Author Archives: markdowe1

Britain, Government, History, Intelligence, Military, United States

RAF Cold War missions over the former Soviet Union…

COVERT FLIGHTS

The RAF flew covert spying missions over the former Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

After decades of secrecy, CIA documents show British pilots were involved in the U-2 flights in 1959 and 1960.

These missions gathered vital intelligence which was regarded by the American intelligence services as being worth ‘a million dollars’.

Until now the Ministry of Defence has neither confirmed nor denied the participation of the RAF in the controversial missions, a position it will no longer be able to maintain.

The first U-2 flights over the Soviet Union started in July 1956, but despite the valuable information gathered, President Dwight Eisenhower was concerned about the ramifications of such a flagrant breach of Russian air space if they were discovered.

Unfortunately for the Americans, even though the high-tech U-2s flew at more than 70,000ft, the Russians were still able to track the planes.

The Soviets sent a strongly worded protest to Eisenhower, who developed second thoughts about the missions and suspended such flights in December 1956.

But the CIA was extremely keen for the spying missions to continue and looked for ways, in the words of one CIA document, ‘to increase the possibility of plausible denial’.

The solution was to use British pilots for the sensitive missions. During the spring of 1957, negotiations took place between the CIA and the chief of MI6, Sir Dick White, who saw the immediate benefits for Britain.

By the summer of 1958, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan had given his authorisation, and four RAF officers, Squadron Leader Christopher Walker and Flight Lieutenants Michael Bradley, John MacArthur and David Dowling – all of whom were in their twenties and single – were sent to train on flying the U-2s in Texas.

Flying the U-2s, however, was not without risk, and on July 8, 1958, Walker was killed when his plane crashed. The cause was never definitively established, but it is believed the aircraft disintegrated at high altitude.

He was immediately replaced by Wing Commander Robert Robinson. By 1959 all four men had finished their operational conversion to the U-2 and were sent to a secret air base in Turkey. From there they launched their flights over the Soviet Union and the Middle East.

In order to emphasise American denials of the operation, the U-2 planes were formally transferred on paper to the British Government. Eisenhower wrote to Macmillan, stating: ‘British missions are carried out on your authority and are your responsibility.’

And the flights remained a secret in Britain, too. The pilots were no longer paid by the RAF, but by MI6, and the public was told the airmen were engaging in ‘high-altitude weather-sampling missions’.

The first mission was flown by Wing Commander Robinson on December 6, 1959, over the Kapustin Yar missile test range and a squadron of long-range bombers in the Ukraine.

The missions proved to be hugely successful and proved the Soviets did not have as many bombers as they claimed – a vital piece of intelligence at the height of the Cold War. The head of the CIA referred to photographs taken by Wing Commander Robinson as being worth ‘a million dollars’.

The second British U-2 mission over the Soviet Union was flow by Flight Lieutenant John MacArthur the following month. Although his brief was to look for missile sites around the Aral Sea, he ended up uncovering a new type of Soviet bomber called the Tupolev Tu-22 at Kazan.

The Americans later resumed their involvement in the U-2 missions, but this came to an abrupt end in the wake of the Soviets shooting down and imprisoning US pilot Gary Powers in May 1960. The British ordered the RAF officers to leave Turkey immediately.

The following year, all four British RAF pilots received the Air Force Cross, although their citations in the London Gazette did not mention exactly why. After more than half a century, the truth has now been revealed.

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Health, Medical, Research, Science

British scientists unlock the secret DNA genetics of 30 cancers…

MUTATIONAL SIGNATURES

Scientists in the UK have achieved a ‘profound’ and major breakthrough in the fight against cancer that could lead to new treatments and possibly even its prevention.

Despite significant advances, very little is known about what triggers cancer, which kills around half the 325,000 Britons diagnosed with it each year.

But British scientists believe they have unlocked the DNA secrets of 30 of the most common forms of the disease. This will now bring us closer in understanding their causes.

In the biggest analysis yet of its kind, the researchers compared DNA from more than 7,000 cancer patients around the world. The cases included the most common forms, including breast, bowel, lung and prostate, which account for more than half of those diagnosed in Britain.

Cancer is caused by mutations in DNA. These mutations are caused by such things as tobacco in the case of lung or throat cancer, and excess ultraviolet light in the case of skin cancer. Researchers looked for patterns in the genetic code of the tumours made by these mutations.

Analysis of the 7,000 DNA samples revealed 21 patterns that between them were responsible for 30 cancers. Working out which food, drink, habit or other external factor causes them could lead to new ways of preventing the disease.

Knowing more about the genetics of cancer should also speed the search for new treatments – and some existing drugs might also work better in those whose tumours are caused by particular patterns.

Certain patterns in the tumour DNA were expected, such as the one caused by smoking; but others were surprising, including one believed to be caused by a protein that helps us fight infections.

Some of the patterns were only found in one type of cancer, while others, such as the marks left by ageing, were found in many different tumours.

Although further research may reveal more patterns – or ‘mutational signatures’ – the scientists, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge, believe they have found most of them.

Professor Mike Stratton, the lead researcher, said:

… This compendium of mutational signatures and consequent insights into the mutational processes underlying them has profound implications for the understanding of cancer development, with potential applications in disease prevention and treatment.

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Health, Medical, Research, Science

New biological marker could detect Alzheimer’s disease ten years before symptoms appear…

EARLY TEST FOR DETECTING ALZHEIMER’S

Scientists are hoping that a new test could detect Alzheimer’s disease at least a decade before symptoms appear. That would pave the way for early treatment.

Researchers have discovered that a fall in levels of a certain type of genetic material could signal an increased risk and propensity of developing Alzheimer’s.

The biological markers are found within the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) some 10 years before signs of dementia become apparent.

There are approximately 800,000 people with dementia in the UK, and current trends suggest that one in three people over 65 will die from the degenerative disease.

Presently, the only accurate method to diagnose the disease is by post-mortem neuropathological analysis, although other functional tests (such as memory and brain tests) can be used to determine whether drugs or other forms of treatment may help.

Researchers at Spain’s CSIC Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona believe they may have found a biological marker that could suggest the disease process is underway before symptoms start to appear.

Scientists found a drop in the content of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) –genetic material present in the energy centre of cells – in spinal fluid may be a sign for the disease.

They suggest that diminishing mtDNA levels reflect the reduced ability of mitochondria to power brain cells, thus triggering their death.

The drop in the concentration of mtDNA precedes the appearance of other recognised biochemical Alzheimer’s biomarkers, suggesting the process of Alzheimer’s disease starts earlier than previously thought and that mtDNA depletion may be one of the earliest predictors.

Researchers have previously been unable to detect the genetic material in spinal fluid, but they used a new technique to amplify tiny amounts. The research study was first reported in the journal Annals of Neurology.

The researchers at CSIC now hope other labs and hospitals will be able to replicate the results.

They say by finding a way to block the degeneration, clinicians may be able to diagnose and treat the disease before symptoms even appear.

Lead author Dr Ramon Trullas, said:

… If our initial findings can be replicated by other laboratories, the results will change the way we currently think about the causes of Alzheimer’s.

… The discovery of a fall in levels of a certain type of genetic material could signal an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

… This discovery may enable us to search for more effective treatments that can be administered during the pre-clinical stage.

Dr Marie Janson of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:

… Problems with mitochondria have already been linked to Alzheimer’s, which is why Alzheimer’s Research UK is currently funding research to further examine this link.

… This small study suggests that decreased mitochondrial DNA in cerebrospinal fluid may indicate the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s, but more work is needed to confirm this in larger groups of people.

… It would be useful to see further studies investigate changes in mitochondrial DNA over time, to determine how long before symptoms such changes might be detected.

… We know Alzheimer’s begins to develop before symptoms appear, and the ability to detect the disease at this stage is crucial for recruiting the right people for clinical trials of potential new treatments.

 

The discovery of a fall in levels of a certain type of genetic material could signal an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Image shows a CT scan of the brain of someone with Alzheimer's.

The discovery of a fall in levels of a certain type of genetic material could signal an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Image shows a CT scan of the brain of someone with Alzheimer’s.

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