Industrial Spies’ Methods Revealed

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31669, 3 May 1968, Page 11

Industrial Spies’ Methods Revealed

(Special CorretponAent N.Z.PA.) LONDON, May 2. A book which Sir Richard Power, directorgeneral of the Institute of Directors, has called “the most complete, almost frightening, guide to the operations of the business spy,” went on sale in Britain today.

“Industrial Counter-Espion-age,” by Philip Hickson, is de scribed as “a businessman’s guide to industrial espionage," and has been published under the sponsorship of the institute.

The author claims that toplevel industrial spies take, at the most, about four days to crack the secrets of most Brit* ish firms. They earn, he says, about 8U565.000 a year, payable in Switzerland. Boardrooms, it appears, are generally a fruitful source of information. They are usually empty and usually unlocked, and plenty of time is given to a spy to set up his equipment. Carbons can be placed under blotting paper, pencils replaced with ballpoint pens, extra waste-paper baskets placed about the room and, possibly, even a special box with a slot on the top marked “For Security Reasons. Flease Deposit All Waste Notes, Etc., in Here For Destruction.” Tape recorders which switch on automatically when voices are picked up are also sometimes installed, as wel) as tiny microphones which relay discussions to the listening spy. Such spies, rays the author, -are found among employees

of outside contractors, such ss office cleaners, maintenance companies, window cleaners, lift engineers, hire-car chauffeurs, caterers and internal telephone renters.

interesting illustrations contained in the book show the readable detail on documents photographed on a desk from a room across the street. A telephoto lens was used. The author, an electronics engineer, says Industrial espionage will continue to thrive uhtil it is made a crime.