Direction de la surveillance du territoire
Encyclopedia
The Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST) (Directorate of Territorial Surveillance) was a directorate of the French National Police
operating as a domestic intelligence agency
. It was responsible for counterespionage, counterterrorism and more generally the security of France against foreign threats and interference. It was created in 1944 with its headquarters situated at 7 rue Nélaton in Paris. On 1 July 2008, it was merged with the Direction centrale des renseignements généraux
into the new Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur
.
The DST Economic Security and Protection of National Assets department had units in the 22 regions of France to protect French technology. It operated for 20 years, not only on behalf of defense industry leaders, but also for pharmaceuticals, telecoms, the automobile industry, and all manufacturing and service sectors.
During the Algerian War (1954–62), the agency created the Organization of the French Algerian Resistance (ORAF), a group of counter-terrorists whose mission was to carry out false flag
terrorist attacks with the aim of quashing any hopes of political compromise.
On 3 December 1973, agents of the DST, disguised as plumber
s, were caught trying to install a spy microphone
in the offices of the Canard Enchaîné newspaper. The resulting scandal forced Interior Minister Raymond Marcellin
to leave the government.
Reporter Marie-Monique Robin
, author of a book investigating relationship between the Algerian War and Operation Condor
, said to L'Humanité
newspaper that "[the] French have systematized a military technique in urban environments which would be copied and pasted to Latin American dictatorships." Roger Trinquier
's famous book on counter-insurgency
had a very strong influence in South America. Robin was "shocked" to learn that the DST communicated to the Chilean DINA the name of the refugees who returned to Chile (Operation Retorno), all of whom were later killed.
One of the greatest success of the DST was the recruitment of the Soviet KGB
officer Vladimir Vetrov
. Between the spring of 1981 and early 1982 he handed almost 4,000 secret documents over to the French, including the complete official list of 250 Line X KGB officers stationed under legal cover in embassies around the world, before being arrested in February 1982 and executed in 1983.
French National Police
The National Police , formerly the Sûreté Nationale, is one of two national police forces and the main civil law enforcement agency of France, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. The other main agency is the military Gendarmerie, with primary jurisdiction in smaller towns and rural...
operating as a domestic intelligence agency
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
. It was responsible for counterespionage, counterterrorism and more generally the security of France against foreign threats and interference. It was created in 1944 with its headquarters situated at 7 rue Nélaton in Paris. On 1 July 2008, it was merged with the Direction centrale des renseignements généraux
Direction centrale des renseignements généraux
The Direction Centrale des Renseignements Généraux , often called Renseignements Généraux , was the intelligence service of the French police, answerable to the Direction Générale de la Police Nationale , and, ultimately, the Ministry of the Interior...
into the new Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur
Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur
The Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur is a French intelligence agency which reports directly to the Ministry of the Interior...
.
The DST Economic Security and Protection of National Assets department had units in the 22 regions of France to protect French technology. It operated for 20 years, not only on behalf of defense industry leaders, but also for pharmaceuticals, telecoms, the automobile industry, and all manufacturing and service sectors.
History
According to a recently published book, the DST has never been infiltrated by any foreign agency in all of its history.During the Algerian War (1954–62), the agency created the Organization of the French Algerian Resistance (ORAF), a group of counter-terrorists whose mission was to carry out false flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
terrorist attacks with the aim of quashing any hopes of political compromise.
On 3 December 1973, agents of the DST, disguised as plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
s, were caught trying to install a spy microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
in the offices of the Canard Enchaîné newspaper. The resulting scandal forced Interior Minister Raymond Marcellin
Raymond Marcellin
Raymond Marcellin was a French politician.- Biography :The son of a banker, he studied law at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris. He worked as a lawyer for three years, before being called into the army in September 1939. He was captured by the Wehrmacht, but managed to...
to leave the government.
Reporter Marie-Monique Robin
Marie-Monique Robin
Marie-Monique Robin is an award-winning French journalist. She received the Albert Londres Prize in 1995 for Voleurs d'yeux, an expose about organ theft...
, author of a book investigating relationship between the Algerian War and Operation Condor
Operation Condor
Operation Condor , was a campaign of political repression involving assassination and intelligence operations officially implemented in 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America...
, said to L'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
newspaper that "[the] French have systematized a military technique in urban environments which would be copied and pasted to Latin American dictatorships." Roger Trinquier
Roger Trinquier
Roger Trinquier was a French Army officer during World War II, the First Indochina War and the Algerian War, serving mainly in airborne and Special forces units...
's famous book on counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
had a very strong influence in South America. Robin was "shocked" to learn that the DST communicated to the Chilean DINA the name of the refugees who returned to Chile (Operation Retorno), all of whom were later killed.
One of the greatest success of the DST was the recruitment of the Soviet KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
officer Vladimir Vetrov
Vladimir Vetrov
Vladimir Ippolitovich Vetrov was a high-ranking KGB spy during the Cold War, who decided to covertly release to France and NATO valuable information on the Soviet Union's clandestine program aimed at stealing technology from the West.Vetrov was assigned the code-name Farewell by the French...
. Between the spring of 1981 and early 1982 he handed almost 4,000 secret documents over to the French, including the complete official list of 250 Line X KGB officers stationed under legal cover in embassies around the world, before being arrested in February 1982 and executed in 1983.
Directors of the DST
- Roger Wybot (1944–1959)
- Gabriel Eriau (1959–1961)
- Daniel Doustin (1961–1964)
- Tony Roche (1964–1967)
- Jean Rochet (1967–1972)
- Henri Biard (1972–1974)
- Jacques Chartron (1974–1975)
- Marcel Chalet (November 1975 – November 1982)
- Yves Bonnet (1982–1985)
- Rémy Pautrat (August 1985 – April 1986)
- Bernard GérardBernard Gérard (intelligence officer)Bernard Gérard is a French intelligence officer. He was director of the Direction de la surveillance du territoire from 1986 until 1990.-References:...
(April 1986 – May 1990) - Jacques Fournet (23 May 1990 – 5 October 1993)
- Philippe Parant (6 October 1993 – 1997)
- Jean-Jacques Pascal (1997–2002)
- Pierre de Bousquet de Florian (2002–2007)
- Bernard SquarciniBernard SquarciniBernard Squarcini, born on 12 December 1955 in Rabat, Morocco, is the current head of the Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur , France's counter-espionage and counter-terrorism Intelligence agency....
(June 2007 – July 2008)