Overview of 2019

In 2019 I was able to research some cases of cryptologic history plus there were some interesting articles and presentations that presented new information.

Specifically:

1). In The American M-209 cipher machine I added info on the unit NAASt 7 and the compromise of the M-209 machine during the invasion of Sicily in 1943.

2). I added a link to NARA microfilms containing information on State Department codes and ciphers. 

3). I updated my essay The French War Ministry’s FLD code with information from the ‘Bulletin de l’ARCSI’ articles: Essai d'historique du Chiffre (Add. N°3) and Essai d'historique du Chiffre (N°5) by Général Ribadeau-Dumas. Also added info from the TICOM documents 3612, 3684, 3661.

4). I added a link to the HistoCrypt 2019 proceedings.

5). I added links to Russian articles on their cryptologic effort during WWII.

6). I added a link to the report ‘Technik und Verfahren der Spionagefunkdienste’  (link from cdvant.org)

7). I added links to the following interesting academic articles:

‘A German perspective on allied deception operations in the Second World War’ by Klaus‐Jürgen Müller.

‘Seeing things differently: contrasting narratives of British and German photographic intelligence during the Second World War’ by Joseph W. Caddell Jr.

‘Operation FORTITUDE SOUTH: An Analysis of its Influence upon German Dispositions and Conduct of Operations in 1944’ by Craig Bickell.

German mathematicians and cryptology in WWII by Frode Weierud and Sandy Zabell.

‘On the Role of Soviet Intelligence During the Preparation of the Red Army for the Summer Campaign of 1943’ by Valerii Nikolaevic Zamulin.

‘Conscious Movement Toward Armageddon: Preparation of the Third World War in Orders of the USSR War Ministry, 1946–1953’ by Alexander Gogun.

‘Enigma G: The counter Enigma’ by David Kenyon & Frode Weierud

8). I uploaded the following documents to my TICOM folder:

‘Überprüfung der Sicherheit eigener Geheimschriften’ dated 25 August 1944.

‘Niederschrift der Besprechung über Chiffrierfragen - 15.11.44’ dated 21 November 1944.

KV 3/349 ‘The case of the Rote Kapelle’ (only parts 1 and 2).

New finding aid for the TICOM collection in the Political Archive of the German Foreign Ministry.

Unfortunately, there were some setbacks:

1). The authorized history of GCHQ ‘Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain’s Secret Cyber Intelligence Agency’ has been delayed till October 2020.

2). My two FOIA cases (TICOM report I-40 from the NSA and the Henriksson report from the State Department) are still in review.

Hopefully in 2020 my FOIA cases will be processed. Apart from that I don’t have any active research projects on crypto history.