Another WWII Message Decoded
It’s a really interesting code and story. (The first link has the most detailed information about the code and the cryptanalysis.)
Comments
Jon • May 6, 2013 4:51 PM
It’s not clear to me from the articles whether the message – the coded message – ever reached it’s intended recipients. Was Pryor wasting his time, or were the risks he took actually useful to people back in the UK?
Stuart • May 7, 2013 4:05 AM
@Jon – according to a fairly lengthy TV news piece I saw, yes the messages did get through to military intelligence. The suggestion was that they were identified by the British censor (not obvious how) and copies made before the originals went to the family.
What I found even more remarkable was that the news item also said that Pryor carried all the details of the code in his head!
Boo Radley • May 9, 2013 9:09 AM
Most interesting is this contrast drawn by Dr. Bennet (the in first article):
“… German agents relied on machines and industrial technology to decipher secret messages.
The British meanwhile had a more whimsical approach inspired by classic puzzle-solving that their Nazi counterparts simply could not understand.”
Does that mean human imagination trumps mechanical brute number crunching?
Reality Check • May 9, 2013 11:59 AM
Currently reading “Triggers” by Robert Sawyer and this code is referenced in the novel.
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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
Frode Weierud • May 4, 2013 3:00 AM
The details of the MI9 letter codes are available in the British National Archives. Here is a copy made available by Lee Richards of ACRE: http://arcre.com/archive/mi9/mi9codeii
Frode