On December 3, 1941, officers of the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Unit decoded a message sent from Tokyo to the Japanese embassy in Washington, ordering embassy staff to destroy its code books and other sensitive material. This, the officers determined, meant that Japan was preparing to break off diplomatic relations with the United States and go to war. When, they could not say; to gain a precise date, they would have had to break the Japanese naval codes. Therein, writes Stephen Budiansky in Battle of Wits, lay the rub: "Since mid-1939, America had not read a single message in the main Japanese naval code on the same day it had been sent. For most of the period from June 1, 1939, to December 7, 1941, the [U.S.] Navy was working on naval messages that were months, or even over a year old." For all their lack of preparedness and occasional inefficiencies, and for all the disdain with which some Allied ground commanders held the work of military intelligence, writes Budiansky, Allied cryptographers were of critical importance in determining the outcome of World War II. The decoding of Japanese and German encryption engines, for instance, helped the Allied navies gain victory in the battles of the Atlantic and Midway, while the translation of secret German railroad schedules allowed Winston Churchill to warn Josef Stalin that the German army was about to invade the Soviet Union--though Stalin refused to take the warning seriously. The codebreakers, in short, "averted disasters that would have been terrible setbacks to the Allied cause," and they almost certainly saved a considerable number of lives as they labored to crack such profound puzzles as Enigma and Purple.
Budiansky's narrative is strong on the science of cryptography--so much so that readers without a background in mathematics and logic may have trouble following the arcana of key squares, bigrams, and all the other trade secrets of cryptanalysis. Readers willing to brave matters technical, however, will find Budiansky's comprehensive account to be the best single book on the subject, and one well worth their attention. --Gregory McNamee
From Library Journal
This is another entry in the fascinating history of the secret intelligence battle during World War II. Much of this story has been told many times before (especially the battle of Midway and the U-boat war), but interesting new details are always coming out. Journalist Budiansky takes advantage of the thousands of newly declassified files on the so-called war behind the warAfeats such as breaking the Japanese codeAthat are legendary in the history of wartime espionage. Having conducted numerous interviews and dug into the primary sources, the author reveals the difficulties of organizing an efficient operation, the mind-numbing work, and getting the military brass to understand and use the product correctly. What is frightening is how stupid bureaucratic battles could cripple important operations. There is sufficient technical explanation of this complicated science/art form, as Budiansky has a degree in mathematics. A chronology, glossary, and notes are included. This easy-to-read work complements Maurice Freedman's The Codebreakers, 1901-1945: Bletchley Park and the Second World War (Leo Cooper, 2000). Suitable for both public and academic libraries. (Photos and index not seen.) [For another book by Budiansky, see The Truth About Dogs, reviewed on p. 106.AEd.]ADaniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, I.
-ADaniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Allied success in cryptology unquestionably contributed to victory in World War II, and Budiansky here recounts the code breakers' battles with the enciphering schemes and technical designs of Germany's and Japan's coding machines. A fascination with cryptological principles will smooth the way for readers, for Budiansky tours the technicalities of the subject. Once immersed in Budiansky's account, however, readers will appreciate the comprehensive quality of this author's research: it is meticulous and presented in lucid prose. As framing material, he keeps in view how Britain and the U.S. established and expanded their code-cracking operations--and how their militaries came to value them. But the drama naturally inheres in the code breakers' straining to keep up with the regular changes in the codes of the Germans--who were not, as were the Japanese, complacent about cipher security. Whereas in blood-and-guts histories the climax arrives garbed in combat, Budiansky's history of the cerebral war peaks when a mathematician strips the "additive" from a double-enciphered message from Donitz to his U-boats--now that's excitement! An able and comprehensive account. Gilbert Taylor
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Review
R. A. Ratcliff 1998-99 National Security Agency Historian-in-Residence For years I have sought an introduction to this exciting field of World War II cryptology that was both readable and reliable. Stephen Budiansky has done excellent research for both theatres and produced a masterful condensation of a wide-ranging, highly complex topic. His comprehensive account not only weaves together a lucid and eloquent narrative, but also deals deftly with the varied nuances of how the Allies tackled an emerging technology under the pressures of wartime. In short, Battle of Wits should be on every WWII buff's shelf as the thoroughly researched and highly entertaining introduction to the fascinating world of cryptology's Golden Age. -- Review
About the Author
Stephen Budiansky received a master's degree in applied mathematics from Harvard University and worked on classified military studies as a Congressional Fellow. He is a correspondent for The Atlantic, and his articles have also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He lives in Leesburg, Virginia.
