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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 34, Number 1. 1971

[Fictional report from LT Col Wilkinson]

page break
Lt Col Wilkinson, USAF Air Attache, Wellington.

Lt Col Wilkinson, USAF Air Attache, Wellington.

Photo of students marching at a protest

Wilkinson, 13.00 E.S.T. to McKnight. Colorado Springs. Det. 483.

Re: Longbank Opening.

Hereafter the Complete Report as Requested on the Jan. 30 Exercise at Det. 430. "Longbank", Blenheim, NZ.

Report Submitted as per Instructions; it Deals with Five Aspects of the Operation:
(A)The Visiting Party
(B)Personnel
(C)NZ Police Service. RNZAF USAF Liaison
(D)Local Reaction
(E)National Reaction

Section (A)

The Visiting Party Toured in two Groups: A Main Body of Ten Pressmen and Photographers. The President of the NZ University Students Association and two Vetted Student Nominees: And a Single Reporter from a National Weekly. NZ Truth (Circulation 215000)

Composition of Visiting Party To "Longbank"

International Robert Trumbrill (NY Times)
National Agencies David Excell (NZ Press Assoc.) WGTN Clive Turner (South Pacific news Service) WGTN. Barry Jordan (NZ Broad Casting Corp) WGTN.
National Weekly Jim Coyle (NZ Truth) WGTN. Robert Scott (Sunday Times) WGTN.
Regional Daily Harry Turvey (Marl—Borough Express) Blenheim. Keith Handcock (NZ Herald) Auck Cedrick Montifiely (Press) CHCH
Photographers Morrie Hill (NZ News—Papers) Don Roy (Dominion) WGTN
Student Representatives David Cuthbert (President NZ University Students Association) Owen Wilkes (Student) Cuthbert Nominee; Vetted Roger Cruickshank (Editor. Student Weekly) Cuthbert Nominee; Vetted

As Agreed, Departmental Discretion was used in Selecting Journalists and Photographers: At his own Instigation NZ Prime Minister Holyoak Chose to Reject Recommendation Regarding Student Personnel and Extend the Invitation to Cuthbert" And two of his Nominees: Their Credentials and Vetting Provided Security F Rating. But Following Provisional Ratification they were Permitted Entry. As Suggested. Such Ratification Provided Additional Later Credence. Seeking to Prevent any Contact Between Protestors Marching on the base and official visitors. The ETT was advanced to 14.30 Hrs. One Accredited Member of the Visiting Party was not Contacted and this Necessitated an additional Inspection Authorisation. This Unfortunate Administrative Failure on the part of the Prime Minister's office could lead to Additional Embarrassment for both the base and officials.

Section (B)

Bain: My Respect for LT. Col. Bain both as an officer and Friend. And as a Physicist does not Deter me from Attributing to him a Personal Psychological Instability Unsuiting him for this work. For the Reasons set forth below. I Therefore Recommend that he be Transferred to an area of Lees Strategic Sensitivity.

(A) Despite Intensive Briefing his Comments and answers to Questions were Poorly and Obviously Rehearsed: Further. During the Second tour, Bain's Replies Showed an Inordinate Degree of Repetition.

(E. G.) First Tour: These are two Identical Pieces of Equipment. Each of them is an Electronic Sferics Recording System. It is used to Distinguish and Measure Random Occurring Electronic Signals that are Produced by Aerospace Disturbances. This Equipment has the Capacity of Recording Pertinent data about these Signals in Both Analog and Digital form on Photographic film. The Frequency of occurrence and the Azimuth of the Received Signals give an Indication of the Intensity of the storm. It also give the Azimuth of the Signal and the rate of Change of the Azimuth. Now with this information. When it is compiled with similar data from other Stations Permits Determination Of the centre of the storm and it also Permits Tracking the motion of the centre of the storm with respect to time—and that is what this system does. Truth tour: These are indentical pieces of Equipment and each of them is an electronics sferics recording system and it's used to Distinguish and Measure Random Occuring Electronic signals that are Generated by these Disturbances and this Equipment is Capable of Recording Pertinent data on these signals in both Analog and Digital form on Photographic film. The Frequency of Occurence and the Azimuth of the signals provice an Indication as to the Intensity of the storm. Also it Provides a Bearing from this station. When this information is Compiled with Similar information from other stations it gives an indication of the Storm centre and also provides a means to track the storm centre relative to time.

(B) Bain could Hardly Conceal either his Nervousness or his disdain for the main party: By the end of the tour he had Adopted a surly reluctance to Answering Questions, and quickly paced the last section Accompanied only by Student Representatives.

Lt Col Bain, Commanding Officer, Longbank.

Lt Col Bain, Commanding Officer, Longbank.

(C) Bain had Regretably Decided to allow the Sentinel Poster "The Third man Watches" to Remain Prominently on the Permanent Notice—Board: Further, at Least one Newspaper has Commented that Brandnames on Equipment were Poorly Pasted on.

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(D) I Myself was put in the Unenviable Position of Intervening when bain seemed to have lost Control of the Questioning or seemed about to Stray into Areas Restricted at Briefing.

(Extract from Transcript of First Visit)

Question Where is the Nearest Installation Similar to this?
Bain I .... Don't Know .....
Wilkinson I Think this is Outside the Scope of the Briefing here. We've Brought you out here to show you this Facility and where others are is their Business not ours. We said this was one of a Network.

He Failed to give Adequate Reassurance when Dealing with questions of a Technical Nature.

(Extract from Transcript of Second Visit)

Question What Frequency to you use?
Bain It's a very Wide Band.
Question What do you Call Wide—10 Million Cycles, Say.
Bain OH Probably, maybe up to 2 Million Cycles. There's Quite a wide range of Frequencies - Both Low Frequencies and High Frequencies.
Question What do you call low Frequency—how low?
Bain Oh way down to 3 Thousand Cycles.
Question . . . And it goes up to what?
Bain Well, It's almost an Unlimited Range.....
Question They (the receivers) must have Preset Frequencies, or Continually Variable Frequencies up to 20 Million Cycles. 100 Million. 1000?
Bain This Goes on Past 100 Thousand Cycles.
Question So this is all Low Frequency?
Bain It is Low Frequency. Yes.

A Clear case for Reassessment of Command Potential is suggested.

Section (C)

I choose to comment. In an area where Protocol could otherwise Preclude a critical Analysis. Because of the Implications at Both a Military and Inter-Governmental Level: I Recommend that an Alternative System of Protection for all USAF Installations in NZ be Negotiated with the NZ Government Forthwith, for the Following Reasons.

Insufficient Liaison between respective parties had led to Undesirable Speculation and Suspicion, With a Corresponding loss of Credence. Moreover Regional Security Authorities Seemed Unprepared for a Ruthless Prosecution of Defence Precautions. (A) All Security Operations were directed by radio monitored continually by Demonstrators Encamped some five Miles from the Camp at a Point Codenamed "Left Bank". (B) NZ Police Service Chiefs were Responsible for Withdrawing Batons issued to RNZAF Personnel on Special Guard Duties. (Following Violent Incidents and Clashes between Left Wing Agitators and Police, A new Set of General Instructions Relating to Police Procedure at Demonstrations Were issued. This Occasioned their first Large Scale Application.) One Youthful Militant who Penetrated the Perimeter was not Arrested. But passed back to the demonstration. (C) A Daylight march on the base which Resulted in the Detonation of Explosive. Incendiary and smoke Devises on or near the RNZAF base "Woodbourne" passed without reaction; Only after an official Query on the Matter did the Police take any Action. And begin Searching Various Premises for Stockpiles of Such Devices. (D) The Police Service Provided only 113 Members. Both Uniformed and Un-Uniformed for the Defence Operations. The bulk of the Defence work was Carried out by Untrained and Inexperienced Air Force Cadets. All of whom Endured the two day Period on full Alert. And then an extension of the emergency for the next four days. Their only compensation was a two day Leave Extension and double Rates of pay During the Emergency.

Happily Attempts by Press Researchers to Expand on the Briefing were Unsuccessful: All Official Communiques Required the Joint Preparation of both police service and RNZAF officers' to ensure a total Press Blanket Key officers took leave (Dallow. Legal Division. Wellington police Headquarters. Defence Supervisor) Or took up new positions (Groshinski. Defence Dept. Public Relations Officer, on February 1, to National Party HQ, Wellington). Nonetheless I am of the Opinion that the NZ Government has Failed in its Protective Duties for this as for other USAF Installations. I Recommend a Serious Reappraisal of all Defence Arrangements in the light of the data Given, and the Militancy of the Lift Wing Radicals.

Section (D)

Blenheim People Reacted Calmly to the Situation as a whole. Editorial Comment Prior to the visit Stressed the Responsibility of Reassurances Countering all Unofficial Speculation on the Purpose of the Research. However Regional Press Reported Criticism from Local Farmers Alleging that they were Required to sign the official Secrets Act when the Base was Transferred to Woodbourne. Farmers Reporting Either the Cutting of Crops as a Defence Precaution or the Removal of Equipment from the base Prior to the Visit. Received some Initial Publicity but this was only over a Restricted area and Promptly Terminated: A story Alleging That Security Officers Advanced with Drawn Guns On a Media Group was Immediately Killed. Some Complication Regarding the Invoking of Air Force Security Regulations Regarding the Base may lead to Legal Action by Anti-Government Groups, But we Consider this an Internal Matter.

Airglow Detector

Airglow Detector

Sferic Recorders

Sferic Recorders

Other Problems have Arisen from Local Security Arrangements. Women on the RNZAF base Considered Security risks were Confined to the base area over the Six—Day Emergency Period. And wives of Personnel became incensed at the Cancellation of their Husband's leave; however in both cases the Anger was Directed Against the Demonstrators and not Defence Personnel.

Unfortunately, Attention Focused on the Woodbourne Operation Brought Forth Stories from Workmen Engaged in the early Stages of Construction work at Long Bank. Some indication of the Extent of Underground Complexes was Provided and, although only USAF engineers were involved in installing the Equipment. Local contractors were engaged in excavating trenches and lining them with Carbon: This had led to Speculation as to the use of the Equipment, Although the Media does not seem to have Furthered the question.

Section (E)

The Acceptance of the tour Briefing has been Widespread Among The Larger and Responsible Publications. Very little comment has been about the Embargo Imposed on Visitors to the Communications room: Happily the tour members accepted this and the Explanation given. Only the Weekly "NZ truth" has sought to Continue the speculation, but there has been Little support nationally. Reaction has tended to confirm that the debt Owed the united states armed forces by the NZ people for their help during world war II is foremost in the minds of the Majority. The only publication so far which may have relevant data not yet released is the Student Weekly "Salient", Whose Editor has remained silent in his impressions of the tour.

We Anticipate an Early Public Acceptance of the official briefing.