f, :._,. t • REF- : A653 7 5 

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eclassified and approved for release by NSA on 08-21-2014 

ursuantto E.O. 13526 
• REF ID : A653 7 ~csmc(·~Di )fJ •

1

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i\Ulotian : Employed till .:a.imistice as nccmid.sso.no" 

in Italian Police 

Interrogated csmc(lllin), 001 21 Nov~ 

Subject of Report : VJ.niatr,y ot Interior Cipher Office: 

Police C:r,r.ptogro.piw. 

Sauroe he.s been eli:l>loyed 111 the Italio.n Police since beto:re tbs 

J'Lacisil e:ro., mid is W&ll in:f'o~d an the types of oonmmicationa and cipher work 

in the M:Lnist17 of tho Interior and tho various divisions of the Police suah aa 

the PUbbl1ca. Sicul"tl zze. and OVRA. He ia, homllvor, a.pt to oribro1der on his 

sto.temnta, and appears anxious wherever possible to shaw hir.laelf as an e:z;pert. 

Rel1abilitz : Fnir · 

2, CJ:PB;ER omgE OF lOl;JSTRI OF INTER~OR 

!!.2!!, : According to Source working methods of this office haw 

not changed since the pre•Pb.aoiat era. 

(a) OUtg~ins and inco,eins telegrams 

All teleg:zams to lllld trm the M:iniatl)' of the Interior o.re dealt 

with by the Cipher Office ("Utficio Cifza"), which deciphers and chstributes 

incom:Lng, a.nd enciphers and despatches ou.tgouig telegm."DS1 Tho office also Dllkea 

cop:lea of all tdlegl'BmB and di3tr1butos thol\l to dapartments and sections ooncemed. 

Tb:ls applies even to r.iesao.ges f'rom private persons to Jr::tn:lstry offiCJ.&lse .One 

extra caw ot each tclegre.M. is mo.de 1 on a special tom, and kept in the Cipher 

Office tiles. 

ill meaaa.goa a.re sent trcn toe Uin:istry' a telegraph otfice.-

G:raclinga are "Urgent 11 (Urgen te), 11.{Lbaolute pr.Lori ty11 (Proceaenza Aaaoluta.) 1 

and 1'Pr1ority over a.ll Priorities" (Precedenzo. aopro. tutte le precedenze). , :cq,ortant telegro.ms vere somet:l,mes prefixed with the phra.ae 

"Deoitr.l aa. se• (to be deci!Jhered by addressee), to ensure that the masage was 

deciphered 'b1 the head of the of't:Loe to which it ras addressod. 

(b) mas o-r cod.ea in use 14 j 

Source knew ot the tollowing: 

:l.) Five•tigu.re codes, With encipher and decipher book. Each five-f'l.guro 

grop.p stands tor a cloa.r phre.ao, word, letter or :figure. 

ii) one-boo:t :t;1ve-fiG'1ro codes, on &c."\Die lines as above. 

f 

111) "Pa.sina.ted" f'iva-flguze codes, ea.ah po.go being indioated by a three 

digit group~ o.nd inaidO tlia pa.go iilret;y-nine (99) two-digit codo•groups proper 

standing tor clear phras~s, •IOrQs or letters. The page-indicator three-digit 

groups can be in nscenchng or doacuncling nW"IBrical order, or chosen at iandam 

and :tatted, and they arc itarke(\ on the pages in ink (or pencil) and altered 

·~ i. J pariodiClllly by order of' the Ml.nist:r; Cipher Office. 

,.,,.. 

iv) Reot r a1.e1:is haw been introduced during the lo.at few years. 

Sub1il9.Ctor er a tion groups)-tab1ao hn.ve been μitrocmced, of the •sealed .. tables• type ( na :pngino obiusen ). Circulars notify the use ot and keys to these 

reo1pher systems. (Note 1 the FANO tne is ap. examplo ). 

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REF ID : A65~ 7-5 .. .'fe"P 3BeRE! • - csm;cCiiAIN )ft 16 

: L 

" .(o) :qi.st~bution of Minis!iq of ~terior codas 

. ,\ll Embassies and Lega.tions and the riJOst iq>ortant consulates 

ate in possession of at lea.at one llinist:r,y of Interior code. 

Police Protocturea were Blso in possession of nne of these codes, 

as were Inspectors General of the OVRA. ("Ispettori genera.li cap1•1ona").. These 

last ooummico.ted diroot \Ii.th the Ministry at Intenor Cipher O:ffioe, to avoid 

sending mssages through Pre:f'ectures 1 eta. Their telegrams were preceded 'bJ' 

the nwnbe:r ;oo in adchtion to the nwnber ot the message, which indicated that 

they contained natter of interest to the political police. (Hotei : the politiaal 

police (Polizia Polit1oa) has never 1\9.d its own coaes or ciphers). 

Din cc.BR HQs and all cc.BR com.:anda under an officer are also 

issued with K:lnistry of Intenor c.odea, 

Lastly, Plef'ec'Ls, Inapeotprs General of the J.b.nistl",Y', o.nd cipher 

offices ("U:f'fioi or GD.binetti C1fra.") of other ministries are also given at least 

one W.n:l.sttf of Interior coClo. Prefects have a oode of 61"8ater security 'VSlue 

than other t;ypaa, and Inspectors Gene:ra.l are e.."l.ch issued \lith a code (or c:i.pher) 

whose enciphering ke7 is used only by himself and the Ministry of Interior 

Cipher ottiae. 

3, P9LIC! .AND g:gasm. OJ! ,DT'".::B.IOR QRIPSOGR.\Pflt 

Ol'JPtogro.phic work for the Political Police (and Pllbblioa Sioure.1.za.) 

•• clone by the Ir.speotor General of the Pllbblica Sicurezza., Umberto EiitiERO, who 

appeara to hD.ve been an oxpert on Police Photogre.p)W, G:rapholoa and Cryptogzapq. 

He continued to do work for the Ministry of the Interior, aas:1.ated by his son, 

even after hie retireznent. ..LCcording to Source both have d:Led. 

Cr,ypto work appears to ha.va been limited to messages written in 

oocJa or cipher by "communists"., and sonlBtilr.es by "foreigners" (Note : probabl.Y 

foreign agents). Souroe states that ciphers uaed to be captured whan illegal 

hide-outs ware raided, or when incr.IJ.'lin."\tad persons ware arrea.ted, thus lee.cling 

to confiscation of all material belonging to them. 

Source states the.t at the moment NO cryptogro.pher is eDtllOJ'Od by 

the Ministr,y of the Interior. -- - - -- · 

Jm \,,~~.) Mo.1~ 

A. C.S.D.I.C. (1111~, 

• c.x.:r, 

H.T.SHE1lGO£.iD,ltl.jor1 I.O. 

Ar;m, Seoticn11 

Z'l Nov 44. OSDIC(•:in) • CMJ', 

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~~- REF ~A65375 i' .; . 

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TOP SECRET 

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DISmIBUTlDN 

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