The Washington times., 1924-03-08
CIPHER EXPERT
WAS ONCE
BOTAN|ST
Learned cryptoEogy When FMS
Employer Got Interested in
acknowledgement.

|
Employment of w. f. Friedman,
War Department code and cipher
expert, to decode the McLean-Burns.
Doheny code kilograms, recalls SEN
sational work done by Friedman for
the Government during the world
war. 1t recalls, also, the story of
how Friedman, a botanical professor
at the University of Wisconsin, be-
came the naton's greatest cipher
expert through the worldwide con-
/ troversy OF Bacon and Shakespeare
1t was Friedman, then in the ON
ploy of Col. D. F. Fabian, mil
lionaire Chicago lobbyist and the
exponent OF Bacon's authorship of
certain Shakespearean works, who
deciphered the famous Zimmerman
note from Germany to Mexico
after it had baffled the entire War
Department. 1t was Friedman who
came to the rescue Of the Depart
ment of Justice and decided the IA
nous Chukkerbury letters disclosing
the German plot to start a revolu
ton in India against England
which resulted in the unmasking of
German Consul Franz Bopp, at San
F francisco, and numerous German
and Hindu spies throughout the
country.
Barred German Note.
The translation of the thinner
man note was considered by the
State Department to have been re.
sponsible for keeping powerful .ele-
ments in Mexico from aiding Ger
many by border raids and other
bigger schemes. 1t was what is
known as the Star Cipher" one Of
the most difficult in cryptography.
and consisted of six mixed alpha
bets-a device invented centuries
ago by the French Admiral Bakeries
and apparently lost since then.
The Hindoo conspiracy letters APP
parently were harmless, but con
sisted of code word thrown in
here and there. The code words
were selected from a book Of poetry
which Friedman found in a Chicago
bookstore, and he dramatically rush
ed into Federal court with the
translation as the trial was closing.
Colonel Fabian educated, at his
own expense at his estate at
Geneva, ILL.,, eighty-siX intelligence
officers of the army early in the
war, and the instruction was given
by Friedman and his wife, Vas.
SdI WIN dASO OH GA
pert cryptologist. This instruction,
the only cipher training given the
American army during the war.
was invaluable in France, and
Friedman. physically unable to en-
list in the army, was given a spe.
cial commission and stationed at
Pershing's headquarters. where he
superintendent the deciphering of
! the German secret messages.
Worked As BOtaniSt.
Fabian hired Friedman, a plant
culture expert, from the Univer-
sity Of Wisconsin, to take charge
of his gardens at Geneva before
the war. At the time the eccentric
millionaire was engaged in the
Shakespeare Bacon controversy. He
hired a professor of English from
, Harvard to go to England and pur-
chase Shakespeare originals.
The originals of venus and
Adonis'' and of "Troilus and Ores
sida" were bought at a fabulous
price, and, by photographing the
old woodcuts, Friedman, who be.
came interested in the work, is al.
legged to have found the famous BIZ
literal cipher and to have read,
hidden In the apparently harmless
text. the autobiography of Francis,
Lord Bacon, and his own confess
sion that he was the son of Queen
Elizabeth.