C0029

German translation of Friedman's 'The Index of Coincidence'
Title
German translation of Friedman's 'The Index of Coincidence'
Production date
1938
Additional Title information
A German translation of Friedman's 'The Index of Coincidence and its Applications in Cryptanalysis' made by Austrian codebreaker Andreas Figl in 1938.
MATERIAL(s)
Paper.
Type
Book
DIMENSIONS
TBC
Serial number(s)
Contributer(S)
Andreas Figl (as translator). William F. Friedman (as author).
COLLECTION NUMBER
C0029
CONDITION
Good.
Category / Subcategory (if applicable)
Location
Main collection (Warwickshire, UK).
STATUS
In storage
provenance
Purchased from Austrian dealer Antiquariat Deinbacher (Artikel-Nr. 108500).
Acquisition Date
Feb 2021
Associated object(S)
Record Last Updated
Sep 24, 2023
DESCRIPTION
A German translation of William F. Friedman's 'The Index of Coincidence and its Applications in Cryptanalysis' made by Austrian codebreaker Andreas Figl in 1938. Titled: 'Die Anzeichen Der Zusammentreffen und Ihre Anwendung In Der Entraetselungskunt', it was based on a French translation of Friedman's text. According to correspondence between Figl and Friedman held by the United States National Security Agency (NSA), this translation was made by Figl upon the request of a 'friend'. Indeed, this can be seen in the handwritten inscription in this manuscript that states: "Meinem lieben Berufenen unseres geheimen Dienstes zur Förderung seiner Studien gewidmet. Wien, am 8. März 1938" (Dedicated to my dear recruit into our Secret Service, to expand his studies. Vienna, 8 March 1938). It is signed twice by Figl. A copy was later given to Friedman in the 1950s and is now in the Friedman Collection of the George C. Marshall Foundation, the only other copy of this text known to exist.
Notes
In 'The Index of Coincidence and its Applications in Cryptanalysis', William F. Friedman introduces the technique of coincidence counting to aid in analysing cipher text. The technique involves putting two texts side-by-side and counting the number of times that identical letters appear in the same position in both texts. This can then be used to generate a ratio, known as the 'index of coincidence'. This German translation of Friedman's book is based on an initial French translation titled: 'L'Indice de coincidence et ses applications en cryptographie'. According to correspondence held by the George C. Marshall Foundation, the French translation was made without the permission of the author (see Box 8, Folder 1).
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