Talk:Herbert Yardley

The Education of a Poker Player

I don't know how he is "best known for" a cryptology book when he wrote the classic poker autobiography I mention above. 65.79.173.135 (talk) 20:26, 31 October 2008 (UTC)Will in New Haven65.79.173.135 (talk) 20:26, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Kommentar

This unattributed text was sitting at the bottom of the entry. I've removed it from that location, but am saving it here:

In a book "Battle of Wits" written by Stephen Budiansky and published by Free Press in 2000, the author paints quite a different picture of Herbert O. Yardley. The author accuses Yardley (whether rightfully or not is unbeknown to me) of being less than an "upstanding citizen", an opportunist more so than a patriot. A man more interested in his own well-being than the security of his Nation. The picture painted in the book is one of a man who (a)sold secrets to the highest bidder, (b)exaggerated his own contribution to the code-breaking community, and (c) who's transfer to Canada during the WWII was not a vote of confidence in his abilities but merely a convenient way of getting rid of him from the US. The author states that when the British found out who was running the Canada's new "Examination Unit" they refused to share their intelligence with Canada. The author says that "Yardley was both a security risk and an embarrassment as far as GC&CS was concerned, and the British told the Canadians in no uncertain terms to get rid of him, softening the blow by offering to supply a British expert to take his place."

Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 20:29, 8 August 2011 (UTC)

Parse the page

Herbert Hoover took the Presidential oath in 1929, and appointed Henry Stimson as Secretary of State. Stimson decided to tour the separate bailiwicks of his department. He dropped in upon Herbert O. Yardley's contingent of code breakers. Herbert described that visit in his 1931 book The American Black chamber. The reason I say "parse the page" is that Herbert made a spontaneous and proud description of his team's abilities and achievements. He listed one nation after another whose coded traffic they could read. Henry Stimson remained poker faced and could have stopped Herbert at any point to make the namby pamby remark: "Gentlemen don't read other gentlemen's mail."

Herbert O. Yardley then made a mistake. He said to Secretary Stimson that they could, and routinely did, read ALL THE ENCODED TRAFFIC OF THE VATICAN. Kaboom! THIS was the trigger for the famous comment. Stimson was spared the rebuttal that: 1) the Vatican is the oldest systematic gatherer of Intelligence, 2) has always had the largest field of agents (priests) and 3) regularly broke the seal of the confessional, if information was confessed of use to Vatican power, foreign policy, and strategy making. If the assembly of a Vatican Black Chamber would have required breaking people upon the Rack, history suggests they might have done so. While doing the Lord's Work the end justifies the means. --Edward M. Chilton — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.83.23.91 (talk) 18:11, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

This is not what appears in Yardley's book at all. This is what he had to say about the Vatican codes (near the beginning of Chapter XVIII: The Secretary Sees the President):

Among these preliminary studies were the code telegrams of the Vatican. But our analysis of the Vatican code nearly got me into trouble, and was abandoned under rather rare circumstances.

A new Director — I shall not give his name — had been appointed and I was ordered to Washington to outline the history of the activities and accomplishments of the Black Chamber, and to give him my plans for the future.

The new Director, his executive officer and I were lunching at the Army and Navy Club, when the Director asked:

‘Yardley, what code do you plan to solve next?’

‘I don't know, but the Vatican code telegrams rather intrigue me. Our preliminary analysis shows that they can be read,...'

I noticed with amazement that the Director’s face went very white. At the same moment the executive officer gave me a vicious kick under the table. It scarcely needed the injury to my shins to make me realize that the Director was a Catholic, but it gave me an opportunity to cover up my confusion.

My voice was a bit tremulous, but I began again:

‘Our preliminary analysis shows that they can be read, but I personally feel that it is unethical for us to inquire into the Vatican secrets. I hope you concur with my view.’

The word unethical sounded a bit strange in its association with the activities of the Black Chamber, but in this case it was effective, for the blood slowly returned to the Director’s face.

‘You are quite right, Yardley,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t bother with the Vatican code telegrams. I'm glad to see that you recognize that there are certain limits that we cannot exceed in the espionage necessary for the successful operation of your bureau.’

According to Yardley's account, Stimson never visited the Black Chamber offices in New York, nor did he and Yardley ever meet. Stimson is referred to, but not by name, in Charter XX: The Black Chamber is Destroyed, describing the events of "the latter part of 1928":

The new Secretary of State had already taken office, but it was the custom of my correspondents in Washington to permit a new Secretary of State to familiarize himself with his new duties before bringing to his attention the activities of the Black Chamber.

Finally we deciphered a series of important code messages, and when I sent them to Washington I suggested that this presented an opportune moment to acquaint the new Secretary with our skill.

I accordingly awaited the reception of these messages with the greatest anxiety. I was to receive advance news of the Secretary’s reactions. A few days later when I saw a letter on my desk from one of my informants I studied it a long while in silence before I had the courage to open it.

Finally I ripped it open. The first words spelled our doom. The letter was almost illegible, full of exclamations, and what not. I put in a telephone call for more details. My informant told me that the messages I had sent down were given to the Secretary, who wished to know how they were obtained. When informed of the Black Chamber he had totally disapproved of our activities and ordered that all State Department funds be withdrawn from our support, and that the State Department have absolutely nothing to do with our organization. He took the position that we should not supervise the telegrams of foreign governments. This, of course, spelled the doom of the Black Chamber, which was now supported almost wholly by State Department funds.

I slowly hung up the receiver and turned to my secretary, who had been with me for ten years. She had gathered the meaning of the conversation. Her face was as white as death.

‘I’m sorry’, I said inanely. ‘I guess we'd better call in the others.’

When I told them the decision at Washington, they all stared at me with uncomprehending eyes. Most of them had devoted many years to cryptography, working secretively, not even their most intimate friends being aware of their real accomplishments. That cryptography as a profession would ever die had never entered their minds. It was tragic to hear these people, their intellect sharpened by years of original investigation, ask me the same questions over and over again. They did not understand, and were like children seeking an explanation of the unexplainable.

The next day I received official notice of the closing of the Black Chamber, and was ordered to come to Washington at once.

Far from the decoding of the Vatican telegrams being the crucial factor in the withdrawal of Black Chamber funding, such decoding was not taking place and there is no particular reason to suppose that Stimson was aware that it had even been explored. Moletrouser (talk) 18:14, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Rejoinder: Excuse me. The American Black Chamber was disbanded in 1929. Two years later, Yardley published a book by the same title, "The Black Chamber". As a young man I owned a copy of this work. The above text is from the Third edition, 1940. There are other sources about this matter, including the autobiography of Sec. Henry L. Stimson, and biographies of him and Yardley, and comments in all works about cryptography. I am confident that I saw - in some source- the physical visit of the new Sec. State Stimson to the decryption workshop, including mention of the nations whose diplomatic codes had been deciphered. Unfortunately I did not have it tattooed upon my body. I regard my memory for things I have done in my life to be in the same ballpark with Yardley and Stimson. The relative importance of their tasks is irrelevant. SIGNED: Edward M. Chilton. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.180.67.40 (talk) 11:39, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

Collaboration with Japanese before Pearl Harbour

BBC radio presents evidence:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03b0ydw

Shtove (talk) 16:34, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

What is this supposed to mean?

Yardley's second book, Japanese Diplomatic Codes: 1921-1922, was presented to the dynasty of royalty in full printed form and a part of the manuscript scribbled on, and also burnt and seized by U.S. marshals and never published. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.168.172.126 (talk) 15:39, 3 October 2014 (UTC)