georg Karlov, for his faith in my ability to complete this project, for his patience in waiting for the approved manuscript and his belief in the unique story I had to tell. Thank you for taking a chance on me and for your ongoing encouragement.

I would like to express my immense gratitude to the publishing team at Hardie Grant. To Julie and Sandy, I thank you for your patience and vision. To my editors, Sally Moss and Rose Michael, I thank you for your skill, advice and support.

I would also like to thank the analysts and contractors of the NSA and other intelligence agencies I have worked with over the years. I am indebted to the talented individuals who helped me at the beginning of my career in 1986: to Joe, Bruce, Ellen, Bill and the many other analysts at the NSA who took me under their wing and showed me the finer points of analysis—thank you for your patience, your willingness to share your knowledge, and your expert guidance. To the military and retired military whose vast knowledge exceeds what can be learned at the most elite universities, your experience is invaluable. To Jim, my supervisor and mentor, who kept me motivated with truly challenging assignments throughout my early career, you set a high leadership standard and inspired your team to become the best we could be. Thank you all for your dedication, patience and professionalism.

Special thanks to my colleagues at Pine Gap. Sincere and heartfelt thanks to Kevin for training me as a novice on such sophisticated equipment; to Darren for your ability to find and interpret the subtle and important modifications to several threat systems that might have escaped the eyes of other analysts; and to Bryan for setting a high standard of excellence on our work position while providing effective leadership within Operations—you are truly a future leader at the agency. I also acknowledge the many other military and civilian colleagues at Pine Gap who possess unsurpassed specialised knowledge. I was constantly amazed by your ability to ‘dig deep’ and extract unique intelligence that may have been missed without your persistence and ability to follow your instincts until you found the nugget of gold.

To my friends in Alice Springs who made my time so rewarding and helped me adjust to life in a very small town: Anna Costello—the social director of Alice Springs and my closest friend when my time in Alice was coming to an end. As my flatmate for one year, you ensured my house was never quiet at a time when I needed a bit of noise—thank you! To Scotty and Shona Harris, Marge Harris and the memory of Reg Harris. As four of my favourite Australians, you will always be close to my heart. My thanks to Terry and Alison Lillis, two of Alice Springs’ leading citizens, who selflessly crusaded for drug rehabilitation in our small town. Your friendship during my last six years in Alice Springs will be fondly remembered, and I thank Terry for taking the time to meet with me in Sydney to provide his account of the early years when the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap was truly just a vacant lot. To my many friends in the local charities who selflessly devoted their time to supporting the Alice Springs community in myriad ways—you are truly special and I am blessed to share your friendship. To the memory of my good friend Mark Bunting, a gifted musician and gentle man who entertained us on many occasions, provided love and friendship to his mates and endeared himself to everyone. And to Joe and Pat, my Alice Springs family who fed me almost every night when I first arrived in Australia, providing me with a warm and loving home away from home.

My thanks also to Professor Des Ball of the Australian National University (ANU) for spending valuable time writing the Foreword—your input is much appreciated. To my good friend and talented writer, David Carroll, many thanks for assisting me with the final edited and PRB-approved manuscript. Thank you for sharing your expertise and providing a wonderful learning experience for me.

I also wish to acknowledge the efforts of my Member of Parliament, the Hon. Maxine McKew, and her team, particularly Elizabeth Wulff, in helping to facilitate my Australian citizenship in the shortest possible time by enlisting influential support from the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator the Hon. Chris Evans.

Finally, I would like to thank my family. To my mother Lisa, who did an extraordinary job raising two young boys alone while instilling values that would serve us well throughout our lives. To the memory of my father Harold—you came to the aid of your country when you were needed, enlisting as a private in the United States Army in the early days of World War II. Your patriotism was an inspiration to me when I too was able to serve my country with the NSA. To my stepson Liam for giving up some of his computer time whenever I was inspired to write, and for respecting the privacy I required to write this book—thank you for your support. I also wish to thank Bernice, more a close, wonderful friend to me than just my mother-in-law; your heart knows no boundaries and I am grateful to you for making me feel welcome and a part of your family from the beginning. To the memory of my father-in-law Brian, an extraordinarily kind man, the life of the party and a role model for all.

I especially wish to thank my wife Louise for her support and encouragement. You are my inspiration and the most compassionate, loving, patient and truly caring person I have ever met. Your faith in me, that I would eventually be able to write my story, helped me through some very depressing times of unemployment and delays with the PRB. I am truly blessed to have you as my wife and I wouldn’t have been able to complete such a comprehensive project without your love. Writing this book is a journey we have shared. We never knew what our final destination would be, but we made it the only way we knew how—together.