Operation Neptune (espionage)
| Operation Neptune | |
 Czech Republic lake Černé jezero - eastern bank | |
| Russian | Операция «Нептун» |
|---|---|
| Romanization | Operatsiya "Nyeptun" |
Operation Neptune was a 1964 disinformation operation by the secret services of Czechoslovakia (State Security) and the Soviet Union (KGB) and involved fake Nazi-era documents that were found in submerged chests.
Operation Neptune's objectives were to discredit Western politicians by revealing the names of former Nazi informants whom they were still using as spies in Eastern Europe and to place pressure on West Germany to extend the statute of limitations on the prosecution of war criminals, including extending the statute of limitations.[1][2][3]
Story
[edit]In 1964, the Czechoslovak State Security publicly claimed to have discovered Nazi-era intelligence files hidden beneath the surface of Černé jezero, a Czech Republic lake in the Šumava, on the border with West Germany.
The four chests containing the papers were supposedly discovered during the making of a documentary in the presence of members of the Western press. In fact, State Security itself had placed them there in collaboration with the KGB.[4][3]
The apparent discovery was a disinformation operation, the largest conducted by the State Security. The fake papers were found in sunken chests, which had been carefully doctored to appear as if they had been submerged since World War II. One scholar argues that the papers were possibly genuine
Result
[edit]The operation also succeeded in worsening relations between Germany and Italy, as the names published included people who had lived in Germany and worked against Italy during the war. The operation had some temporary success.[5][3][6]
Later history
[edit]The Czech civilian intelligence agency posted the files on Operation Neptune on its website.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Wickedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Richard H. Shultz and Roy S. Godson, Dezinformatsia: Active Measures in Soviet Strategy, New York: Pergamon, 1984, ISBN 9780080315744, p. 171.
- ^ a b c d Dita Asiedu, "Details of Czechoslovakia's biggest disinformation operation published on web", Radio Prague, 8 June 2007.
- ^ Michael F. Scholz, "Active measures and disinformation as part of East Germany's propaganda war, 1953–1972", in: Kristie Macrakis, Thomas Wegener Friis and Helmut Müller-Enbergs, ed., East German Foreign Intelligence: Myth, Reality and Controversy, Studies in intelligence series, London/New York: Routledge, 2010, ISBN 9780415484428, pp. 113–, p. 116.
- ^ "Case Study: West Germany: A Czech ploy that worked—but only briefly", Christian Science Monitor, 1 March 1985 (pay per view).
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Further reading
[edit]- Ladislav Bittmann. The Deception Game: Czechoslovak Intelligence in Soviet Political Warfare. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Research Corporation, 1972. ISBN 9780815680789.
- United States. Congress. House. Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Subcommittee on Oversight. Soviet Covert Action (the Forgery Offensive): Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, Second Session, February 6, 19, 1980. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980. OCLC 7281428.