Difference between revisions of "Hakluyt"

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(Hakluyt & Company Ltd)
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[[Image:Hakluyt.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Quintessentially British: Hakluyt at Tea (L-R James, Reynolds and Maclay)]]
 
[[Image:Hakluyt.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Quintessentially British: Hakluyt at Tea (L-R James, Reynolds and Maclay)]]
:::''“The idea was to do for industry what we had done for the government”''
+
:::''"The idea was to do for industry what we had done for the government"''<br>&mdash; Hakluyt co-founder [[Christopher James]]<ref> Stephen Overell, [http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/a-list/2002w34/msg00011.htm Masters of the great game turn to business], Financial Times, 22 March 2000.
 
+
</ref>
:::(Hakluyt co-founder [[Christopher James]]){{ref|FTimes}}
 
 
 
  
 
Hakluyt & Company Ltd, a London business intelligence bureau named after
 
Hakluyt & Company Ltd, a London business intelligence bureau named after
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was founded in 1995 by former members of the British foreign secret service.
 
was founded in 1995 by former members of the British foreign secret service.
  
Hakluyt fills a niche in the intelligence sector by specializing in upmarket
+
Hakluyt fills a niche in the intelligence sector by specializing in upmarket business, with which it has been very successful. The company started in a oneroom office in 1995; in 2001 it claims its clients include one-quarter of FTSE 100 companies. In its brochure, Hakluyt promises to find information for its clients which they "will not receive by the usual government, media and commercial routes". The company tries to distinguish itself from other business intelligence consultants, spinmasters and clipping services. "We do not take anything off the shelf, nothing off the Net—we assume that any company worth its salt has done all of that," Hakluyt's [[Michael Maclay]] explained at a 1999 conference in the Netherlands. "We go with the judgement of people who know the countries, the élites, the industries, the local media, the local environmentalists, all the factors that will feed into big decisions being made."<ref>Michael Maclay, 'Recruiting Political Scientists', presentation at Academia Meets Business conference, Leiden, the Netherlands, 2-3 July 1999</ref>
business, with which it has been very successful. The company started in a oneroom
 
office in 1995; in 2001 it claims its clients include one-quarter of FTSE
 
100 companies. In its brochure, Hakluyt promises to find information for its
 
clients which they “will not receive by the usual government, media and commercial
 
routes”. The company tries to distinguish itself from other business
 
intelligence consultants, spinmasters and clipping services. “We do not take
 
anything off the shelf, nothing off the Net—we assume that any company
 
worth its salt has done all of that,” Hakluyt’s [[Michael Maclay]] explained at a
 
1999 conference in the Netherlands. “We go with the judgement of people
 
who know the countries, the élites, the industries, the local media, the local
 
environmentalists, all the factors that will feed into big decisions being made.”{{ref|MMaclay}}
 
  
 
==What is Hakluyt?==
 
==What is Hakluyt?==
 
:Christopher James, managing director of the foundation and a former Foreign Office hand, explains: "Richard Hakluyt was a 16th-century geographer, born in London, who sat and listened to the tales told by returning explorers such as Drake and Frobisher. Then he wrote them up as 'Hakluyt's Voyages'. He was one of the principle inspirations for the [[East India Company]]."  
 
:Christopher James, managing director of the foundation and a former Foreign Office hand, explains: "Richard Hakluyt was a 16th-century geographer, born in London, who sat and listened to the tales told by returning explorers such as Drake and Frobisher. Then he wrote them up as 'Hakluyt's Voyages'. He was one of the principle inspirations for the [[East India Company]]."  
  
:Hakluyt & Co (now Hakluyt Ltd) was founded by [[Fitzroy MacLean]] in 1995. [[Steven Dedijer]] (the man who largely invented modern-day business intelligence at Lund university in Sweden) watched MacLean's career between 1937 and 1995, and claimed that he "had a foot in the intelligence world since he attended Stalin's terror trials in 1937 as a member of the Foreign Office to Mikhail Gorbachev's time -- he advised Margaret Thatcher to back him -- and to the war in former Yugoslavia, in which he was in close contact with gen. Michael Rose". Maclean "acted all his life following the best British tradition dating from the 16th century as an independent intelligence operator working informally but effectively for and within the British establishment's power network.".{{ref|online}}
+
:Hakluyt & Co (now Hakluyt Ltd) was founded by [[Fitzroy MacLean]] in 1995. [[Steven Dedijer]] (the man who largely invented modern-day business intelligence at Lund university in Sweden) watched MacLean's career between 1937 and 1995, and claimed that he "had a foot in the intelligence world since he attended Stalin's terror trials in 1937 as a member of the Foreign Office to Mikhail Gorbachev's time -- he advised Margaret Thatcher to back him -- and to the war in former Yugoslavia, in which he was in close contact with gen. Michael Rose". Maclean "acted all his life following the best British tradition dating from the 16th century as an independent intelligence operator working informally but effectively for and within the British establishment's power network.".<ref>Fitzroy MacLean's Legacy, Intelligence Newsletter, 17 October 1996, [http://www.IntelligenceOnline.com Intelligence Online].</ref>
:The Financial Times called Maclean, "a highly active 84-year-old who has just brought out yet another book on Scotland, is one of those people who knows everyone, on both sides of the Atlantic," in 1995. (MacLean died of a heart attack in 1996.){{ref|FinTimes}}
+
:The Financial Times called Maclean, "a highly active 84-year-old who has just brought out yet another book on Scotland, is one of those people who knows everyone, on both sides of the Atlantic," in 1995. (MacLean died of a heart attack in 1996.)<ref>Forward charge, Financial Times (London) 11 August 1995.</ref>
  
 
:In addition to MacLean, the founders of the highly discreet Hakluyt & Company were the [[Earl of Jellico]], who was head of a committee to reform intelligence and security under the Thatcher government and then president of the Royal Geographic Society; and [[Brian Cubbon]], former permanent secretary at the Home Office who was a candidate in 1987 to head the Secret Service.
 
:In addition to MacLean, the founders of the highly discreet Hakluyt & Company were the [[Earl of Jellico]], who was head of a committee to reform intelligence and security under the Thatcher government and then president of the Royal Geographic Society; and [[Brian Cubbon]], former permanent secretary at the Home Office who was a candidate in 1987 to head the Secret Service.
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:The company has a kind of supervision board, the Hakluyt foundation, headed since 1995 by the late Sir [[Fitzroy Maclean]]. He was an intrepid explorer himself who was parachuted into Yugoslavia in the Second World War to act as the Allies' main link with Tito, the partisan leader and subsequent Communist boss. [[Lady Smith]], who also sat on this board, was a close friend of Sir Fitzroy for many years, sharing his close interest in Russia and Eastern Europe. Following Sir Fitzroy's death Sir [[Peter Holmes]], formerly senior managing director of [[Royal Dutch Shell Group]], took over as president of the foundation.  
 
:The company has a kind of supervision board, the Hakluyt foundation, headed since 1995 by the late Sir [[Fitzroy Maclean]]. He was an intrepid explorer himself who was parachuted into Yugoslavia in the Second World War to act as the Allies' main link with Tito, the partisan leader and subsequent Communist boss. [[Lady Smith]], who also sat on this board, was a close friend of Sir Fitzroy for many years, sharing his close interest in Russia and Eastern Europe. Following Sir Fitzroy's death Sir [[Peter Holmes]], formerly senior managing director of [[Royal Dutch Shell Group]], took over as president of the foundation.  
: Since 2005 Hakluyt has been run since last year by former diplomat [[Keith Craig]].The company is based in London's West End and only has half- a-dozen salaried staff, relying on 50 to 60 external experts to provide advice to companies.{{ref|Willcock}}
+
: Since 2005 Hakluyt has been run since last year by former diplomat [[Keith Craig]].The company is based in London's West End and only has half- a-dozen salaried staff, relying on 50 to 60 external experts to provide advice to companies.<ref>John Willcock 'People & Business: Maharishi gets a flexible friend' The Independent (London) 14 August 1998, Page 21.</ref>
 
 
  
 
==Spying exposed==
 
==Spying exposed==
  
[[Manfred Schlickenrieder]] apparently was one of those people who “knew the
+
[[Manfred Schlickenrieder]] apparently was one of those people who "knew the local environmentalists". For years, he posed as a leftist sympathizer and filmmaker while working as a spy for Hakluyt. His cover was blown when the Swiss action group [[Revolutionaire Aufbau]] began to distrust him. In the investigation which led to his exposure, the group uncovered a large pile of documents. Many were put online at the beginning of 2000.."<ref>See the [http://www.geocities.com/aufbaulist/Gruppe2/Gruppe2.htm Aufbau.org website]</ref> These documents prove Schlickenrieder was on Hakluyt's payroll—and indicate strongly that he was working for more than one German state intelligence service.
local environmentalists”. For years, he posed as a leftist sympathizer and filmmaker
 
while working as a spy for Hakluyt. His cover was blown when the Swiss
 
action group [[Revolutionaire Aufbau]] began to distrust him. In the investigation
 
which led to his exposure, the group uncovered a large pile of documents. Many
 
were put online at the beginning of 2000..”{{ref|Aufbau}} These documents
 
prove Schlickenrieder was on Hakluyt’s payroll—and indicate strongly that he
 
was working for more than one German state intelligence service.
 
  
 
Among the documents was detailed email correspondence between
 
Among the documents was detailed email correspondence between
Schlickenrieder and Hakluyt. There was also a DM20,000 ($9,000) invoice
+
Schlickenrieder and Hakluyt. There was also a DM20,000 ($9,000) invoice to Hakluyt for "Greenpeace research" including expenses, "to be paid according to agreement in the usual manner". Confronted with this material, Hakluyt reluctantly admitted having employed him. When The Sunday Times broke the story in Britain in July 2000, both [[BP]] and [[Shell]] acknowledged having hired the firm, but claimed they had been unaware of its tactics.."<ref>Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, June 17, 2001. His hidden agenda may have been to find out who was behind violent attacks on petrol stations following a boycott in Germany. Mike Hogan, Shell UK head of media relations, claimed in a personal phone call in July 2001 that this was what they had hired Hakluyt for. But there are no reports of Schlickenrieder approaching more radical groups, nor hinting at such subjects, from people he did speak to.</ref>
to Hakluyt for “Greenpeace research” including expenses, “to be paid according
+
Schlickenrieder's exposure put the spotlight on an firm that prefers to operate highly discreetly in the shadowy area of former state intelligence specialists-turned-private spies. Members of Parliament accused MI6 of using the firm as a front to spy on green activists.
to agreement in the usual manner”. Confronted with this material,
 
Hakluyt reluctantly admitted having employed him. When The Sunday Times
 
broke the story in Britain in July 2000, both [[BP]] and [[Shell]] acknowledged
 
having hired the firm, but claimed they had been unaware of its tactics..”{{ref|STimes1}}
 
Schlickenrieder’s exposure put the spotlight on an firm that prefers to
 
operate highly discreetly in the shadowy area of former state intelligence specialists-
 
turned-private spies. Members of Parliament accused MI6 of using the
 
firm as a front to spy on green activists.
 
  
Analyzing archival material found in Schlickenrieder’s house teaches us
+
Analyzing archival material found in Schlickenrieder's house teaches us much about how he did his work for Hakluyt, and about oil companies' current intelligence needs.
much about how he did his work for Hakluyt, and about oil companies’
 
current intelligence needs.
 
  
Schlickenrieder traded on his image as a long-term devoted activist to get
+
Schlickenrieder traded on his image as a long-term devoted activist to get various information-gathering commissions. After the [[Brent Spar]] PR crisis and the death of [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]] in Nigeria, he made an inventory for Shell International of the activist agenda. Posing as a film-maker making a film about the anti-Shell campaigns, Schlickenrieder travelled around Europe, and managed to interview on film a broad spectrum of people campaigning for the Ogoni people in Nigeria. He spent months questioning all sorts of groups, and wrote to organizations ranging from [[Friends of the Earth]] to [[Anita Roddick]]'s  
various information-gathering commissions. After the [[Brent Spar]] PR crisis
+
[[Body Shop]] asking about their ongoing campaigns, their future plans and the impact of their work. The project eventually resulted in a documentary video, ''Business as Usual: The Arrogance of Power'', which gave a rather superficial insight into the European campaign against Shell. But it was only a byproduct of the investigation: every worthwhile detail was captured in a report for Hakluyt and subsequently channelled to Shell International.
and the death of [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]] in Nigeria, he made an inventory for Shell
 
International of the activist agenda. Posing as a film-maker making a film
 
about the anti-Shell campaigns, Schlickenrieder travelled around Europe, and
 
managed to interview on film a broad spectrum of people campaigning for
 
the Ogoni people in Nigeria. He spent months questioning all sorts of groups,
 
and wrote to organizations ranging from [[Friends of the Earth]] to [[Anita Roddick]]'s  
 
[[Body Shop]] asking about their ongoing campaigns, their future plans and the
 
impact of their work. The project eventually resulted in a documentary video,
 
''Business as Usual: The Arrogance of Power'', which gave a rather superficial
 
insight into the European campaign against Shell. But it was only a byproduct
 
of the investigation: every worthwhile detail was captured in a report for
 
Hakluyt and subsequently channelled to [[Shell]] International.
 
  
Other oil companies were scared to death, too, of becoming Greenpeace’s
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Other oil companies were scared to death, too, of becoming Greenpeace's next target. [[BP]] turned to Hakluyt for help after it got wind that Greenpeace was planning its Atlantic Frontier campaign to stop oil drilling in a new part of the Atlantic. The company asked Schlickenrieder to deliver details about what was going to happen as well as assess how Greenpeace might respond to possible damage claims that could be used in an attempt to paralyze it.
next target. [[BP]] turned to Hakluyt for help after it got wind that Greenpeace
+
Hakluyt used material from other sources to complement the information about Greenpeace's plans Schlickenrieder provided. It claimed to have laid its hands on a copy of '''Putting the Lid on Fossil Fuels''', the Greenpeace brochure meant to kick off the campaign, even before the ink was dry. BP used this inside information to polish its press and PR communications. "BP countered the campaign in an unusually fast and smart way," Greenpeace
was planning its Atlantic Frontier campaign to stop oil drilling in a new part
 
of the Atlantic. The company asked Schlickenrieder to deliver details about
 
what was going to happen as well as assess how Greenpeace might respond to
 
possible damage claims that could be used in an attempt to paralyze it.
 
Hakluyt used material from other sources to complement the information
 
about Greenpeace’s plans Schlickenrieder provided. It claimed to have
 
laid its hands on a copy of ''‘Putting the Lid on Fossil Fuels’'', the Greenpeace
 
brochure meant to kick off the campaign, even before the ink was dry. BP
 
used this inside information to polish its press and PR communications. “BP
 
countered the campaign in an unusually fast and smart way,Greenpeace
 
 
Germany spokesperson Stefan Krug told the German daily die tageszeitung/TAZ.
 
Germany spokesperson Stefan Krug told the German daily die tageszeitung/TAZ.
Since it knew what was coming in advance, BP was never taken by surprise.{{ref|TAZ}}
+
Since it knew what was coming in advance, BP was never taken by surprise.<ref>Otto Diederichs and Holger Stark, [http://www.geocities.com/aufbaulist/Gruppe2/Kommentare/Greenpeace.htm Greenpeace, Das Auge der Multis], Die Tageszeitung, 10 December, 2000.</ref>
  
BP also used Hakluyt to plan a counter-strategic lawsuit against
+
BP also used Hakluyt to plan a counter-strategic lawsuit against Greenpeace. In a May 1997 email message to Schlickenrieder, Hakluyt's Director [[Mike Reynolds]] inquired about the possible impact of suing the environmentalists for mounting a campaign like the Brent Spar one. He asked his German spy for information on whether Greenpeace was taking legal steps to protect its assets against seizure in the event it was sued by an oil company.
Greenpeace. In a May 1997 email message to Schlickenrieder, Hakluyt’s
 
Director [[Mike Reynolds]] inquired about the possible impact of suing the
 
environmentalists for mounting a campaign like the Brent Spar one. He
 
asked his German spy for information on whether Greenpeace was taking
 
legal steps to protect its assets against seizure in the event it was sued by an
 
oil company.
 
  
 
The answer to that question is not among the exposed documents.
 
The answer to that question is not among the exposed documents.
However, when BP’s Stena Dee oil installation in the Atlantic Ocean was
+
However, when BP's Stena Dee oil installation in the Atlantic Ocean was occupied two months later, the company sued Greenpeace for DM4.2 million (almost $2 million) in damages, insisting its work was being delayed. BP got an injunction to block Greenpeace UK's bank accounts, which caused the group serious financial problems. (This was one of the first times an injunction was used to threaten activists with possible arrest. It has since become an increasingly popular way to stop a campaign.)
occupied two months later, the company sued Greenpeace for DM4.2 million
 
(almost $2 million) in damages, insisting its work was being delayed. BP got
 
an injunction to block Greenpeace UK’s bank accounts, which caused the
 
group serious financial problems. (This was one of the first times an injunc-
 
tion was used to threaten activists with possible arrest. It has since become an
 
increasingly popular way to stop a campaign.)
 
  
Oil activism was not Schlickenrieder’s only field of activity. The Aufbau
+
Oil activism was not Schlickenrieder's only field of activity. The Aufbau group discovered leads about research he did for Hakluyt on banks and financial takeovers. And in 1996 he started mapping resistance against [[Rio Tinto]], which calls itself the "world leader in finding, mining and processing the Earth's mineral resources."<ref>See "About Us" section at [http://www.riotinto.com Rio Tinto website]</ref>
group discovered leads about research he did for Hakluyt on banks and financial
 
takeovers. And in 1996 he started mapping resistance against [[Rio Tinto]],
 
which calls itself the “world leader in finding, mining and processing the
 
Earth’s mineral resources.”{{ref|Tinto}}
 
  
He continued to bill Hakluyt for this research until at least spring 1999.{{ref|TintoAufbau}}
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He continued to bill Hakluyt for this research until at least spring 1999.<ref>Evidence that Schlickenrieder researched Rio Tinto is unpublished and is in the hands of members of Revolutionaire Aufbau, who exposed him.</ref>
  
 
===A freelance spy===
 
===A freelance spy===
  
 
Schlickenrieder had apparently built up spying experience during years of
 
Schlickenrieder had apparently built up spying experience during years of
working for Germany’s domestic and foreign intelligence services,  
+
working for Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence services,  
 
[[Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz]] and [[Bundesnachrichtendienst]].
 
[[Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz]] and [[Bundesnachrichtendienst]].
Documents found at his home indicated he had had access to reports
+
Documents found at his home indicated he had had access to reports from them as well as the French and Italian secret services. None of the spy agencies acknowledged publicly that Schlickenrieder had been working for them; however, informed sources agreed that the agent's exposure had been a blow for the German intelligence community, as several serious papers reported. Furthermore, the Schlickenrieder case was discussed in the prime minister and parliamentary committee's weekly meeting with the German secret services—a meeting of which no minutes are ever published.<ref>Thomas Scheuer, [http://www.libertad.de/inhalt/spezial/gr17 uppe2/focus120201.shtml Enttarnung im Internet], Focus, 12 Feb. 2001, and personal conversation with Otto Diederichs/TAZ.</ref>
from them as well as the French and Italian secret services. None of the spy
 
agencies acknowledged publicly that Schlickenrieder had been working for
 
them; however, informed sources agreed that the agent’s exposure had been a
 
blow for the German intelligence community, as several serious papers
 
reported. Furthermore, the Schlickenrieder case was discussed in the prime
 
minister and parliamentary committee’s weekly meeting with the German
 
secret services—a meeting of which no minutes are ever published.{{ref|Thomas}}
 
  
Though there is evidence that they paid him, it is not known whether he
+
Though there is evidence that they paid him, it is not known whether he was actually on the payroll; he may have been a freelance spy. The fact that he wrote detailed proposals for the government, suggesting new fields of research within the radical leftist movement, points in this direction. Whichever it was, the rewards of espionage seem to have included a spacious flat overlooking a park in Munich and a BMW Z3, the model of sports car driven by James Bond in Goldeneye. His monthly expenses were calculated at $4,500.
was actually on the payroll; he may have been a freelance spy. The fact that
 
he wrote detailed proposals for the government, suggesting new fields of
 
research within the radical leftist movement, points in this direction.
 
Whichever it was, the rewards of espionage seem to have included a spacious
 
flat overlooking a park in Munich and a BMW Z3, the model of sports car
 
driven by James Bond in Goldeneye. His monthly expenses were calculated at
 
$4,500.
 
  
He became good at delivering different kinds of intelligence, from broad
+
He became good at delivering different kinds of intelligence, from broad overviews to assessments to insider mood reports. Taking advantage of activists' trust, he developed a knack for piecing together bits and pieces of information to compile a fairly accurate picture.
overviews to assessments to insider mood reports. Taking advantage of
 
activists’ trust, he developed a knack for piecing together bits and pieces of
 
information to compile a fairly accurate picture.
 
  
 
He frequented meetings of radical leftist groups (including the [[Red Army Faction]] from the early 1980s until his cover was blown, and he made a documentary
 
He frequented meetings of radical leftist groups (including the [[Red Army Faction]] from the early 1980s until his cover was blown, and he made a documentary
 
about violent resistance with solidarity groups and relatives of convicted
 
about violent resistance with solidarity groups and relatives of convicted
comrades which featured the RAF. Another film, about Italy’s
+
comrades which featured the RAF. Another film, about Italy's
 
[[Red Brigades]], on which he had been working since 1985, was never finished. But
 
[[Red Brigades]], on which he had been working since 1985, was never finished. But
 
stills from his video footage served as a photo database, accompanied by personal
 
stills from his video footage served as a photo database, accompanied by personal
 
details about everybody he had met.
 
details about everybody he had met.
  
His ways of working for state and business were similar—there seemed to
+
His ways of working for state and business were similar—there seemed to be no boundaries between the two. He sometimes compiled reports for Hakluyt without being asked. For instance, in a September 1997 email to Hakluyt, he explained how he had "used the opportunity of visiting Hamburg to talk to two separate people within Greenpeace". In closing, he wrote: "That was your free 'mood report' supplement from Hamburg."
be no boundaries between the two. He sometimes compiled reports for
 
Hakluyt without being asked. For instance, in a September 1997 email to
 
Hakluyt, he explained how he had “used the opportunity of visiting Hamburg
 
to talk to two separate people within Greenpeace”. In closing, he wrote: “That
 
was your free ‘mood report’ supplement from Hamburg.
 
  
 
==The MI6 connection==
 
==The MI6 connection==
  
News clippings provide revealing details on the background of Hakluyt’s
+
News clippings provide revealing details on the background of Hakluyt's
 
founders. [[Christopher James]] and [[Mike Reynolds]] are both former members of
 
founders. [[Christopher James]] and [[Mike Reynolds]] are both former members of
the British foreign service. Ex-MI6 chief [[David Spedding|Spedding]] is said to have given his blessing to Hakluyt as a company, as is the foreign secretary..{{ref|STimes3}}
+
the British foreign service. Ex-MI6 chief [[David Spedding|Spedding]] is said to have given his blessing to Hakluyt as a company, as is the foreign secretary..<ref>Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, 17 June 2001.</ref>
Reynolds founded MI6’s counter-terrorism branch and was the foreign
+
Reynolds founded MI6's counter-terrorism branch and was the foreign
service’s head of station in Berlin. This explains his impeccable spoken and
+
service's head of station in Berlin. This explains his impeccable spoken and
 
written German and may also be the way he got to know Manfred
 
written German and may also be the way he got to know Manfred
 
Schlickenrieder. The newly appointed head of MI6, [[Richard Dearlove]], is a
 
Schlickenrieder. The newly appointed head of MI6, [[Richard Dearlove]], is a
close friend of his.{{ref|IntelN}}
+
close friend of his.<ref>"Business Intelligence Notes: UK", Intelligence Newsletter, No. 364, 26 Aug. 26, 1999, p. 3.</ref>
  
 
James led a section of MI6 that liaised with British firms. Over his 20-
 
James led a section of MI6 that liaised with British firms. Over his 20-
year career he got to know the heads of many of Britain’s top companies. In
+
year career he got to know the heads of many of Britain's top companies. In
 
return for a few tips that helped them compete in the market, he persuaded
 
return for a few tips that helped them compete in the market, he persuaded
 
them to pass on intelligence from their overseas operations, industry sources
 
them to pass on intelligence from their overseas operations, industry sources
 
told Management Today. After the Cold War, James argued that MI6 should
 
told Management Today. After the Cold War, James argued that MI6 should
 
expand this role. But others in the organization feared this could be mistaken
 
expand this role. But others in the organization feared this could be mistaken
for ‘economic espionage’. He left MI6 in 1995, taking his intelligence work
+
for 'economic espionage'. He left MI6 in 1995, taking his intelligence work
private.{{ref|Ruff}}
+
private.<ref>Nicholas Rufford, 'Cloak and Dagger Ltd: Former spies of the Cold War era engage in industrial espionage', Management Today, 1 Feb. 1999, p. 9.</ref>
  
Hakluyt’s management board is a display case for the kind of reputation
+
Hakluyt's management board is a display case for the kind of reputation
the company is aiming for. One member was Ian Fleming’s model for James
+
the company is aiming for. One member was Ian Fleming's model for James
 
Bond—the former soldier, spy and diplomat Sir [[Fitzroy Maclean]]. And the
 
Bond—the former soldier, spy and diplomat Sir [[Fitzroy Maclean]]. And the
 
company is linked to the oil industry through Sir [[William Purves]], CEO of
 
company is linked to the oil industry through Sir [[William Purves]], CEO of
Line 190: Line 99:
 
ties to MI6: its director of government and public affairs, John
 
ties to MI6: its director of government and public affairs, John
 
Gerson, was at one time a leading candidate to succeed Sir David Spedding
 
Gerson, was at one time a leading candidate to succeed Sir David Spedding
as chief of MI6.{{ref|STimes3}}
+
as chief of MI6.<ref>Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, 17 June 2001.</ref>
  
It is important that NGOs and other pressure groups trying to assess possible
+
It is important that NGOs and other pressure groups trying to assess possible threats remember the close ties between risk assessment companies and the government intelligence community. Some larger and older companies, such as [[Control Risks]], may have grown away from direct links to government, which could explain the market for new agencies with more recent connections, like Hakluyt. Such firms have the necessary knowledge and techniques at their disposal, either through their own experience, their staff 's experience, or direct contacts. This can have consequences for the way they investigate their clients' adversaries; as in the Schlickenrieder case, they might use infiltrators posing as activists or dedicated journalists, and they might have access to classified intelligence information. The specialty of privatized spying shops goes beyond PR consulting or spin doctoring into the rather vague terrain of intelligence operations, which can be used in both gathering information and setting up stings.
threats remember the close ties between risk assessment companies and
 
the government intelligence community. Some larger and older companies,
 
such as [[Control Risks]], may have grown away from direct links to government,
 
which could explain the market for new agencies with more recent connections,
 
like Hakluyt. Such firms have the necessary knowledge and techniques
 
at their disposal, either through their own experience, their staff ’s experience,
 
or direct contacts. This can have consequences for the way they investigate
 
their clients’ adversaries; as in the Schlickenrieder case, they might use infiltrators
 
posing as activists or dedicated journalists, and they might have access
 
to classified intelligence information. The specialism of privatized spying
 
shops goes beyond PR consulting or spin doctoring into the rather vague
 
terrain of intelligence operations, which can be used in both gathering information
 
and setting up stings.
 
  
 
==From the Financial Times to Hakluyt==
 
==From the Financial Times to Hakluyt==
  
 
According to Intelligence Online, [[Mark Huband]] joined Hakluyt in the summer of 2006, after a long career in journalism
 
According to Intelligence Online, [[Mark Huband]] joined Hakluyt in the summer of 2006, after a long career in journalism
in the United Kingdom - he worked for the Guardian, Times and Financial Times. Huband had long specialized in Africa and the Middle East, where he was based for years for the Times and Guardian (he was one of the few newsmen to cover the American intervention in Somalia in 1993). Since 2003 he had reported on defense, security and terrorism for the Financial Times. Huband, who left the newspaper last year, won't be the first journalist to work for Hakluyt, Intelligence Online knows. A number of former British and Australian newspaper and television correspondents are - or have been -on its payroll.{{ref|IntelOnl}}
+
in the United Kingdom - he worked for the Guardian, Times and Financial Times. Huband had long specialized in Africa and the Middle East, where he was based for years for the Times and Guardian (he was one of the few newsmen to cover the American intervention in Somalia in 1993). Since 2003 he had reported on defense, security and terrorism for the Financial Times. Huband, who left the newspaper last year, won't be the first journalist to work for Hakluyt, Intelligence Online knows. A number of former British and Australian newspaper and television correspondents are - or have been -on its payroll.<ref>Business Inteligence and lobbying, No. 527, 7 July 2006 [http://www.IntelligenceOnline.com Intelligence Online]</ref>
  
 
==New labour links==
 
==New labour links==
  
[[Demos]]&#39; [[Ian Hargreaves]] is on the board of the [[Centre for European Reform]] with Baroness [[Elizabeth Smith]] - the wife of the late Labour leader.  Between 98 and 2000, Smith was on the board of [[Hakluyt]] who spied on environmental groups for oil companies, including [[BP]].  Smith is an advisor for [[BP Scotland]].  Hargreaves is on the board of [[Greenpeace]] and [[Haykluyt]] spied on Greenpeace.  If you look at the others on the CER board you see [[BP]] well represented.  [[Shell]] fund [[Demos]] and their offices are across the road.  Demos Trustee, [[Andrew Mackenzie]] is their Treasurer and also [[BP]] group vice president for chemicals.  [[Hakluyt]] also spied on [[Anita Roddick]]&#39;s &#39;[[Body Shop]]&#39; and Roddick is also on the [[Demos]] Board.{{ref|STimes2}}
+
[[Demos]]' [[Ian Hargreaves]] is on the board of the [[Centre for European Reform]] with Baroness [[Elizabeth Smith]] - the wife of the late Labour leader.  Between 98 and 2000, Smith was on the board of Hakluyt who spied on environmental groups for oil companies, including BP.  Smith is an advisor for [[BP Scotland]].  Hargreaves is on the board of [[Greenpeace]] and Hakluyt spied on Greenpeace.  If you look at the others on the CER board you see BP well represented.  Shell fund Demos and their offices are across the road.  Demos Trustee, [[Andrew Mackenzie]] is their Treasurer and also [[BP]] group vice president for chemicals.  Hakluyt also spied on [[Anita Roddick]]'s '[[Body Shop]]' and Roddick is also on the Demos Board.<ref>Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, 17 June 2001.</ref>
  
 
==People==
 
==People==
Line 259: Line 155:
 
*[[Earl Jellicoe]]  
 
*[[Earl Jellicoe]]  
 
:was head of a committee to reform intelligence and security under the Thatcher government  
 
:was head of a committee to reform intelligence and security under the Thatcher government  
:reportedly 'provided early encouragement' to Hakluyt){{ref|ove}}
+
:reportedly 'provided early encouragement' to Hakluyt)<ref>Stephen Overell, [http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/a-list/2002w34/msg00011.htm Masters of the great game turn to business], Financial Times, 22 March 2000.</ref>
  
 
*[[Michael Maclay]] 1997 - 2003
 
*[[Michael Maclay]] 1997 - 2003
Line 265: Line 161:
 
:1997 to 2003 was one of Hakluyt's mainstays
 
:1997 to 2003 was one of Hakluyt's mainstays
 
:2003 founded his own firm, [[Montrose Associates]].
 
:2003 founded his own firm, [[Montrose Associates]].
 
 
*[[William Purves]]  
 
*[[William Purves]]  
 
:Chairman in 1999
 
:Chairman in 1999
 
 
*[[Mike Reynolds]]  
 
*[[Mike Reynolds]]  
 
:former station head of MI6 in Germany,  
 
:former station head of MI6 in Germany,  
 
:1995 joined Hakluyt
 
:1995 joined Hakluyt
 
 
*[[Tom Rhodes]]
 
*[[Tom Rhodes]]
 
 
*[[John Weston (ex UK diplomat)|John Weston]]  
 
*[[John Weston (ex UK diplomat)|John Weston]]  
 
:a non-executive director of Hakluyt & Co in 2000 and 2001 and  
 
:a non-executive director of Hakluyt & Co in 2000 and 2001 and  
 
:member of the Hakluyt Foundation, succeeding Sir [[Brian Cubbon]].  
 
:member of the Hakluyt Foundation, succeeding Sir [[Brian Cubbon]].  
 
 
*[[Christopher Wilkins]]  
 
*[[Christopher Wilkins]]  
 
:former member of the Welsh Guards and businessman.
 
:former member of the Welsh Guards and businessman.
Line 303: Line 194:
 
:2002 joining the supervisory board of Hakluyt & Co
 
:2002 joining the supervisory board of Hakluyt & Co
 
:(or was he stillchairman of the [[Commerzbank]] supervisory board when he joined Hakluyt?)
 
:(or was he stillchairman of the [[Commerzbank]] supervisory board when he joined Hakluyt?)
 
 
*[[Fitzroy Maclean]]  
 
*[[Fitzroy Maclean]]  
 
:1995 one of the founders
 
:1995 one of the founders
 
:1997 until he died
 
:1997 until he died
 
 
*[[Minoru Makihara]]
 
*[[Minoru Makihara]]
 
:former chairman of [[Mitsubishi]] Corporation,  
 
:former chairman of [[Mitsubishi]] Corporation,  
 
:2004 joined the international advisory board of Hakluyt.
 
:2004 joined the international advisory board of Hakluyt.
 
+
*[[ William Purves]], born December 27, 1931.
*[[Sir William Purves]], born December 27, 1931.
 
 
:1968-1998 chairman of [[HSBC Holdings]]
 
:1968-1998 chairman of [[HSBC Holdings]]
 
:1994 to 1997 chairman of [[Midland Bank]]
 
:1994 to 1997 chairman of [[Midland Bank]]
 
:1999 joined the Hakluyt Foundation
 
:1999 joined the Hakluyt Foundation
 
 
*[[Robin Renwick]]  
 
*[[Robin Renwick]]  
 
:2000- at least until 2005
 
:2000- at least until 2005
 
 
* Sir [[Ralph Robins]],  
 
* Sir [[Ralph Robins]],  
 
:2002 retiring as chairman of both [[Cable & Wireless]] and [[Rolls-Royce]]
 
:2002 retiring as chairman of both [[Cable & Wireless]] and [[Rolls-Royce]]
 
:2002 joining the supervisory board of Hakluyt & Co
 
:2002 joining the supervisory board of Hakluyt & Co
 
 
*[[Elizabeth Smith]]  
 
*[[Elizabeth Smith]]  
 
:until the end of 2002
 
:until the end of 2002
 
 
*[[Lord Trotman]]
 
*[[Lord Trotman]]
 
:former board member of [[IBM]], [[Ford]] and New York Stock Exchange.
 
:former board member of [[IBM]], [[Ford]] and New York Stock Exchange.
 
:2002 president of the Hakluyt Foundation in succession to Sir Peter Holmes,  
 
:2002 president of the Hakluyt Foundation in succession to Sir Peter Holmes,  
 
:2005 died in May
 
:2005 died in May
 
 
*[[John Weston]]  
 
*[[John Weston]]  
 
:former non-executive director of Hakluyt, former British ambassador to NATO and the UN
 
:former non-executive director of Hakluyt, former British ambassador to NATO and the UN
 
:2005 joined Hakluyt
 
:2005 joined Hakluyt
 
 
*[[Frank Wisner]]  
 
*[[Frank Wisner]]  
 
:former US under-secretary of state for international security affairs  
 
:former US under-secretary of state for international security affairs  
Line 374: Line 256:
 
* The Indian Ocean Newsletter, July 29, 2006
 
* The Indian Ocean Newsletter, July 29, 2006
  
==Notes==
+
==Contact, References and Resources==
 
+
===Contact===
#{{note|FTimes}} Stephen Overell, [http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/a-list/2002w34/msg00011.htm Masters of the great game turn to business], Financial Times, March 22,2000.
+
===Resources===
#{{note|MMaclay}} Michael Maclay, ‘Recruiting Political Scientists’, presentation at Academia Meets Business conference, Leiden, the Netherlands, July 2-3, 1999
 
#{{note|online}}Fitzroy MacLean's Legacy, Intelligence Newsletter, October 17, 1996, [http://www.IntelligenceOnline.com Intelligence Online].
 
#{{note|FinTimes}}Forward charge, Financial Times (London) August 11, 1995.
 
#{{note|STimes2}}Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, June 17, 2001.
 
#{{note|Aufbau}} See the [http://www.geocities.com/aufbaulist/Gruppe2/Gruppe2.htm Aufbau.org website]
 
#{{note|STimes1}} Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, June 17, 2001. His hidden agenda may have been to find out who was behind violent attacks on petrol stations following a boycott in Germany. Mike Hogan, Shell UK head of media relations, claimed in a personal phone call in July 2001 that this was what they had hired Hakluyt for. But there are no reports of Schlickenrieder approaching more radical groups, nor hinting at such subjects, from people he did speak to.
 
#{{note|TAZ}}Otto Diederichs and Holger Stark, [http://www.geocities.com/aufbaulist/Gruppe2/Kommentare/Greenpeace.htm Greenpeace, Das Auge der Multis], Die Tageszeitung, 10 December, 2000.
 
#{{note|Tinto}}See ‘About Us’ section at [http://www.riotinto.com Rio Tinto website]
 
#{{note|TintoAufbau}}Evidence that Schlickenrieder researched Rio Tinto is unpublished and is in the hands of members of Revolutionaire Aufbau, who exposed him.
 
#{{note|Thomas}}Thomas Scheuer, [http://www.libertad.de/inhalt/spezial/gruppe2/focus120201.shtml Enttarnung im Internet], Focus, Feb. 12, 2001, and personal conversation with Otto Diederichs/TAZ.
 
#{{note|STimes3}} Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, June 17, 2001.
 
#{{note|IntelN}}‘Business Intelligence Notes: UK’, Intelligence Newsletter, No. 364, Aug. 26, 1999, p. 3.
 
#{{note|Ruff}} Nicholas Rufford, ‘Cloak and Dagger Ltd: Former spies of the Cold War era engage in industrial espionage’, Management Today, Feb. 1, 1999, p. 9.
 
#{{note|STimes3}} Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0617-01.htm MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups] The Sunday Times of London, June 17, 2001.
 
#{{note|ove}} Stephen Overell, [http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/a-list/2002w34/msg00011.htm Masters of the great game turn to business], Financial Times, March 22,2000.
 
#{{note|BTAnnual}}[http://www.groupbt.com/Sharesandperformance/Annualreportandreview/Annualreports/Annualreportsarchive.htm Annual Report BT, 2000 and 2001.]
 
#{{note|FTimes2}} Stephen Overell, [http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/a-list/2002w34/msg00011.htm Masters of the great game turn to business], Financial Times, March 22,2000.
 
#{{note|IntelOnl}} Business Inteligence and lobbying, No. 527, July 7, 2006 [http://www.IntelligenceOnline.com Intelligence Online ]
 
#{{note|Willcock}} John Willcock 'People & Business: Maharishi gets a flexible friend' The Independent (London) August 14, 1998, Friday, Page 21.
 
 
 
==Resources==
 
 
 
 
* [http://www.geocities.com/aufbaulist/Gruppe2/Gruppe2.htm Aufbau.org website] Revolutionären Aufbau is the Swiss group that exposed Manfred Schlickenrieder. The website dedicated to the research contains a lot of documentation, both sources material and press clippings (mostly in German).  
 
* [http://www.geocities.com/aufbaulist/Gruppe2/Gruppe2.htm Aufbau.org website] Revolutionären Aufbau is the Swiss group that exposed Manfred Schlickenrieder. The website dedicated to the research contains a lot of documentation, both sources material and press clippings (mostly in German).  
  
 
* In Dutch: [http://www.evel.nl/index.htm#multi Geheim agent ontmaskerd]
 
* In Dutch: [http://www.evel.nl/index.htm#multi Geheim agent ontmaskerd]
 +
:Januari 2001 werd de linkse Duitse filmer Manfred Schlickenrieder na twintig jaar ontmaskerd als spion van inlichtingendiensten. Hij was de grote man van Gruppe 2, een video- en documentatiecentrum dat diende als front voor een inlichtingennetwerk. Schlickenrieder was ook in Nederland actief, bijvoorbeeld om acties tegen Shell in de gaten te houden. Dat onderzoek werd betaald door de Londense firma Hackluyt, een consortium van voormalige agenten van MI6. Vier langere achtergrondstukken hierover op [http://www.evel.nl/index.htm#multi www.evel.nl]
  
Januari 2001 werd de linkse Duitse filmer Manfred Schlickenrieder na twintig jaar ontmaskerd als spion van inlichtingendiensten. Hij was de grote man van Gruppe 2, een video- en documentatiecentrum dat diende als front voor een inlichtingennetwerk. Schlickenrieder was ook in Nederland actief, bijvoorbeeld om acties tegen Shell in de gaten te houden. Dat onderzoek werd betaald door de Londense firma Hackluyt, een consortium van voormalige agenten van MI6. Vier langere achtergrondstukken hierover op [http://www.evel.nl/index.htm#multi www.evel.nl]
+
===References===
 +
<references/>
 +
[[Category:Corporate Espionage]]

Revision as of 12:30, 9 April 2008

Quintessentially British: Hakluyt at Tea (L-R James, Reynolds and Maclay)
"The idea was to do for industry what we had done for the government"
— Hakluyt co-founder Christopher James[1]

Hakluyt & Company Ltd, a London business intelligence bureau named after a 16th-century geographer and economic intelligence specialist avant la lettre, was founded in 1995 by former members of the British foreign secret service.

Hakluyt fills a niche in the intelligence sector by specializing in upmarket business, with which it has been very successful. The company started in a oneroom office in 1995; in 2001 it claims its clients include one-quarter of FTSE 100 companies. In its brochure, Hakluyt promises to find information for its clients which they "will not receive by the usual government, media and commercial routes". The company tries to distinguish itself from other business intelligence consultants, spinmasters and clipping services. "We do not take anything off the shelf, nothing off the Net—we assume that any company worth its salt has done all of that," Hakluyt's Michael Maclay explained at a 1999 conference in the Netherlands. "We go with the judgement of people who know the countries, the élites, the industries, the local media, the local environmentalists, all the factors that will feed into big decisions being made."[2]

What is Hakluyt?

Christopher James, managing director of the foundation and a former Foreign Office hand, explains: "Richard Hakluyt was a 16th-century geographer, born in London, who sat and listened to the tales told by returning explorers such as Drake and Frobisher. Then he wrote them up as 'Hakluyt's Voyages'. He was one of the principle inspirations for the East India Company."
Hakluyt & Co (now Hakluyt Ltd) was founded by Fitzroy MacLean in 1995. Steven Dedijer (the man who largely invented modern-day business intelligence at Lund university in Sweden) watched MacLean's career between 1937 and 1995, and claimed that he "had a foot in the intelligence world since he attended Stalin's terror trials in 1937 as a member of the Foreign Office to Mikhail Gorbachev's time -- he advised Margaret Thatcher to back him -- and to the war in former Yugoslavia, in which he was in close contact with gen. Michael Rose". Maclean "acted all his life following the best British tradition dating from the 16th century as an independent intelligence operator working informally but effectively for and within the British establishment's power network.".[3]
The Financial Times called Maclean, "a highly active 84-year-old who has just brought out yet another book on Scotland, is one of those people who knows everyone, on both sides of the Atlantic," in 1995. (MacLean died of a heart attack in 1996.)[4]
In addition to MacLean, the founders of the highly discreet Hakluyt & Company were the Earl of Jellico, who was head of a committee to reform intelligence and security under the Thatcher government and then president of the Royal Geographic Society; and Brian Cubbon, former permanent secretary at the Home Office who was a candidate in 1987 to head the Secret Service.

the Hakluyt company

The company has a kind of supervision board, the Hakluyt foundation, headed since 1995 by the late Sir Fitzroy Maclean. He was an intrepid explorer himself who was parachuted into Yugoslavia in the Second World War to act as the Allies' main link with Tito, the partisan leader and subsequent Communist boss. Lady Smith, who also sat on this board, was a close friend of Sir Fitzroy for many years, sharing his close interest in Russia and Eastern Europe. Following Sir Fitzroy's death Sir Peter Holmes, formerly senior managing director of Royal Dutch Shell Group, took over as president of the foundation.
Since 2005 Hakluyt has been run since last year by former diplomat Keith Craig.The company is based in London's West End and only has half- a-dozen salaried staff, relying on 50 to 60 external experts to provide advice to companies.[5]

Spying exposed

Manfred Schlickenrieder apparently was one of those people who "knew the local environmentalists". For years, he posed as a leftist sympathizer and filmmaker while working as a spy for Hakluyt. His cover was blown when the Swiss action group Revolutionaire Aufbau began to distrust him. In the investigation which led to his exposure, the group uncovered a large pile of documents. Many were put online at the beginning of 2000.."[6] These documents prove Schlickenrieder was on Hakluyt's payroll—and indicate strongly that he was working for more than one German state intelligence service.

Among the documents was detailed email correspondence between Schlickenrieder and Hakluyt. There was also a DM20,000 ($9,000) invoice to Hakluyt for "Greenpeace research" including expenses, "to be paid according to agreement in the usual manner". Confronted with this material, Hakluyt reluctantly admitted having employed him. When The Sunday Times broke the story in Britain in July 2000, both BP and Shell acknowledged having hired the firm, but claimed they had been unaware of its tactics.."[7] Schlickenrieder's exposure put the spotlight on an firm that prefers to operate highly discreetly in the shadowy area of former state intelligence specialists-turned-private spies. Members of Parliament accused MI6 of using the firm as a front to spy on green activists.

Analyzing archival material found in Schlickenrieder's house teaches us much about how he did his work for Hakluyt, and about oil companies' current intelligence needs.

Schlickenrieder traded on his image as a long-term devoted activist to get various information-gathering commissions. After the Brent Spar PR crisis and the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa in Nigeria, he made an inventory for Shell International of the activist agenda. Posing as a film-maker making a film about the anti-Shell campaigns, Schlickenrieder travelled around Europe, and managed to interview on film a broad spectrum of people campaigning for the Ogoni people in Nigeria. He spent months questioning all sorts of groups, and wrote to organizations ranging from Friends of the Earth to Anita Roddick's Body Shop asking about their ongoing campaigns, their future plans and the impact of their work. The project eventually resulted in a documentary video, Business as Usual: The Arrogance of Power, which gave a rather superficial insight into the European campaign against Shell. But it was only a byproduct of the investigation: every worthwhile detail was captured in a report for Hakluyt and subsequently channelled to Shell International.

Other oil companies were scared to death, too, of becoming Greenpeace's next target. BP turned to Hakluyt for help after it got wind that Greenpeace was planning its Atlantic Frontier campaign to stop oil drilling in a new part of the Atlantic. The company asked Schlickenrieder to deliver details about what was going to happen as well as assess how Greenpeace might respond to possible damage claims that could be used in an attempt to paralyze it. Hakluyt used material from other sources to complement the information about Greenpeace's plans Schlickenrieder provided. It claimed to have laid its hands on a copy of Putting the Lid on Fossil Fuels, the Greenpeace brochure meant to kick off the campaign, even before the ink was dry. BP used this inside information to polish its press and PR communications. "BP countered the campaign in an unusually fast and smart way," Greenpeace Germany spokesperson Stefan Krug told the German daily die tageszeitung/TAZ. Since it knew what was coming in advance, BP was never taken by surprise.[8]

BP also used Hakluyt to plan a counter-strategic lawsuit against Greenpeace. In a May 1997 email message to Schlickenrieder, Hakluyt's Director Mike Reynolds inquired about the possible impact of suing the environmentalists for mounting a campaign like the Brent Spar one. He asked his German spy for information on whether Greenpeace was taking legal steps to protect its assets against seizure in the event it was sued by an oil company.

The answer to that question is not among the exposed documents. However, when BP's Stena Dee oil installation in the Atlantic Ocean was occupied two months later, the company sued Greenpeace for DM4.2 million (almost $2 million) in damages, insisting its work was being delayed. BP got an injunction to block Greenpeace UK's bank accounts, which caused the group serious financial problems. (This was one of the first times an injunction was used to threaten activists with possible arrest. It has since become an increasingly popular way to stop a campaign.)

Oil activism was not Schlickenrieder's only field of activity. The Aufbau group discovered leads about research he did for Hakluyt on banks and financial takeovers. And in 1996 he started mapping resistance against Rio Tinto, which calls itself the "world leader in finding, mining and processing the Earth's mineral resources."[9]

He continued to bill Hakluyt for this research until at least spring 1999.[10]

A freelance spy

Schlickenrieder had apparently built up spying experience during years of working for Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence services, Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz and Bundesnachrichtendienst. Documents found at his home indicated he had had access to reports from them as well as the French and Italian secret services. None of the spy agencies acknowledged publicly that Schlickenrieder had been working for them; however, informed sources agreed that the agent's exposure had been a blow for the German intelligence community, as several serious papers reported. Furthermore, the Schlickenrieder case was discussed in the prime minister and parliamentary committee's weekly meeting with the German secret services—a meeting of which no minutes are ever published.[11]

Though there is evidence that they paid him, it is not known whether he was actually on the payroll; he may have been a freelance spy. The fact that he wrote detailed proposals for the government, suggesting new fields of research within the radical leftist movement, points in this direction. Whichever it was, the rewards of espionage seem to have included a spacious flat overlooking a park in Munich and a BMW Z3, the model of sports car driven by James Bond in Goldeneye. His monthly expenses were calculated at $4,500.

He became good at delivering different kinds of intelligence, from broad overviews to assessments to insider mood reports. Taking advantage of activists' trust, he developed a knack for piecing together bits and pieces of information to compile a fairly accurate picture.

He frequented meetings of radical leftist groups (including the Red Army Faction from the early 1980s until his cover was blown, and he made a documentary about violent resistance with solidarity groups and relatives of convicted comrades which featured the RAF. Another film, about Italy's Red Brigades, on which he had been working since 1985, was never finished. But stills from his video footage served as a photo database, accompanied by personal details about everybody he had met.

His ways of working for state and business were similar—there seemed to be no boundaries between the two. He sometimes compiled reports for Hakluyt without being asked. For instance, in a September 1997 email to Hakluyt, he explained how he had "used the opportunity of visiting Hamburg to talk to two separate people within Greenpeace". In closing, he wrote: "That was your free 'mood report' supplement from Hamburg."

The MI6 connection

News clippings provide revealing details on the background of Hakluyt's founders. Christopher James and Mike Reynolds are both former members of the British foreign service. Ex-MI6 chief Spedding is said to have given his blessing to Hakluyt as a company, as is the foreign secretary..[12] Reynolds founded MI6's counter-terrorism branch and was the foreign service's head of station in Berlin. This explains his impeccable spoken and written German and may also be the way he got to know Manfred Schlickenrieder. The newly appointed head of MI6, Richard Dearlove, is a close friend of his.[13]

James led a section of MI6 that liaised with British firms. Over his 20- year career he got to know the heads of many of Britain's top companies. In return for a few tips that helped them compete in the market, he persuaded them to pass on intelligence from their overseas operations, industry sources told Management Today. After the Cold War, James argued that MI6 should expand this role. But others in the organization feared this could be mistaken for 'economic espionage'. He left MI6 in 1995, taking his intelligence work private.[14]

Hakluyt's management board is a display case for the kind of reputation the company is aiming for. One member was Ian Fleming's model for James Bond—the former soldier, spy and diplomat Sir Fitzroy Maclean. And the company is linked to the oil industry through Sir William Purves, CEO of Shell Transport and chairman of Hakluyt; Sir Peter Holmes, former chairman of Shell and current president of the Hakluyt foundation (a kind of supervisory board); and Sir Peter Cazalet, the former deputy chairman of BP, who helped to establish Hakluyt before he retired in 2000. BP itself has longstanding ties to MI6: its director of government and public affairs, John Gerson, was at one time a leading candidate to succeed Sir David Spedding as chief of MI6.[15]

It is important that NGOs and other pressure groups trying to assess possible threats remember the close ties between risk assessment companies and the government intelligence community. Some larger and older companies, such as Control Risks, may have grown away from direct links to government, which could explain the market for new agencies with more recent connections, like Hakluyt. Such firms have the necessary knowledge and techniques at their disposal, either through their own experience, their staff 's experience, or direct contacts. This can have consequences for the way they investigate their clients' adversaries; as in the Schlickenrieder case, they might use infiltrators posing as activists or dedicated journalists, and they might have access to classified intelligence information. The specialty of privatized spying shops goes beyond PR consulting or spin doctoring into the rather vague terrain of intelligence operations, which can be used in both gathering information and setting up stings.

From the Financial Times to Hakluyt

According to Intelligence Online, Mark Huband joined Hakluyt in the summer of 2006, after a long career in journalism in the United Kingdom - he worked for the Guardian, Times and Financial Times. Huband had long specialized in Africa and the Middle East, where he was based for years for the Times and Guardian (he was one of the few newsmen to cover the American intervention in Somalia in 1993). Since 2003 he had reported on defense, security and terrorism for the Financial Times. Huband, who left the newspaper last year, won't be the first journalist to work for Hakluyt, Intelligence Online knows. A number of former British and Australian newspaper and television correspondents are - or have been -on its payroll.[16]

New labour links

Demos' Ian Hargreaves is on the board of the Centre for European Reform with Baroness Elizabeth Smith - the wife of the late Labour leader. Between 98 and 2000, Smith was on the board of Hakluyt who spied on environmental groups for oil companies, including BP. Smith is an advisor for BP Scotland. Hargreaves is on the board of Greenpeace and Hakluyt spied on Greenpeace. If you look at the others on the CER board you see BP well represented. Shell fund Demos and their offices are across the road. Demos Trustee, Andrew Mackenzie is their Treasurer and also BP group vice president for chemicals. Hakluyt also spied on Anita Roddick's 'Body Shop' and Roddick is also on the Demos Board.[17]

People

Hakluyt & Company Ltd

former vice president of BP (before 1995)
1995 founder of Hakluyt with Christopher James
2000 retired from Hakluyt
former diplomat and business development manager for a law firm,
joined Hakluyt in 1995
2000 joined Hakluyt, was director responsible for marketing and second man before taking over from James:
2006 managing director
former permanent secretary at the Home Office and Northern Ireland Office
1987 was a candidate to head the Secret Service.
1995 One of the founders of Hakluyt
grand-son of the late American oil tycoon.
2002 became a non-executive director of Hakluyt.
paid legal adviser to Hakluyt
2006 award winning journalist from FT to join Hakluyt
was Peter Mandelson's secretary when he was Minister of International Trade under Tony Blair
and then worked as scientific councillor at the British embassy in Paris.
formerly in charge of MI6's business relations.
1995 founder of Hakluyt with Peter Cazalet
2006 retired as managing director (turned 60 in January 2006)
2006 joining Hakluyt International Advisory Board
was head of a committee to reform intelligence and security under the Thatcher government
reportedly 'provided early encouragement' to Hakluyt)[18]
a former special advisor to the minister for foreign affairs under John Major,
1997 to 2003 was one of Hakluyt's mainstays
2003 founded his own firm, Montrose Associates.
Chairman in 1999
former station head of MI6 in Germany,
1995 joined Hakluyt
a non-executive director of Hakluyt & Co in 2000 and 2001 and
member of the Hakluyt Foundation, succeeding Sir Brian Cubbon.
former member of the Welsh Guards and businessman.
with Hakluyt from 1995-96

The Hakluyt Foundation, the supervisory board

ex CEO of Vodaphone
2005 joined Hakluyt
former Shell senior managing director and chairman,
1997 joined Hakluyt and took over as President of the Foundation after the death of McLean
??until 2004
former chief of the Defence Staff
1999 joined Hakluyt Foundation
also on the board of Aegis
(former?) executive director of Commerzbank
2002 joining the supervisory board of Hakluyt & Co
(or was he stillchairman of the Commerzbank supervisory board when he joined Hakluyt?)
1995 one of the founders
1997 until he died
former chairman of Mitsubishi Corporation,
2004 joined the international advisory board of Hakluyt.
1968-1998 chairman of HSBC Holdings
1994 to 1997 chairman of Midland Bank
1999 joined the Hakluyt Foundation
2000- at least until 2005
2002 retiring as chairman of both Cable & Wireless and Rolls-Royce
2002 joining the supervisory board of Hakluyt & Co
until the end of 2002
former board member of IBM, Ford and New York Stock Exchange.
2002 president of the Hakluyt Foundation in succession to Sir Peter Holmes,
2005 died in May
former non-executive director of Hakluyt, former British ambassador to NATO and the UN
2005 joined Hakluyt
former US under-secretary of state for international security affairs
served as ambassador to India, the Philippines, Egypt and Zambia.
a vice-chairman of AIG and
director of EOG Resources, formerly known as Enron Oil and Gas.

Resources for the Hakluyt People section

  • Forward charge Financial Times, August 11, 1995
  • Fitzroy MacLean's Legacy, Intelligence Newsletter, October 17, 1996
  • Lord Trotman and Sir William Purves join Hakluyt Financial Times, September 13, 1999,
  • Moving places Hakluyt and Company, Financial Times, January 11, 2001
  • Moving places Frank Wisner, Financial Times, August 7, 2001
  • BT Group PLC - Board Changes, the Independent, January 7, 2002
  • Moving places Lord Alex Trotman, Financial Times, March 22, 2002,
  • Moving places Hakluyt Foundation, Financial Times, October 21, 2002
  • Hakluyt Loses One of Its Mentors Intelligence Online May 20, 2005
  • RUTH SULLIVAN, Change of guard at Hakluyt,Financial Times, England, February 7, 2006
  • Hakluyt Founder Calls it a Day, Intelligence Online, February 10, 2006
  • The Indian Ocean Newsletter July 29, 2006
  • From the Financial Times to Hakluyt, Intelligence Online, July 7, 2006
  • The Indian Ocean Newsletter, July 29, 2006

Contact, References and Resources

Contact

Resources

  • Aufbau.org website Revolutionären Aufbau is the Swiss group that exposed Manfred Schlickenrieder. The website dedicated to the research contains a lot of documentation, both sources material and press clippings (mostly in German).
Januari 2001 werd de linkse Duitse filmer Manfred Schlickenrieder na twintig jaar ontmaskerd als spion van inlichtingendiensten. Hij was de grote man van Gruppe 2, een video- en documentatiecentrum dat diende als front voor een inlichtingennetwerk. Schlickenrieder was ook in Nederland actief, bijvoorbeeld om acties tegen Shell in de gaten te houden. Dat onderzoek werd betaald door de Londense firma Hackluyt, een consortium van voormalige agenten van MI6. Vier langere achtergrondstukken hierover op www.evel.nl

References

  1. Stephen Overell, Masters of the great game turn to business, Financial Times, 22 March 2000.
  2. Michael Maclay, 'Recruiting Political Scientists', presentation at Academia Meets Business conference, Leiden, the Netherlands, 2-3 July 1999
  3. Fitzroy MacLean's Legacy, Intelligence Newsletter, 17 October 1996, Intelligence Online.
  4. Forward charge, Financial Times (London) 11 August 1995.
  5. John Willcock 'People & Business: Maharishi gets a flexible friend' The Independent (London) 14 August 1998, Page 21.
  6. See the Aufbau.org website
  7. Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups The Sunday Times of London, June 17, 2001. His hidden agenda may have been to find out who was behind violent attacks on petrol stations following a boycott in Germany. Mike Hogan, Shell UK head of media relations, claimed in a personal phone call in July 2001 that this was what they had hired Hakluyt for. But there are no reports of Schlickenrieder approaching more radical groups, nor hinting at such subjects, from people he did speak to.
  8. Otto Diederichs and Holger Stark, Greenpeace, Das Auge der Multis, Die Tageszeitung, 10 December, 2000.
  9. See "About Us" section at Rio Tinto website
  10. Evidence that Schlickenrieder researched Rio Tinto is unpublished and is in the hands of members of Revolutionaire Aufbau, who exposed him.
  11. Thomas Scheuer, uppe2/focus120201.shtml Enttarnung im Internet, Focus, 12 Feb. 2001, and personal conversation with Otto Diederichs/TAZ.
  12. Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups The Sunday Times of London, 17 June 2001.
  13. "Business Intelligence Notes: UK", Intelligence Newsletter, No. 364, 26 Aug. 26, 1999, p. 3.
  14. Nicholas Rufford, 'Cloak and Dagger Ltd: Former spies of the Cold War era engage in industrial espionage', Management Today, 1 Feb. 1999, p. 9.
  15. Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups The Sunday Times of London, 17 June 2001.
  16. Business Inteligence and lobbying, No. 527, 7 July 2006 Intelligence Online
  17. Maurice Chittenden and Nicholas Rufford MI6 'Firm' Spied on Green Groups The Sunday Times of London, 17 June 2001.
  18. Stephen Overell, Masters of the great game turn to business, Financial Times, 22 March 2000.