The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-17
HOW CIPHER DIS
PATCHES ARE MADE.
rRYPToGRAPHY is AN ART WHICH
pIPLoMATIsTs AND SECRET
SERVICE MEN PRACTICE.

commercial Houses Depend on Ar
bitrary Codes, but Governments
invent Elaborate Systems OF
Transposition of Letters and
Characters in Order to Deceive
Outsiders-The Cipher of the Ger
man Emperor and That of the
French and Russian Foreign on
ces-MOst Government Ciphers Are
highly Complicated, but None Has
Yet Been Made That Is Undeci-
pherable.
Copyright 1901. by T. G. Knox)
washington, Nov. 15.-When, thanks
TO the exertions of the ever anniable
and intelligent WI Ting Fang, the
first memorable dispatch was received
from Mr.. Conger announcing the safe
~ of the legations in Pekin disbelief
in the authenticity of the message was
| widely expressed. Subsequent events
proved that the doubters were mis-
taken, but during the discussion a
question of considerable import was
raised-would it be possible for the
III
forge such a dispatch. or, in other
words, would it be possible for an out
slider by any possible means to master
the secret cipher code in which the
diplomatic dispatches are written? For
obvious reasons it is impossible to ex-
plain the American diplomatic code,
but it may be of interest to outline the
general principles upon which such
ciphers are constructed. AS this mes
sage, like the majority Of diplomatic
dispatches sent nowadays, came by the
/ telegraph, we may limit ourselves to
capable of this mode of transmission.
We need not then concern ourselves.
with cryptograms which are based on
any system of arbitrary signs, marks.
devices or hieroglyphics, but only with
those which express themselves
through the medium of letters of the
alphabet or numerals. With those linn
itatons the systems of cipher making
may be epitomized under three heads:
One. The giving to words or letters
an arbitrary signifcation.
Two. The transposition Of words or
letters.
Three. The use of numerals for
words or letters.
These three systems, eked out by
mechanical devices, cover the whole
range of cryptography. in so far as it
falls within the sphere of biography.
However, it must be borne in mind
that they can be combined with one
another in endless complications in
such a way as to render the cipher
more obscure and difficult of interpre-
tation.
By far the commonest system Of
cipher is that used by the majority OF
large commercial houses. 1t consists
in the use of words, or, rather colo
cations of letters. for phrases. Thus,
A L E X may mean 1.-THE marker
is Advancing" B A G S H 0 T, Sup
plies or iron low" the meaning being
entirely arbitrary. The construction OF
such codes is an industry in itself and
there is one large house in New York
with a considerable number OF en-
ployes whose soles business is the COM
pilstion OF such codes for various COM
mercial houses. In some cases the
code book contains as many as 100000
phrases. each with its separate SYM
boil such a volume will surpaSs
family Bible in bulk and occupy up
wards of a year in its construction.
Occasionally, when the cost OF tele-
graph tolls is a consideration. the
numbers affixed to the symbolical
words will be used instead of the words
themselves. and when it is desired to
keep the correspondence a secret from
clerks and others who may have ac-
cess to the code book the relations OF
the symbols and phrases may be
changed, symbol No. being trans
lated by phrase No. 6, symbol NO. B
by phrase No. 10, and so forth.
- Ne
system lies in the circumstance That 1t
only permits of the transmission OF a
limited number of phrases. Conse-
ouently it is not available for dis
patches the matter of which can moi
be expressed solely by the use OF such
set phrases A more elastic methods
is one commonly known as the dc
tionary cipher, which is also largely
used in commerce as well as by dlplo-
matists. The correspondents nattis
agreed upon some book, say certain
edition of Webster's dictionary, tney
arrange that the words contained IN
the dispatch shall be interpreted py
words a. certain distance removed IN
the columns of the dictionary. Thus, a
dispatch may be received reading Bun
Collier" The recipient will look up tne
word Bull and count down from IL,
saw fifteen words-the number agreed
nnon--and find buy" and in the same
rnanyer counting fifteen from collier"
arrive at copper The dispatch VIII
then be interpreted, Buy copper.
The system of giving letters an arol-
trarv meaning is one very largely en-
ployed in diplomacy. The secret
cipher used by the German Emperor
for communicating with the federal
princes of his empire will serve as an
example: ..n
The Emperor writes down tne wen.
ty-hve letters of the German aiphaDs -
there is no i'm q horizontal line, IN
dentjng il the space of SINCE letter.
This is repeated twenty-four times
with the difference that all the lines,
except the first begin at the margin.
and each with a different letter in the
order of the alphabet. The diagram
then will appear thus:
b d & k ! ..........