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New Report of N.S.A. Spying Angers France French Condemn Surveillance by N.S.A.
(about 11 hours later)
PARIS — The National Security Agency has carried out extensive electronic surveillance in France, a French newspaper reported Monday, drawing an angry condemnation from an important American ally. PARIS — The French government castigated the United States on Monday for carrying out extensive electronic eavesdropping within France, the latest diplomatic backlash against the National Security Agency’s wide surveillance net and another example of how disclosures about the program have strained relations — at least temporarily — with even the closest of Washington’s allies.
The report, based on secret documents leaked by Edward J. Snowden, was published in Le Monde, the authoritative French newspaper, the day Secretary of State John Kerry arrived here for an official visit. The Foreign Ministry summoned the American ambassador, Charles H. Rivkin, who met with ministry officials after an article Monday in Le Monde, the authoritative French newspaper, that the N.S.A. had scooped up 70 million digital communications inside France in a single month, from Dec. 10, 2012, to Jan. 8, 2013.
Adding to the previous disclosures about the agency’s wide surveillance net abroad, the article said the agency had recorded 70 million digital communications in a single month, from Dec. 10, 2012, to Jan. 8, 2013.
French officials called the spying “totally unacceptable” and demanded that it cease.French officials called the spying “totally unacceptable” and demanded that it cease.
The Foreign Ministry summoned the American ambassador, Charles H. Rivkin, who met with ministry officials on Monday morning. “These kinds of practices between partners are totally unacceptable, and we must be assured that they are no longer being implemented,” Mr. Rivkin was told, according to a ministry spokesman, Alexandre Giorgini.
“These kinds of practices between partners are totally unacceptable and we must be assured that they are no longer being implemented,” Mr. Rivkin was told, according to a ministry spokesman, Alexandre Giorgini. The same language was used late Monday in a statement from President François Hollande describing what he had said in an earlier telephone conversation with President Obama.
The interior minister, Manuel Valls, speaking on Europe 1 Radio, called the revelations “shocking” and said they “will require explanation.” However, in a discreet signal that some of the French talk may have been aimed at the government’s domestic audience, France did not call this episode a breach of sovereignty, as Brazil did last month after similar revelations.
“If an allied country is spying on France, it’s totally unacceptable,” he said. During his call to Mr. Hollande, Mr. Obama assured him that the United States was working to balance the privacy concerns that “all people share” with the “legitimate security concerns” of American citizens, according to a statement from the State.
Previous revelations from the documents leaked by Mr. Snowden, a fugitive former N.S.A. contractor, had already pulled the veil off N.S.A. spying on other allies, including Germany, England, Brazil and Mexico. In June, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the agency had eavesdropped on European Union offices in Brussels and Washington. The disclosures in France were based on secret documents provided by Edward J. Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor whose decision to leak information about the surveillance programs has set off a global debate on the balance between security and privacy in the digital age.
On Sunday, Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine, reported that the N.S.A. had intercepted communications inside the cabinet of the former Mexican president, Felipe Calderón.
Previous disclosures from the documents leaked by Mr. Snowden had already pulled the veil off N.S.A. spying on other allies, including Germany, Britain and Brazil. In June, Der Spiegel reported that the agency had eavesdropped on European Union offices in Brussels and Washington.
Probably the most serious diplomatic breach was the revelation in September that the N.S.A. had intercepted the communications of the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff. Brazil termed the spying “an unacceptable violation of sovereignty.”Probably the most serious diplomatic breach was the revelation in September that the N.S.A. had intercepted the communications of the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff. Brazil termed the spying “an unacceptable violation of sovereignty.”
The newspaper report on Monday was co-written by Glenn Greenwald, an American journalist whose articles have conveyed most of the Snowden revelations published so far, and a Le Monde correspondent. The French newspaper article on Monday was co-written by Glenn Greenwald, an American journalist whose articles have conveyed most of the Snowden revelations published so far, and a Le Monde correspondent.
The report did not make entirely clear what exactly the N.S.A. had swept up but it appeared that the agency took a vacuum-cleaner approach, recording 70 million communications, the report said, including telephone calls and instant messages. It was not clear how many of those were listened to or read. The French interior minister, Manuel Valls, speaking on Europe 1 Radio, called the disclosures “shocking” and said they would “require explanation.”
The article also noted that the interceptions were coded “Drtbox” and “Whitebox” with the vast majority falling into the former category. However, it was not clear what those categories implied, nor why the report was limited to a single month. The article in Le Monde came as Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris on Monday for talks on a possible peace process for Syria and discussions on Iran’s nuclear program.
Le Monde went on to say that the documents indicated that in addition to tracking communications between people suspected of having links to terrorism, the N.S.A. surveillance program may have targeted communications involving prominent figures in the worlds of business, politics or the French administration. Asked about the spying at a news conference here, Mr. Kerry stressed the security challenges in combating terrorism, saying that it was an “everyday,” “24/7” problem. He added: “We in the U.S. are currently reviewing the way that we gather intelligence. And I think that is appropriate.”
Last summer, President François Hollande criticized the American program, saying that France “could not accept this kind of behavior between partners and allies.” The article did not make entirely clear what the N.S.A. had swept up. But it appeared that the agency had taken a vacuum-cleaner approach, recording 70 million communications, the article said, including telephone calls and instant messages. It was not clear how many of those were listened to or read.
However since then it became clear that France’s espionage agency, the General Directorate for External Security, also carried out extensive data collection on French citizens without clear legal authority, suggesting that although the technology used by the United States may be more sophisticated, the use of electronic eavesdropping as an anti-terrorism and anti-crime tool is broadly practiced. The article also noted that the interceptions were obtained using codes with the names “Drtbox” and “Whitebox,” with the vast majority having been gotten with the “Whitebox” code. However, it was not clear what those codes meant, or why the time frame was limited to a single month.
Le Monde went on to say that the documents indicated that in addition to tracking communications between people suspected of having links to terrorism, the N.S.A. surveillance program might have targeted communications involving prominent figures in the worlds of business, politics or the French administration.
Last summer, Mr. Hollande criticized the American program saying that France “could not accept this kind of behavior between partners and allies.”
However, many observers both then and now suggested that the French government’s harsh tone was in part political theater rather than genuine outrage because France runs its own version of a spying program on the Americans, which came to light in 2010. At that time, a previous White House director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, tried to put in place a written agreement pledging that neither country would spy on the other’s soil — similar to the “gentleman’s agreement” that the United States has with Britain. However, the deal fell through in part because some members of both countries’ intelligence communities wanted to continue to spy on each other, said officials close to those negotiations.
In addition, the facts of the N.S.A. data collection in Europe have been known for several months, which led two nonprofit groups that oppose the spying to describe it as “astonishing” and “cowardly” that the French government would portray itself as not knowing about the surveillance. It also became clear over the summer that France’s espionage agency, the General Directorate for External Security, carried out extensive data collection on French citizens without clear legal authority, suggesting that although the technology used by the United States may be more sophisticated, electronic eavesdropping as an antiterrorism and anti-crime tool is broadly practiced.
Mr. Giorgini of the Foreign Ministry said that Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius would discuss the issue with Mr. Kerry when the two meet on Tuesday, although the main purpose of the meeting was to talk about the Middle East and Iran.Mr. Giorgini of the Foreign Ministry said that Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius would discuss the issue with Mr. Kerry when the two meet on Tuesday, although the main purpose of the meeting was to talk about the Middle East and Iran.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

The report of spying by the United States starting in 2010 on Mexico’s president at the time, Mr. Calderón, brought condemnation from Mexico’s foreign ministry. “This practice is unacceptable, illegitimate and contrary to Mexican and international law,” said a statement issued Sunday, which went on to say that the government would send a diplomatic note to the United States seeking an explanation.
“In a relationship between neighbors and partners, there is no place for the kind of activities that allegedly took place,” the statement said.
Previous Snowden documents disclosed that the N.S.A. had tapped into the e-mail of Enrique Peña Nieto, in June 2012, a month before he won election as Mexico’s president. He took office in December 2012, when Mr. Calderón left for a fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Mr. Peña Nieto said last month that President Obama had assured him an investigation would be conducted into the allegation and penalties imposed on any wrongdoing at the agency.
In general, though, the issue has not inflamed passions in Mexico, where political rivals often spy on one another and the United States is often viewed as an omnipotent, inevitable force.
Mr. Calderón allowed American law enforcement and intelligence agencies to forge close bonds with Mexico’s security forces in an effort to fight drug gangs and organized crime. The assistance included American aid to develop telephone and e-mail tapping and a high-tech intelligence center to track criminals.
A spokesman for Mr. Calderón would not comment.

Randal C. Archibold contributed reporting from Mexico City, and Michael R. Gordon from Paris.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: October 21, 2013Correction: October 21, 2013

An earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of the French interior minister. He is Manuel Valls, not Manual. And because of an editing error, it also misspelled the given name of the French foreign minister. He is Laurent Fabius, not Lurent.

An earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of the French interior minister. He is Manuel Valls, not Manual. And because of an editing error, it also misspelled the given name of the French foreign minister. He is Laurent Fabius, not Lurent.