Therefore, recent revelations about the activities of US intelligence services that have been published by WikiLeaks and other alternative sources of information can hardly surprise anyone. In fact, what is surprising is the casual approach of German, French, and British politicians towards the fact that on top of being financially and militarily dependent on Washington, they are being constantly spied on.
The electronic surveillance means that are being used by the CIA and the NSA, elaborate software like PRISM and Xkeyscore, which allows the United States to control more than 75% of the global Internet traffic, and the 24/7 wire tapping is just the tip of the iceberg. However, Washington’s desire to establish total control over the world is not limited by electronic means alone.
Even man’s best friends are being used as an effective and completely unremarkable source of information about almost any target. Pets enjoy a somewhat universal affection, therefore they are able to freely infiltrate the most guarded secret facilities and high-ranking meetings alike. Throughout the world pets are being treated with sympathy and respect, especially when they belong to the most influential people in the world.
It’s curious that pets dwelt in the White House throughout the better part of American history, since 38 out of 44 American presidents had dog or some other pet at their side. In the US one can find a special museum dedicated to animals that had enjoyed the love of American presidents, starting from Nelson – George Washington’s favorite horse and ending with Obama’s pet dog – a Portuguese Water Dog named Sunny.
After all, the presence of a pet beside a president is an important PR factor that underlines the fact that he’s a “human after all.” Therefore, a US president without a pet dog – is a true anomaly in American politics. In addition, even in the walls of the White House, one might be compelled to feel the detachment due to numerous internal enemies. In this context the famous line of Harry Truman, that reads: “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog”, makes a lot of sense.
The most famous and popular dog that has ever walked the corridors of the White House was the pet English Springer Spaniel named Millie, which belonged to the 41st President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara. Millie “co-authored” the bestseller “Millie’s Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush” where Barbara Bush colorfully depicted the life in the White House through the eyes of a spaniel.
These facts are all the more curious if one is to consider an articles that was published in The Atlantic about the secret CIA program «Acoustic Kitty», that was dedicated to the use of cats for intelligence purposes. According to a recent CIA officer Victor Marchetti, cats were used for spying with implanted with electronic chips. One of such cats was even sent “behind enemy lines” to spy in a Soviet Embassy in Washington during the Cold War years.
So Angela Merkel and other influential politicians that are being constantly spied upon should not simply fear that top secret information might be stolen from their smartphones, laptops and cell phones, but should also keep a keen eye on their pets, since they can be a tool of American intelligence agencies too. Especially it is important when those pets were gifts by some American politicians or “friend” to share one’s secrets later on with the CIA and the NSA.
Vladimir Platov, an expert on the Middle East, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook” .
