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Digital Archive International History Declassified

December 15, 1995

EMAIL, ITAIN DIVISION TO SOUTH ASIAN ROMP N’ STOMP, “INDIA UPDATE 19951215"

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    A subsequent email from ITAIN Division to South Asian Romp n' Stomp regarding the state of cables at an Indian nuclear facility. US government observers were perplexed (“clear as mud”) by what they saw at the test site—the cables looked different, perhaps because the satellite photography had been taken at a different angle, and the National Photographic Intelligence Center (NPIC) was not sure what the explanation was. At Drill Site 3, where much activity had previously been observed, “lotsa trucks and folks” were busy and a “probable satellite television truck” had been deployed. One wit observed that that was for MTV viewing on “long lonely nights.” An alternative interpretation is that the analysts were seeing a digital communications system using small dishes that could send encrypted messages via satellite. The meaning of the acronym "ITAIN" is presently unknown, as it the jokey reference to “South Asian Romp n’ Stomp.
    "Email, ITAIN Division to South Asian Romp n’ Stomp, “India Update 19951215"" December 15, 1995, History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive, Mandatory Declassification Review request. Obtained and contributed by William Burr and included in NPIHP Research Update #10. http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/116344

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Document summary

A subsequent email from ITAIN Division to South Asian Romp n' Stomp regarding the state of cables at an Indian nuclear facility. US government observers were perplexed (“clear as mud”) by what they saw at the test site—the cables looked different, perhaps because the satellite photography had been taken at a different angle, and the National Photographic Intelligence Center (NPIC) was not sure what the explanation was. At Drill Site 3, where much activity had previously been observed, “lotsa trucks and folks” were busy and a “probable satellite television truck” had been deployed. One wit observed that that was for MTV viewing on “long lonely nights.” An alternative interpretation is that the analysts were seeing a digital communications system using small dishes that could send encrypted messages via satellite. The meaning of the acronym "ITAIN" is presently unknown, as it the jokey reference to “South Asian Romp n’ Stomp.

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  • Mandatory Declassification Review request. Obtained and contributed by William Burr and included in NPIHP Research Update #10.

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  • Email

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  • NPIHP - Content in the Digital Archive is made available for non-commercial research and educational use. Copyright is retained by the rights holders in accordance with US and international copyright laws. For permission to reproduce this document, please contact the Nuclear Proliferation International History Project at NPIHP@wilsoncenter.org. Please include the six-digit record ID number for all referenced documents.

Record ID

  • 116344

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  • Secret