REF ID:A38515 

SECTlON ~ \ 

Revolutionary War Period - Systems used by America.n<J and by British; 

Americans: British. 

II: llJ,. ... ~ 

a Simple monoalphabetic aubstitution 

b Monoa.lpha.betic vith vari.&nts by use 

of long key sentence ala. Fra.nk.l1n 

c Vigenere with re:peat1l'l8 key. 

Codes 

a. Dictionaries. 

b. Keybock using words 

c. Syllabaries. 

a. Monoa.lpbabetic substitution. 

b. Vigenere with repeating key. 

c. Grilles 

a.. Dictionaries 

l. Entick'a 

2. Bai1ey's 

b. Small alphabetic l-part codes 

ot 6~g-70~ items and code names 

a Ord1ll8.l."y book such as :Bl.ackstone 

f}. Secret inks .... M t."ic.. page, line 1 no at words in 11ne • 

e'\/o.A·~~~ ""...c...t-~~ b Grilles')--- ,.,. 

~ t-c'.1..-. 

In addition, code or conventional vords used to represent na.me"'-of persons and 

" " "",I 

('; l --~ ~~ .... t(!.~ American Generals -AApoet:res Washington = James. 

Sullivan = Matthew. 

- ~ Philadelphia. 

Detroit 

Del.awe.re 

Susquehanna 

Indians 

Congress 

- Jerusalem 

- Alexandria 

- Red See. 

- Jordan 

- Pharisees 

- Synagogue 

la:pproved for Release by NSA on 09-13-2013 pursuantto E .0. 1352a ... • -.. ~:; ._ ~,. !.. if-::-;- - 4- .. 
REF ID:A38515 .. 

6 31 

Jefferson Syllabary 

(Encoding) (enciphering) 

encrll'till§ 

Typical of the small codes and syllabaries used at the time. 

~h~ syllabary used by Thomas Jp:f'f'erson (Extract :from decoding section) • 

(That 'all 'round genius also may be regarded as being the :first .An:eric:a.n 

inventor of cryptographic devices -- as will be discussed later.) 

257 

1fitie Nev Spelling Dictionary: by Rev. John Entick, London, 1782 

~tish Cipher Message using title page of the Army List. Message dated 

13 September 178l. 

Applies to 232.l. 

LINE S? 

THE GOVERNORS LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS & C OF HIS 

l. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 U5 12 13 15 17 l.9 21 23 25 27 29 31 32 33 34 36 38 

ll l.4 16 18 2S 22 2lt- 26 28 39 35 37 

MAJESTY 1 S 

4s4 421

• 444 46 39 l ... 3 5 

Line 23 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ g ~ g ~ it T J.~ 01~ E it NiH AJ R2~ Ae~' 2~ I2'!f H ~ H3~ I3~ A3~ L3~ W ... u J.3 15 J.7 i9 21 23 26 28 3e 32 34 36 

38A3LC4~~3 

"No 6" 

22. 

6 1 8 39 5 8 l.7 2S 12 31 26 39 ~ 2e 35 22 45 14 12 22 10 39 26 J.5 17. 

Vifr$_MONT AS SEM!f BL!Y IBTOMEET 

i..:i H 

-2-

-

"• 

::-

.. 

u a .: , =c • c:a cp;a:W{"i 
REF ID:A38515 

' I 

' 232.l. 

The key far the preceding message. (Fll>.ding the key after solution) 

Before shOW'ing the next sl.ides C'tPlain e.bout British cryptanalysts working 

on Ar.lerican ciphers 

~ Franklin (Dumas) Cipher-Key Text. i7i6-179s 

244 

Fra.nklin (Dumas) Cipher-Encipher Table 

Bea.le Papers • 

Benedict Arnold - "James Moore, FA.ward Fox, Gustavus" Major .Aildre - "Joseph 

Andrews, John Anderson". 

Arnold, disgruntled with injustices of Congresa, starts off a.nonymou.s 

correspondence, giving information showing he 1B well-placed. Arnold gets 

command of West Point. They used secret inksJ ::Bailey•s dictionary,, word cipher 

with words out at :Blackstone and song'booka; grilles, alips of pa.:per enc:J..osed in 

e:pec1rilly constructed hollow buJ:lets. Andre captured September 1780, writes out 

1'ull confession and was hanged Arnold barely escaped to British lines (pecuJ.iar 

pa.'rt of Arnold's treason) 

One ~ the cipher letters sent by Benedict Arnold to Sir Henry Clinton& 

15 J'uly 1780. 

-3-

.. M --.... 
REF ID:A38515 

"If' I point out a p1an of' cooperation by which B(ir) B(enry) (Clinton) 

shall possess himself' of' West Point, the garrison, etc. etc., twenty 

thousand pounds Sterling I think will be a cheap purchase tor an 

object af so much importance. 11 

(Full text - sec typewritten sheet accompanying pl.ate 6.5) 

6 5 

'Plain text of the preceding message. 

66 

Sas on against Washington Arnold .lays a trap for Washington. 

2.:1 Another example of' Benedict .Arnold's ciphers. 

6 8 

Arnol.d 's Treasonabl.e Cow Letter 

§.:2_ 

Example of a grille used by British 

.gJ!_ rn-VELL, Jamee. 

Congress• cipher expert who managed to decipher nee.r.ly al.l., of not all.1 or 

British code messages intercepted by the Americans. 

********* 

To Gen. Greene, cy to Washington) l 

0 Philadelphia. Sept. 2l. 1 1701 I 

irz 

' You once sent &OJDe papers to Congress which no one about you coul.d decypher. 

Bbou1d such be the case with same you have lately forwarded I presume that the 

result of' ray pa.ins, herewith sent,, will be useful. to you I took the papers out 

af Congress, and I do not think it necessary to let it be known here what my 

•uccess bas been in the attempt. For it appears to me that the Eneiey make only 

such changes in their Cypher when ther meet with misfortune, (as makes a dirference 

in position only to the same alphabet) and therefore if' no tal.k. of Discovery is 

made by me here or by your Family you may be in chance to draw :Benefit this 

campaign from my last Night 's watching • 

.. 4-

----- ----------------------------·------
REF ID:A38515 

I am Sir with much respect. 

Your Frieud, f 

JAMm LOVELL ~ IL-- _..,-

Tell about next great J.andmark--Egyptian Hieroglyphic& and Poe. 

But British cryptanal.ysts al.ao were at work on American ciphers. 

Tell about collection at Cli~tcn Papers at Clemente Library, u. of Michigan. 

Tell about how an operation went awry because at: inc<lt'rect solution by l3ri tish 

Army Cryptana.lyats (amateur) with British Army in America. 

Tell about the British Agent who was illiterate. 

And about Ellis history. "The Secret Post otf'ice and Office of Decipherer." 

24S 

!Ii'Ciphered resolution of the Revolutionary Congi:-ess ar the U.S , 8 February 1782 

6.lS 

Interest in cryptology in Europe 

Frontispiece of Dl.e.ndol. Cantre - Espion l 793 

Breadboard Modal of WAC ar WAVE Cryptographic Of'f'icer 

-5-