USA Busted Trying to Bug China's Presidential 767

morcheeba writes "A new Boeing 767-300ER was refitted to become China's presidental aircraft. What goes into a plane like this? Besides the bedroom, sitting room, bath with a shower, there was a 48" TV, satellite communications, anti-missile defense systems and advanced avionics. And oh yeah, numerous high-tech listening devices. Wonder how those got in. Read the article at washingtonpost.com." CD: The question is, what was the bug in the headboard for?

Comments

Whole new meaning to the term Bedbug!

[AtomicSushi]

Don't let the CIA bite.

What's up with washington post today?

[epsalon]

Maybe they set their watches wrong, and are now set to Apr 1st?
Could it be true?

My favorite quote

[anonymous loser]

A CIA spokesman, Bill Harlow, declined to comment on the report, saying, "We never comment on allegations like these, as a matter of policy."

...except when we didn't do it.

Reversed situation

[MiTEG]

Since so many things are manufactured in China and exported to the USA, who's to say that the Chinese haven't been doing this for years? I think it would be very easy to covertly place bugs in things the president has in the Oval Office or Air Force One (electronics, etc.) They just might be doing it a lot more effectively.

Re:Reversed situation

[flacco]

Since so many things are manufactured in China and exported to the USA, who's to say that the Chinese haven't been doing this for years?

It's probably more effective to bug Xiang's 767 than it is to bug several million flip-flops.

USA's response

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not a bug, it's an undocumented feature.

A matter of trust

[ergo98]

You know I've often wondered how countries can trust US equipment sold to them (or Russian equipment, etc): Who says that the day Saudi Arabia pisses the US off all of their F15s might respond to the "die now" signal and plummet to the ground? If I were ever to buy hardware from a country other than my own I'd go through every single mm of it with a fine tooth comb, and then I'd reflash every piece of circuitry, etc: There is no way I'd ever trust what was delivered. Sorta defeats the premise of military trade, but perhaps that's a good thing.

If this story is true then this will be a disaster for US military and commercial companies: Already there is a world wary of Echelon, but if now they have to worry about every other device being trojan horsed. Having said that, the next time you drink from that "made in China" cup, think to yourself "Would it be in their national interest to put a chemical that slowly leaches into Westerner's systems, causing cancer or just stupifying the society (i.e. lead)."

Re:A matter of trust

[ArcticChicken]

I've often said that if China ever planned to conquer the world, they wouldn't use something as expensive, messy, and overt as nuclear weapons. They'd simply release masses of cheap, defective electrical products.

Umm ... wait a minute...

Re:A matter of trust

[jeremyf]

>> If I were ever to buy hardware from a country other than my own I'd go through every single mm of it with a fine tooth comb

Umm, you mean every piece of hardware you own? Did you go through every mm of your car with a fine tooth comb? The alternator probably has a Mexican "overheat now" button and the air bag probably has a Danish "don't deploy now" switch.

Don't forget to put your non-hardware items under the microscope. Your boxers are probably made of Taiwanese "constrict now" microfibers.

Bug in bathroom?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's the bug in the bathroom for? Some things you just don't want to listen to, no matter what intelligence you might gain!

Sounds so familar

[jsse]

A CIA spokesman, Bill Harlow, declined to comment on the report, saying, "We never comment on allegations like these, as a matter of policy."

...did you by chance work for Microsoft before?

You're kidding, right?

[MadCow42]

CIA agent to Boeing exec, after arriving at Boeing facility at midnight: "Hi, we're taking over your facility for the next 8 hours for a matter of national security. Go home. If you tell anyone about this, you'll be put in jail for the rest of your life."

Boeing exec: "Uh.... ok.... uh...."

Probably not too much more complicated than that.

q:]

MadCow.

Maybe they just forgot

[phalse phace]

"the American firms were paid about $10 million for the refitting job but China doled out $30 million"

Maybe China forgot that the extra $20 million they spent were for the bugs.

Re:Other way cool spying gizmos

[bonzoesc]

Operation Canadian Bacon

My local paper reports[mod at +5]

[ImaLamer]

Ok, I found a web page for it!

From the Associated Press, in response to the Enron ordeal:
[snip]
The spokesman [Ari] said Bush is always ``looking out to protect America's jobs and taxpayers' money.'' He noted, for example, that Bush has talked to China about purchasing a Boeing aircraft.
[snip]

I'm always looking in this paper for the dumb shit they report, but this is got to be the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

Of course they want them to buy Boeing aircraft, the special ones.

I must somewhat defend the CIA or whoever did this. I mean, they spy on us... why not spy on them for a change. I'm sure the Chinese have planted a few bugs here and there.

It's just funny they got caught is all.

Re:Copiers in USSR were bugged.

[guile*fr]

I wonder how many butts were xeroed to the CIA...

Re:Other way cool spying gizmos

[SpinyNorman]

What the hell are you - some kind of turd engineer?

Re:Other way cool spying gizmos

[Ibby]

Easy. The US is trying to get our superior beer recipes...

Live Hot Amateur Chinese Sex!

[Un1v4c]

Maybe it was one of the X10 cameras...?
Anyway, you can get the headboard pics and wavs over at alt.binaries.erotica.amateur.chinese.government
E njoy!

Hey, what about...?

[KC7GR]

Ya know, considering the microphone in the headboard, I guess this adds a whole new twist to the saying "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

You may all groan now... ;-)