The Reader of Gentlemena??s Mail by David Kahn

by David Kahn

One of the most colourful and controversial figures in American intelligence, Herbert O. Yardley (1889-1958) gave America its best form of information, but his fame rests more on his indiscretions than on his achievements. In this highly readable biography, a premier historian of military intelligence tells Yardley's story and evaluates his impact on the American intelligence community. Yardley established the nation's first codebreaking agency in 1917, and his solutions helped the United States win a major diplomatic victory at the 1921 disarmament conference. But when his unit was closed in 1929 because "gentlemen do not read each other's mail", Yardley wrote a best-selling memoir that introduced - and disclosed - codemaking and codebreaking to the public. David Kahn describes the vicissitudes of Yardley's career, including his work in China and Canada, offers a capsule history of American intelligence up to World War I, and gives a short course in classical codes and ciphers. He debunks the accusations that the publication of Yardley's book caused Japan to change its codes and ciphers and that Yardley traitorously sold his solutions to Japan.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

Paperback

First published February 9, 2004

About the author

A specialist on the history of cryptography and military intelligence, David Kahn worked as a reporter and op-ed editor for Newsday until his retirement in 1998, and was selected in 1995 as scholar-in-residence at the National Security Agency. Kahn earned a D.Phil in modern German history from Oxford University in 1974 under the supervision of the then-Regius professor of modern history, Hugh Trevor-Roper.

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Reviews

[Jack Hwang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kahn has tried to keep an even tone in this biography of a controversial person. However, in his narrative, he takes too much stuff directly from The American Black Chamber without pointing out the discrepancy sooner. For example, Yardley boasts a lot about his own cryptanalysis capability in his book but Kahn does not point them out right away. In stead, he only summarily quoted other experts' comments in the last chapter. The contrast is way too big!

[Ollivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read that book before The American Black Chamber to get some insights about Yardley by my favourite crypto historian, having thoroughly enjoyed both Codebreakers and Enigma.

I must admit being slightly disappointed. Even though I knew it would not have the technical content of Codebreakers nor history revealing one from Enug, I find it lacking, I am not sure exactly what.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

David Kahn is so obnoxiously condescending! Why does one of the weirdest and most interesting figures in cryptography history have to have such a tool for a biographer!?

[Robert Yaffee]

An excellent restrospective perspective.