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REF ID:A70736 

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE :__~\;,.._"..;..~--1f~--tl~~ -:~:;:~,,.----,'- • ' [, ~ !,, ..,\ 

ARMED FORCES SECURITY AGSNCY f~~· :...::,., t1: ii lJ. (1.,,., ~ WASHINGTON 25, D c. IN REPLY REFER TO 

.AFSA-0.3A5/ILP 

l5 Jllll9 1950 

.MEMORANDUM THRU TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOP~ 

FOR: THE CHIEF, OFFICE OF RESEARCH A.ND DEVELOPMENT ~ 

SUBJECTa JAG (Army) Conference Relative to Inventions or William Fo 

Friedman 

1. Until January, 1950, the rights or Government-employed 

inventors in their inventions - as opposed to the rights of the 

Government - were fixed in general by custom and judicial decision. 

Although a few governmental organizations had special (more restrictive) policies, notab]3 the Department of Agriculture and the 

National Burea.u of Standards, the general rule was that the 

Government took free licenses to practice the inventions made by its 

employees, and the inventors retained title and col!!llercial rights therein. 

2. While in the Office or the Chief Signal Officer, the patent 

policy or which was the general rule above-mentioned, several inven--

tions were made by Mr. William F. Friedman (either solely or in collaboration with others). The most significant or these were embodied 

in equipments known as SIGABA, SIGCUM, and SIGFOY. These inventions 

(with others by the same and other inventors) were considered cl.as• 

sified to a degree which would not permit the issue or patents, and 

the result was that domestic and foreign commerci&l promotion became 

impossible. 

3. Mr. Friedman has long felt that this situation discriminated 

unfairly against inventors of' cryptologic and other highly-cla.ssified 

eqw.pnent and has made several attempts to modify it and to h&ve one 

of his applications (SIGCUM} declassified so that a patent might issue. He bas not so fe:r been successful although the Director of 

Intelligence has taken a position genera.l..ly favorable to such 

Government inventors (see Inclosure 1). 

4. It was with this general llackground that the JAG (Department 

t of the A.rmy) called a meeting on 8 June 1950; the purpose was to consider the possibilities of' compensating Mr. FriecilDan tor loss or commercial rights, domestic and foreign, suf'fered as a result of the 

classification of his inventicme. 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 08-30-2013 pursuantto E .0. 1352a 

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JAG (~) Conference Relative to Inventions or William F. Fried.man 

5. Present were: 

Mr. Fischer ) 

Mr. Panzer ) 

Major Smith ) 

Major Milla ) 

Mr. Galleher ) 

Mr. Stauf'f'er ) 

Mr. Glassman ) 

Mr. SaragoYitz ) 

representing Mr. Friedman 

of Intelligence Division 

of' the Office or the Judge Advocate General 

of the Armed Forces Security Ageney 

of the Office of the Chief' Signal Officer. 

6. Following a brier account by Ma.Jor Mills or Mr. Friedman's 

military and civilian service, the meeting was turned over to Mr. 

Fischer who immediately disclaimed for Mr. Friedman any intention or 

prosecutillg a:rry- formal suit against the Government for compensation 

or damages resulting :from the treatment of any of his patents and 

applications. In brier, he asked that an attempt be made to obtain 

before-band approval by the Department of Defense of a private bill 

for special compensation; he mentioned two precedents £or such a 

private bill, na.mely1 one relating to Wilson (Na'V7 Department)t 19.351 

and the other relating to Gresham and Driscoll (Navy Department;, 1937. 

7. Major 11.J.lls was uncertain whether the Department of the Artitr 

or the Department of Defense could, with propriety, commit itself in 

advance in such a matter, but suggested tba t Mr• Fischer supply for 

study a draft or a proposed bill, a brief in support or the desired 

action, and complete citations for the two precedents above-indicated. 

s. Mr. Fischer agreed to supply the requested documents within 

approximately two weeks, and the meeting was closed. 

l Incl 

Cy Memo 29 Apr 46 sgd 

CWClarke, ACS/G-2 

t Copy furnished: 

Chief, AFSA-14 

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