Shortly before the end of the war in Europe General Spatz of
the United States Army Air Force addressed the personnel of Bletchley Park.
Outstanding among his remarks was the observation that never before in any
war had such a vast amount of intelligence been available, had so much
been known about the enemy. Without detraction from the efforts of
intelligence agents, PW interrogation, ground and air reconnaissence and
the like, it seems safe to accredit Bletchley Park with the greater part
of the information about German war measures. Despite complications in
cryptographic and wireless telegraphy procedure which the Germans intro-
duced to heighten the security of their communications and which perennially
threatened to dry up the "ultra source", the Government Code and Cypher
School continued to open up to Allied staffs the mysteries of German
traffic until the end of the war.
Bletchley Park was (and is) an amazing institution even to those
old hands among the Americans, now rendered less awe-struck by the hardening
effect of two or more years spent within its precincts. At first exposure
complete chaos seemed to reign overall but with acquaintance be-
neath the superficial confusion order found found itself---not that order which
would have been susceptible of being rendered diagrammetically by an
efficiency expert but a pragmatic system constantly changing and constantly
adapting itself to a problem which refused to remain stationary.
This institution was 99.4 per cent British. The original breaks
into German systems were made by Britons with pioneering assistance of
Poles and French. The methods of utilising the results were developed by
Britons who had had four years of experience before Americans appeared on
the scene to do their part. Yet Americans were not solely bystanders and
it is the pyrpose of this historical sketch to depict what was their participa-
tion and contributions consisted of.
Prior to the establishment of the 6813th Signal Security
Detachment representatives of Arlington Hall had visited the
Government