GCHQ

by Richard Aldrich

  19 Ibid.

  20 Winterbotham (GC&CS) to DD(S), n.d., 10.06.42?, HW40/5. See also Grant (GC&CS) to Travis (GC&CS), 9.06.42, ibid.

  21 Grant (GC&CS), ‘Report on German Cryptography on the Russian Front’, ibid.

  22 De Grey (GC&CS) to Hatton Hall (GC&CS), 16.06.42, ibid.

  23 Crankshaw (Moscow) to Chairman Y Committee, 29.10.42, HW 14/56.

  24 Chapter VIII, ‘The Russian Liaison’, HW 3/101.

  25 LSIB decision discussed in Rushbrooke (DNI) min., 04.03.44, ADM 1/28903.

  26 Andrew and Gordievsky, KGB, pp.247-9; Tom Bower, Obituary: John Cairncross, Independent, 10.10.95.

  27 Ibid. One of the MI5 officers searching the flat of Guy Burgess was Anthony Blunt.

  28 Denniston memo, ‘Third Mtg of Liaison Officers on 21 October’, 27.10.42, HW 14/56.

  29 Smith, Spying Game, pp.291-2

  30 Erskine, ‘Anglo-US Cryptological Cooperation’; conversation with John Croft.

  31 Budiansky, ‘Bletchley Park’, p.213.

  32 Kahn, The Reader of Gentlemen’s Mail, p.212.

  33 Johnson, American Cryptology, Vol.1, p.14.

  34 Erskine, ‘When a Purple Machine Went Missing’, pp.185-6.

  35 Budiansky, ‘Bletchley Park’, p.220

  36 Smith, The Emperor’s Codes, pp.75-7.

  37 Alvarez, ‘GC&CS and American Diplomatic Cryptanalysis’, pp.163-5.

  38 Entry for 04.06.41, Leutze (ed.) London Observer. See also JIC (41) 15th mtg (1) and Annex I and II, 06.06.41, CAB 81/88.

  39 Smith, Ultra-Magic Deals, pp.84-5.

  40 Andrew, President’s Eyes Only, p.108.

  41 WO to C. in C. Far East, 22.08.41, WO 208/2049A.

  42 Brown, ‘Intelligence and the Decision to Collect It’, pp.449-68; Croft, ‘Reminiscences’, pp.133-44. Private information.

  43 Entry for 04.06.41, Leutze (ed.), The London Observer.

  44 Budiansky, ‘Bletchley Park’, p.217.

  45 Croft, ‘Wartime at Berkeley Street’, pp.133-44.

  46 Aldrich, Intelligence and the War Against Japan, pp.82-3; Bowen, Socony Vaccum Oil, NY, to Barry, Socony Vacuum Oil, London, incepted tel., 12.04.44, U3271/ 3271/70, FO 371/40776.

  47 Erskine, ‘Churchill and the Start of the Ultra-Magic Deals’, p.59.

  48 CPB (45) 4th mtg Agenda, Item 2, Statement by Secretary, ‘Suggested approach to the USA for Complete Exchange of Information of Cypher Machine Development between UK and USA Governments’, 09.02.45, CAB 21/2522.

  49 CPB (45), 4th mtg, 21.02.45, ibid.

  50 Johnson, American Cryptology, Vol.1, p.14.

  51 Budiansky, ‘Bletchley Park’, pp.226-7.

  52 Erskine, ‘The Holden Agreement’, pp. 187-97.

  53 Budiansky, ‘Bletchley Park’, p.233.

  54 Denniston to Tiltman, ‘Notes on Diplomatic Liaison with USA’, 08.03.42, HW 14/46.

  55 Alvarez, ‘Most Helpful’, in Smith and Erskine (eds), Action this Day, pp.161-4.

  56 Ibid. pp.168-70.

  57 Cadogan (FO) to Menzies (‘C’), 03.07.44, HW37/4. See also Bissell to Menzies (‘C’), 20.05.44, ibid.

  58 Budiansky, ‘Bletchley Park’, p.234.

  59 Stevens to Tiltman, 31.07.42, HW 14/47.

  60 Aid, ‘The Russian Target’, pp.7-8.

  61 Aldrich, Hidden Hand, p.67.

  62 Johnson, American Cryptology, Vol.1, p.15; Aid, ‘The Russian Target’, p.8

  Chapter 3: Every War Must Have an End

  1 De Grey to Menzies (C), 14.09.44, HW 14/111.

  2 Travis (GCHQ) to Wenger (NSS), 05.01.46, Box 101, CNSG records, RG 38, NARA.

  3 Parrish, The Ultra Americans, pp.279-86.

  4 Ibid.

  5 Ibid.; Smith, Spying Game, pp.292-3.

  6 Whitaker and Kruh, ‘From Bletchley Park to the Berchtesgaden’, pp.129-30.

  7 Director’s Order no.61, ‘TICOM Captured Document Committee’, 15.06.45, HW 64/68. See also Aid, ‘The Russian Target’, p.17.

  8 Johnson, American Cryptology, Vol.1, p.3.

  9 West, Venona, p.33.

  10 Col Kurt Gottschling, ‘The Radio Intercept Service of the German Air Force’, Vol.2, KL13.107-191, 8-115-21 (E)K10262, CAFH.

  11 Jenkins, Life, p.57. Conversation with Roy Jenkins at the Bletchley Park conference, Christ Church College, Oxford, 2002.

  12 Chairman, LSIB to Chair ME Signals Intelligence Committee, 31.05.44, HW 41/391.

  13 Penney min. to SAC, 22.09.45, WO203/-5051; Russell, Sheridan’s Story; Donini, ‘The Cryptographic Services of the Royal (British) and Italian Navies’, pp.97-127.

  14 AFHQ to MI8 London, 10.07.45, ‘SID Cryptographic Documents’, WO 208/5073. Also AFHQ to MI8 London, ‘Diplomatic Interception in Northern Italy’, 16.05.45, and Annex, ‘SIM Success on British and US Diplo’, ibid.

  15 Churchill (PM) to Eden (SoS FO), 25.11.44, U7917/180/70, FO 371/40720; Brown, ‘Interplay of Information’; Schlesinger, ‘Cryptanalysis for Peacetime’; private information.

  16 Clark Kerr to Eden (SoS FO), 12.11.43, N6739/22/38, FO 371/36926; Thomas, ‘France in British Signals Intelligence’, pp.64-6.

  17 Good examples of intercepted high-level French traffic from their ambassadors in London, Washington and Moscow back to Paris for September 1945, together with Greek and Portuguese traffic, are at HW39/16.

  18 Johnson, American Cryptology, Vol.1, p.10.

  19 Aid, ‘The Russian Target’, p.13.

  20 Alvarez, ‘Behind Venona’, p.184.

  21 Travis (GCHQ) to Wenger, 13.08.45, HW 14/133. See also ‘Future of the French Section’, mtg 04.08.45, ibid.

  22 McKane (MI8) to DDY, ‘Italian Sigint Service’, 15.05.46, WO 208/5073.

  23 McKane (MI8) to Director LSIC (for Head of TA Group), 31.05.46, enclosing ‘Further notes on Italian Cover’, WO 208/5073; McKane to K.H. Sachse (LSIC), ‘Italian Intercept Organisation’, 04.06.46, ibid.

  24 Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, p.110.

  25 Cypher Security Committee, mins. of the 78th mtg, 12.04.44, FO 850/133.

  26 Ratcliff, Delusions of Intelligence, pp.49-51

  27 Chitty to Codrington (FO), ‘Scrutiny of Government Cypher Traffic in London’, 13.10.43, CAB 21/2522.

  28 Ibid.

  29 Bridges (Cab Sec) to Cadogan (PUS FO), 17.03.44, enclosing ‘Security of British and Allied Communications. Formation Cypher Policy Board’, 17.03.44, FO 850/133.

  30 Burton-Miller (GCHQ), 10 Chesterfield St, W1 to Hawkins (Stockholm), 04.12.50, letter in the author’s possession.

  31 Bridges (Cab Sec) to Menzies (‘C’), ‘Future Cypher Machine Development’, 14.09.44, CAB 21/2522. See also CPB (44) 3rd mtg, 05.10.44, ibid.

  32 Menzies (‘C’) to Bridges (CAB), 02.06.44, C/6658, enclosing ‘Preliminary Notes on Rockex II’, 23.05.44, CAB 21/2522.

  33 Pidgeon, The Secret Wireless War, pp.17-19.

  34 Burrows (Cairo) to Dinlop (FO), YD125/G, FO 850/46A.

  35 Davies, MI6 and the Machinery of Spying, pp.188-9.

  36 Bertrand, Enigma, p.256.

  37 Harris, ‘Foreword’ in Paterson, Voices, p.6.

  38 Hinsley, ‘The influence of Ultra in the Second World War’ in Hinsley and Stripp (eds), Code-Breakers, pp.11-12.

  39 Parrish, The Ultra Americans, pp.285-6

  40 Bennett, Behind the Battle, pp.xvi-xviii.

  41 Calvocoressi, Top Secret Ultra, p.4. See also Kahn, ‘Code-Breaking in World Wars I and II’, p.638.

  42 Paterson, Voices, p.46.

  43 The term GCHQ had been inaugurated as a cover name perhaps as early as late 1939, because of the growing volume of deliveries to the Bletchley site (see the correspondence in HW 14/3). I am indebted to the GCHQ historian for this point.

  44 Calvocoressi, Top Secret Ultra, pp.11-13.

  45 Ibid., p.15.

  46 Millward, ‘Life in and out of Hut 3’, in Hinsley and Stripp (eds), Code-Breakers, p.27.

  47 See for example Clayton, The Enemy is Listening.

  48 Grey and Sturdy, ‘The
1942 Reorganization’, pp.311-33.

  49 Bennett, Morton, p.267.

  50 Welchman, The Hut Six Story, pp.179-80.

  51 Welchman, Hinsley and Crankshaw to Travis, ‘A Note on the Future of G.C. and C.S.’, 17.09.44, HW 3/169.

  52 Ibid. On Slim’s complaints see Aldrich, Intelligence and the War Against Japan, pp.316-17.

  53 Part 1, ‘The General Problem of Intelligence and Security in Peace’ (personal for Director), Preliminary Draft, 09.44, HW 3/169.

  54 Clarke, ‘Post War Organisation’, pp.118-22

  55 Tiltman (GC&CS), ‘Note by the Chairman; Brigadier Tiltman on Mr Welchman’s Statement’, 04.10.44, HW 3/30.

  56 Bentinck, ‘The Intelligence Machine’, 10.01.45, CAB 163/6.

  57 Information kindly supplied by the GCHQ historian.

  58 Travis (D/GCHQ), ‘Post-War Sigint Organsation’, 14.09.45, HW 64/68.

  59 Winnifrith memo, ‘GC&CS – Post War Reorganisation’, 13.10.45, FO 366/1518.

  60 Travis (D/GCHQ) to Crombie (T), 19.12.45, FO 366/1518.

  61 Wilson had already realised that retention and promotion would be a problem. Keeping people in jobs where they were best suited for the period of the war was one thing, but developing the careers of such specialists over decades was another. Wilson (GCHQ) to Crombie (T), ‘Rejoinder to Treasury Counter-Proposals’, 13.11.45, FO 366/1518.

  62 Bodsworth (GCHQ) to Wenger (NSS), 09.06.46, Box 104, CNSG records, RG 38, NARA.

  63 Special Order by Sir Edward Travis, Director, GC&CS, 07.05.45, HW 3/29.

  64 Keith (Anderson) to Travis (D/GCHQ), 22.10.45, HW14/136.

  65 Director’s Order 89, ‘Eastcote’, 24.01.46, HW 14/164.

  66 There would be ninety-three technical staff, 180 in TA, 475 in Cryptographic, eighty-three in intelligence, 150 in cypher security, plus thirty-six administrative staff. Director’s Order, ‘Move of GC&CS’, 31.10.45, ibid.

  67 See for example Treasury to Wilson (GCHQ), 24.06.46, T 220/1356, TNA, which give Wilson’s address as ‘Station X’.

  68 Smith, Station X, p.177.

  69 Newman (Manchester University) to DDA (GCHQ), 12.11.45, HW 64/59.

  70 Bromley (FO), ‘Distribution of BJ’s in the Foreign Office’, 26.09.45, HW 64/80; Crawshaw to Travis, reports on distribution, 3-13.10.45, ibid.

  71 Ibid.

  Chapter 4: The KGB and the Venona Project

  1 Haynes and Klehr, Venona, pp.51-2.

  2 ‘Venona’ is the last and best-known code name for this programme, but it appears to have no meaning, and no one knows why it was chosen

  3 Andrew, Defence of the Realm, p.369

  4 Albright and Kunstel, Bombshell, pp.209-10; Andrew, Defence of the Realm, pp.367-8.

  5 Andrew, ‘The Venona Secret’, pp.209-13.

  6 Unpublished memoir, ch.12, ‘Soviet Spies and the Atomic Bomb’, George Strauss papers, STRS 1/2 CCC.

  7 West, Venona, p.15.

  8 Aid, Secret Sentry, p.5.

  9 Benson and Warner, Introductory History of Venona, pp.2-4.

  10 Aid, Secret Sentry, pp.2-3.

  11 West, Venona, p.11; Aid, ‘The Russian Target’, p.3

  12 Ibid., pp.4-5.

  13 Benson and Warner, Introductory History of Venona, xxi.

  14 Albright and Kunstel, Bombshell, pp.205-7.

  15 Haynes and Klehr, Venona, p.31.

  16 Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, p.196.

  17 Lamphere claimed that there had been some helpful ‘black bag jobs’, ibid., p.208.

  18 Meredith Gardner, undated report on the compartmentalisation of Venona, HW15/58.

  19 Ibid.

  20 Ibid.

  21 Aid, Secret Sentry, p.15; Smith, Spying Game, pp.296-7. On Coleridge, see also ‘Summary of War Diary’ G4A, April 1946, 06.05.46, Box 160, CNSG records, RG 38, NARA. I am indebted to Ralph Erskine for this document.

  22 Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, pp.197-8.

  23 Ibid.; West, Venona, p.27.

  24 Wenger (NSS) to Loehnis (GCHQ), 11.08.47, Box 103, CNSG records, RG 38, NARA.

  25 About 1,800 were in London, and the rest were at intercept stations. Wilson (GCHQ) to Pitbaldo (T), DAW/199, 25.02.48, enclosing ‘GCHQ “B” Class Officers’, T 220/1410; Wilson (GCHQ) to Peck (T), 23.11.48, ibid.

  26 DD/SP to CSS, ‘USSR (Comintern) W/T Transmissions’, 03.06.43, HW 34/23. See also Steward memo, ‘MU Case No.19 (X/285)’, 20.05.43, ibid.

  27 Wenger (NSS) to Bodsworth (GCHQ), 03.07.46, Box 101, CNSG records, RG 38, NARA. In June 1946 Bodsworth replaced Pritchard, who had left to work in the City.

  28 West, Venona, p.29.

  29 Weinstein and Vassiliev, The Haunted Wood, p.262.

  30 Andrew and Gordievsky, KGB, pp.308-9.

  31 The National Cryptological School, On Watch: Profiles from the National Security Agency’s Past 40 years, Chapter Three – ‘Treachery and Triumph: Black Friday’, pp.19-22 (FOIA).

  32 This material from RG 38 is excellently summarised in Alvarez, ‘Behind Venona’, p.180.

  33 Andrew, ‘The Venona Secret’, p.219.

  34 Borovik, Philby Files, pp.259-62.

  35 Haynes and Klehr, Venona, pp.51-2.

  36 Modin, My Five Cambridge Friends, p.185.

  37 Borovik, Philby Files, pp.259-62.

  38 Ibid.

  39 Andrew, Defence of the Realm, p.379; Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, p.202.

  40 Andrew, Defence of the Realm, p.374.

  41 ‘Development of the “G” – “Homer” [“Gomer”] Case’, 11.11.51, HW 15/58.

  42 Haynes and Klehr, Venona, p.55

  43 Entry for 08.07.47, Montgomery Diary, 180/34, IWM.

  44 Aldrich, Hidden Hand, p.110.

  45 Ibid., pp.110-11; Manne, Petrov, pp.180-1.

  46 Cain, ‘Venona in Australia’, pp.242-7; presentation by Oleg Tsarev, Oxford Conference, September 1999.

  47 Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, p.177.

  48 Andrew, ‘Australian Intelligence Community’, pp.127-9; McKnight, Australia’s Spies, pp.10-11. MI5 Report, ‘Security in the Dominions’, Appendix to JIC (48) 127 (Final) Guard, 17.12.48, L/WS/1/1074, IOLR.

  49 McKnight, Australia’s Spies, pp.19-22.

  50 Andrew, ‘The Venona Secret’, p.217; McKnight, Australia’s Spies, pp.30-1, 49-50.

  51 Cain, ‘Venona in Australia’, p.247.

  52 Hennessy, Secret State, pp.90-1.

  53 West, Venona, p.xiv.

  Chapter 5: UKUSA – Creating the Global Sigint Alliance

  1 Entry, 21.11.45, Cunningham diary, MSS 52578, BL.

  2 Wark, ‘Cryptographic Innocence’, p.659.

  3 Richard Mottram, the Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience, has declared, ‘There is no “UK/USA Treaty 1948”.’ Mottram to Professor Peter Hennessy, Queen Mary College London, 23.08.06. I am most indebted to Peter Hennessy for sight of this letter. However, most disconcertingly, Burton-Miller refers to ‘the UK-USA Comint Treaty of 1948’ in Burton-Miller (GCHQ) to Anderson (CAB), R/1712/207/4, 11.07.61, CAB 163/12. There was clearly some sort of further agreement concluded in 1948.

  4 Thorne, Allies of a Kind.

  5 Richelson, US Intelligence Community, p.269.

  6 Paige to Espe (Op.23-Y), ‘American Codes Held by Stella Polaris’, 08.05.46, Box 64, Entry 171A, RG226. See also Smith, Spying Game, pp.294-5.

  7 Ibid., p.16.

  8 Entry 21.11.45, Cunningham diary, MSS 52578, BL; Wark, ‘Cryptographic Innocence’, pp.558-9; Andrew, President’s Eyes Only, p.161.

  9 He was accompanied by Harry Hinsley, Clive Loehnis and Rear Admiral Rushbrooke, the Director of Naval Intelligence.

  10 Andrew, ‘The Making of the Anglo–American Sigint Alliance’, pp.103-6; Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, p.165.

  11 DNI to ACNS, 20.09.45, ADM 223/397.

  12 GBNIET (Sydney) to DNI, 10.11.45, ADM 223/385.

  13 DNI to NZ Navy Board, 27.11.45, ADM 223/397.

  14 C in C EIS to DNI, 13.01.46, ibid.


  15 Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, p.166.

  16 Shedden to Travis (GCHQ), 06.07.46 (Cream), ADM 223/385, TNA; Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, p.162.

  17 Poulden also headed up Australian comsec, presided over by Cypher Security Committee. See Freneton memo, ‘Cypher Security’, 06.02.48, item 1, CRS A1209, NAA.

  18 There are widely different accounts of Thompson’s start date. John Rendle, a GCHQ officer, seems to have been Acting Director in 1951, and then D.M. Moriarty by the spring of 1952. Thompson took over shortly after. See Moriarty (Acting Director DSB) to Fleming (DFA), ‘Purchase of High Frequency Direction Finders for the Technical Section, DSB’, 15.04.52, CRS A816 48/302/110, NAA.

  19 Ball and Horner, Breaking the Code, pp.167-8; Andrew, ‘Australian Intelligence Community’, pp.223-5; Blaxland, Signals Swift and Sure, p.47.

  20 Aid, Secret Sentry, p.13.

  21 Wark, ‘Cryptographic Innocence’, pp.639-65; Sawatsky, For Services Rendered, p.29. I am much indebted to the guidance of Matthew Aid on these matters.