HANK SCHOUTEN – The Dominion Post | Monday, 4 June 2007
The cover of a senior manager in one of the Government’s spy agencies has been blown in this year’s honours list.
Leon Crosse is not the spy who came in from the cold – he’s more like the spook who was dragged out from the warmth.
Mr Crosse, the Government Communications Security Bureau’s unit manager, is astounded that so many of his career details have been divulged in his citation for the New Zealand Order of Merit. “Is that all public? Bloody hell!” he said when it was read out to him.
The citation also wrongly suggested he had retired after 18 years’ service.
“They can’t get rid of me that easily,” said Mr Crosse, who still works for the highly secret agency which specialises in eavesdropping on and sifting through electronic communications around New Zealand and the South Pacific.
The citation says Mr Crosse, 61, “held a variety of appointments dealing with defence support issues and subsequently managed the provision of signals intelligence services to customers”.
“He was instrumental in establishing the first set of foreign intelligence requirements for New Zealand. Mr Crosse was the bureau liaison officer to the United States of America National Security Agency from 1998 to 2002.”
The former air force electronics officer, who rose to squadron leader before joining the GCSB, could not elaborate on his work with the NSA in Washington, except to say “we have a good working relationship with our partners”.
“I am humbled but naturally delighted with this honour. Our efforts for the most part stay out of the public domain.”