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Ia reply refer to Initials 

aad.No. 

NAVY DEPART:MENT 

OFF.IO E OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OP.ER.AT.IONS 

Op-20 W .ASHINGTON 

Frouu 

Toi 

SUBJ"ECTt 

24 lay 19 .38. 

Rear Admiral G.E. Courtney, u.s. Bavy. Chief ot laval Operations. 

Minutes or Subcocuni~tee on State, War, and Mavy Department Communications. 

l. the Subcommittee on State, tar, and Bavy Department Communications met at 10:30 a.m. this date in the Office ot the 

Director of Naval Communications. 

Presentr 

Rt,r ~dm~ral C.E. Courtn~, U.S.N., Navy Department, Senior lle.mber. 

Kr. D.A. ~eJ.mon, State Department, .tla.jor ¥.O. Reeder, U.S.A., •ar Department, llembers. 

_ ·cotll,~4er L.F, Sl..ftord, tie.~t~ant P.V. Kereer, -fecbnieal kdvisors. 

. 

U.S.N., Navy Departoent, 

U .. 5.?I .. , Navy Department, 

a~ Each member was turn1shed a cop7 or the minutes ot 

the meetings tor 17 M81' and 2' May 1938, and after general dis- ~ussion the~e mlnu~es Y~~e approved. 

). The Subcommittee then adjourned at 11115, having coapleted the duties tor which 1t was appointed .. 

c.E. CQ.ur.tney. 

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eclassifi ed and a roved for release b NSA on 04-10-2014 ursuant to E .0. 1352 

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Major Ree~F I-67380 ,.,-

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This page replaces pages 

3 and 4 of the minutes 

for 17 May 1938. 
REF ID:A67380 

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.. 6. Kr. S&llllon st~ted t.hat although comoon st~nd~rds of 

•ecurity were doubtless de~1rcd 1n principle and might be 

practicable between the A"r'fllY &nd Javy, the Etbte De~artaEnt'• 

problems •ere so different the.t they could not possibly agree 

to a common standard. lessage3 1n wll1ch other departm~nts were 

interested were another aatter end he thought the State 

.Dep6.rtment could acrae to anything propoaed by the J..rr"IY and 

lavy. We ahould be able to iron out our difficulties in regard 

to secrecy olass1t1cation and preoedence ot me&sages. the 

frea5ury L·epartment alao to be 1ncluced 1n the d1atr1.bution of 

this netv cipher system. as consuls tre~uently hs:ve to co-;,rnun1cnte 

with Coast Ounrd cutters in regard to narcotic and ll~uor 

amuglling, and thi?re were otb.er occasions •hen Coast Gue.rd ~es1els would find this cipher very u~erul. 

7. Co!'ru3ander Safford stated the Navy Depnrt~en~ already had the tao111ties tor the production ot alphabets and key list• 

tor the proposed syste~ and thEt the Bevy Dep~rtment wo~ld be 

•1111ng to print the first two editions; eubsequent editions 

could be left to the future. ?he Navy Department would prepare tha manuscripts and submit them directly to tho other two 

Depbrtments tor in:pection end approv~l. 

8. A general diacu!s1on thmi !ollo&ed hlld the f clloa1ng deciaions were reacheds 

(1) Each Dep-rt~ent furnish it& inatructton~ relative to 

•ocur1ty claas1rteation end precedence ot oes$e&es to the other 

two Depart~ents. Each Depertment •o~ld cake an independent •tudy and submit a proposal !or uniform phra~eololl'• 

(2) To adopt a common c!phe~ tor interdepartmental commun1-

cntions between the State, ~ar, lavy, and Treasury Departaonts, distr1but1on go1n& down to destroyers and aunboats or the iavy and Coust Ouord cuttors. The ~ueation o! the exact distr1but1on 

or tllls ayatom and whether to make a ~econd c1~her ot 11m1ted 

d1•tribut1on to be deterred tor the tiae being. The K~vy to 

undertake ~reparation and printing ot the alphabeta and k97 

lists tor the new pysteia end to start without delef 1n ·)rd.er to 

meet the completion ot the pbysicel apparatus ~htch had been 

ordered tor the State Dep6rtment. 

9. The Subcom~1ttca then adjourned at 12115 to reounvene at 10100 a.m. on Kondsy, •ay 23, 1938, in the Office or 

the Directvr of Rav~l Co:;anunications. 

C.E. Courtney • 

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