REF ID:A517032 

TOP. SE6RET 

USCIB: 14/58 

20 July 1949 

MEMORANDUM FOR MEMBERS OF USCIB: 

Subject: 

Enclosure: 

Proposed Measures for Improving the Cipher 

Security of western Union Communications. 

(A) USCIB SECCOM Special Report No. 7-49. 

(B) Chairman, LSIB Memorandwn dated 

JO June 1949, SB/578. 

1. At the request of the Chairman, USCIB, the 

memorandwn from the Chairman, LSIB, ''Western Union Organization, Security of Comm:unications" (Enclosure (B)) was 

referred to the Security Committee for study. The 

recommendations of that Committee with respect to the LSIB 

proposals are forwarded herewith as SECCOM Special Report 

No. 7-49 {Enclosure (A)). This report will be cons:idered 

um.er Item 2 of the agenda for the Forty-third meeting of 

the Board. 

USCIB: 14/58 

TOR SE8RET. 

/s/P. J. Karl 

for H. D. JONES 

P. J. KARL 

Secretariat, USCIB. 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 03-12-2014 pursuantto E .0. 1352f3 
i10P SB0R:E'f 

REF ID:A517032 

TOP SfCRft 

USCIB SECURITY COMMITTEE 

SPECIAL REPORT NO. 7-49. 

(tO USCIB direct) 

con 

20· July 1949 

REPORT ON PROPOSED MEASURES FOR IMPROVING THE CIPHER 

SECURITY OF WESf@.N UNION COMMUNICATIONS 

THE PIDBLEM 

1. To study the memorandum of 30 June from the Chairman, LSIB, to 

the Chairman, USCIB, an:i to make recommen:iations thereon to USCIB. 

FACTS BEARING ON 'lliE PROBLTM 

2. USCIB: 14/57 of 18 July 1949 conveys this problem to the 

Conmrl.ttee. 

CONCLUSIONS AND RECDMMENDATIONS 

J. The Conunittee presents the enclosed draft of a memoranium from 

the Chairman, USCIB, to the Chairman, LSIB, and recoDDJlerda that this 

memorandum be transmitted in reply to LSIB' s memoranium of JO June. All 

pertinent considerations and arguments, as the Committee developed them 

during its study of the problem, are set forth or implied in this draf't. 

COORDINATION 

4. No coordination of' this matter with other Committees or 

authorities has been deemed necessary. 

Enclosure: Proposed memorandum for the 

Chairman, LSIB, from the 

Chairman, USCIB • 

SECCOM draft, 19 July 1949. 

SECCOM Item No. 54 tQP. SEGREl. 

/s/E.S.L. GOODWIN 

E.S.L. GOODWIN 

Captain, u. s. Navy 

Chairman, SECCOM. 
EO 3.3(h)(2) 

REF ID:A517032 

TBR sEeREI 

SECCOM drJfrt 

!9 JUly 19 9 

Memorandum for the Chairman, LSIB • 

Subject: 

Reference: 

Cipher security for Western Union coIIDllunications. 

Memorandum o'f 30 June 1949 from the Chairman, 

LSIB, to the Chairman, USCIB, with enclosure 

(memorandum will hereinafter be referred to as 

PL 86-36/50 USC 3605 "the Chairman• s memorandum" and enclosure as 

"the Chairman• s enclosure".) 

1. The refero:.J.Cl;J Yi.as been read with interest. It 

obviously represents the climax of a most involved and difficult stmy, arrl the solution which it presents is patently a 

compromise among violently antagonistic viewpoints. 

2. USCIB, acting within the limits of its charter, 

must be governed in this principally by considerations of the 

affects of the alternatives on U.S. Communications Intelligence. 

From this narrow standpoint, any basic improvement of Western I Union cornmunic a ti on seCuri t:r WITl be detrimental, ei tiler through I 

consciousness arrl knowledge. In this latter connection USCIB 

notes that any improvement of the cipher security of Western 

Union nations may eventually involve an extension to that of 

Atlantic Pact nations. USCIB, therefore, while fully concurring 

in the a'(!guments presented in paragraph 7. of the Chainnanis 

memorandum, an::l. while recognizing the possibility that considerations of security may override those of intelligence, is constrained to express only quali.fied approval of the proposed 

course of acti.on, subject to certain reservations, hereinafter 

presented. 

3. USCIB considers that the proposal of the reference 

is completely_ acceptable as a basis for planning for the situati.on contemplated in paragraphs 6 and 1 of the Chairman's 

enclosure (that is, the si tuati.on attendant upon a state of war 

or conditions approaching a state of war). USCIB, however, 

considers that there should be no immediate implementation of 

-1- 'POP SBORi!'l'f 

Enclosure with USCIB SECCOM Special Report No. 7-49. 

JOP. SEERET 

con 
Subject: 

--- -- -

REF ID:A517032 

TOP. SECRET SECCOM draft 

19 July 1949 

Cipher security for Western Union conununications. 

the plan except such minimum measures as may be necessary to 

pennit LSIB to insure the adoption of its proposal, the maxi.mum 

such, from the USCIB standpoint, being as follows: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

Present the Typex Mark II to the Western Union 

nations as the proposed combined cipher machine 

for future emergency. 

Do not deliver copies of the Typex Mark II to any 

other nation, but inform the Western Union nations 

that Typex Mark II will be demonstrated, in London, 

to any cryptanalys ts and cryptographers lllom they 

choose to send to London for a thorough and unlimited study of the machine, the proposed method 

of its use, and the details of its routine operation. 

Contingent on the other w.u. nations' acceptance 

of the proposal, accumulate, i~ the reserve 

of machines, instructions, apj k"e'y"J1sts required 

for the condition contemplated in paragraphs 6 a?Xl 

7 of the Chairman's enclosure, a.Di give to appropriate representatives of the w.u. na ti.ens full 

knowledge of and access to this accumulation. 

4. In presenting the foregoing, USCIB recognizes 1hat 

the course of action which it recommends fails to take account 

of the requirements expressed in paragraph 1 of the Chairman's 

memorandum and the first sentence of paragraph 8 of the Chairman• s enclosure (that is, the immediate need for cipher security 

for the rapid exchange/of w.u. conmunications among the W.U. 

capitals and high command). USCIB reconunends,, therefore, that 

this requiremen·t· be met by the proposal.~ \ presented informally by signal by theL.r==_ _________ __,_ 

Officer as a result of his membership in an ad hoc committee of 

• USCIB which. met on 26 August, 1948. This proposal, for official 

record, is reiterated below: 

I ___ ____ 

the use of this system be confined to common 

EO 3.3(h)(2) 

PL 86-36/50 USC 3605 

-2-

JO! SEBRtl 
Subject: 

REF ID:A517032 

TOP. SEERH SECCOM draft 

19 July 1949 

Cipher security for Western Union comm.unic a t:i.ons. 

cryptocenters at critical locations, the 

centers to be manned by personnel of any 

Western Union nations; that agreement of the 

Western Union nations be obtained to pass 

critical infonnation only between points 

served by these cryptocenters; that all 

powers reserve the right to cryptogra.ph such 

messages in their own systems prior to deli vecy 

to the common cryptocenter. 

That the comm.on means of super-encipherment 

preferably consist of a one-ti.me tape system 

capable of the most rapid handling of traffic. 

5. USCIB recognizes, further, that its present recommendations do not meet the needs implied in paragraph 4, the 

second sentence of paragraph B, am the second point in paragraph 

10 of the Chairman's enclosure, but is constrained to state that 

these considerations are beyond its cognizance. USCIB hopes, 

however, that the proposals described in paragraph 3 of the 

Chaim.an' s memorandum ( •Nhich would terri to be more detrimental 

to USCIB' s narrow interests than any of the more likely developments fro11 LSIB' s proposal) can be forestalled by action which 

will be in accoro both with LSIB' s proposals and its own demurs, 

arri requests that it be kept informed of pertinent developments. 

Chairman USCIB 

TOP SECRET. 

con