The Code-Breakers: The Story of Secret Writing

"Codebreaking is the most important form of secret intelligence in the world today," says David Kahn and in The Codebreakers he relates its story fully and accurately for the first time. Mr. Kahn takes the reader behind the closed doors of history's "black chambers" and describes their workings. He tells how the secret activities of cryptanalysts have often determined the outcome of battles and diplomatic coups. He recounts the impact of the events that have molded modern cryptology, portrays the outstanding personalities of the science, and outlines the techniques - some electronic - used to break the most advanced machine ciphers. His story stretches from the proto-cryptography of Khnumhotep II to the speculations of scientists on how to solve messages from outer space. But the best part of the book consists of its innumberable stories about codes and ciphers.