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USCIB: 13.5/80 

24 August 1954 

8BeREi' 

M]MORANDUM FOR THE MEMBERS OF USCIB: 

Subject: Possible Compromise of CCJIINT Information. 

Reference: USCIB 13.5/66 dated 20 May 1954. 

The enclosure, which was prepared by the Chief ot the Technical 

Information Division, 'NSA, atter examination or his rather extensive 

clipping tile on this type of thing, is circulated for information 

and possible future reference, 

/ /4 ~,-- l/,;!;·~'f .. ~~--~~,e:,./ SL~ aptain, U. s.· Navy 

-~Cl.Riive Secretary, USCIB 

Fin closure 

Ana]¥sis of Compromise. 

USCIB: 13.5/80 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 02-20-2014 pursuant to E.O. 1352e 

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REF ID:A59361 

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POSSIBIE COMPRCMISE OF COUNT INFORMATION 

1. The reference paper has been examined for the purpose of ascertaining 

the accuracy of statements made by Walter B. Wager, who writes under the pen 

name of John Tiger. Data appearing both in the a.rticJ.e written by Mr. Wager 

and in his interview with a representative of the Department of Defense have 

been checked against an extensive collection of COMINT disclosures. 

2. It :l.s possible to state that Mr. Wager's article was written, as he 

remarked, "with a certain amount of liberality," mainly from newspaper clippings 

and magazine articles. The article is actually a curious rehash of information 

that has been republished frequently in open media during the past fifteen years. 

Items which could not be found. as disclosures, e.g., Russian weather codes, are 

indicated by the author to have been picked up in conversation. This is entirely 

credible. From the opening paragraph with its reference to the mysterious 

Colonel X (apparently Mr. William F. Friedman), -to the final paragraph 'dth its 

educated guess that the ''Magicians" a.re still engaged in cryptanalysis for the 

Joint Chiefs of Staff', the article runs the gamut of accuracy, distortion, and 

falsity. These characteristics are ordinarily the hallmarks of unauthorized 

CCMINT disclosures. To them has been added the ingredient of Mr. Wazer's fertile 

imagination, and the result has been, as the Executive Secretary, uscm, remarks, 

"a damaging aggregate." 

3. The principal source of material for Mr. Wager has been the article 

which appeared in Colliers of October 28, 1950. The frequently-repeated Ca.fINT 

disclosures of the past decade are here - MAGIC a.s revealed in the Pearl Harbor 

investigations, Midway, OSS agents breaking into the Japanese embassy in Lisbon, 

the shooting down of General Yamamoto' s plane, usage of the Bagelin cipher 

device, end many others. Mr. Wager states frankly that he bas access to several 

newspaper morgues, admittedly powerful sources of 1nf'ormation. 

4. It is interesting to note Mr. Wager's narrowness of thoue;ht and 

restricted research by his concentration on the Army Security Agency aa the 

Nation's chief provider of CaaNT. Ro hint appears of Air and Havy activity, 

nor ot AFSA or NS.A. 

5. The impression gained here is that Mr. Wager talked truthfully in 

his interview. His article, however, is the output of a versatile writer who 

has embellished his research data W'1 th considerable color by the free exercise 

of literary license. ,. 

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