KEY POINTS:
Leon Crosse could tell you more about what he does for a living, but he'd probably have to kill you.
Mr Crosse has served - and is still serving - the Government Communications Security Bureau since 1982, gathering intelligence, liaising with other Government departments and passing information to his Wellington masters.
"The Government is responsible for the safety of its people and the security of its assets everywhere. All we do is help them do that behind the scenes," Mr Crosse said.
"Particularly since 9/11, we've had an ever-increasing role to play in supporting the Government - not only our posts in New Zealand but overseas as well - but it's not something we can be open about."
Mr Crosse, 61, has been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the bureau, where he started to work while still a pilot in the Air Force. He was the liaison officer to the United States National Security Agency from 1998-2002, placing him at the heart of the action when two hijacked airliners hit the Twin Towers.
"I was based in Washington. We were thinking about running like hell once we heard the Pentagon had been hit because there was still one plane heading back."
In the chaotic aftermath, Mr Crosse had to tell Wellington what was happening. "All we were basically saying to New Zealanders was, 'Turn your damn TV sets on'."
Mr Crosse never aspired to be a spy, nor does he consider it glamorous.
"I don't regard it as being a spy. I don't hide under rubbish-tin lids or anything like that. It's not like 007, I can tell you that. Being a spy is 99 per cent boredom and 1 per cent mass excitement, just like being a pilot."
