• ... Address reply to 

REF ID:A414BB6B 

CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER OF THE ARMY, • • 

Washington, D. C. WAR DEPARTMENT, 

~~"i.neerin:; DIVISION 

ard Res el:i.rc h 

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER, 

WASHINGTON. 

jo:n:ho 10 December, 1919 

• 

Ll.y de~.r t;olor:e l iabya.n: 

Your telegrair: of 5.00 p.m. of the Dth was received here a.tout 

noon, u~.e 9th. Your force is undoubtedly to l:e congi·t.;.tullited upon 

the ciec i..~)hermE!1 t of ti:e rnessa'jc~ wiiich ;you c.-.nnounce in y:;ur telegrc::.r:!. 

I take off rr:y hat to ;\iverbaiud 

• The ad.di ti orial tapes '.~i, ich ·::e ·:;ere to ~;end have been r<:;c.dy 

for sevaral da:;:,rs, but on account of ti"1e 1'ressure of ot1·£ir business 

t·ney have nut been ll".d.iled. In vie\'1 of your tt:::legr<.:.rn they will not 

be sent to you. 

In connec;;ion with your study of the decipherment of tmse 

messa;;es "Lich 7ou announce, tilis office is interested in securing 

from you an accurate and com.£ilete s ti:.. tei:ent as to the following 

foe ts: 

1. ./us n.e dee i!)herr.ien t carried out exactly as :rroposed in your 

w.illuscript furni siieo ti1is off ice? ·.vus any other rcetilod employed 

and if so, the ci.etG..i ls thereof? 

2. .iha.t info ma ti on, if any, other than that furnished by th.is 

office, did you acquire '.·1hich assisted you in tre solution of these 

mess a.:3e s 't 

You I:Ja;)' .:_)erh.'.lps smile ;.=:.t t!1is question, but Y.nowing your 

c.letective instincts and some of the ramific~tions of your system 

which can place o_,per"1turs in 0roir.:;rnn1lnt ciepa.rtments, I am rather 

curious to know whether you resorted to any such device in this 

case in order to obtain in for ma ti on cone em ing these ne ssat;es, or 

r~nythine which would le :ld to their dee ipherment. ' .• :his should be 

a straight forward acknO\'/ledgr.?ent on your [6.rt if anythinc of this 

kind has been done, simply to c:ssist us in determining how far your 

solution did, or did not, depend upon factors which may, or which 

may not be counted :ipon in tre case of the enemy_. 

3. All·statanents, if ::my, or suggestions for\rci.rded by C.:oloral 

or :.:rs. Hitt in connection with tre decipherment of these messages 

as a result of their intir.-:;::.te connection \vi th t1tis office, which 

you received durinc the course of ti: is experiment and which may have 

@'pp roved for Release by NSA on 11-18-2014 pursuantto E .0. 1352a 
,. 

led ;/OU to the solution. 

REF ~D: A414BB6B. 

-,,-" 

Of course, it is quite re a so na ble to suppose ~ h<.i t ,:y-ou have 

net secl4red any information other than th;...t·f1.4mished by fois office, 

bec.::.use vre are well aware of the ca.~)Cl. bili ties of the o;:•~ri::.ting force 

at ;:1our La.borl:l.tories which i:t=.ve alre;.;.d.J '.-ion intem"'-tional renown. 

Eow th~,t :rou have announced. t'r..e cieci:riherir.ent of the J!Xls::>a:;es, 

,_.,e are loo1cil: .. g forward to ~1E:rh::l._I)S receiving sa::e further inf01"r...::-i.ti0n 

of value in connection wit n the o _:-en .. t ion of tl::e <:a. .':-en_ t:-~: • '1'l:e 

<iu.n5E:rs, uf course, in not eLccdinr; the Ci:Dher inclic~tor~: ·:1(n·c 

cle;::J:l:,' derr:onstn:.ted b~' you sae!e t-i!.~G <1[;0 •.-rith t!ie result th'.t it 

·:.~:..s ueciC:ed t:!~.;-.t C:.P_ythin;_;· f\;.rther i.n the i"iC:.~' Of Offici3J. bllSiE'.:lSS 

::ent over the cipher )l'inter ... 0t;:d 1~.cvc tf-.ese inO.ica::urs e!!Coc:!eu. 

'i'he ~:iroposition nO\V befol·c:- tLe ~1vuse is ,tJ-.L:i'<.1\,i·e,-·.:!"iether or not 

one (;olor.el lt'ahy.:.:.n is ·-:1i1linc to ~1:.:.·1c i~is force tackle a still r!!ore 

difficult _9l'Ob°J_e?·~, or r:-. .t.:'."1er t•.vo =)roble!:-s; ancl whether or not Le is 

-,-;illir._; to ._;ive a deci.si·:m at once in reg'-!.rd to foe poscibLity 

of deci)herir:& 1T.essa::-;es 3· e1xcred in t'.w different 1::ays c 

1. t;ipher indicdors to be e?":coded, :.:.nd the ci_:,iher to be used for 

the body of tJ·ie !:essa03 alone: t\•10 ci11her tape~ to be used as in 

for r:e r ::ir.: .... c t ice. 

2. Onl;,-· one cipher tape of r;re2t 1 mcth to be used conta:ni r:g a 

rmmin[; ke:.i selected -;-Jithout rhyme or reason, bo~ of the r:ess<-'-.~"0 

only to lie enciphered and ir:.ey inclicc.tors to be er.coded. 

'i'he opinion of .Hiverba1lk is requested as to nhether. or iwt. the;:,' deere 

both or eitrer of t!,ese rr.et:r-:ods as indeci~~)her: ble. l.f either or 

both are believed dee ipherahle, are ~iOU willing to undertake tile 

decipherment of messages ~re:rx-.red c.ccord.inc to 0ither or toth schemes? 

I am glad for rre.ny rai.sons tl1ut you :iavo deciphered tf,ese 

rnessaees, prep~·red according to our .first schene, but, in particular 

for one, and tmt is that you have now demonstrated to yom· own 

satisfaction tl-li:i.t the 1rassa.::;es were prep<::.red ex~ctly as s ta tad, 

·.-;ithout trick or artifice beine; introduceC, e:.nd that foey really 

di_d make good .c;nglish sense after all. I fr-C1.nkl;1 confess t:r..:::.t I 

have deeply resented tre implications made from time·to tir:e and 

some ver-; recently, that I wa.s rescrtirg to [A3tty trickery in preparing your messages, and not ila.~'irg the garre. I trust ~ will be 

restored to good stand.ins in your estimation us a result of this 

work. 

i .... , 
__ :.::_.._.....::. -=--=-- - - -

~ REF ID:A414886. 

-3-

Upon ar:ri Vtil of the .i:~ngli sh clec igherrrBnt, I slll:l.11 take the 

matter, officially, to the l.Jnief ~ignal Officer of tile .Army with a 

view to ha.vi~ :recognition accorded Hiverbar;}-~ for all it res done. 

I do r..ot see how t !e government can ever rer:ay Colone 1 1''abyan for 

what he has done in tackling problems such as these. 

I have a s tr-c..n_-;;e hunch that sone of Senator t'alls i nforrra.tion 

about Carranza. probably passed through l\ivr:rbank. Arn 1 a good guesser'/ 

Best regar¢s, as ever, 

( 

l ()i u~_.(.(..--6-n-r r __,_ 

/ / . " (_/ 

P. s. Eope you received the tYJO vacuum tubes mai le,d the day before 

'11ranksgiv ing.