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In analyzing the so called Datasaab affair, where the Swedish company Stansaab delivered an air traffic control system to the Soviet Union, supposedly violating American export regulations, this article examines the role of intelligence in conditions of complex interdependence. In a cold war context, where technologies were politicized as instruments of national security and welfare, private actors played a key role in the development and distribution of high technology. Yet, the role of technology in relation to national security cannot be seen as given, as technology can be mobilized as instruments in political and social processes and be given meaning that transcends its technical characteristics. Using a qualitative narrative approach, different depictions and explanations related to the Datasaab affair from both Swedish and American parties are presented. The study concludes that the policy objective of the Reagan administration to strengthen export regulations was paramount to the understanding and handling of the affair, and that the given meaning of the incident largely reflect the vested interests of the actor in question. This suggests that intelligence plays a role in shaping the understanding of events, which we argue should be examined further.