The Politburo – the Chinese Communist Party’s highest organ – had directed the intrusion into Google’s computer systems, a Chinese contact told the US Embassy in Beijing in January, The New York Times reported.
The government-led team of hackers had broken into American government computers - and those of Western allies, the Dalai Lama and American businesses - since 2002, cables said.
Separately, the cables reveal that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had sent a “national human intelligence collection directive” to collect biometric information on senior UN officials, including undersecretaries, heads of specialized agencies and heads of peace missions.
“Washington also wanted credit card numbers, email addresses, phone, fax and pager numbers and even frequent-flyer account numbers for UN figures and ‘biographic and biometric information on UN Security Council permanent representatives,’” the Guardian said.
The scheme also sought the passwords and personal encryption keys used by UN officials.
Wikileaks said on its Twitter feed that its site had come under a denial of service attack ahead of publication of the material on Sunday.