ASIO reveals top-secret spyware from past as part of new mission

The notoriously secretive ASIO is unveiling more about its past intelligence-gathering methods as part of a new mission.

A lunchbox containing a lot more than a Vegemite sandwich, a packet of cigarettes with a hidden camera, and a pipe used in a dead-letter drop are just some of the spyware items ASIO has admitted using as it emerges from the shadows onto social media.

The notoriously secretive agency, where media officers won’t even reveal their first names let alone their last, is unveiling publicly more and more of its past covert activities and even some intelligence-gathering methods.

A lunchbox containing a lot more than a vegemite sandwich,was one of ASIO’s past covert intelligence-gathering methods. Picture: Instagram

Vladimir Petrov. Picture: Supplied.

It has recently posted photos of historical documents such as Prime Minister Robert Menzies letter to Russian spy Vladimir Petrov, granting him political asylum and a Cold War era ASIO defector kit” containing pyjamas, toothpaste, shaving equipment, Ponds cold cream a comb, and Aspro.

ASIO explains the kits were given just in case the defecting spies “didn’t have the time or the opportunity to pack belongings or perhaps did not want to draw attention to their plans.”

Pyjamas, toothbrushes and combs all have an important place in #ASIO’s history.. The items made up an ASIO ‘Defector Kit’ or ‘Operational Emergency Kit’. Picture: ASIO/Instagram

ASIO’s top spies, CEO Mike Burgess and his deputy (until recently) Heather Cook, who stars in an ASIO YouTube video – have been used to spruik a career in intelligence.

Mr Burgess has been leading the charge on making ASIO more accessible and that has included public release of information from the archives.

Once a state-of-the-art surveillance device this covert watch microphone was a hit in the 1940s. So was the #Minifon P55 player with speaker which operated as a wire recorder. #ASIO officers would often conceal these under their clothing. Picture: ASIO/Instagram

“People won’t work for an agency if they don’t know what it does and what it values; they can’t apply for jobs they don’t know exist,” Mr Burgess said.

“I want more people to choose ASIO, and I want ASIO to be able to choose more people from more diverse backgrounds. This is a challenge intelligence agencies around the world are grappling with.”

Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security of Australian Security Intelligence Organisation . Picture by Sean Davey.

ASIO has been losing staff in the past couple of years with numbers falling by 59 from 1980 ongoing permanent staff in 2019/2020 down to 1921 in 2021 according to its annual reports.

However the latest report said ASIO had also recruited 116 new staff.

ASIO says “we can neither confirm nor deny this hollow pipe was used as a dead letter drop in the infamous Skripov case. Picture Instagram

The numbers of men and women working for the spy agency are very close with a total of 1004 permanent male staff and 917 female, although more women than men still work part-time.

And there was a restructure two years ago resulted in a purge of senior spies.

“The number of senior executive officers is now more appropriate for an organisation of ASIO’s size. One consequence of these reforms was a further improvement in the proportion of women in senior roles. For example, women now make up 60 per cent of our Executive Committee,” the agency explained.

Former Deputy Director Heather Cook in a YouTube video for ASIO. Picture: Instagram

But the most senior woman spy in ASIO, the widely-respected and experienced, Ms Cook, who held the position of Deputy Director-General of Intelligence Service Delivery, has just retired. Mr Burgess paid tribute to her service in a speech to parliament last month.

Vintage SpyGear includes this tobacco tin which concealed material for copying keys. Picture: ASIO/Instagram.

But she will not be forgotten as her face still adorns the public recruitment campaign for ASIO including on its Instagram account where it is lifting the lid on some of ASIO’s activities with hashtags like “#Tradecraft Tuesdays”.

Ivan Skripov in a scene from a documentary about the case - Final Rendezvous.

In one post about the infamous Ivan Skripov case, the Soviet diplomat and KGB agent outed for running a spy-ring in the 1960s and expelled from Australia, there are pictures of a hollow metal pipe which was used as a dead letter drop.

“Dead letter drops or dead drops as they were commonly called, allowed covert exchange of items or information – including money or instructions – between a spy and their handler”, the ASIO caption reads.

“Mundane, everyday items were often used to avoid arousing suspicion.”