roved for relea e b NSA on 09-13-2013 rsuant to E. . 1352 

SBCRB'f' 

TO 

_ Chief, ASA ........... (10)_ 

Executive 0 ........ (11) __ 

Co'r Joint Oper ..... (12)~ 

Deputy Chief, ASA ... (20) _ Dir, Comm Res .... (14) 

Ch, Pers Sec ....... (21)_ 

.Ch, Org & TngSec .. (22)_ 

Ch, Plans & Oper ... (23)_ 

Ch, Materiel Sec .... (24)_ 

Ch, Fiscal Sec ...... (25) __ 

_ · _ . Adjutant, ASA ..... (26)_ 

_ Ch, Sec Cont Sec ... (27)_. 

_ Ch, Operations Div .. (90) __ 

_ Ch, Lab Br ........ (91)_ 

_ Ch, Machine Br .... (92) __ 

_ . Ch, Crypt Br ...... (93) _ 

__ .. Ch, Int Cont Br .... (94) _ 

_ Ch, I & D Br ...... (95)_ 

_ Tech Staff ......... (96)_ 

_ Ch, Security Div ..... (80) _ 

'rech Staff ......... (81)_ 

Ch, Materiel Br .... (82)_ 

_ Ch, Methods Br .... (83)_ 

_ Ch, Protective Br ... (84) __ 

_ Ch, Maint Br ...... (85)_ _ Ch, Res & Dev Diy .. (70) __ 

_ Tech Staff ......... (71)_ 

_ Ch, Ch. Ciph & Cif Br(72)_ 

_ Ch, Int Equip Br ... (73)_ 

_ . Ch, Elec & Elec Br. (74) _ 

_ Ch, Lab Serv Br .... (75)_ 

_ Ch, C'logic Br ...... (76) _ 

_Ch, Pers & Tng Br .... (61)_ 

_Ch, Supply Br ........ (62)_ 

_Co, Arlington Hall. ... (40) _ 

( ) Approval & Return ( ) Information & File 

( ) As Requested ( ) Recommendation 

( ) Concurrence or Comments ( ) Signature if approved 

( ) Information & Forwarding ( ) Your action by 

( ) Information & Return ( ) Info upon which to base reply 

As I told JOU ttUa sno~ning, th1e is 1ntend~d to 

be &zplo~ato~y in eharaotev--I re&llz don't 

know how to proceed or vhat waa intended bJ 

the originAl G-2 policy directive~ If you 

have anz suggestion •a to hoy ve.cpuld or 

should p~oceed Without suah a m~o as thi&, 

t'd be app~eciative.or ll$.vin.s 1t1 Al~o, if it 

it decided that th~ ~l'·~ ~h~ul.~ .be.:w:r.itt,~n .. WDGAS FORM NO. 96 (Rev. 11) 31 Oct 46 44412 
·iREF ID:A104721 

aoae other var, I'd be glad to cbang• 1t · 1n whatever 41reot1on 1• indicated. But 

% reel tb&t I should not let the matter 

rest vher• it now etands, and l want to 

J.DS.ko some progI'esa in th$ caee, 1r possible. 

'W .P' .J,P. 

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08GA8 8 December 19~7 

SUBJECT: Patent Application Serial Ho. 44},}20 

1l1lllU: Ohiet # A1!'11J.:3 Seauri t7 Agenc7 

TO: Director of Intellisence 

General start, United States Al'DlJ 

Room 2B 812~ The Pentagon Washington 25, D. O. 

1. Rererenee. ia made to the tolloving 1ncloaureai 

& , J(emorandum de. ted 27 September 19'6 ,, trom the 

undersigned to the Commanding General~ Arm.7 

Socur1ty Ageno7, aubjectz Release or Patent 

Application Serial No. 443,,20 (Incl. 1). 

b. Memorandum dated 20 Xe.7 19.lf.6, .from the Ohief .t 

Ar".l.fr,f 5ecUl!"1t~ Agenc7, 1n ~esponse to th8 abovementioned memorandum (Incl. 2 1 Yith Tab 1). 

e~ Memol'&.ndum dated 6 August 1947, .fl-om. the undersigned to the Ch1et* A:rm~ Securit7 Agenc7s with 

turther rererence to the aubjeet patent appli- cation (Incl. ,). 

4. Memorandum dated 20 ?fovembe:r 1947,. trom the 

Chief, ArDl1 Security Agenc1, in response to 

the laat-m~nt1oned Memorandllm. (Incl. 4). 

•· Lettei- dated 10 June 19!J6, to the undersigned from ~1111am P. Hall, Patents and Inventions 

Counael, Legal Division, Ot~ico or the Chief 

Signal Office~, stating the taeta as to th~ 

revera1onary rights ot the inventors in the 

caae ot the subject patent application (Incl • . 5, 'With Tab l) 

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CSGAS (8 December 1947) . Subject: Patent Application 5er1al No. 443.320 (continued) 

2. In viev of the decision eet torth in Par. } ot IncloS\ll'e 4~ and in contormit7 with Par. 3 ot Ino1osure 2, the 

Un.dera1gned deairea to prepare a case looking tovard the d1spoo1 t1on to the Government of all commercially exploitable revera1onar7 rights ot the inventors in the subject patent application. In tbia connection the tollov1ng 1ntormation 1• reape~ttully requested: 

a. Does t~e policy indicated in Par. lb ot Tab l 

·ot Incloaure 2 contemplate the d1spoe1t1on to the Government 

ot the inventors rever•1onar1 rights by actual purcb&ae ot the 

application tor letters patent? Or does th$ policy contemplate Congreaaional action 1n the torm or the aubm1aa1on or a 

measure to the Congress f'or the npl'1vate reliettt of the inventors, b7 vay or reimbursement for their d1apoaal to the 

Government or &ll commercially exploitable reversione.ry rights in the patent &ppl1c&t1onY If neither of the foregoing ia 

what ia contemplated, 18 it possible to give some 1nd1c&t1on 

ot the line• along which action might be taken, ao as to afford 

guidance in the preparation o:r the caao? . 

b. In viev of the oomplex1t1ea involved in this matter~ and the teobnieal d1tt1cult1es involved in preparing 

a case tor possible action, the undersigned would like to 

avail himself of the asa1atance of legal counsel. Would the 

Director or Intelligence ba.ve &ny objection, on secUl"1ty grounds, it the undersign~d sought auch private counsel to 

aaa1at b1m in the f'u~therance or his interests, vith the under" 

atanding tb&t no details or the oonetruotion o~ operation or 

the equipaents involved would be d1eelosed to such counsel? It 

there should be objection, would the Director ot Intelligence be so kind as to indicate where such counsel might be obtained 

within the Department ot the Army? 

Incla. 1-5~ Inclusive 

as i~ated on page l 

WILLI.AK IP. 1.PRIEDMA.1 

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'' REF ID:A104721 

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EONFIBENT!AL 

21 September 1945 

SUBJECTa Release ot Patent Application Serial No. 443, 320 

TO a Commanding General 

Army Security Agency 

l. The aubject patent application covers a crypto• 

graphic mean• and device tor automatic enciphormont and 

decipherment of teletypewriter aignala and was filed in 

the u. s. Patent Office on 16 May 1942 in the name ot the 

undersigned and Frank B. Rowlett, as co-inventors. 

2. The principles involved in the aubject application 

have been utilized in Converter K•228 and Converter M-294. 

3. It is requested that the subject application be 

officially declaaaitied in order that it may be allowed to 

go to iasue, whereupon the right and title will revert to 

the undersigned and Frank B. Rowlett, subject to an 

irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free right and license 

remaining vested in the United States of .America. 

4. This action ia desired because or the commercial 

applicationa of the invention, interest in which is believed 

to exist on the part or the u. s. communication companiea. 

5.· Declassification or the patent application doea not 

necessarily involve the declassification ot the specific 

embodiments thereof represented in the apparatuses mentioned 

in para.graph 2. 

WILLIAM F. FRIEDJlAN 
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,:.., .J. . ... ,. ' 

WDGSS-23 

HEADQUARTERS 

ARM:Y SECURITY AGENCY 

WASHINGTON 25, D. C. 

. ~. . . 

20 May 1946 

5l·BJ1!:0T: Release of Pa tent Application Serial No. 443, 320 

~ro: Mr. Wi lliruu F'. Fr.led.man, WDGSS-14 

1. Reference your letter dated 27 September 1945, subject as above, the attached memorandum from the Acting Deputy 

assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, outlines the War Department 

policy on the release of cryptographic principles. 

2. i\nalysis of the policy wo11ld indicate that: 

a. Patent application No. 443,320 will not be re-· 

leased unless it can be shown that the employment of the .Principles involved are susceptlble to cryptanalysis under ~11 

clrcumstances; and 

b. If not released, a request for purchase of all 

commercially exploitable revers1onary rights may be entertained 

provided it can be shown that Frank B. Rowlett and.yourself 

were not directed or employed to experiment on or to invent the 

principles or improvements embodled in Converter M-228 or- Converter lvi-294. 

~. If it is felt that subject Patent application should 

L;e released under (a; above; or if and when lt is felt a case. 

should be presented for purchase of' rights in conformity with 

stipulations contained in (b) above, an applicatipn for release .or purchase, containing pertinent f'acta and necessary · p1•ooi's, may be prepared and submitted to the Director of Intelligence through the Chief', Army Security Agency. 

1 Incl 

Cy 1 tr dtd 29 a.pr 46, 1

. subj: "R~lease of Cryptographic J:'rlncipJ.ea" 

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• 29 April 1946 

1.!l!UORANDUM FOR THE CHI W,. ARMY SECURITY AG.r:!NCY: 

SUBJECT: Release of Cryptographic Principles. 

1. The following policy is announced to be effective 

immediately: 

a. Cryptographic principles or devices developed by 

of£:1.cers, enlisted men, or civilians employed .in any ..;;ar Department 

Agency, or patents or patent applications on such principles or 

devices which are owned by, assi~ed to, or licensed for use of 

the ~'Tar Department will not be released for use of f'oreign governments or for foreign or domestic commercial or private use until 

such time as necessary inforrration is available and a procedure 

established in the Army Security Agency whereby information which 

is cryptographed by means of such principles or devices can be 

cryptanalyzed and read under any and all circuDEtances. 

b. rihere it is in the interest of the Government of 

the United States that an employee hav.e no patent rights in cryptographic principles or devices to dispose of, and for the Government to own the entire interest for securlty reasons throughout 

any foreseeable future; and where discovery or invention of cryptographic principles or devlces has been made by a civilian employee 

and does not relate to a matter as to which the empl1.)yee was 

specifically directed to experiment with a. view to suggesting i.mprovements nor W'd.S produced as a result of any specific employment or 

contract to invent a specific device or article; and where an 

application for patent on such principles or devices has been filed 

-with an assignment-in-trust to the Government for the purpose of 

maintaining such application in secrecy, the Military Intelligence 

Division will support, subject to the availability of appropriations, 

any reasonable request for purchase of all commercially exploitable 

reversionary rights of the inventor in the patent application. 

I a/ CARTEH v"v. CL1U1.KE 

Colonel, GSC 

Acting Deputy A.Co of 1:3., G-2