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The VENONA Project

The VENONA Project. The Early Years of the NSA Stef Kovacic and Sam Levine. http://www.nsa.gov. The Early Years. The VENONA Project was a program founded in 1943 by the U.S. Signal Intelligence Service, also known as Arlington Hall.

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The VENONA Project

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  1. The VENONA Project The Early Years of the NSA Stef Kovacic and Sam Levine http://www.nsa.gov

  2. The Early Years • The VENONA Project was a program founded in 1943 by the U.S. Signal Intelligence Service, also known as Arlington Hall. • VENONA was created as a secret program specializing in the investigation of Soviet communications and in the search of espionage activity • Like the founding of Bletchley Park, Arlington Hall assembled a group of language and mathematics professors and experts to form the VENONA team

  3. Key Figures Gene Grabeel Lieutenant Richard Hallock Cecil Phillips Meredith Gardner Meredith Gardner NSA “Hall of Honor” 2004 Google Images: www.nsa.gov

  4. Initial Discoveries • Upon initial investigation of the message traffic, the VENONA team discovered five code systems: • “Trade representatives and the Soviet Government Purchasing Commission. • Diplomats, i.e., members of the diplomatic corps in the conduct of legitimate Soviet embassy and consular business. • KGB, the Soviet espionage agency, headquarters in Moscow Residencies (stations) abroad. • GRU, the Soviet Army General Staff Intelligence Directorate and attaches abroad. • GRU Naval, the Soviet Naval Intelligence Staff.” http://math.ucsd.edu

  5. The Codes and Methods of Encryption These Soviet messages were encrypted via a two step “Super-Encipherment” process: • Codebook [four-digit or five-digit numbers “codegroups”] • “Super-Encipherment” [a five-digit key from keybook, a list of “random” numbers possessed by both sender and recipient] > a unique starting point for the key was chosen from the keybook for each individual message, communicated recipient via “an indicator” in the message itself.

  6. MORE Codes and Methods of Encryption For ensured security: “One Time Pad”- • sequence of keys that would be used only once • this “super-enciphered” message was a string of four- or five-digit numbers “without any discernible pattern and without any relationship to any other message sent in the same system”. http://math.ucsd.edu

  7. EVEN MORE Codes and Methods of Encryption • Use of “Covernames” “Covername -->True Name KAPITAN --> President Roosevelt ANTENNA/LIBERAL --> Julius Rosenberg ARSENAL --> U.S. War Department THE BANK --> U.S. Department of State ENORMOZ --> The Manhattan Project/A-bomb ANTON --> Leonid Kvasnikov, KGB chief of A-bomb espionage in KGB's New York City office” http://www.nsa.gov/venona

  8. Breaking the Codes Late 1943 • Lieutenant Richard Hallock breakthrough with the Soviet Trade messages > IBM cards and “double hits” • Misuse of the “One Time Pads” February 1946 • Meredith Gardner and “spell”/”endspell” indicators • Phillips and duplicate keys- trade and diplomatic systems > duplicates between trade and KGB systems

  9. Code Breaking Discoveries • July 1995- First public release of deciphered VENONA traffic- 49 messages-Soviet espionage messages about U.S. atomic bomb research (The Manhattan Project), and the Rosenbergs. • July 1995-Second public release- “KGB messages between the New York and Moscow between1942-1943.” • March 1996-Third public release- 500+ messages- KGB communication between Washington and Moscow • July 1996-Fourth public release- 850+ messages- KGB/ GRU activity in San Francisco, Mexico City, New York, and Washington • October 1996-Fifth public release- 1000+ messages- “KGB, GRU, and Naval GRU messages around Europe to and from locations in Europe, Latin America, and Australia, as well as some messages of non-intelligence organizations: the Soviet Foreign Ministry and the Trade Ministry.” http://www.nsa.gov

  10. Recovered Documents May 24th, 1944 - KGB communication about President Roosevelt’s deteriorating health “…They are afraid for KAPITAN’s health—after more than a month’s leave he has once more gone on leave…” Documents from:http://www.nsa.gov

  11. Recovered Documents September 21st, 1944 – KGB communication about the Rosenbergs and Atomic Bomb research: “LIBERAL [ii] recommended the wife of his wife's brother, Ruth GREENGLASS, with a safe flat in view. She is 21 years old, a TOWNSWOMAN [GOROZhANKA] [iii], a GYMNAST [FIZKUL'TURNITsA] [iv] since 1942. She lives on STANTON [STANTAUN] Street. LIBERAL and his wife recommend her as an intelligent and clever girl… …He is a mechanical engineer and is now working at the ENORMOUS [ENORMOZ] [vi] plant in SANTA FE, New Mexico…. …Ask…LIBERAL about leads from among people who are working on ENOURMOUS and in other technical fields… [i] VIKTOR: Lt. Gen. P. M. FITIN. [ii] LIBERAL: Julius ROSENBERG. [vi] ENORMOZ: Atomic Energy Project.” Documents from:http://www.nsa.gov

  12. VENONA and GCHQ British Government Communications Headquarters • ISCOT program • COMINTERN traffic

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