Nepal uses simple substitution cipher in English and three messages have been circulated in last eighteen months, Ethiopia has five figure book for traffic between London and Adis Ababa, British have twelve messages but cannot read them.
Turkish section receives fifteen to thirty messages per day, slightly more to Ankara than from Ankara, and circulates from two to twelve per day perhaps six would be a fair average; majority of circulated messages are to not from Ankara. Principal circuits covered are London, Kuibyshev*, Teheran, Budapest, Lisbon, Rome, Madrid, Stockholm also some Berlin, Washington, Vichy, very little South America, Helsinki, Bucharest, Sofia, good coverage Tokyo but very little traffic. Two principal secret diplomatic code books introduced middle of nineteen forty one called CANKARA and ISMET INONU both ten thousand group two part codes.
ARLINGTON’S LIAISON WITH BERKELEY STREET
Excerpt from Cable No. 4989, June 6th, 1943.
In order to comply with instructions in your 2734, I will have to discontinue all discussions with Denniston, since there are no intelligence problems to discuss except those which have to do with crypt and traffic exchanges. Since Denniston is willing to let somebody here read, and if interesting to forward to Washington, all decodes not in special reserved series, the only questions that have been involved have related to whether the Government of the United States was willing to take particular classes of intelligence that way, or whether as to some or all of them it wanted to process the material itself. I will tell Denniston that these problems will be worked out directly by Corderman or perhaps through Taylor. It is disheartening, however, to work hard on getting the facts for Arlington and to get this kind of response.
While you prepare Washington Monument for appropriate part of my anatomy, I will say flatly that Arlington does not (repeat does not) understand the problems involved in crypt and traffic exchanges. For instance, it has just thrown Denniston into a state of bafflement by asking for Iraqui keys. This request would be roughly equivalent – if we still had the Philippines - to the British asking Arlington for Philippine keys, since Iraq is not only in reality part of the British Empire but is the cornerstone, because of its oil, on which the whole Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean situation rests. Denniston, however, wanted to put Arlington in a position to read whatever Iraq stuff it might intercept, insofar as he could do it without going to the Foreign Office for specific authority. Hence he authorized his people to explain the Iraq system to Taylor, and Taylor duly passed the information along, and Denniston felt that he had met Arlington’s demands without having to create an issue here. If questioned by the Foreign Office, he could always say that Iraq uses simple substitution which any cryptanalyst who had an Arabic linguist at hand could solve in half an hour, and so he had really only told Arlington what it could have found out for itself in a very short time.
Now however, Arlington turns this matter into a major issue by a formal request for keys, forcing Denniston either to put himself on record as refusing something that Arlington specifically asked for or to create an issue by asking the Foreign Office for permission. If Denniston is right about the difficulty of solving the Iraq system, what sense does all this make?
Some of these Britishers, I think perhaps including Denniston, think we in Washington are a little bit at loose ends, and what do you suppose I would think, if my thoughts made any difference, when I get three cables in short succession, one of which says that cables were omitted because nobody asked for them, the second says they were omitted because the parties were exchanging them through censorship, and the third says they were omitted by common consent. Jesus. Taylor has been talking to Deniston about the Iraq matter and he is holding it in abeyance until Taylor gets back and has further talks, after which Taylor will communicate with Corderman.
ARLINGTON HALL STATION
MESSAGE CENTER
Date Filed June 30 1943
Time Filed 1945Z
INCOMING MESSAGE
FROM: LONDON
TO: MILID WASHINGTON
NR: 5142
(TO STRONG FOR CORDERMAN FROM TAYLOR signed PEABODY).
AS Nr 5830
Date Completed July 1 1943
Time
Iranian principal diplomatic book has been photographed and was sent to day to Baker Peter for transmittal to Washington. Have been discussing smaller enemies and will have further information next week. Reference FLORADORA agreement Berkeley Street has sent off two batches for you and are sending specially about eight Dublin items at my request; they are interested to know how Arlington is coming on its share of back traffic, which is to be interchanged on fortnightly basis enciphered with forty figure subtracter. Washington does not figure subtracter, Washington does not hold ISMET which is perhaps the more secret of the two except at London which treats CANKARA as more secret, Tokyo has neither and uses one of three older books of same type enciphered with five to forty figure subtracter and used except at Tokyo only for administrative traffic. Subtracter changed at frequent intervals. In addition Turks have French book for treaties, obsolete consular book, and military attaché book held at all capitals one part thirty thousand groups enciphered with short subtractor or by switching order of figures within the groups.
Saudi Arabia intake fifteen to twenty messages per day, circulate two or three per day. Capital is at Riyadh but King nomads around and traffic may center at Taif summer residence, Mecca during pilgrimages, or Jedah where foreign diplomats are kept. Circuits are to Ankara, London, Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, Jerusalem and Vichy (now defunct). Principal code is two years old three letter two thousand random groups used unenciphered, also two new books used at Ankara two letter seven hundred fifty random groups. For administrative financial and less secret political use simple two figure cipher.
Iraq traffic intake four or five per day circulate perhaps one a day. Circuits are between Baghdad and Aleppo, Alexandria, Beyrouth, (Bombay, Cairo, Damascus, Jeddah, Jerusalem, London, Kabul, Teheran, Washington and Sanna (defunct). So far this year 21 messages Baghdad to Washington of which British have four, and 34 messages Washington to Baghdad of which British have all but one. Iraq messages are really in clear, they have arbitrary Roman letter equivalents for Arabic alphabet and only element of cryptography is that letter equivalents vary from post to post; also use cover letter combinations for names of people, places, dates etc.
Iran traffic intake about 1,000 messages per month, circulate about one hundred per month. Circuits covered are between Teheran and Ankara, Baghdad, Baku, Basra. Berne, Beyrouth, Bombay, Bucharest, Cairo, Hamburg, Herat, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Kabul, Karachi, Khanegin, Kuibyshev. London, Mosul, Quetta, Rome, Simla, Smyrna, Soleynanieh, Stockholm, Tokyo, Trebizond, Vichy and Washington. Washington traffic about ten percent of total. One diplomatic and one military book each alphabetical 12,500.
Afghanistan intake five or six messages per day circulate about every other day. Circuits are between Kabul and Ankara, Bombay, London, Teheran, Meshed, Berlin, Rome, Geneva, Tokyo and Vichy, traffic with Tokyo very infrequent and purely administrative. One book which closely resembles the Persian.
I spent several hours reading nineteen forty three output of Near East section. While the Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Egypt output is picturesque and occasionally interesting 1 think it is a safe assumption that we can live happily without reading this mail immediately and in any event 1 will probably be able to send you decodes of anything of interest. Iran for the most part is dull stuff but contains some significant material in view of our present special interests in Iran and I think we should read this as soon as possible. Turkey is definitely an important line; it is disappointing in that messages from Ankara are largely administrative and do not substantially reflect leanings of the government, but traffic to Ankara contains a fair number of very important messages such as interview with Molotov, or with JIG agents in Far East; furthermore a great many messages from smaller European capitals seem quite as important as those of familiar ministers at some points wh
om we frequently honor with an item in the Bugle. Thacker tells me that since April all Turkish traffic has been sent to Washington, if Arlington has not been getting it please let me know promptly. Subject to your approval I propose to make photographing and mailing to you of important Turkish books matter of first priority and that of Persian books second priority and Chinese books third priority.
As Nr 4316
Date Completed May 27 1943
Time Completed 1850Z
ARLINGTON HALL STATION
MESSAGE CENTER
Date Filed May 25 1943
Time Filed 2050Z
INCOMING MESSAGE
FROM: AMGN EMBASSY LONDON
TO: MILID WASHINGTON
NR: 4861
(TO STRONG FOR CLARKE AND CORDERMAN FROM TAYLOR signed PEABODY).
Friedman and myself have seen Italian section Denniston’s show, Friedman will report on personnel headed by Mr Catty and cryptanalytic features. British coverage includes hosts at Madrid, Lisbon, Tetuan, Tangiers, Tenerife, Lobito, Dublin, Stockholm, Oporto, Seville, Barcelona, Raima, Helsinki, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest, Sofia, Bucharest, Belgrade, Athens, Rhodes, Istanbul, Izmir, Adana, Mersina, Kabul, and Sanna now quiescent. According to my recollection our coverage of above circuits has been poor or nonexistent. I am told that since April first they have been sending us copies of all their traffic; if traffic is now reaching you I assume it can be read at Arlington as well as here if not please let me know. Cryptanalytic exchange appears to be going smoothly and no pressing problems in this quarter, however I propose to read back files of decodes on above circuits and send you anything of real interest.
This section includes two ladies who handle Vatican. Work started on this line April 1942 after lapse of two years in continuity. Up to December first nineteen forty two British had received six hundred sixty four messages in all ciphers and read five hundred fifty or eighty two percent, Only sixty four were found worth translating and circulating and these are made to be of little interest; I plan to read these as well as later and current traffic and send you if important. Most traffic is ecclesiastical charitable or personnel. Apparently stuff goes by bag. One system in use London, Vichy, Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon and Washington is not yet cracked because of traffic shortage.
AS Nr 4319
Date Completed May 26 1943
ARLINGTON HALL STATION
MESSAGE CENTER
Date Filed May 25 1943
Time Filed 1817Z
INCOMING MESSAGE
FROM: AMCN EMBASSY LONDON
TO: MILIDWASHDC NR: 4871
(TO STRONG FOR CLARKE AND CORDERMAN FROM TAYLOR signed PEABODY).
Herewith some miscellaneous information on Berkeley Street Brazilian and Portuguese sections, Friedman will report in detail on crypt observations. Section comprises ten people of whom five are decoders and clerical and five are linguists bookbreakers of whom two do cryptanalysis. No permanent employees. Head of section -ELL is a botanist who has researched on Portugal and colonies. Brazilian largely handled by his wife and one assistant. Enterprise started February nineteen forty at which time all continuity had been lost. As in case of Italian. British have been covering several Portuguese continental circuits inaccessible to us, I will run over these old decodes and send you nuggets Am told that since April first they have been sending us all Portuguese DIP traffic, but not Portuguese colonial traffic, which can be read here. One basic book for all colonial with variety keys. Am told colonial traffic is most uninteresting but will look it over. Portuguese military use PLAYFAIR at Lisbon and Lourenco Marques, simple substitution at Atlantic islands, British read both kinds. At end of March this year the Portuguese bought some Swedish HAGELIN repeat HAGELIN machines and have them at Air, War and Colonial Ministries, some Azores traffic in Hagelin has been observed. Portuguese security police in Azores at Ponta Delgada are using ten alphabet substitution, I am told British have sent us the keys for this
AS Nr 4337
Date Completed May 27 1943
Time Completed 1800Z
ARLINGTON HALL STATION
MESSAGE CENTER
Date Filed May 25 1943
Time Filed 1700Z
INCOMING MESSAGE
FROM: AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO: MILID WASHINGTON
NR 4874
(TO STRONG FOR CLARKE AND CORDERMAN FROM TAYLOR signed PEABODY)
Herein the smaller European enemies. Hungarian not read and continuity lost but Denniston expecting return of someone who will soon undertake it; however Hungarian commercials in clear are translated by member of Swiss section and circulated if important.
Paragraph two. Roumanian section consists of Griefenhagen former diplomat and one secretary started nineteen forty having lost continuity and started reading nineteen forty one. Intake zero to twenty messages per day perhaps twelve average. Principal circulation a day perhaps twelve average. Principal circuits covered are to Lisbon, Madrid and Rome, also get some Stockholm, Helsinki, Tokyo and Buenos Aires. Highest grade code not read, is in early stage of reconstruction. Bulk of traffic in two large two part codes called Roger Forty Two and Roger Forty Four, some of the traffic is enciphered. Roumanians follow French practice of numerous and voluminous two part codes. Bulk of traffic which is circulated is commercial in nature, for instance purchases of Spanish lead and blankets and Spanish demands for oil in exchange. So far as is known there is no Roumanian exiled government traffic.
Bulgarian section. Woods elderly permanent and one secretary. Continuity since 1934. Small traffic intake circulate perhaps one per week. Principal circuits covered are Berlin, Kuibyshev, Roge, Vichy, Budapest and Bratislava; Tokyo which has new book can’t be read and Stockholm can’t be read. No Bucharest traffic. Coverage on all circuits very poor; for instance between Sofia and Berlin they got only twenty four out of 450 messages. For administrative purposes an old one part code is used unenciphered, pagination changes twice per month. Secret stuff in newer books used unenciphered.
Woods also handles Jugoslav traffic; diplomatic books not yet read, Jugoslav Army Chief Cairo named Pretnik talks to London and Istanbul in double transposition but British switch the keys. Jugoslav intelligence organization headed by Piritch is housed at Istanbul and is in touch with Mihailovitch. apparently using same system. Three or four Jugoslav messages per day are procured and about seventy five percent of the intake is circulated.
Friedman will I hope supplement crypt data herein. Will look over old decodes of all this stuff. Please advise have sent dozen letters home hope some received.
AS Nr 4330
Date Completed May 27 1943
Time Completed 1145 Z
ARLINGTON HALL STATION
MESSAGE CENTER
Date Filed May 25 1943
Time Filed 1912Z
INCOMING MESSAGE
FROM: AMCN EMBASSY LONDON
TO: MILID WASH DC
NR: 4875
(TO STRONG FOR CLARKE AND CORDERMAN FROM TAYLOR signed PEABODY)
Research section Berkeley Street four men two women, headed by Sainsbury. Main job is to take problems about which nothing is known and penetrate far enough so that problem can be turned over to language section for bookbreaking etc, and secondary job is to handle odd sticky problems for language sections. Sainsbury speaks Finnish and his section theoretically handles Finnish Hagelin but in fact is doing little on it; Norwegian Hagelin was dropped long ago and Swedish Hagelin has been dropped as impossible because of excellent Swedish use. In fact Hagelin activity at Berkeley Street appears to be at complete standstill, possibly because best Hagelin man is at Baker Peter. Main current occupation of this research station is Free French; they appear to have made a considerable penetration of principal diplomatic system, but I was told there has been no interchange of cryptanalytic data on Free French with Arlington as yet. System in question is based on four figure code groups, the first figures are reinciphered on a table into three figures producing five figure groups, and this
result is transposed on a key derived from the magazine France Libre. Bulk of traffic perhaps ninety percent is furnished by Cable and Wireless Ltd.
Next job scheduled for research station is Dutch about which nothing is known.
ASNr 4355
Date Completed May 27 1943
Time Completed 1845 Z
ARLINGTON HALL STATION
MESSAGE CENTER
Date Filed May 27 1943
Time Filed 2132Z
INCOMING MESSAGE
FROM: AMCN EMBASY LONDON
TO: MILIDWASHNDC
NR: 4894 M g 7
(TO STRONG FOR CLARKE AND CORDERMAN FROM TAYLOR signed PEABODY)
Continuation of my message on Commercial Section number four eight seven six. Extent of shift from commercial code to clear is most surprising; excluding JIG, out of some 7,000 intake per day only about one hundred are in code all the rest in clear. French and English branch of commercial section comprises four people, intake about two thousand per day, circulate in Charlie Sugar series about two hundred per day. No translation done in this branch, British assume everyone can read French and circulates French messages in French.
German branch ten people, circulates from one hundred fifty to two hundred per day; small amount is MOSSE repeat MOSSE but the bulk is in clear, HISROWAK traffic not handled by this branch in considerable German traffic to Far East, some of which reflects German sales of machinery; other traffic deals with transactions in grain, mohair etc with Turkey and Spain, seems to be an important line of traffic. Italian section five people, all the traffic they handle is in clear; circulate about one hundred per day, covering BARFDV* with Turkey, special articles, list of other MEW papers which can be procured on request, etc; MEW Far Eastern weekly intelligence summary classified secret ten pages covers broadcasts and other information including Charlie Sugars, arranged by geographical areas within Far East with special sections on shipping and trade with Europe; MEW monthly statement of action taken secret twelve pages arranged geographical sections special sections on relief, contraband control, enemy transactions. MEW also furnishes secret daily Lloyd’s Shipping Index showing sailings and locations of merchant ships. MEW also puts out short weekly list most secret summary of comm. Series which has very limited circulation.
Thirty Secret Years Page 17