WIRELESS PHONE TAPPED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21537, 8 January 1932, Page 12

WIRELESS PHONE TAPPED

SECRET MARRIAGE AND AN EAVESDROPPER ■' , How many people daily listen-in to private wireless, telephone conversations between Britain and other countries? The possibility that hundreds or even thousands of owners of wireless sets are in possession of secrets which .have passed over the transoceanic telephone has been disclosed by a London listener. He. is able to pick up messages on' a standard three-valve . receiving set fitted with a short-wave adapter such as can be -bought i.in.' any : wireless shop , for 30s. Two weeks. ago the Sunday Express spoke to Mr Kaye Don at Buenos ’ Aires' by telephone when-he made an attempt on the speedboat record. Within 3*2 minutes of the-time of booking the call Mr Kaye Don’s full story, told by himself, was in the office of the Sunday Express. Thirty minutes later an amateur wire-, less enthusiast telephoned to the Sunday Express and informed the editor that be had overheard the conversation. He added that h.e heard Mr Kaye Don speaking some minutes later to one of Lord Wakefield’s representative's, in England, informing him that he had given his personal account to the Sunday Express, and requesting, that‘this newspaper should he supplied with any other details they required. : Shortly afterwards Lord Wakefield’s representative telephoned ’ to the Sunday Express offering further details. He expressed his astonishment on being in formed that his conversation with Buenos Aires had been overheard. The facts were communicated to an official of the London Telephone Service, who said: “If you tell us who the man is we will report the matter to the secretary of the G.P.O. This is a very serious matter, and we shall, in all probability prosecute.” .. ... .... ,

The.listener, Mr. Alan Dilnot,, of Dorset road, .Wimbledon, gave permission for his identity to be revealed “In the interests of all who use the wireless telephone service I tm perfectly willing to be prosecuted in the hope that the ‘ test case ’ will ultimately result in an end being put to eavesdropping,” said Mr Dilnot ■to a representative of the Sunday Express.

Mr Dilnot was interviewed by post office officials, who warned him that by conveying details of the conversations he overheard he rendered himself liable to heavy penalties under the Wireless Telegraph Act.

Full details of Mr Dilnot’s eavesdropping have now been placed before the legal advisers to . the post office to decide whether he is to be prosecuted. ; .If this course is taken it will be the first prosecution of its kind.- . “I have listened to a number of conversations over the. wireless ' telephone,” added Mr Dilnot.

“On the same night that I intercepted Mr Kaye Don’s message to ;the Sunday Express I heard a member of a London firm talking to his mother. “On another occasion I listened to a man who wanted to know about a secret marriage which had taken place in Paris.” ;A post office official-said to a representative of, the. Sunday- Express: “We are taking a .very serious view of. the matter. We admit that conversations between London and Buenos Aires can be picked, up by owners of’wireless sets.” .