Director or Logistics 

General Start, U. S. ~ 

A'rl'N: Ch, Foreign JJil Aid Br 

REF ID:A66655 

17 FEB 1949 

Issue ot Converter H-209 to Foreign Nations 

Director or Intelligence 

Lt. Col. Hiser/147 Ext. 462 

1. Informal advice indicates that it is presently planned to ship a small 

number of the Comerter :M:-209 to Turkey to permit instruction or Turkish .mil1tary 

personnel in the operation ot this equipnent. This Division believes that the 

polic7 unier which this equipaent is made available to .foreign nations through the 

various aid programs should be reexamined. 

2. The Converter 11-209 is a low echelon, non-registered. cipher device used b,r 

the u. s. Arrrr1' below division level a.Di is still a standard item or issue. During 

the past war the Converter M-209 was issued to allied troops, including the French, 

Brazilians, and llexicans, am, since the war, has been furnished in token quantities 

to various South and Central American countries through milit827 aid programs. In 

no case since the war have suf'ficient devices been issued &l'.J1' foreign nation to supply its tactical organiza1;.ions. From information availabl.e it. appears t.hat. the 

equipment has been used for instructional purposes at foreign communications schools • 

• 

,3. It is an accepted principle that the provision ot security equi:pnent and 

procedures for military communications of any countr,y- is a matter of concern to that 

country alone, except during wartime when requirements for inter-allied communication mJ3:3' dictate the need for modification of' the princ.iple, in which case special 

cryptosyatems are provided. Particularq in peacetime, it is unwise to give wide 

dissemination to our security procedures since it permits a potential ene~ to prepare himself' to hamle our wartime canmunications. Were securit.7 methods static, 

possible harm.would be minimized; however, this is not the case since, as the art 

develops, procedures improve and the ideas are incorporated. in the training literature. Ir this literature is widely disseminated to rriend:cy- .foreign nations, then 

the chances of a potential enemy lmowing our latest methods are vastly improved. 

The o~ defense against this situation is to strictly" limit the disser.:dnation of 

such information. 

l+. It should be pointed out that Cr.YPtographic documents used below division 

level must be given a low enough classification to pm-mit their issue to and use by 

troops. storage f'acilities in the lov;er echelons will not permit general issue ot 

docU.ment.s classified higher than RESTRICTED. With respect to the M-209 itself, it 

ie a copy o:t a conmercial equipnent. which can be purchased. .from a manuf'acturing concern _in SWeden, and therefore does not require classification. 

5. The .method or operation of the M-209 as used in the U. s. ArIIr3' is a purel7 

U. s. developnent. Instructions obtained with the Swedish device are nowhere near 

as complete nor do they- provide as secure encipberment. 

6. 'l'he cost or the canmerciai device, comparable to the M-209, manufactured. 

in Sweden is approximatel.7 $250.00. The u. s. manu:f'actured approximately' 112,000 

ot the dmcee during the past war with a lead time requirement ~ approximatel.T 

one -rear. Upon completion of' the contract the tools, dies. am :fixtures used in 
.. . ...... _ 

REF ID:A66655 

SUBJECT: Issue or Converter ~209 to Foreign Nations 

the manufacture or the equi:pnent were deatrOJ"0d,. Available information imicates 

there are approximatel.7 32, 000 M-209' a in Z/I depot stock. The T/E or an infantry 

division calls !or the issue or 117 of the device. 

7. It is apparent from the above that present stock quantities of the Converter 

would pemit no large issues of this equipn.ent to foreign nations a.rd still retain an 

ad.equate war reserve tor our own forces. Duo to the high canunereial price per unit 

it is unllkel.7 that B.fJ7" foreign nation would find it eeonomicall.T feasible to out.fit 

its armed forces fran the Swedish source. 

8. No advantage can be seen in training roreign communications specialists in 

the use of an equipment it they will not. have the equipnent available during their 

normal duty-, pa.rticularJ.7 since u. s. camnunication security is jeopardized am the 

security of conrnunications or the foreign nation is not improved. 

9. In view ot the above, this Division recommends: 

a. '!hat the Converters now on requisition b;y the American Mission for Aid 

to Turkey not be issued. 

b. '!bat, 'Without prior approval or this Division, no further issue or the 

Converter 1:!-209 or associated instructional documents be made to foreign nations or 

to milita.17 missions ror instruction or foreign military personnel. 

MEllORANDUll FOR RECOID: 

/e/ I.CK 

LIONEL C. YcGARR 

Col, GSC 

Assistant Executive 

This correspondence is a remmm1nation of the U. s. policy permitting the 

issue or the Convert.er M-209 to foreign nations um.er the various Arms aid 

progr8.ID.8. It recol!lm.ende t.hat. no further issue or the device be Jl!ade without 

prior approval or the Director of Intelligence. 

COPY