Re: [ARSCLIST] Triggering memories of the so-called "computer" tape of days gone by

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jack Raymond" <jraymond@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Rob Bamberger wrote:
> >As one who used to buy a couple hundred reels at a time of used, unboxed
open-reel tape that reportedly had been used by the Federal Government, I
thought some members of the list might be interested in a GAO submission to the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The topic is:
"Sale of Magnetic Data Tapes Previously Used by the Government Presents a Low
Security Risk"
> Back in the 1960s while living in Washington DC I bought a dozen boxes
> of used tape from a classified ad in the Washington Post and found, to
> my surprise, that one of them still had audio content.  What's more, it
> recorded the debriefing in Vienna of a man who had just come back from a
> mission behind the Iron Curtain.  Needless to say I contacted the
> government and FBI agents were quick to respond.  They took all 12 boxes
> of tape and gave me new tape as replacement.  A short time later someone
> surreptiously entered my apartment but apparently took nothing, and I've
> often wondered if the two events were somehow linked.
>
Quite likely...and it is also very likely you were placed on some official
"Enemies List!" However, the initial entry referred to "Magnetic Data Tapes,"
which suggests recordings of telemetry transmissions! These COULD be useful
to "the bad guys," but only IF they knew what data had been recorded and
how to convert said data into a coherent form...?!

Oh...did you take down the phone number (and any other data in the
"want ad"...?!) of the tape source? Was it the Russian Embassy?!"
:-)

Steven C. Barr