RE-f~- ------ ~· - MEMO ROUTING sLr 1~'lrnR~;,rn-vALS. DISAPPROVALS. t' I .NCURRENCES, OR SIMILAR ACTIONS 

I NAME OR TITLE INITIALS CIRCULATE 

Co1onel Pasolli ORGANIZATION ANO LOCATION DATE COORDINATION 

G-1, ASA, Arlington Hall Station 

z FILE 

INFORMATION 

3 NECESSARY 

ACTION 

NOTE AND 

RETURN 

4 SEE ME 

SIGNATURE 

REMARKS 

Dear Col. Pasolli: 

Herewith data. in re Lieut. Col. Walker. I 

talked with him very recently, as you will note, but 

it was on another matter that he came to my home. 

The subject of actiTe duty came up as a side issue, 

but he looks like a good candidate to me tor some 

job in A.SA or AFSA. 

ll\ooroved for Release bv NSA on 04-02-2014 oursuantto E .0. 1352EJ 

FROM NAME OR TITLE 

William F. Friedman 

ORGANIZATION AND LOCATION Consultant 

DD 1~~~~095 Replaces DA AGO Form 895, I Apr 48, an<l AFHQ 

Form 12, 10 Nov 47, which may be used. 

DATE 

1 Jan 52 

T&0493 
REF ID:A69841 

Lieut. Colonel Robert. I. Walker 

5711 - 16th Street, B.W. 

Washingt.on u. D. c. 

Dear Colonel Walkers 

424 North George Mason Dr!Te 

Arling1ion ), Virginia 

7 Januarr l.952 

I aa turning over to Col.onel. Pasolli, a-1, A:nq Secu.r.U.7 Agem7, 

the data vhioh ,ou aent •under date of 29 Deeu >er l.9Sl, with the 

request ti.t be l.ook into the possibUiV ot ;your being called to 

ext.en<led ad&. Ye dut7. He will co•unicate direotlT vit.h JOU. 

It aucll dut;r 1.s not teasibl.e now, please adviae 118 and I will then 

investigate the posmbility ot t1nd1ng a suitable ciYilian Yacancy in a 

grade that. would Met td'tb your requil'"9118Jl1;s troa a 1'1.nancial viewpoint. 

I might as well lndioate rigbt now, how8YV, that au.ch a vacanc7 u 

rather probleaatieal. at the present moment, eepeci&l.l.7 in view of your 

underat.and.able lack of technical experience 1Ja our tield. 

Reciprocating 'JOur kind penonal regarda1 I •-

Si.Deerel.T, 

W1 lli a J • Fried'llaa 
,. . REF ID:A69841 •• 

Colonel William F. Friedman 

424 North George Mason Drive 

Arlington, Virginia 

My dear Colonel Friedman, 

5711 - 16th Street NW 

Washington 11, D. C. 

29 december 1951 

Many thanks for your courtesy extended to me on 

Thursday evening in your home. 

I am enclosing a brief biographical. sketch ani 

photograph for such use as you may car.e to make of same. 

I should be most pleased to receive active duty orders 

or to join you in a civilian capacity. 

With best personal regards, 

., 

... - . ' ... • ........ '· \ 

Very sincerely yours, 

/a/Robert N. Walker 

Robert N. Walker 

\~: •, '1 

' 
I .: "':.• : •• • REF ID:A69841 ..Dech 1951 

ASN: 0-289588 

Born: 2 ~~vember 1911, Johnstown, Pa., of pre-~evolutiol1817 

war ancestr7 

Education: Johnstown (?a.) public schools and lli.gh School, 1929; 

Un1versit7 of Virginia, B.S., 19.33; 

Universit7 of Pittsburgh, M. Ed., 1937; 

University ot Virginia, Ph.D., 1939; 

Coeaand and l.eneral Starr College, Ft. Levenworth 

lansas, 1941, G-2 Course (J monrhs); 

Strategic Intelligence School, ~~ash., D.C., 1951 (3 .months). 

Teacher of Government, Johnstoun High School, 193.3-37; 

Re1:1earch lt'ellow, University ot Vi~ginia, 1937-39; 

Asst. Prof., •~ilaon College, 1939-41; 

Staff' otticer, Capt. to !.::ajor, Lt Col, U. s. ;lrf!J7 Military 

Int.ellige.nce Division, 1941-45; Chief ot u.econditioning 

Service, V:slley Forge Uerieral Ht·s~~ital., 1945-46; 

Professor of ~d11cation and Ps7cholo11, State Teachers College, ~'iest Chester, Pa., 1946-51; 

Researci1 J'.nalyst, O~tice ot the Surgeon ,eneral, Depart!ll8nt of the 

1am7, .:ashington, Sept., 19)1-

lt Col, Al"DJ" Security .. eserve, USAR, Jan., 1949-Dec. 6, 1951; 

tranaterre<.I. b7 own request to ISC-USAR on Dec. 6, 1951; 

Top secret security clearance in effect now; 

Fluent reading knowledge ot French, German and Russian; fluent 

speaking knolYledge ot French; 

Vild.ting lecturer in education and psycholoa. Univerait7 ot 

1iar7land• ~ept., 1951 (two classeaduring the year ot 

1951-52). 

Address: 5711 - 16th Street IU 

~:ashington 11, D. C. 

orr1ce phone: Liberty S-6700 

Ext.. 66668 

Permanent address: 

616 ~•'est. Cheat. nut Street 

·.;est. Chester, Pa. 

Phone 3261-t; 
REF ID: A69-B41 •• 

Lt. Col. Robert N. Walker 

State Teacher~ College West Chester, Pennsylvania 

Dear Colonel Walker: 

• 

42.4 North George Mas~n Drive 

Arlington 3, Virginia 

'18 Mq 1951 

Thank 7ou for the notification that the Ba.conian printings with the lenses arrived eafelJ'. 

·with reference to yo\ir eX:pected tour ot duty in Washington, 

I shall be glad to see you at. 111' home· som&time during that. 

period, and to go over with ;you the material which ;you wish to 

bring. My home phone is GL(EBE) 8996, and in order that TOU may- . not make the trip' to Arlington in vain, it would be -well to call 

and make a definite arrangement for an e'Vening which would be· 

convenient. A mutual interest. in the early writings ot Bacon 

and in Baconiana in general mq make a chat both of interest. and 

value. 

Sincerely. ;yours, 

William F. Friedman 
• 

REF ID:A69841. 

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANI _ 

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 

STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE 

WEST CHESTER, PEHHSYLYAHIA 

14 May 195'1 

Col. William F. Friedman 

424 North George Mason Drive 

Arlington 3, Virginia 

My dear Colonel Friedman, 

Thank you most kindly for your efforts in 

connection with the analysis of the Baconian printings recently in your hands and now safely returned to us. 

I shall be in Washington attending the Str~tegic 

Intelligence School from 25 May to 18 August, as t Col, 

AS-USAR. I am reluctant to ask any more time or effort 

on your part, but at the risk of being importunate I 

beg a moment more of your time: sitting beside you I am 

confident that I shall be able to hold the lenses at the 

exact level and places to bring out the cryptic writings which Mr. Reigle and I alledge are there. May ~therefore, 

call you by phone and call upon you at some time convenient 

during the evening for a brief moment? I shall be pleased 

to make your acquaintance; your fame has long been known 

to me. 

Very sincerely yours, 

/t!~/V: h/a.e~_ 
/ 'i 

~....;.;:.: 

• REF ID:A69841 

Lt. Colonel Robert N. Walker 

State Teacher• College 

West Cheater, Penn17lvana 

Dear Colonel Walker: 

424 North George Ma.on Drift 

Arlington :3, Virginia 

25 April 1951 

As promised in iq letter .of 4 April, I aa returning herewith the 

material which you provided in regard to the .ad.croacopit writing• in 

the wo~ka of,Francia Bacon, with a st.a.t~nt'ot the reeult. ot.., 

investigation and 'llt1 comments th.et-eon. 

'1.he documents submitted were examined. bJ' competent. techniciana 

using not only the lenaea which7ou sent but also other meana including 

low power microecopee and good lighting facilities. 1Jhe instr\ietions 

turnished by JU>. Riegle were followed veey careful.1", with the following results: · 

(1) With reterence·to the bottom line of 

ot pages 7 1 25, alMl 27 were pr :a ed trom the same ate am, with the 

exception ot. the density ot inld.ng, are identical. The division of the 

margin lines into two or three linee appears to be et.rietl7 accidental 

and due sole~ to the am.oun\ or 1~ and to tabricat.ion 1m.pertection8 

in the derlce ueed to make uJ) the margtu. · 

(2) With re:terenqe tO the large A in Atlantis, E• 2St '!he 

"characters" which appear in tiie :ial"ge A in At.lantie at the top ct page 

25 are seea··Ub1er the microeeope to be dtte to IU!"face impertect.iona in 

the paper and to poor inking which give the let~er a blotchJ' rather 

than a aolld structm-e. There are 8.ft7 awnbez- ot other letter• in the 

text, eepecialq the larger capital lett.era, whicb are blotct>T tor the 

aame reason. 

(3) With reference to the Francia Bacon •n.£!rl!!I,: Nothing 

unusual was noted in the engraVlng. 

(4) With reterenoe to the lines seen in th• p!P!?' when the 

"light shine• fain~ through it,0 : . No s!gniticanc• can be attaeile4 to 

the white iliiea eeiil!n Uiepe.per by tranud.ttecl light, aa th••• line1 

were .formed. b7 the screen used. in the paper making procesa ueed in 

those days. 

In general, I 'believe that the lense• which you ha.ye ueed ha1'e 

eel'1"ed to magnify the material onl.7 enough to spur the imagination but 

not enough to reveal the true nature o! the "charac\era" which 70u have 
REF ID:A69841 

loeaW~ P.erhapa a high.er ugniticaUon ot tb• docuaent1., usbg a low 

power microacope, tdll 1- ot u1• to MYeal to 7ou the t.ru.e nature ot 

tb.e "character•"· The tact. that. 1a 1everal ot.her text• printed trm 

1629 to 1661 Mr. ·Riegle if able t.o eee 1Wl1r "cryptic writings" mad• 

"more or leas legibl•" ~1 .magnitiaat1on support.a the 1ttppo11tion that 

the latter ~ not intentional but •1"•17 aacidental. aarke which are 

the result ot the then current, tarl7 or tault.7 printing proc•••••, the na,.ture ot the ~per, etc.. Hence, •••1ng in thee• ark• charactertt 

which are \hough\ \o be crn>Uc in natun eaa onl.7 b• attributed to a 

subjective biae, ariaing .from a aubc~ciou wi•h to find things Which 

are reall.T not, the". . . 

Despite the negative report:wbich the nidence, insofar u· I can 

judge, forces me t.o rend,er~ P7 I aay that enquiriee of this nature 

are al'W11'8 of interest to me, and I appreciate 70ur. extending to me 

the opportunit7 to examine· these page•. Pleas~ extend to Jlr. Riegle 

IDT regret that I did not tind evidence t.o support his tbeorr, and 

accept tor yo~selt 1J7 cordial gree~ine•. 

Sincerel.7 youre, 

WILLI.AK P. F.RD:DllAN 

2 .. 
• REF ID:A6984 • 

A:FSA-203/AHF/hjb 

10 April 1951 

MEMORANDUM FOR: Mr. Friedman - AFSA-OOT 

FROM: AFSA-203 

SUBJECT; Document Examination 

. 1. The documents submitted were examined by means of the 

accompanying lenses and, more closely, with a low power microscope. 

The instructions :furnished by Mr. Riegle and Dr. Walker were follo'W"" 

ed very carefully with the following results: 

a. The margins of pages 7, 25, and 27 were printed from 

the same plate and with the exception of the density of inkin& 

are identical. !he division of the margin lines into two or three 

lines appears to be strictly accidental and due solely to the 

amount of ink and to fabrication imperfections in the device used 

to mak~ up the margins. 

b. The 0 characters 11 which appear in the large A in Atlantis 

at the top of page 25 are seen under the microscope to be due to 

surface imperfections in the paper and to_ poor inking which give 

the letter a blotchy rather than a solid textur~. There are any 

number of other letters in the text, especially the larger capital 

letters, which are blotchy for the same reasons. 

c. Nothing unusual was noted in the engraving of :Bacon, 

which according to Mr. Riegle, is m~de up entirely of "characters. 0 

d. No significance can be attached to the white lines seen in 

the paper by transmitted light, as these lines were formed by the 

screen used in the paper making process. 

2. It is believed that the lenses used by Mr. Riegle and Dr. Walker 

serve to magnify the material only enough to spur the imagination but not 

enough to reveal the true nature of the 11 characters 11 that they have 

located. 

J. It is recommended that Mr. Riegle and Dr. Walker try a higher 

magnification of the documents, perhaps using a low power microscope, 

to see if their "characters" still appear as before. 

(2;/-:;__., 

A. H. Feeney 

Head, AFSA-203 
/ . • REF ID:A6984~· 

~ dear Colonel Walker: 

424 North George Mason Drive 

Arlington 3, Virginia 4 l\pril 1951 

I·am writing to assure you or the receipt in good condition 

of the box containing the clipped pages from Francis Bacon•s· · works, the detailed directions, and the various lenses. · 

Again speaking trankly,.I will sq that~ preliminary 

inspection of the material. you have sent has not afforded me confirmation of the existence of mieroscopie writings which you and 

your colleague think are present in those works. I should be 

better satisfied if, Within the description, you had included a 

brief statement of the form or pattern ot the cryptic charactere 

you see. However, in order to make a good test ot 70ur theory, I 

have asked.the assistance of our laboratory, the facilities of 

which should be adequate for this purpose. 

I shall forward to you within the near future the results of 

my investigation, and comments.thereon which may be helpful. At 

that time I shall'aleo return the material wtdeh you have provided. 

Lt. Col. Robert N. Walker 

State Teachers College 

Weet Chester, Pennsylvania 

Sincerely yours, 

William F. Friedman 
• REF ID:A69841 

lfJ' dear Colonel Friedman: 

Note: Directi~ns are tiled with 

slides 37-38 of the 

S_ha.kaspearean group 

State Teachers College ~eat Chester, ?enna. 

27 lfaroh 1961 

Your ~1.nd letter of 22 Ya.rah 1951 on the subject of }Jr. 

Riegle's discovery of mioroecopio writing and numbers in certain 

of Francie Pacon's works, has been received with appreciation. ~e 

are pleased that you have not "closed the door" on our "allegations~ 

Pu.rsuant to your suggestion, we are enclosing herewith 

clipped pages and detailed directions for you.r perusal of these 

pages with the le.pees provided. ~· 

Mr. Riegle has written th~ directions. I have followed 

them this evening and see DBny microsoopio writings. Especially 

in the blank areas above and below the bottom nargin of page 30 

do I see the writings, as I hold the lens about an inch from the 

page for my vision. 

1!r. Riegle bas seven texts of Bacon printed from 1629 

to 1661, all of which reveal similar oryptio writing made more 

or less legible by magnification. 

We do hope sincerely that you are able to see this 

writing. A very careful holding of the lens is required. 

~e shall await your findings with great interest. In the 

ueantime, re.ceive, Sir, our highest appreciation for your ooa.rtesy 

and interest in this matter. 

Colonel ~illiam F. Friedman 

424 North George l!ason Drive, 

Arlington 3, Virginia 

Very sincerely yours, 

a ~-'7·~·-/ ~ -. ;-~·. ; c,.·/'li.~~/ 

~ ---... ~/ -~ 

bert N. ~alker, Ph.D 

Lt. Col., AB,UbA.R 

0-289588 
REF ID: A69.B41 

e • 

, ll)'. dear Colonel Waiker: 

424 North George Mason Drift. 

Arlington 3, Virginia. 

22. Karch 19~1. 

· Receipt or your letter or l9 March ·195·1 1e ackn~1.~dged, and I 

will be frank in rep1Tin8 thereto. _ : · 

Mr. Riegle•• h,ypotbeei• that there ie·~cr;yptic writing in 

ultra:...emall characters" which he sees, and apparently ;rou, too, see in · "both printed and unprinted iinpressionsri in the Sylva Sylvarum, meets· 

with a rather lukewarm reception on· tq part, tor I think there ie 

little if 8.1J1' validity in the .h1Potheais •. I dQ not mean to deny the 

existence .o~ minute marks in the ·paper, but I do mean to quest.ion the 

validity of the hypothesis that those mal'ks represent "el"fPtic . writing".. . 

' . 

. . :. . However, I. am .reltictant .to appear to haY~ passed· judgment op 

data I have not had opportunity t.o examine in detail, and since such - a judgraent would clearly be prejudicial and perhaps· umrarl"anted, I will 

··be ·glad to lock into the matter, 8.nd to render assistance it I should · 

find subs~ce to the ~the~ia. · 

-, Before making.a trip to Waehington, however,,-would it. not be 

possible for you·to send• ·some data, aec~arded perhaps b7' photo- graphs "ot pages of the books in question, er even one ot the books, 

with: inst.ructione aa to what to ·look for, the alleged·. ,signitioan~~ 

thereof,· etc.?· I hesitate t.o advise you to epencf the time ·and money 

to co.met~ Washington. since it-is possible that I should tind tram a 

pre1iin1naey examination that sue~ :a trip i~ unneoeseary or undesirable • 

. . Please rest assured that . I will honor 70UJ" request that thta 

matter be kept confidential, -an~ ·!3ittC!! it ls of an.utra-c':lrricular 

nature, eo tar ·as concern• lie, I will a1k ·that ·you" ~dree-s you~ correspondence to 1q home, as indicated _111 this lettez-.. 

Lt.. Col. ·Robert · N. · Walker, 

State Teachers College, .. · West_ Chester, Pennsylvania. 

· Sincerely your•; " .. 

, " ,_ ... ' ~' -

. " 
• REF ID:A69841 

Colonel u1111am P. Friedman 

Arlington Hall Station 

4000 Lee Boulevard 

Arlington, Virginia. 

if1' dear Colonel Friedman: 

State ~eachers college irest Cheater, ienna. 

I-ll.rch 19, 1951. 

I am writing to request your interest and technical 

assistance on a matter of considerable literary importance requiring oryptograph!o analysis.. This is not a "quack" letter, of the 

ki.nd Which I know you receive in abu.ndance. 

:My good friend, Ur. Robert R. Riegle, of the E!J8ll eh 

faculty of the West Chester, ?a., High School, has been attempti.ng 

for a number of years to unlock the oryptio writing in ultra-small 

oharaotere which he has discovered to exist in a number of original 

editions of Francie Bacon's works: speoifioally, the SYLVA 3YLVARUl!, 

1635 edition. These characters exist in both printed a.Dd unprinted 

impressions which become visible With the aid of certain optical 

lenses. 

Mr. Riegle has not been successful in devising a lens 

of the required ref~otion in order to real more than isolated words 

and numbers, of which both he aml I are able to see nany with his 

present imperf.act lenses. 

In the hope that through assistance of your laboratory 

faoi11t1es, or the fao111t1es of the ~~I, whioh would use the "knowhow" of cryptic writing amlysis at your disposal, I am writing on 

behalf of Lir. Riegle. I believe that by photographic enlargement 

and ultra-sensitive take-off, prhapa with use of color-filters, 
/ 

Colonel U.F. ] 1riedman • REF ID:A69_§.41 

#2 • Ya.rah 19, 1951. 

much of this preseBtly hidden writing would become visible. 

I'Jr. Riegle is convinced that the key to Bacon's 

philosophy will be revealed if this writing can be read. ae 

also believes that a combination of lenses, or a peculiar grinding of one lens, is required to bring out the characters in full. 

The value to the United States Armed Jervioea 

from a discovery of Bacon's system of cryptic writing, should be 

some inducement to you too for assisting us in this matter. 

Baoon•s system is not the biliteral cypher of Jlrs. Gallup nor 

DO.llllelly's GP.EAT CRYPTOGaAI~. 

I am not in a position to know your present stress 

of official duties. ~erhaps you are not interested in collaboration with us. However, should you care to see us, we should be 

happy to come to ~ashington at your oonvenienoe, and of oourse, 

with·no obligation whatever on your part. 

Because ~~. Riegle bas invested considerable time 

a.nd money in this investigation, l would appreciate greatly ycnr 

keeping his research confidential u.ntil he has been able to safeguard his discovery by copyright. lie now has a manuscript of a 

book in dra~ form on this aubjeat. 

~11th highest respect, 

Very sincerely yours, 

/tc-1-<..:f /i,, : /,,..'tr~'-·; ..... -- Robert ~. ~•alker, .iih.D,. 

Lt .Col. ,AS. mil.R 

0-289588