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It was cool and clear when the air raid sirens sounded in the small hours of the morning. The sky lit up with anti-aircraft fire as searchlights scanned for targets.
Just the day before, a submarine had surfaced off the coast and shelled a nearby town and oil field, so nerves were understandably frayed when an airborne object was detected above the city.
The 1400 shells sent skywards had to land somewhere. Buildings were damaged and five people died - three in car accidents and two from heart attacks. The all-clear was sounded at 7.21am. Hours later, a press conference was called where it was revealed the whole thing was a false alarm.
Many years later, the likely trigger for the February 25, 1942, Battle of Los Angeles, as it became known, emerged. Weather balloons had caused the panic.
Fast-forward 80 years and balloons are again unsettling the US but, if you believe American accounts, they haven't been sent aloft to monitor the weather.
When news broke of the Chinese "airships", as Beijing calls them, loitering in US air space, many people were left scratching their heads. Spy balloons? Really? Why, when China has numerous satellites capable of high-resolution imaging orbiting the earth?
Until the wreckage is recovered from the sea floor off the South Carolina coast where it was downed, we won't know for certain if its mission was as malign as Washington claims. And, even if that's proven to be the case, the US can hardly assume the high moral ground here.
Our planet is girdled by American satellites hoovering up all sorts of data. Much of that information is collected by the secretive Pine Gap satellite surveillance base south-west of Alice Springs. Pine Gap is jointly run by the CIA, the NSA and the National Reconnaissance Office. Ten years ago Edward Snowden revealed Pine Gap was being used to intercept global phone and internet communication from around the world, including from US and Australian citizens.
Before space was opened up as a platform from which to spy on people's communications, the US routinely flew spy missions over countries it deemed hostile. One of the signal events of the Cold War happened in 1960 when a then high-tech US spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.
And let's not forget one of our own spy flights.
In April 1983, just after the election of the Hawke government, newly minted attorney-general Gareth Evans ordered without cabinet approval RAAF surveillance flights over Tasmania to check work wasn't proceeding on the Franklin Dam hydro-electricity project. For that, Evans earned the nickname Biggles.
The truth is we've been using aircraft for reconnaissance since the 18th century when the French sent balloons aloft to spy on enemy positions. In the intervening centuries we've spent billions on surveillance technology and that's probably what's rattled the Americans with this latest intrusion.
That something as low-tech as a balloon can infiltrate its airspace is a reminder of its vulnerability.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Did the US overreact or was it justified when it shot down the Chinese balloon? Were you surprised balloons are still used for spying? Is it disappointing this incident might stall the thawing of relations between the US and China? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points, signalling that further increases would be likely in coming months in its fight against inflation.
- The new head of the Australian War Memorial Kim Beazley has come out in strong support of displaying the resistance of First Nations people in the national institution's Frontier Wars collection. The former Labor leader and defence minister said that the displays in the museum section of the memorial would be "revised" when the work of reconstructing the expanded institution is complete.
- Former prime minister Tony Abbott has joined the board of a climate denialist think tank that he argues is not held back by "groupthink". The contrarian London-based Global Warming Policy Foundation, founded in 2009 by former UK chancellor Nigel Lawson, says it aims to "promote a culture of debate, respect and a hunger for knowledge".
THEY SAID IT: "Since real spies are so good, you never really know what actual spying is. But I do think spying is a lot more dangerous than we are led to believe." - Richard C. Armitage
YOU SAID IT: Rail freight, trucks and the heavy vehicle fuel subsidy - a call to halve the subsidy meets immediate resistance. And the Echidna has learned the speedo in his car is probably overstating his speed by as much as 6km/h and those trucks looming in the rearview are supposed to be mechanically speed-limited.
Chris says: "The reason the freight is on the Hume instead of rail is because of the inefficacy of rail. Consumer demand (yes, that's you) have caused the freight shift to road. It's needed tomorrow. Also, the taxes paid by the transport and freight industry have helped pay for the Hume more than any amount of infrequent users like yourself."
Bob is a fan of seaborne freight: "The most energy efficient way by far to move cargo is on water. That's why goods shipped from halfway around the world can be sold at competitive prices. More of Australia's population is coastal than almost anywhere else in the world, so we are uniquely well placed to benefit from coastal trade. So, why don't we? Firstly, thanks to ill-considered cabotage charges it is cheaper to ship from an Australian port to China, then back to Australia than to go directly between two Australian ports. Secondly, those who gain from the present system have powerful voices. Thirdly, the maritime unions (yes the ones who went on strike at the height of World War II) pretty much destroyed the Australian merchant marine. They are more reasonable nowadays than a decade or two ago, but the legacy is still there. All of this is fixable if the political will exists. If we are serious about reducing global warming and habitat destruction we need to stop fiddling in the margins of vehicle exhaust emissions and look at the big picture instead."
Wayne is on the side of the truckies: "All comes back to poor old truck owners. Your favourite packet of Tim Tams don't magically appear on the shelves in Coles. Too many cars on the roads, not trucks, especially these dopey four-wheel drives, stupidly oversized utes and idiotic SUVs with just one person in them."
Peter from Mt Isa says: "Out west, we rarely see a B-double. They are all three and four trailer monsters. The latest Emerald Carrying Co monsters going past our house have three axles on the truck and four on each of the three tankers. Governments past and present refuse to upgrade the railway lines to standard gauge with twin lines and put most of the freight behind a couple of large locos. A friend said one of her trains she drives replaces about 40 roadtrains. There's an immediate cut in emissions. Meanwhile our registrations costs soar to cover the ongoing costs of repairing our highways over and over again. Our roads would last for years if it was only light vehicles using them."
Desmond is concerned about the state of the roads: "I'm no great letter-writer, but I couldn't agree more with your thoughts on fuel tax and big trucks. And have you seen what the innumerable big trucks have done to the concrete road around Marulan? The left-hand lane is badly broken up - and given the proximity of the checking station, it's obviously the big, heavy trucks that are doing it. A way should be found to differentiate between the inter-city highways (served by rail) and regional centres where the only transport option is trucks. That, or ban B-doubles except perhaps in the far outback."
Jenny says: "I have always believed the majority of freight should be by rail. It is logical when so much more can fit on one train. There was a fabulous freight centre built here many years ago but is hardly used. It is sad so many rail lines to smaller country areas aren't used anymore. The infrastructure was there but now sadly has gone to waste. Why should we average road users pay for the damage we don't cause? There have been so many deaths on the road recently and so many more trucks. Depending on the time you plan your trip it can be a nightmare and as you stated the trucks are driving scarily fast even through the towns. I will never understand why governments haven't encouraged more rail freight. Surely in the end must cost less all around."