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ABC News
ABC News
National

ASIO spied on Pine Gap military base protesters in the 1980s, declassified documents reveal

Declassified ASIO files have revealed the national security agency planted spies among a group protesting against the Pine Gap military base in Alice Springs during the 1980s. 

The 1987 documents, released last year by the National Archives of Australia, show intelligence about peace activists and their protest plans were being fed to ASIO's central office by one or more covert operatives who surreptitiously attended the group's meetings.

The peace movement had gained momentum in the political landscape during the Cold War era, as concerns ran high over the threat posed by the Soviet Union and the possibility of nuclear warfare.

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