Codebreakers: The Inside Story of Bletchley Park

With many colourful anecdotes and vivid descriptions, this is the first authentic account of daily life at Government Communications Headquarters, Bletchley Park, the most successful intelligence agency in history. Described by Churchill as the 'secret weapon' that 'won the war', the men and women of Bletchley Park here combine to write their story in full. This book gives fascinating insights into recruitment and training, together with a full and accurate account of codes and ciphers and how they are broken.

Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION. THE INFLUENCE OF ULTRA IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR; PART ONE. THE PRODUCTION OF ULTRA INTELLIGENCE; PART TWO. ENIGMA; PART THREE. FISH; PART FOUR. FIELD CIPHERS AND TACTICAL CODES; PART FIVE. JAPANESE CODES; APPENDIX. HOW THE BLETCHLY PARK BUILDINGS TOOK SHAPE

About the Author :
Sir Harry Hinsley was formerly Master of St John's College and Professor of the History of International Relations in the University of Cambridge. Alan Stripp is Director of Cambridge University Summer Schools on British Secret Services

Review :
it is an exciting story they have to tell. ... because of its intense secrecy, the work of the men and women at Bletchley received no public recognition for many years after the war, and many of those who made important contributions are no longer alive.This volume of personal recollections by some 30 of the survivors is ... especially welcome. Conditions of life and work at Bletchley, and its principal achievements, are faithfully sampled in Codebreakers, which is worth reading both for its historical interest and for the sidelights it throws on the problems encountered in the rapid assembly and organization of one of the greatest collections of talent that has ever occurred in Western civilization. This unique volume will be of great interest to cryptologists in particular, and intelligence buffs in general. While some of the chapters are so technical that Stella Rimmington would struggle to unscramble them, one still gets a strong sense of the excitement and frustrations of a war fought on the airwaves. the anecdotal material is fascinating in the insight it gives into everyday life at the institution. Hinsley and Stripp have assembled 30 reminiscers - most geniuses, a few slaves, all highly informative. it is a remarkable tribute to the men and women who worked to crack the Germans' Enigma code. The most interesting thing about this collection of essays is the light it throws on the personalities concerned. These essays on the diverse activities at Bletchley Park (which remained secret until the 1970s) are enthralling. What makes Codebreakers so absorbing is that it has been written by the men and women who worked at Bletchley Park, all of whom were forbidden to talk about their work at the time. Codebreakers gives a fascinating insight into their daily lives. ... one gets a strong sense of the excitement and frustrations of a war fought on the airwaves. Interesting stuff. This book has been put together from the personal memories of people none of whom would now be under 65. That they are so readable attests to the skill of the editors, who were themselves part of the Bletchley operation. Above all, it highlights the painstaking effort that intelligence work demands; but, as this volume shows, intelligence is useless there is force and a willingness to take advantage of it. This new book is the first full account of Bletchley written by those who worked there. The book is superbly edited by F.H. Hinsley and Alan Stripp, Expositions are lucid and understandable to the layman - a considerable achievement. There are good photographs including those of Enigma cipher machines. Altogether, this is a splendid book for military historians, operational planners and especially intelligence officers. This is a fascinating saga. editors and contributors have made Codebreakers an essential work ... It must be read by anyone and everyone concerned with intelligence during the Second World war .... It will be fundamental to anyone concerned with the techniques used during the Second World War to attack ciphers, super-enciphered codebooks or machine ciphers. ... a very intimate, anecdotal history. Despite the grim and far-reaching nature of their work, the reader goets a sense of a world bounded by four walls and shared with a few close associates whose common work made for very close relationships. The work of the codebreakers ... is fascinating, if sometimes barely comprehensible. ... a dramatic insight into just how remarkable the codebreakers' accomplishments were. It comes with impeccable references in the shape of its editors' background and reputation, and does not disappoint. fascinating insiders' account of wartime code-cracking... and absorbing read. a highly revealing, even exciting book... that lays fascinating former secrets bare... It is a delight to have so crucial a subject so clearly and entertainingly described, by some thirty people who really understand what they are discussing and can set the record quite straight. Anyone interested in the Second World War will sit up all night, and chess players and puzzle-solvers will be captivated by the later chapters.