.• 

-- -- -- --- - ------- --~~------------------------· 

Mr. Lester Walker 

aox 9S 

Cormral.11 Connecticut 

!Jear Kr. Walker: 

REF ID:A69B:t.f 

• ~ . .;. ; .... ~ e"' 

424 lorth oeorp Muon &Jri•• 

Arling1ion 31 Virsl.ld.a 

lJec•ber 8' 19S2 

Acknowledging receipt or 10ur latter of 24 Kovellber 19S2, it would 

be h;ypocritical to deny tM11ng nattered by it.a contents and ·auggeation • 

.But not onl7 is it iapoaaHil.e tor ae to look taYOl"abq toward ;your 

suggestion but also I aust Ul'lentl.1 request that ,ou do not· tollov the 

course pursued by another author who thne or £our y-ears ago, 11'1.tbou~ 

ay pend..asion or even advance lmow:ledge, wrote a. piece abou~ • in a 

nationally circulated magasine, for it brought• considerable m'barraaament. 

You atate that you are aware that .,. work has im'olved matters ot 

security, but i.Jlagine that a great part or it has not concerned things 

vhich can not. be written abollt and that these would be plenfilu.l enough 

to gin ;you a aood story. I appreciate the stat.Int as to your awareness ot the classified nature or 'llf3 work but the aeouri v aspect.a go 

beyond tbat1 it is tWl.eairable av~ that Jq nae appear 1D articles 

de•ling with tbe subject.. This "pa11&1on tor ·anonpitr' is reinforc9'1 

by the existence .or a relatiYaly nev statute kDovn as Public Lav 

M1111ber SlJ (8lst Congreu, 2nd Session) approftld 13 Jlq 1950. t.he 

purpose or which is, as stated in 1\a preamble,, nto enhance further 

the security ot the United States by prnenting disolosm'N o~ intonation conoerning the cryptographic a111tmu aa1 the co-llllication intelligenq actl:dties ot the United States.• 

In closing, I Wish to tell. yau how much I apprec:zi.ate your courtesy 

in communicating vi th me in advance ot doing any wr1 ting about me, am 

hope that you vill accept '1f¥ heartJ' tm.nks and dmp the matter. 

Sincer91.7 • -. 

WILLIAM F. l"BIJMIU 

@'pproved for Release by NSA on 04-04-2014 pursuantto E.O. 1352a 
CHARLES LESTER 

WALKER 

• 

Kr. William F. Friedman, 

424 North George Mason Drive, 

Arlington, Virginia. 

Dear llr. Friedman: 

REF ID:A69M4 

• 

Box 95, 

Cornwall, Conn. 

November 24, 19 52· 

I am a writer tor Reader's Digest, Harper's, and Tarious 

other national magazines and have thought for some ti• that 

there should be a storr for one of these publications in the 

110rk you and Mrs. Friedman have done in CrJPtanalysUI over 

the past years. 

I write, therefore, to ask it you would be interested 

in having such an ariticle written at this date. If you are 

interested, I 11011ld dill cu as the idea 111 th a number of' editors 

and get the piece placed before going to work on it. Than 

you and I could get together and determine from what sources, 

you and others, I should obtain the necessary information 

and material. 

I am aware, of oairse, that your work has ilIYolved mat.tars 

ot security, but imagine that a great part of it has net 

comamed things which can't be written abaa.t and that these 

would be plentiful enough to give us a good story about 

your career, and that of' Mrs. Friedman. I have a teeling too 

that as a matter of historical record something of this sort 

should be published aboat your work, since it has been, certainq, 

a highly' im.po rliant one. 

If' 70u feel favorably toward this suggestion, w.lll ym 

let me lmowT I enclaae a self-addressed envelope for your 

comrenienoe in reply'. 

Cordially 70urs, 

/s/ Lester Walker