NSA Documents from before 1930
Here is a listing of all the documents that the NSA has in its archives that are dated earlier than 1930.
Entries Tagged "history of cryptography"
Page 5 of 12
Friedman Comments on Yardley
This is William Friedman’s highly annotated copy of Herbert Yardley’s book, The American Black Chamber.
Enigma Machine Sold for Almost Half a Million Dollars
A fully functional four-rotor Enigma machine sold for $463,500.
Wow.
Voynich Manuscript Facsimile Published
Yale University Press has published a facsimile of the Voynich Manuscript.
The manuscript is also available online.
1981 US Document on Encryption Policy
This was newly released under FOIA at my request: Victor C. Williams, Jr., Donn B. Parker, and Charles C. Wood, “Impacts of Federal Policy Options for Nonmilitary Cryptography,” NTIA-CR-81-10, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, US. Department of Commerce, June 1981. It argues that cryptography is an important enabling technology. At this point, it’s only of historical value.
German Cryptanalysis of the M-209
This 1947 document describes a German machine to cryptanalyze the American
EDITED TO ADD (5/14): German attacks on the M-209.
Viking Runes as Encryption in the 1500s
This is an interesting historical use of Viking runes as a secret code. Yes, the page is all in Finnish. But scroll to the middle. There’s a picture of the Stockholm city police register from 1536, about a married woman who was found with someone who was not her husband. The recording scribe “encrypted” her name and home address using runes.
New Kryptos Clue
Jim Sanborn has given the world another clue to the fourth cyphertext in his Kryptos sculpture at the CIA headquarters.
Enigma Simulator
Good article, with pictures, diagrams, and code.
Decoding the Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript has been partially decoded. This seems not to be a hoax. And the manuscript seems not to be a hoax, either.
Here’s the paper.
Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.