I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me

by Trevor Paglen I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me book cover

Pageln is a contemporary artist with an impressive breadth of work. From his website: “Paglen has launched an artwork into distant orbit around Earth in collaboration with Creative Time and MIT, contributed research and cinematography to the Academy Award-winning film Citizenfour, and created a radioactive public sculpture for the exclusion zone in Fukushima, Japan.”

, published 2008

Covert statecraft is a world of secrets and paradoxes. I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me explores one of the most plainly absurd paradox of this taxpayer-funded secret society. The book catalogs dozens of team patches made for covert Pentagon programs. For example, the Catch a Falling Star commemorates:

Between the launch of the first photo-reconnaissance satellite in 1960 and the maturation of digital imaging chips in the 1970s, spy satellites produced photographs on long sheets of film. After the satellite’s camera had exposed a roll, the film canister ejected from the spacecraft and parachuted towards Earth. Special film-recovery teams were charged with catching the film canisters midair over the Pacific using specially modified aircraft based in Hawaii. This patch was worn by the 6594th Test Group, which was charged with these sensitive missions. (131)

Catch a Falling Star Patch

They include a variety of mission types. Of particular interest to Beyond the Frame are patches for initiatives such as The Electronic Warfare (EW) Directorate, “the primary EW test organization at Edwards Air Force Base. Electronic warfare consists of defensive and offensive avionics and includes the so-called ‘Infowar’ revolution in military technologies.” (83)

Even bureaucrats that coordinate classified operations, such as the Rapid Capabilities Office and the Directorate of Special Projects, get “cool” patches. According to the patch, these people are “Doing God’s work with other people’s money” (pg. 103) by managing their multi-billion dollar classified portfolios.

“God’s work” is perhaps best embodied by the satellite intelligence operations. Projects like PAN peer into the activities of governments, corporations, and individuals around the world.

PAN

PAN’s specific mandate is unclear; the patches only provide clues into the details. And that’s what the book is really about - an investigation into the meaning behind these symbols. It can be seen as one US American’s attempt to understand the activities of the government that he implicitly supports through the machine of democratic governance and taxation. The artist’s work and this book thus embody an essential truth: that a State of secrets funded by countless tax dollars is fundamentally incompatible with a well-functioning democracy.

Timeline

Events from this post have been added to a timeline of significant events in the history of information.

A classified satellite called PAN is launched into a geostationary orbit.

“PAN is unique among classified American satellites because, while it is discussed by contractors and appears on military launch schedules, it is not publicly 'claimed' by any intelligence or military agency. Space analysts have speculated [...] that PAN may act as a communications relay for armed CIA Predator and Reaper drones operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” †