Читать книгу The Secrets of Spies - Weldon Owen - Страница 36

QUICKTIME CODEBREAKING

Of all the black chambers in Europe, arguably the most

efficient was the Austrian Geheime Kabinets-Kanzlei

(Cabinet Office of Secrets), based in Vienna. During the

middle of the eighteenth century, it came under the

direction of Baron Ignaz von Koch, who insisted that

all intercepted letters should be returned to the postal

system with sufficient speed to prevent recipients from

suspecting any interception had taken place. When

the post arrived at 7 a.m., specialists melted the seals

before a team of stenographers began copying relevant

sections of the text. Up to four people might be

working on one letter at a time. Once copied, the letter

would be resealed and returned to the central post

office by 10 a.m., ready for normal delivery. Translators

and codebreakers would examine the copied letters,

sometimes working around the clock to deliver fresh

intelligence to the Austrian foreign ministry.

WAR OF THE CODES

37

A FAMILY AFFAIR

In 1716, Edward Willes assumed the

position of Britain’s royal decipherer and

immediately proved himself by breaking

coded correspondence between Jacobites

(supporters of the deposed James II) and

Sweden, a potential ally. Willes went on to

break diplomatic codes from France, Austria,

Prussia, and Spain—successes that brought

substantial financial reward and the formation

of the official Deciphering Branch. To assist him

in his work, he enlisted the help of his three

sons, and when he died in 1773, the youngest,

Francis, took over the “family business.”

Although Francis lacked his father’s ability, he

maintained his position until his death in 1827.

His nephew William Lovell took over the job

prior to the dissolution of the Deciphering

Branch in 1844.

Above: A woman carefully reseals a letter

at the Geheime Kabinets-Kanzlei.