Echelon is the code name for an exclusive club of Anglo-Saxon nations that long ago set out to spy on all global communications. Only now are some of its activities coming to light. The French are angry and want indignantly to know why Britain, their alleged EU partner, has joined with the United States to steal their commercial secrets.
A good question. But an even better question is how Echelon could keep its army of experienced phone tappers, skilled decoders, high-powered computers and sensitive satellites away from the public eye for well over half a century.
Echelon's origins go back to World War II days when Britain's and the U.S.' ability to intercept and decode secret German and Japanese communications led to many Allied military successes in Europe and were crucial to U.S. victories in the Midway and the Coral Sea naval battles.