[shakespear1]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'Crypto AG was founded in 1952 by the legendary (Russian born) Swedish cryptographer Boris Hagelin. During World War II, Hagelin sold 140,000 of his machine to the US Army.')

Anyone that trusted a company with this pedigree deserves the mess they got into. I suspect KGB was reading the messages without effort also

And then there is THIS !!!!

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'A book published in 1977 by Ronald Clark (The Man Who Broke Purple: The Life of Colonel William F. Friedman) revealed that William F. Friedman, another Russian-born genius in the field of cryptography (he deciphered the Japanese code in World War II) and onetime special assistant to the NSA director, had visited Boris Hagelin in 1957.')

Ohh, now things are very stupid. Another Russian in the mix

I do not have anything against Russians, but if the word cryptograph+born in Russia come together that for me would be a BIG RED FLAG. I realize some of the worst KNOWN spies in the US were Americans, but this is just looking for trouble in my opinion.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
After the USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian Airbus over the Persian Gulf on July 3, 1988, "Iran vowed that the skies would rain with American blood." A few months later, on Dec. 21, a terrorist bomb brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Once more, NSA intercepted and decoded a communication of Iranian Interior Minister Ali Akbar Mohtashemi linking Iran to the bombing of Pan Am 103.')

So this would imply that US gov. could have told its people to avoid the PAN AM flight which was alleged !!!Holy shi*t, what a can of worms. Scary stuff.

[Schadenfreude]

Billp, I've always thought you were the only truly (harmlessly) insane member of PeakOil.com.

I realize that some people consider Raphael or even the entire 911 Truth crowd as utterly lunatic. However, you seem like the real deal to me.

Is this true?

And WTF does "Machine Programming For The IBM 360" have to do with anything?

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Schadenfreude', 'A')nd WTF does "Machine Programming For The IBM 360" have to do with anything?

[shakespear1]

Thanks Bill for reminding us how the great game of spying is played. It is this information that makes one wonder what is KNOWN and NOT KNOWN by various actors on the World Stage.

I am of the opinion that if we have whiff of something, then they got the whole enchilada. So Peak Oil has been known a long time ago. Just an opinion.

As for comparing you to others I chose Billy the Kid.

[seahorse]

I too get tired of Payne's linking return envelopes on all kinds of threads here and have complained about him doing that, to him, in the past.

I read through his links, and all it shows is a guy that sued a former employer back in the 90s. He lost, and then, when he tries to void that judgment a few years ago, the Court ultimately sanctions him for filing frivolous pleadings. The court's fine was fairly lenient on him.

Now, we can all see the Court's frustration, as he is doing the same thing here, "filing" nonsensical posts and documents.

[shakespear1]

If one gets to the Crypto AG story, it has to be admitted that this is hell of a brilliant sting on a world scale

I still find it hard to believe that someone would be naive enough to secure their most delicate communication using equipment made by some foreigners !!!!! Stupidddddddd.

The Boys/Girls are on the ball at the NSA !!!

This article is an eye opener

Cryptogate

as it implies that the ears are everywhere

[PeakingAroundtheCorner]

I found out early on in my membership hear that anytime I see a post or link from billp it's not going to have ANYTHING AT ALL to do with the post.

A poster says "I don't think Iran is developing nuclear weapons" and billp posts a link titled "Are you sure?" that leads to one of his stupid webpages talking about some obscure bullshit that has noting to do with anything.

And yet, it continues. So, I'm going to start posting links to my own webistes. At least my stuff won't be incoherent.


PS: Also, what's up with the fake letterhead in the OP. Looks like a blog background image of an unfolded letter. Look at the "creases". Look at the copy in bill's address superimposed of the crease with nary a distortion form the physical properpties of folded paper. What a sham and what a maroon. That's not a question, it's a statement.

[gg3]

Re. Crypto AG (formerly Hagelin Cryptos) and Boris Hagelin:

Hagelin designed, among other things, the M-209 Converter that was used by the US Army in WW2, also known as the SIGABA machine. This was at the time state-of-the-art tactical-grade crypto, using a rotor system similar to that found in the German Enigma machine.

The M-209 was cryptologically compatible (interoperable) with a number of other Hagelin units at the time, including a clever little hand-held unit with two alphabetical disks resembling those found on an oldschool label-maker.

There is not now, and has never been, any credible assertion that Boris Hagelin or the company he started, have in any way acted against the interests of the US.

Shakespear1, you are totally on the wrong track with that. And don't forget where Igor Sikorsky came from either. (Hint: he is another Russian who came here rather than live under Stalin, and then he invented the helicopter and founded the company that bears his name. At one time Sikorsky produced the largest helicopter in existence, the "Skycrane," that can carry main battle tanks and similarly heavy loads long distances.)

In fact, after WW2, much of the old Hagelin equipment was turned over to various allies of the US for their own use at embassies to secure their diplomatic comms with their home countries. Of course NSA's predecessor organization, the Army Security Agency, had already done a good job with a general cryptanalysis of that unit, from which specific keys could be derived with relative ease.

In other words, those Hagelin machines, after WW2, provided our allies with the means to secure their communications from each other, but not from us. We presumably read every word.

All of the above is in the unclassified public literature on these subjects.

As for BillP's fight with various agencies, I have no comment. Too much "he said / she said" going on.

As for whether BillP is insane or only as crazy as the rest of us here, look up "geek syndrome," it is quite common among geniuses of the sort who are highly specialized in arcane fields such as cryptology, and come to your own conclusions. I have no opinion on that either.

I can understand the issues around choices of crypto algorithms for various NSA "products." Institutional inertia, subjective factors on the part of individuals who are emotionally committed to "their" algorithms or hardware, and the legitimate issue of cryptological compatibility with other systems, all play a part.

Personally, if it was me, I would tend to trust the judgement of others on those issues and assume they had access to other SCI "compartments" that had influence on the decisions. Unless I had hardcore mathematical proof of the weakness of a system that was about to go into a critical mission. And in the latter case I would contact the Senate and House Intelligence Committee chairs and try to testify under oath behind closed doors.

But I'll tell you this. If you had even the slightest clue as to the crazy shit that went on in the early days of the IED issue in Iraq, you would either decide that BillP is picking nits by comparison, or you would decide that his case is no big deal because that stuff is rampant. No doubt others can fill in similar examples from their own experience.