gnu@toad.com (John Gilmore) (05/05/89)
From: gnu@toad.com (John Gilmore)
This book is part of a series from the Office of Air Force History.
It is mostly an interview with Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, Jr.
about his role in World War II.
Powell worked in intelligence in the Army Air Force in North Africa and
then in the US Strategic Air Forces Headquarters in Europe. He
received ULTRA information and briefed the American commanders on it.
ULTRA was information derived from decoding German transmissions, which
were encoded in the Enigma cipher, and then merged with other
information at Bletchley Park, England. Special care had to be taken
to never reveal information that only Enigma decryptions could have
provided, so the Germans would not suspect that it had been
compromised. Instead, it was used to guide other sources of
information (e.g. telling photo-reconnaisance planes what general
area to look in) so that if the Germans investigated, they would always
find another way for the Allies to have received the information. A
very small number of people actually received ULTRA information
directly; they guided others in gathering information from other
sources and in downplaying information that ULTRA contradicted. In
fact, the ULTRA secret was kept until 1967, and only commonly known
after 1974. Its revelation caused much re-examination of WWII history
as books were written and papers about it were gradually declassified
(some were still classified in 1987 when the book was written -- and
probably still are today).
The book focuses very little on the cryptanalysis involved, though
Powell describes the setup at Bletchley Park, which he visited for
training; its focus is how the information was disseminated through the
military, how it was used, and what effect it had on the war. The book
is noteworthy for its many detailed footnotes cross-referencing to
other sources of information, particularly in the National Archives
"Records Group 457" NSA/CSS records, and to many histories of the
war. Justice Powell also reminisces about many of the people involved
in providing and using the ULTRA information, and biographies of these
people have been added in footnotes.
Curiously enough, most of the intelligence corps was recruited from
civilian lawyers; it was said that "Special Branch was the best law
firm in Washington". I cynically wonder if today's intelligence corps
disregard for the law comes from being originally staffed with lawyers.
ULTRA and the Army Air Forces in World War II, Lewis F. Powell Jr,
Diane T. Putney, Ed., Office of Air Force History, USAF, Washington,
DC. (Part of the USAF Warrior Studies series.) SuDocs #D 301.96:UL8.
For sale by the US Government Printing Office, order # 008-070-00600-6,
$8.
--
John Gilmore {sun,pacbell,uunet,pyramid,amdahl}!hoptoad!gnu gnu@toad.com
"And if there's danger don't you try to overlook it,
Because you knew the job was dangerous when you took it"