|
|
Note: The following was a post on the Prop Wash Gang Yahoo Groups Forum on 01 February 2019 in response to the following article: Manifesto of an Agile Intelligence Community published at RealClearDefense.com.
As I read this piece, my memories were drawn back to my earliest days at Rhein Main ('59-'62), and to a lesser degree, my peripheral involvement with the Athens bunch ('69-'72).
As some of you might expect, the meteoric growth of the Sham Shop at Rhein Main, followed by the intensive mission development at Inky Dink, can be laid directly at the feet of Thomas H. Tennant. THT was kind of an anachronism at times, wedded in some cases to the dogma of chain of command and "that's the way it's done", to ever increasing periods of pure brilliance and foresight.
It's probably difficult for those who followed to even understand how rudimentary was our basic knowledge, target identification, and lack of understanding that met me upon my "acceptance" into the Sham Shop in the fall of '59. I say this to point out that the existing tiny cadre of Sham Shoppers was zealously protected and encouraged by THT, because they simply were not inclined to accept the status quo. Guys like A2c Gary M. M. Hizer, who had the temerity to believe that he could actually update and improve open one of NSA's most important callsign books. Although the agency continually tried to smack Gary down, THT gave him free rein and defended his work against some in the unit who feared challenging "God". That is not to say that THT did not have his own "rules". I remember Gary telling me that when he suggested that THT should bring me in, the response was something like "what the hell can this brand new Jeep provide"? It took months to prove to THT that I had what it takes to be permitted to join HIS elite group.
Then the battles began. What do you mean, Bissett, that you can differentiate between these two groups of targets? Prove it! What do you mean, Bissett, that we regularly collect LRAF? Prove it! What do you mean, Bissett, that we regularly have ears into White Russia? Prove it! What do you mean, Bissett, that channel one is far from just "civil" trash? Prove it! THT's approach was the same with the other guys who blossomed in this time of rapidly expanding knowledge of who we were on those aircraft, and more importantly, why we flew those missions. The big difference with THT was that once we had proven our theory to his satisfaction (not really an easy job), he became our biggest champion. Tom personally drove me down to Zweibruken (our second echelon at the time) to meet with Dave Cambridge and BD Collins, who ran the LRAF shop. Tom insisted that we be allowed TDY to Darmstadt to collaborate with colleagues whose mission include White Russia. And THT provided the hugely important buffer between us and the unit higher ups, who trembled upon receipt of a "nasty-gram" from on high. These "nasty grams" were numerous, but once THT believed, he was undefeatable.
Our days at Det 76 were magical. 16 young troops who eventually helped insure that none of our huge volume of collection returned to R/M without a human ear having reviewed it. Kids who had really never understood why in the world we were in such a desolate location with such an overwhelming backlog were given their head. What a group. Our knowledge and mission understanding had grown exponentially. It was a time of refining and expanding how we performed our mission. We rose to the occassion, and I like to believe that the lessons we taught to the bureaucratic head sheds made a difference.
Later at Athens, how well I remember our "break out" from the unofficial domination of the local Navy crew as to how we performed our mission, and what and why we collected. Coming from R/M, where exploitation of certain entities and coverage ranges had become second nature, I remember being told not to bother with that "junk" in that lower range, because Crete had it. What nonsense to preach to those of us who realized that Soviet communications equipment supported certain combat entities, and if it was in use in another country, that use should indicate similar military capability. Thanks to pioneers like Bill Miner and others, and with the support of local legends like Jerry Ellis, a complete new mission was implemented, with assets actually included and drawn from Crete.
And then there was Bulgaria, but that is indeed another long tale requiring more writing and time than I am able to provide at this moment.
IMHO, we were a microcosm of the world of intelligence that the writer suggests is necessary all those many decades ago. We forced collaboration with other entities. We pushed our "outside the box" local environment out to other agencies and units. We took our lumps, got back up and went back to work. And all under the watchful eye of my personal hero, Thomas Howard Tennant, my friend.
It was a truly remarkable time.
Toonsky sends