Page:Telegraphic Code to Insure Privacy and Secrecy in the Transmission of Telegrams.djvu/9



inland telegraphing, simplicity and speed are more important than economy. With cablegrams the reverse is the case. Cable codes are mainly composed of vast numbers of phrases, and are so intricate that few country bankers will use them.

Sixteen years' banking experience gives the compiler confidence to hope that this Code will be carefully examined by bankers, and that it will correct a positive evil, to wit, the relying upon hastily formed cryptographs, which continually repeat, and which are therefore dangerous, because, if an operator should decipher such a system, and send a message in such a cipher, great suspicion would arise against all parties having access to such cryptographs.

Any system which allows a cipher word to be used twice with the same signification is open to detection. A little talk with a telegraphic operator will convince one of this fact.

Colonel Myers says: "If signals are to be displayed in the presence of an enemy they must be guarded by ciphers which must be capable of frequent changes, and the rules by which these changes are made must be simple."

The selection of words in this book has been carefully made, assistance being had from experts upon the phrases and cipher words. Names of principal cities, surnames, and Christian names will be found in abundance.

This book contains 12300 words and phrases, each, having its cipher-word duly numbered; then follow 1700 cipher-words, the last number thereto being 14000.

A supplementary code, which can be used with this, can thus be made by taking all, or part, of the "extra cipher-words," and forming phrases opposite each to suit any special business. For the convenience of the majority of users, ten lists are provided with 78 cipher-words to each, for the registering of special phrases.

This system is absolutely secret; it is also simple and quickly operated, as will be proven by a little practice.

It can be used for long messages and for years, care being taken by correspondents to keep each other well supplied with "shift-numbers."

The sender of a message should send by mail an exact translation, for, after some interval of time and loss of "shift-numbers," it will be impossible to again translate the message.

The lists of "shift-numbers" should be kept by one person in each bank, and from him one or more of the "shift-numbers" may be obtained by such clerks as receive or send telegrams.

The sender and receiver must each cancel "shift-numbers" as fast as they are used.

If the sender finds that the addition of a key produces a sum greater than the highest "serial number" (14000) in this book, he must deduct said last "serial number" from said sum and count the excess from the first page.

On the other hand, if the receiver finds that the "serial number" of a cipher-word is less than the key which is to unlock it, he must temporarily add to said "serial number" the highest number in this book and deduct the key from the sum.

This Code in itself does not give to any person the right to presume that its use in "plain cipher" has such binding effect as if used in "shifted cipher."

It is evident that many dispatches need not be in cipher; such as ordering money by express from a reserve agent to go to the sender of the telegram, remarks about missing letters, and many others.

Such messages can, for economy, be put in what we will call "plain cipher," which is taking the "cipher-word" on the same line as printed. But few copies of this code will be in any town, and a message in "plain cipher" would practically insure privacy.

The rule would seem to be that all messages which could be sent by a messenger may be sent in plain English or "plain cipher."

The payment of money, or any other action which would require written authority, and which would not be done when such order was sent verbally by messenger, it is evident, requires a test of genuineness that must be infallible.

Such tests of genuineness and also methods for renderings message absolutely secret are to be had by the use of "shift-numbers," as hereafter described.

Words should be written plainly, so the operator may not err in sending messages.

Mistakes in sending will sometimes occur: thus C-- - and S--- will be confused, making "came" read "same," &c., &c.

Also O- - and E- E- making "son" read "seen," &c.

Also R- -- and S--- making "sail" read "rail," &c.

Also by missing a dot, P will be taken for H; F for A or N; O for E, &c.