For the academic institution, see Tilburg Institute of Comparative and Transnational Law

Tilburg Institute of Comparative and Transnational Law

The Tilburg Institute of Comparative and Transnational Law is a research institute at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. It conducts fundamental research in the fields of comparative law and transnational law and has a special focus on law as an international phenomenon.The institute was...

TICOM (Target Intelligence Committee) was a project formed in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 by the United States to find and seize German intelligence assets, particularly cryptographic ones. The project was stimulated chiefly by the US military cryptography organizations, and had support from the highest levels.

Several teams were sent into the field immediately behind the fighting front. In April 1945 a TICOM team found Russian code and cipher material in a German cryptanalytic center.

Captured German cryptographic personnel revealed that, at least amongst the cryptographers, the Enigma was clearly recognized as breakable. They had simply believed, it seems, that no one would go to the immense trouble required for the only attacks they could see.

TICOM was one of several efforts made by the Western Allies to extract German scientific and technological information and personnel during and after the war. Others included Operation Paperclip

Operation Paperclip

Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...

 (for rocketry), Operation Alsos

Operation Alsos

Operation Alsos was an effort at the end of World War II by the Allies , branched off from the Manhattan Project, to investigate the German nuclear energy project, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and...

 (for nuclear information) and Operation Surgeon

Operation Surgeon

Operation Surgeon was a British post-Second World War programme to exploit German aeronautics and deny German technical skills to the Soviet Union.A list of 1,500 German scientists and technicians was drawn up...

 (for avionics).

In Operation Stella Polaris

Operation Stella Polaris

Operation Stella Polaris was the cover name for activity in which Finnish signals intelligence records, equipment and personnel were transported into Sweden after the ending of the Continuation war in 1944...

 the Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 signals intelligence unit was evacuated to Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 after the end of the Continuation War

Continuation War

The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...

. The records, including cryptographic material ended up in the hands of Americans.