The strange smell of American intelligence

[Gob]

THE strange case of an undercover FBI agent, a senior Australian defence officer, a former White House adviser and a US investigation into money laundering in the Sudan came together with the soft chime of a Canberra door bell at 6.30pm last Thursday.

The bell rang at the home of a US citizen and Australian resident, Gwenyth Todd - a former Middle East adviser to the White House, the Pentagon and the US Navy - and her husband, a senior Australian Defence Force officer.

Ms Todd's husband answered the door and was greeted by a middle-aged man who said he was the US embassy consular officer Bill Phelps. He said that a recent incident involving Chinese hackers had compromised some US passports and he was warning local Americans.

Once inside the house he told Ms Todd - whose married surname begins with an H - he was speaking to US citizens with surnames starting with that letter.

''I said, 'Your story has a problem because my last name on my US passport does not begin with an H, my last name is Todd','' she told the Herald.

''He got all flustered, and he said, 'Oh wait, let me think, R, S, T … oh yeah, Ts were compromised, too.' It was so bad it was almost comical.''

Mr Phelps left soon after. ''I said to my husband, 'I think that guy is intel. I could smell a rat'.''

http://www.smh.com.au/national/bungling ... 1bd6u.html

[Sue U]

From the photo, she appears to be having some difficulty fitting in with Aussie life: 1) she's drinking a Corona, and 2) it's still more than half full.

[Gob]

and she looks pissed on it!

Dear God....

[Lord Jim]

Of course we can't be sure it's her first.....

[The Hen]

Wow. That story gets even weirder.

When Mr Phelps returned the next day he tried to discuss the passport but when challenged said: ''OK, I have to confess to you, I lied, I'm with the FBI and we want to talk to you.''

He said he wanted Ms Todd to speak to agents in Washington about the Cabelly case.

She was furious. Not only had the man - who still described himself as Bill Phelps - lied to her, he had also tricked her husband into letting him into their house.

''I'd think any Australian would be furious if they knew American secret agents, so to speak, were wandering around misrepresenting themselves and getting into people's houses.''

The Herald has discovered ''Mr Phelps'' is William Spencer, whose official job at the embassy is ''assistant legal attache''.

The Australian Federal Police, who regulate foreign police in Australia, said: ''There is a Mr Spencer who is an FBI member currently serving in Australia.''

Ms Todd's husband reported the matter to the Defence Security Authority, which is investigating.

Ms Todd says she has no idea why Mr Spencer engaged in such a ham-fisted deception. ''Why would they ever think it's a good idea to send a guy out illegally … and lie to a senior [Australian] military officer?''

An embassy spokeswoman said: ''Complaints made against the FBI are taken very seriously.''

[The Hen]

Too be brutally honest, I though Ms Todd was actually Mr Todd from the photo.

[Lord Jim]

Yes, she is a bit, uh, "chiseled".....

Cute the guy picking "Mr Phelps" for a code name....obviously a fan of 60's spy show TV....

I wonder if he got his orders on a tape recorder that self destructed after it played....