RAILWAY SECRETS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21850, 22 October 1945, Page 4

RAILWAY SECRETS

PRESIDENT’S CARRIAGE

COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

RADIO TELETYPE SERVICE (Noon) WASHINGTON, Oct. 21. The world's most secret railway car — President Roosevelt ran the larger part of the Un.tcd States share in the war through its equipment—gave up its secrets when reporters inspected car No. 1410, which is now used by President Truman. The President, from the carriage while it is in motion, can, first, telephone any house or radio-telephone-equipped vehicle in the United States; secondly, carry on a radio teletype conversation in a virtually unbreakable' code throughout the world at 100 words a minute; thirdly, sqnd or receive a message from ships at sea; fourthly, send or receive telegraph code messages.

The newest communications device is the radio teletype operator. It punches out a message on an ordinary keyboard similar to a typewriter. The message progresses through the transmitter into a “scrambler which puts it into a code that is difficult to translate because it lacks uniformity. The resulting jargon enters the "de-scrambler” at the point of receipt, passes into the receiver, and appears readable on a teletj'pc receiver.