Keith Melton and his spy museum. Continued. Beginning 4-5, 1998; № 1-2, 1999

Vadim Antoninovich Shelkov

KIT MELTON AND HIS MUSEUM OF «SPY EQUIPMENT»

(Continued. Beginning 4-5, 1998; No. 1-2, 1999)

Source: «Special Equipment» magazine

Assuming that our readers are exceptionally inquisitive people, we continue to introduce them to the fascinating book by American historian and collector Keith Melton “The Ultimate Spy Book” and the exhibits of his unusual museum.

This issue will focus on one of the most important types of special equipment: agent radio communications equipment and devices for encrypting transmitted information.

Communication in Intelligence

Methods of covert communication between intelligence officers and their “Center”, and agents and their curators”, we will call them that for the sake of clarity, and the transmission of intelligence information to them play a significant role in the entire “espionage” process. Without this, even the most daring operations to obtain other people's secrets lose all meaning.

Such hidden methods of communication must be reliable, safe, completely invisible to others and maximally protected from interception by the enemy — the counterintelligence service of the host country.

This time we will talk about special radio communication equipment used by agents of different countries and by the will of fate ended up on the shelves of the Keith Melton Museum.

Generally speaking, the methods used to ensure communications in intelligence are very diverse: first of all, radio communications, as well as secret writing and some types of special photography.

But in all types of communications, the common point is to ensure the security of the selected communication channel from possible interception.

For example, radio equipment is made as miniature as possible, and the information sent is coded or even encrypted and transmitted at high speed, so that it is difficult to intercept.

Special radio equipment for transmitting intelligence messages that appeared in the 1920s was actively used during World War II.

It was often placed inside small suitcases so that radio operators-intelligence officers working in German-occupied Europe could easily transport it without arousing suspicion among those around them.

The development of radio electronics already at that time made it possible to significantly reduce the dimensions of intelligence radio stations.

The appearance of transistors, which replaced bulky radio tubes, made it possible to further reduce their size and weight.

Most often, intelligence information was transmitted telegraphically using Morse code.

This allowed for stable communication over long distances. In addition, messages transmitted using Morse code are much easier to encrypt than speech (telephony) using so-called scrambling.

At the end of World War II, an accelerated method of transmitting information appeared, when the entire message was literally shot into the air in a matter of seconds.

This direction was particularly developed during the Cold War, since the shorter the radio communication session, the less likely it is that the radio transmitter will be detected by the radio counterintelligence service.

“Radio in a suitcase”

The original principle of hidden storage and transportation of a spy radio transmitter in an ordinary suitcase was first proposed by French and German specialists in the late 1930s.

This approach was soon appreciated and adopted by the intelligence services of other countries.

«Radio in a suitcase» was widely used during the Second World War.

The first models were not particularly effective, were bulky and clumsy, but over time their design was significantly improved.

Particular attention was paid to ensuring that the appearance of the suitcases did not differ from those used in the country where the agent was staying.

For example, the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the CIA, used suitcases obtained from refugees from Europe who arrived in New York during the war to house spy radio transmitters.

After the war, thanks to the efforts of designers, the dimensions of spy radio equipment were significantly reduced, and now it could easily fit into elegant, fashionable attaché cases.

“Radio in a suitcase” B Mk II

A radio transmitter of this type was used during the Second World War by agents of the SOE, the British Special Operations Executive.

It was developed by John Brown in 1942 and was initially intended to transmit messages over a distance of up to 800 km.

However, in practice, under favorable conditions, this distance was almost doubled.

Technical characteristics of the B Mk II:

John Brown — inventor of the «Radio in a suitcase»

In 1941, John Brown (1917 — 1993), a British Army signal officer, was sent to a secret research unit, where he developed special radio equipment for the SOE.

D. Brown designed the so-called «biscuit tin» transmitter and the «suitcase radio» B Mk II.

Both of these devices were actively used during the war, but it was the A Mk III, created by D. Brown in 1943 using American miniature radio components, that became the best Allied intelligence radio transmitter during the war.

«Suitcase Radio» AMk III

Radio transmitters of this type were significantly smaller in size and lighter than previous models. For this reason, the Mk III transmitter was very popular with SOE radio operators.

Lighter than its predecessor by 9 kg, it had the same range.

“Radio in a suitcase” SSTR-1

This transceiver (i.e. transceiver) was standard equipment for OSS agents. The radio transmitter, receiver and power source were hidden in separate boxes.

One of the types of transceiver camouflage in a household suitcase is shown in the illustration.

Technical characteristics of the SSTR-1:

The compact radio transmitter shown in the illustration, developed in the 1920s, was used by French intelligence during World War II to covertly monitor German communications channels for British intelligence.

SOE Radio Service

British intelligence agents transmitted their messages from German-occupied Europe using the radio equipment shown on these pages.

The signals were received by stationary radio centers located throughout Great Britain.

The operators of such reception centers were trained from among the nurses of the Voluntary Organization of Sisters of Mercy — FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry).

To exclude repetition of radio sessions, all received messages were recorded by sound recording equipment.

This reduced the likelihood of their interception by German radio counterintelligence, which had special vehicles with direction finders.

A special analytical service was also created within the SOE to determine and identify the “handwriting” of a radio operator working in Morse code.

This system helped to identify operational “radio games” inspired by German counterintelligence on radio equipment seized during the arrest of agents.

Radio in an attaché case.

The 1950s radio transmitter shown in the illustration was camouflaged in a standard attaché case. It could transmit messages up to 480 km using a short indoor antenna. When using a long outdoor antenna, the range increased to 4800 km when operating in telegraph mode.

These transmitters were used in the 60s by the CIA to communicate with American agents embedded in Cuba to carry out subversive operations against Fidel Castro.

Technical characteristics of the transmitter in the attaché case:

Agent radio transmitters

Intelligence officers often used special portable radio transmitters to conduct quick communication sessions with their “Center”.

Such equipment could also be used by agents to transmit emergency information to their handlers in case of emergency.

They were powerful enough to communicate over a considerable distance and at the same time quite compact for convenient hidden storage and transportation.

During the Second World War, agent radio transmitters were often made in the form of two or three separate units.

With the development of the element base, agent radio equipment significantly decreased in size.

Agent radio transmitter SE 100/11.

This powerful radio transmitter was used during the war by agents of the German military intelligence Abwehr.

Like other devices of that time, it was divided into three modules: a transmitter, a receiver and a power source.

The modular design made it easy to store it covertly, and if necessary, it could be fired up in a matter of minutes.

A Soviet-made agent radio transmitter.

The kit shown in the illustration was used by KGB agents in Western Europe and East Asia in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The equipment allowed for the transmission and reception of messages over long distances in telegraph mode.

Such a kit was discovered in Japan in the late 1950s.

Radio communication with the French Resistance movement in the occupied territory during the war

During World War II, French Resistance groups actively used radio communications to receive coded messages from England.

In addition to wartime news, BBC radio stations also transmitted secret messages on behalf of the SOE.

Understanding the importance of such radio communications for the French partisans, the fascist occupation authorities confiscated all shortwave radios from the population.

The problem that arose was solved by the already known to us John Brown: he created a miniature communication receiver Mk 1 (MCR-1).

Resistance fighters usually hid it in biscuit tins — that's where it got its second name.

During the war, thousands of such receivers were sent to French territory to provide communication with SOE agents and the Resistance movement.

DELCO 5300 radio transmitter

This transmitter was used by CIA agents in the 60s and 70s and was a powerful and advanced device for its time.

It allowed operation in both telegraph and telephone modes.

For greater secrecy of communication sessions, reception and transmission were carried out on different frequencies.

The equipment could include a special GRA-71 encoding device for transmitting messages in an accelerated mode.

If necessary, the agent could transmit messages at a reduced volume level, using the “whisper switch”.

A special device with the exotic name “Dead-Man Switch”, which literally means “dead man’s switch”, allowed the transmitter’s critical components to be disabled in case of danger.

This eliminated the possibility of the enemy conducting operational radio games in the event of the transmitter being seized during the agent’s arrest.

Delco 5300 Specifications

Special types of communication

Since personal meetings with an agent are understandably extremely dangerous, various communication devices were developed to enable handlers to communicate with their agents.

So-called short-range agent radio communication (SRAC) equipment was used to establish contact over a relatively short distance.

For long-distance communication, shortwave equipment was used, which allowed messages to be transmitted in Morse code at high speed using special encoding devices.

In this case, the information was “shot” into the air in a compressed form, thus significantly reducing the likelihood of interception.

Special radio equipment was issued for “canned” agents, sleepers” — literally translated, “sleeping agents who lived in the country for a long time like ordinary citizens, without arousing any suspicion.

Such transmitters were pre-tuned to pre-determined frequencies, and the time of communication sessions was determined in advance.

A radio transmitter with a compressor, a device for accelerated transmission of information.

Such equipment was used by SAS agents — the intelligence service of the British Air Force. It consisted of a radio transmitter and a GRA-71 compressor, which «compressed» a telegraph message, turning it into a short radio signal.

This significantly reduced the likelihood of detection and direction finding by the enemy.

Soviet films for transmitting compressed radio messages.

After World War II, KGB specialists developed original equipment for transmitting messages in “compressed form” from agents to the Center.

For these purposes, ordinary 35-mm photographic film was used, in which holes were punched in a certain sequence. Magnetic tape in audio cassettes could also be used for this.

The advantages of this method of preparing messages for radio transmission include the availability of the carrier — photographic film or magnetic tape in standard cassettes. In addition, such a carrier did not arouse suspicion upon cursory inspection.

FE10 agent receiver.

This compact German-made receiver was used by “canned” agents in the 80s.

The kit included a reference table indicating the agent's call sign, a schedule of sessions, and instructions for decoding received messages.

The receiver was powered by a 9-volt battery (similar to the domestic «Krona»).

The receiver allowed the agent to tune to different frequencies using various quartz resonators, which were inserted into the corresponding connector on the device panel.

Infrared optical communication line.

This German-made device from the 1960s allowed voice messages to be transmitted and received at a distance of up to 3 km using an infrared beam invisible to the naked eye.

The device could be used both day and night, but rain and fog significantly reduced its effectiveness.

Unlike active infrared night vision systems, such a communication line is extremely difficult to detect and intercept the transmitted message.

This type of communication is especially convenient in urban conditions, providing covert negotiations between the agent and his handler.

The only requirement is the presence of direct visibility for the unimpeded passage of the infrared light beam between the subscriber and the correspondent.

Transceiver in a table lamp.

The table lamp shown in the illustration was a common piece of furniture in American hotel rooms in the 1960s.

Such lamps were used by American specialists to camouflage agent radio stations, with both the receiver and transmitter built into the base of the lamp.

In some cases, such equipment was used as a listening device with the transmission of information via radio.

Encryption devices.

Encryption devices allow information transmitted via radio to be protected from being read by third parties, and above all, by the enemy's special services. In general, the letters and numbers of the message are replaced by other symbols, making it completely incomprehensible.

The simplest ciphers used for centuries used a scheme of direct substitution of one letter for another, each time with the same one.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a large number of all kinds of electromechanical encryption devices were developed.

For example, in the 1920s, French and American cryptographers developed encryption machines based on a more complex algorithm in which certain letters of the text were successively replaced by certain symbols, each time with different ones.

The new encryption methods seemed so reliable that it seemed that the enemy would not be able to decipher them.

However, many of the ciphers used at that time were already broken during the Second World War thanks to the talent of cryptographers and the use of electronic computers that had appeared by that time.

The KRYHA encryption machine.

The KRYHA mechanical encryption device, created in 1924, was actively used by German diplomats during World War II, who were unaware that this cipher had been broken by the Americans.

A special encryption disk was driven by a spring motor.

The M-94 encryption device.

The M-94 mechanical device was used in the American army from 1924 to 1943.

It was based on the principle of operation of an 18th-century encryption device consisting of several rotating disks with letters and numbers engraved around their circumference.

Bolton's encryption wheel.

This device was based on the encryption disk of Leon Battista Alberti, an Italian scientist and cryptographer of the 15th century.

This device was a typical late 19th century design and simply replaced one letter with another.

Hebern Cipher Machine

Edward Hebern (1869 — 1952) was an American self-taught inventor (photo p. 120).

From 1909 onwards, he developed a series of electromechanical cipher machines with rotating disks.

Hebern's cipher machines were designed to protect secret correspondence between different companies from possible interception by competitors.

In 1915, E. Hebern proposed a design of two typewriters connected by wires to a central disk.

For its time, this was a very original solution. It was later used by the Japanese to create cipher machines to protect diplomatic correspondence.

At first, the US Navy leadership paid great attention to the achievements of E. Hebern, however, during the testing of the resistance of the proposed cipher, the outstanding American cryptographer William Friedman (1891 — 1969) managed to “crack” it.

But the tireless Edward developed a new machine Mark II (SIGABA), which turned out to be the most reliable American encryption system during the Second World War.

Cipher machine Converter M-209

In 1934, on assignment from the French secret services, Swedish cryptographer Boris Hagelin (1892-1983) developed an original encryption machine.

On its basis, he managed to create the famous Converter M-209.

This encryption machine, released in a series of more than 140 thousand copies, was used by the American army during World War II.

It was a portable device with a set of special rotors for encryption and decryption of secret messages.

The message encrypted with the M-209 was printed on paper tape in the form of five-digit groups.

It was then transmitted by radio and decrypted at the receiving end using another similar machine.

CD-57 encryption device

Developed by B. Hagelin for the French secret police. It was so miniature that it fit easily in a pocket and was operated with one thumb, leaving the other hand free to write down messages.

Enigma encryption machine

The basis of the strategy of Nazi Germany in World War II was the stake on surprise and high mobility of all types of armed forces during military operations.

Of course, this is only possible with reliable, high-speed communication channels that are well protected from enemy interception.

The first version of the Enigma encryption machine was designed to protect commercial secrets from industrial espionage. Then models appeared for use in the army, security services, and intelligence. Enigma was constantly being modernized during the war.

It was only in 1943 that the cipher used in it was cracked using electronic computing technology.

According to historians, this fact played a decisive role in the victory of the Allies over the Nazis in World War II.

Created in 1923, Enigma was an electromechanical device for encryption and decryption of text information.

Each letter of the message was encrypted independently using a whole set of mechanical rotors and electrical connectors.

The Geheimschreiber encryption machine

The electromechanical device with such a jaw-dropping name, which in German means simply “someone writing something secret,” had 10 or even 12 cipher wheels-rotors.

For obvious reasons, “cracking” the Geheimshreiber’a cipher was extremely difficult.

This cipher machine was very cumbersome and was installed only in the main German communication centers in the territories controlled by the German authorities.

Breaking Other People's Codes and Ciphers

During the Second World War, the military, diplomats, and intelligence officers all relied on the reliability of encryption machines, trusting them with their secrets.

However, many messages encrypted on the German Enigma encryption machine and the Japanese 97-type alphabetic typewriter were broken by British and American cryptographers working in special counterintelligence units.

The “Purple” encryption machine.

This Japanese encryption device connected two electric typewriters using two special switching devices.

While the original text was being typed on the first typewriter, the encrypted message appeared on the second.

“Purple Code”

In 1939, the Japanese began using a new cipher machine, the Type 97, to transmit diplomatic correspondence.

In the United States, it received the romantic code name «Purple».

The Type 97 was an upgrade of the previous model, the so-called «Red» machine.

By that time, the Americans had already cracked its code, and specialists from the relevant radio counterintelligence unit began work on deciphering the new code. William Friedman (1891-1969) played a leading role in this work.

An emigrant from the Soviet Union, by this time he was already the author of several original works, which outlined the basic principles of modern cryptography (photo p. 36).

His wife Elizabeth was also a cryptographer, and they sometimes worked together.

After the war, Friedman's successful work led to the creation of the National Security Agency in the United States, which to this day is responsible for the security of government communication channels, encryption of its own and decryption of other people's messages.

But that happened back in 1952, and in the meantime the Americans continued to intercept messages encrypted with the “Purple” and “Red” codes.

This was the only information that could help create their own analogue of the “Purple Machine.”

The breakthrough came when cryptographers tried to use the step searchers used in telephony. By a happy coincidence, they worked based on the same principle as the switches of the “Purple Machine.”

By the end of 1940, W. Friedman and his team from the Naval Counterintelligence Service were able to create their own version of the «Purple» machine.

It proved so effective that the text of the official declaration of war by Japan, sent to its embassy in Washington the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor (so that the embassy cryptographers had time to decrypt and print the message), ended up on the desk of American intelligence even before the official delivery of the text by the Japanese.

Breaking the Enigma cipher

In 1939, the British began work on breaking the code of the German Enigma encryption machine.

For this purpose, not far from London in the town of Bletchley Park, a “cipher school” (Code and Cipher School at Bletchly Park) was organized — a research unit where mathematicians, linguists and other specialists in the field of cryptography were trained to decipher the Enigma codes, and then other codes.

Scientists faced two difficult problems: uncovering the initial setting of the encryption elements, made at the beginning of each working day, and the design differences of the Enigma encryption machines used in various German departments.

Before the war, Polish cryptographers managed to decipher some messages made with Enigma.

But, alas, the Germans were constantly improving their encryption technology, making Enigma more and more complex.

And although the British managed to develop the achievement of the Poles, at first they were somewhat behind the process of modernization of Enigma.

Finally, the young and very talented mathematician Alan Turing (1912 — 1954) managed to design a special relay circuit that significantly accelerated the decryption process (photo p. 37).

Already at the age of 24, he outlined in his work some of the operating principles of modern computers.

Working at Bletchley Park, he became seriously interested in using the first electronic computers that appeared then to break codes.

It was with their help that it was possible to crack the code of even such a complex encryption machine as the German “Geheimschreiber”.

During the work on breaking the codes, English cryptographers carried out a huge amount of analytical work. Based on guesses and assumptions, building all sorts of hypotheses, experimenting a lot, they tried to recognize the initial settings of German cipher machines by the structure of letter combinations in encrypted messages.

For example, mathematician Gordon Welchman developed a kind of network analysis that helped track which enemy organizations encrypted messages came from.

This made it possible to identify the Enigma model used for encryption and save a lot of time when cracking its cipher.

It should be noted that the messages of the German navy were deciphered by the British throughout 1941-45, mainly thanks to captured samples of cipher machines and documents containing important information about their operation.