The Codebreakers
Encyclopedia
The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing (ISBN 0-684-83130-9) is a book by David Kahn, published in 1967 comprehensively chronicling the history of cryptography
from ancient Egypt
to the time of its writing. The United States government attempted to have the book altered before publication, and succeeded in part.
It is widely regarded as the best account of the history of cryptography
up to its publication. William Crowell, former deputy director of the National Security Agency
, was quoted in Newsday
as saying "Before he (Kahn) came along, the best you could do was buy an explanatory book that usually was too technical and terribly dull."
Kahn, then a journalist, was contracted to write a book on cryptology in 1961. He began writing it part-time, at one point quitting his job to work on it full time. The book was to include information on the NSA, and according to author James Bamford
writing in 1982, the agency attempted to stop its publication, and considered various options, including writing a negative review of Kahn's work to be published in the press to discredit him. A committee of the United States Intelligence Board concluded that the book was "a possibly valuable support to foreign COMSEC authorities" and recommended "further low-key actions as possible, but short of legal action, to discourage Mr. Kahn or his prospective publishers". Kahn's publisher, Macmillan, handed over the manuscript to the government for review without Kahn's permission on 4 March 1966. Kahn and Macmillan eventually agreed to remove some material from the manuscript, particularly concerning the relationship between the NSA and its counterpart in the United Kingdom, GCHQ.
Because of the year of its publication, the book did not cover most of the history concerning the breaking of the German Enigma machine
(which became public knowledge only in the 1970s); hence, not much is said of Alan Turing
. Nor did it cover the advent of strong cryptography in the public domain, beginning with the invention of public key cryptography and the specification of the Data Encryption Standard
in the mid-1970s. The book finishes with SETI
.
The book was republished in 1996, and this new edition includes an additional chapter briefly covering the events since the original publication; see the "Books on cryptography
" article for other works which cover this later history in more detail.
History of cryptography
The history of cryptography begins thousands of years ago. Until recent decades, it has been the story of what might be called classic cryptography — that is, of methods of encryption that use pen and paper, or perhaps simple mechanical aids...
from ancient Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to the time of its writing. The United States government attempted to have the book altered before publication, and succeeded in part.
Overview
Bradford Hardie III, An American Cryptographer during World War II, contributed insider information, German translations from original documents, as well as intimate real-time operational explanations to The Codebreakers.It is widely regarded as the best account of the history of cryptography
History of cryptography
The history of cryptography begins thousands of years ago. Until recent decades, it has been the story of what might be called classic cryptography — that is, of methods of encryption that use pen and paper, or perhaps simple mechanical aids...
up to its publication. William Crowell, former deputy director of the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
, was quoted in Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
as saying "Before he (Kahn) came along, the best you could do was buy an explanatory book that usually was too technical and terribly dull."
Kahn, then a journalist, was contracted to write a book on cryptology in 1961. He began writing it part-time, at one point quitting his job to work on it full time. The book was to include information on the NSA, and according to author James Bamford
James Bamford
V. James Bamford is an American bestselling author and journalist who writes about United States intelligence agencies, most notably the National Security Agency.-Biography:...
writing in 1982, the agency attempted to stop its publication, and considered various options, including writing a negative review of Kahn's work to be published in the press to discredit him. A committee of the United States Intelligence Board concluded that the book was "a possibly valuable support to foreign COMSEC authorities" and recommended "further low-key actions as possible, but short of legal action, to discourage Mr. Kahn or his prospective publishers". Kahn's publisher, Macmillan, handed over the manuscript to the government for review without Kahn's permission on 4 March 1966. Kahn and Macmillan eventually agreed to remove some material from the manuscript, particularly concerning the relationship between the NSA and its counterpart in the United Kingdom, GCHQ.
Because of the year of its publication, the book did not cover most of the history concerning the breaking of the German Enigma machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
(which became public knowledge only in the 1970s); hence, not much is said of Alan Turing
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
. Nor did it cover the advent of strong cryptography in the public domain, beginning with the invention of public key cryptography and the specification of the Data Encryption Standard
Data Encryption Standard
The Data Encryption Standard is a block cipher that uses shared secret encryption. It was selected by the National Bureau of Standards as an official Federal Information Processing Standard for the United States in 1976 and which has subsequently enjoyed widespread use internationally. It is...
in the mid-1970s. The book finishes with SETI
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
.
The book was republished in 1996, and this new edition includes an additional chapter briefly covering the events since the original publication; see the "Books on cryptography
Books on cryptography
Books on cryptography have been published sporadically and with highly variable quality for a long time. This is despite the tempting, though superficial, paradox that secrecy is of the essence in sending confidential messages — see Kerckhoffs' principle....
" article for other works which cover this later history in more detail.
Further reading
- Secret War of Words; The Codebreakers. The Story of Secret Writing. By David Kahn. New York Times Book Review, Jan 7, 1968. pg. BR10