i

e Continued from Page 5

still very elaborate. The system is
powered from Hydro cables and
is comprised of a radio transmitter
and receiver as well as a trans-
former to convert the electricity
from AC to DC, and microphone.

This independent system was
found by Party workers in the
baseboard of the Young Com-
munist League office on the sec-
ond floor. In previous years the
room had been used for the meet-
ings of the Central Executive
Committee of the Communist
Party.

The receiver is essentially a
remote controlled ‘‘on-off’’

switch which is activated by a_

radio tone set to a certain fre-
quency. The receiver is con-
nected to the transmitter and
turns the transmitter on and off.

The transmitter is set to a
broadcasting frequency of 221
megahertz, a frequency, which,
interestingly, is set aside for the
exclusive use of the Department
of Transport for use in the
instrument landing of commercial
aircraft. Enquiries to the Depart-
ment of Transport revealed that
the frequency range is outside
that which can be picked up by
ham operators and that special
receivers are required to pick up
that range.

Both the receiver and the
transmitter have the capacity for
battery operation but this wasn’t

. used as the system was perma-

nently powered from the Hydro
supply. Both the receiver and the
transmitter had approximately
three foot antennae attached
which were placed vertically be-
tween the wall studs.
An interesting sidelight of the
receiver was a magnetic plate on
the back of the unit which would
have allowed it to be attached to

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 22, 1979— Page 6

ILLEGAL —
ACTIVITIES
_ EXPOSED

any metal part of -say, an au-
tomobile. —
KEL Corporation -

The markings on both the
transmitter and receiver indicate
that they were made by KEL
Corporation of 778 Pleasant St.,
Belmont, Massachusetts. A cor-
porate search of KEL Corpora-
tion revealed but one reference,
and that to Bell and Howell Cor-
poration. The reference read, ‘‘In
Oct. 1967, (Bell and Howell) ac-
quired KEL Corporation of Bel-
mont, Mass. (now Bell and How-
ell Communications Co.) which
manufactures and markets
miniaturized portable communi-
cation equipment and conducts
special development projects in
the electronic field.”

In February, 1968, the Wall
Street Journal made a brief men-
tion of Bell and Howell's acquisi-
tion and quoted a vice-president
of the company as saying, ‘The
acquisition of KEL Corporation
not only brings Bell and Howell
into certain aspects of the com-
munications business but pro-
vides us with an experienced and
highly creative capacity in
miniturized electronics — a field
of considerable importance to the
future of many of our busi-

Expensive
That the installation of the elec-
tronic eavesdropping devices at
24 Cecil St. was undoubtedly ex-
pensive is really without ques-
tion. Putting aside just the cost of
custom-made amplifiers with in-
dividual soldered components, it
is obvious that the job required
many, many hours by profes-

sionals. — S
A. carpenter, on viewing the
work needed to install the radio
transmitter and receiver in the
wall, wérk which required ripping
out and replacing a large section
of wall together with replastering
and repainting, noted: ‘‘Whoever

y

in brick

a

fs ee Ba

L} Wires buried

wall from above
| connect up into
Bell equipment

Bell equipment.

a

e

nN

* Remote control microphone and transmitter

O Baseboard installed microphone
__ with transistorized amplifier

@ Ceiling installed microphone
with transistorized amplifier

sceeeeee= Connecting wires

wonees = =~. Wires rise or fall in wall 4

=,

We 7

BASEMENT

a oe

‘MAIN FLOOR

did this was a real craftsman.”’

One of the Bell technicians on
viewing the extensive wiring
“‘fished’’ between two brick walls
noted somewhat sardonically: ‘‘I
wish our people could do work
tite that. It’s really a very expert’
job.”

On the day the bugging equip-
ment was found, Alfred Dew-
hurst, executive secretary of the
Communist Party, said in a press
release: ‘‘Nearly every day, the
press department of our Party is-
sues releases to inform the people
of this country on our opinions
which go straight into the was-
tepaper baskets in the editors’ of-
fices. And the RCMP or someone
else has to go to the trouble of
bugging our offices to find out
what we are saying. Would it not
be simpler if the press just printed
what we’re saying? Certainly, we
would save the taxpayers a lot of
money in expensive sound re-
cording equipment.”’

_ As more and more evidence
came to light of the ‘‘Bell connec-
tion, William Kashtan, general
secretary of the Communist Par-
ty, noted: ‘In view of the later
evidence which we have unco-
vered, I find it very difficult to
believe that Bell was unaware of
- what was going on. In our view,
Bell knew exactly what was tak-
ing place and was a willing ac-
complice of the RCMP, who, we
are convinced, is responsible for
the entire bugging operation.”
In letters sent to the then Prime
Minister Trudeau, as well as to
Joe Clark, Ed Broadbent and Fa-

se mma

bien Roy, the Communist Party
noted:

“It has come to our knowledge
that an electronic bugging device
was placed in our premises at 24
Cecil St., some years ago. As a
legally established political party
with nothing to hide, we find it
hard to understand. why such a
bugging apparatus was placed in
our premises. We suspect that the

-RCMP are responsible for that.

Indeed all the evidence made
available so fat through the media
shows that they have been in-

- volved in varied illegal activities,

ostensibly against ‘subversives’

but extending to all democratic

movements and organizations.

This latest bit of evidence di-

rected against the Communist -
Party of Canada is a matter of
public concern and cannot be

sloughed over in silence.

““We therefore call upon you
and other political leaders in this
country to join with me and our
Party in the request for a public
inquiry into this matter and that
the McDonald Inquiry be
broadened if necessary to include
this latest illegal action by the fed-
eral police force. :

McDonald Commission

However, there was no rush by
the political leaders who were
written to co-operate and protest
the actions. Only correspondence
secretary of the Prime Minister
acknowledged receipt of the letter
and then only suggested bringing
the matter to the attention of the
Solicitor General and the
McDonald Commission.

a

In a letter to the McDonald
Commission of Inquiry into the
illegal activities of the RCMP, the
Communist Party stated:

“By accident we have unco-
vered what appears to be an elec-
tronic bugging device in our pre-

mises at 24 Cecil St., which we Es :

presume was placed there by the

RCMP. We find it difficult to |

understand why this was done.
We have no secrets, nothing to
hide, indeed want to bring our

policies, programs and activities |
before the broadest public. The ca
bugging of a legitimate political |

party, one of the registered politi- _
cal parties in Canada, is in our —

view an attack on the democratic ‘|

rights of Canadians generally and
should not go unanswered.

“‘We therefore draw this inci-
dent to your attention with the re-

quest that the terms of reference |

of your inquiry include an exami- _
nation of the bugging of the offices
of the Communist Party of Cana--
oe ;

operation. But again there was no ©
rush because, even though the in-

vestigator was given samples. of : - c
the equipment, the Communist |

Party has received no reply from
the McDonald Commission or the
investigator as to what their
analysis has uncovered. ;
The Central Committee of the

Communist Party meeting June |

15-16-17, will deal with a resolu- —
tion concerning the bugging of its
headquarters.

Photo left: Bell Telephone terminal boxes in the Party's Ontario office on the first floor. The wires from the 3 @
eavesdropping devices were tied into the cables In the box on the left. ae

Photo right: The receiver.

basement and connect

The McDonald Commission |
replied by sending aninvestigator |
to see the evidence of the bugging