It was at the request of the AURA staff. The conversation was via radio-phone and, to my knowledge, was transmitted in the clear, so anyone who understood English could have listened if they monitored the frequency. AURA had a substantial staff up on the mountain installing and commissioning the scope and did not want to jeopardize them. When people are being rounded up, shot, raped and tortured in collaboration with the government of your country and you have a good number of staff in that country working with locals it makes sense to keep your head down. They were scientists and technical, not military or intelligence people. I was specifically asked not to say anything political.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."