Terry Hayes uncovered and scanned his copy of the first issue of "The DiploNot" in 2007, 33 years after it was issued. Thank you Terry.
Long prior to computers, this premiere issue was prepared by hand using the cut-and-paste method. For some, it contained the first inkling of what was to become OCAMS and disclosure of the Freezing in Selfridges incident which was declassified by Donald Graham in 2005.
No one wants to take credit for the publication. There were many contributors. Some of the recollections of the techs who put it together deserve mention, our thanks and recognition:
"I was amazed to learn someone still had a copy of the Newsletter that Shad assembled...Let me give you the background to his initiative...Since I was living just down the street from Shad's Highlands Condo, we used to come back to the office after hrs to put this newsletter together...since I was a touch typist, I would type the letter on a model 28 and make a tape from the reperf...and then we would run off copies for each mission with a resident EL and send them a copy in the bag. Since we would include some funny anecdotes about the leaders of the time, including Buck, we advised all EL's to read and shred...Our intention was to do a newsletter at least once a month and all was going very well. "Then, a Regional Communications Officer (Technical) visiting a mission discovered a copy in a tech's filing cabinet. Apparently he believed the newsletter was being prepared on "company time" and disclosed his suspicions to Buck Arbuckle who was Director of Communications. The shit hit the fan...Shad was called "upstairs" and was asked to explain then told to stop its publication ...I will never forget that day, as I also thought that I too would be hauled onto the carpet. But Shad was a big man and took the fall for me by explaining to Buck I hadn't signed any article. I was only the typist "I recall how everyone liked this newsletter. In those days we didn't have any approved means to communicate quickly. Well, OK, sometimes when Shad and I and some others were working the "back room" we did tag a few lines to a crypto messages if we knew the CM here in Ottawa and at the far end and we had what we considered important news for a distant tech."
© OFARTS Canada 2006-2007 Old Foreign Affairs Retired Technicians, Canada The opinions expressed here are those of the contributors. Accuracy of facts has not been verified in all cases.