·n.-

-----~-- -:.--:-:-_-.--.-;r--....-.-~-...mw;=y- . ---~· 

REF :IQ;A59294 

~ CONFIDENTIAL • 

HEADQUARTERS ARMY SERVICE FORCES 

WASHINGTON 25, D. C. 

SPINT-S 21 December 1945 

MEMORk'ml FOR COLClliEL JM.:ES ll. P!JAMFJl9!___ _,.. if~ )U,."k 

SUBJECT: Investigation of \•fork n:me by 'Mr. William. F. \Friedman\ 

1. In accordance rd.th your verbjU. instructions, I have investigated 

the case. of Mr. William F. Friedman, ·and the following information 1vas 

obtained from Brigadier C-eneral Corderman of the Arrrr:f' Security Agency, 

Arlington Hall: 

a. ·General Cordennan stated that the in£orr.t..ation contained in 

the in.closed paper is true and that Mr. Friedman has done much more in 

the cryptographic. i'ield than is listed in the attached paper. 

b. In August 1944,, a recommendation 1•1as submitted by the Army 

Security Agency through the Chief' Signal Officer and Headquarters, Army 

Service Forces, recommending that Ur. Friednan be a'va.rded the llU.edal for 

Meri.t". However,. by letter dated 16 October 1945, fran the Adjutant 

. Genera11 s Of'f'ice, the Commanding General, An:i.:y Security Agency was 

notified t:hat the recommendation .for this avrard \"fas not favorably considered. 

c. A new letter of recommendation has been v•-ritten during the 

pa.si; .few days, again recommending that J.!r. Friedman be awarded the "Hedal. 

. f'or llerit" and General Corderman advised me that this letter i.1rould be 

forwarded through channels to the Assistant Chief of Staff', G-2, \far 

Department General Staf.f ~1th:in the next few days. 

d. C"'fillera1 Corderman .feels that Mr. Friedman has been very 

valuable to the Arm:y in his wo~k 'L.~ tha cryptographic f'ield and he feels 

that he should be given the highest possible avvard, in recognition of his 

services.. 

2. Inasm.u,ch as the ~ Security Agency is no longer u.11der the ArrrrJ" 

Service· Forces, it is suggested that you recommend to General Soraervell that 

he do everything possible to have the recommendation which is being submitted 

by_ the Army Security Agency, approved •·men 1 t reaches the War Department. 

1 Incl: ~ 

Synopsis of '"ork accoraplished 

by Mr. Friedman. 

eclassifi ed and a 

~/.l'f~ HEMRY H. RAMKIM 

l.!aj or_, A.GD 

Asst. Chief, Security Branch 

Intelligence D:Lv.i.sion1 ASF 

ursuantto E .0. 135 
J 

U.J I 

i\ 

·~ \ 

. \ . ~ I 

The f'our crypbographio security equipments which played so large a 

pe.r-b in iti.:nning the '\"Tar,, and vrhich ware the :mainstay and bac!cbone of' 

cla~sified cor.mn:tnications for the entire ~~» the Navy,, and in large 

part the State De~rtment,, are the developi.1ents or tYilliar.:1 F. Fried.man. 

In addition the communications seo'urity equip:nent known as the CryptoNet is also his developmen'b. All patents in connection with the aforenamed are f'iled with the War Departn.eni; in the Secrst. Ca.tegory,t-NO of 

the patents carry the name of a joint inventor.) 

M-l34A.; Pa.tent filed in secre·I:; category in 1933. First :machines 

built and placed in e££ect by.Ar;aiJ about 1937. This machine ~vas the 

n10st important developamnt of the rapid communications field~ in that 

it was an auto.ma.tic electric ciph~r maoh:ipe which for "hhe first time 

employed electrical control»as distinguished fron mechanical contDol~ 

of cipher rotors in cascade. This machine has been and still is,, 

eraploysd for highes'b-cla.ssi.f'ied messages-b~een Washington and 

Embassies abroad. I"b ~vs.a the syat;em. employed between Prsident Roosevelt and Prime 1finister Churchill in 1941. 

ll-1340: Friedir.a.n and Rmvlett,, pa:bentees,,. 1936. This Lla.chine 

knawn as the SlGABA by .Arm:y and the ECM by Uavy,, was :r..anu:t:'actured under 

a joint aontra.ct and 11'.ras the Secret system em.ployed by both throughout 

the war. At least 5000 were employed by Army,, and a larger nu.:aber by 

Ma:'lyo . 

U-228: application of secret principles to teletype. Patented 

19420 Probably the most important step fo:n:m.rd in the field of oon-

:rnu.nicatio:as £or speed combined with security. 

Strip Cipher: This is the most secure of all hand-operated 

cipher devices knO"Hn "bo the science. Although the cipher principle 

is very old,, the present day form vJith variable alphabets(seourity 

feature) and speed-up :methods 0£ use,, and other special fea~ures~ 

comprise developments patented by: Friedman. This system is almost 

world-vdde in its use. In addition to many thousands of them. being 

is use Xm1x by the Army, lil"avy, lJa.rine Corps and Uoa.st Guard, it is 

very vJidely used by the State Department, and has been e~ployed for 

spacial purposes by the British~ Frenoh, Italians, and Russians 

in the later phases of the Trar.* , 

Crypi::o-Het: I.Jethod ceveloped by Friedman whereby echelons o~ 

different grade rri.ay employ different keying system within the same 

general system--e. treoendous advance in security, and never used 

previous to this war. This development per:mitted isola·cion of secret 

cor.iitD.Clicatious'v:i.thin each group of stations • 

It is believed that there is ample and incontrovertible evidence 

that the Secret anc Confidential cormn.m.ications of' the United States 

were never read by the cnem;y. (It is '":-Ossible that so:r.i.e occasiona.01 • 

:messages v1ere read by the Uer:rr.an~ in the lowes-t category or classific~~re?t1/od of.printing and cutting strips by rotary cutter also 

· de-veloped by Fried:can. t9!flt)£NTJAL 

s 

is 

noh 

F