COUNTERING THE SPIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 November 1931, Page 9

COUNTERING THE SPIES

HOW CODES WERE READ. In some ways “The American Black Chamber,” by Herbert O. Yardley is the most indiscreet book ever written (writes a contributor to the London “Daily Telegraph”). Major Yardley was the founder, executive head, and chief expert 01. the American cryptographic bureau, which came into existence during the war, chiefly in order to unravel intercepted enemy messages in code or cipher, and continued its activities after the war by “in caking” the diplomatic codes of other Governments. Two years ago a new Secretary of State decided that this work, must go on no longer, and disbanded the “Black Chamber.” And so Major Yardley, seeing no reason for holding his tongue any longer, has written this enthralling book about its activities, its discoveries, and its methods. America evidently has no counterpart to the Official Secrets Act, And so you will find in Major Yardley's pages, set down in plain print foi ill men to read, dozen's of communications which their scndeis fondly imagined were as sate and as secret as the tomb. . Of these, easily the most important are the despatches sent to and from Tckio by Japanese representatives in London and Washington, which finally led to the Armament Conference in Washington in 1921. So far as America and Japan are concerned, the most important point to be settled is the naval ratio- America suggests a 10 to 6 ratio; Japan holds out strongly for 10 to 7. Day after day ijie Japanese delegates hold to their point without o sign of weakening. But all the while Major Yardley is reading theii reports to, and instructions from, Ickio. He knows that, in spite of appearances, they are weakening. And when finally he decodes a cablegram from Tokio instructing the delegates to give way if they must,, the game is won for America. Poker, remarks Major Yardley drily, is not a very difficult game after you see your opponent’s cards. This book proves finally, what every man with a flair for cryptography knows,, that, no code or ciphe. i.-> “safe.” But the trouble is that intelligent men (including even Voltaire) who do not happen to perceive the danger gannet be persuaded that it exists-

There could hardly be a better example of the foolishness of depending on the inviolability of ciphers than the Pablow Waberski incident, to which Major Yardley devotes a chapter. Waberski, travelling in Mexico in 1918 as a Russian subject, was suspected o 9 being a German spy whose real name was Lather Witcke. When the Americans arrested him on the herder he bad on him only his Russian passport and a slip of paper containing a cipher message. Unless the cipher could bo solved, ami proved incriminating, the man would have to be released.

The cipher was solved. It yielded up its secret so easily that - Major Yardley is able to explain every step of the process in his book in such simple language that any man capable of solving a reasonably difficult cr< ssword puzzle will be able to follow his reasoning. The paper contained Waberski’s credentials as a Gciman secret agent, and he was duly hanged after trial. ‘

Peer Waberski! He was a dangerous spy-~but all the same there is something very pathetic about his death. He must have trusted so implicitly in that little piece of paper, which all the time was shrieking his guilt aloud to the first expert cryptographer who should happen to see it. Major Yardley’s book is at once a revelation and a warning. It is said to be causing an uproar in America. It may well flutter the diplomatic dovecotes in Europe. “Diplomatists,” says Major Yardley, “are almost as naive as children.” And he proves that from his particular point of view he is right.