Newsweek article, "The Code of the Future"

Wed Jun 2 14:03:00 PDT 1993

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On Tue, 1 Jun 93 18:56:10 -0700,
 Timothy C. May <uunet!netcom.com!tcmay> wrote -

> Subject: "Newsweek" Article on Clipper and Encryption

 When I read this message this morning, I made a bee-line down to the
 kiosk in the lobby and bought it (the June 7th issue of Newsweek). It
 must've just hit the stand, because the issues were still bound with
 rubber bands. (Thanks, Tim, for taking the time to commit it to
 ASCII, BTW.)

 This is good. Clipper articles have appeared in The New York Times,
 The Washington Post and now, Newsweek. This is exactly the exposure
 that is needed.

 One thing that you didn't include (its rather trivial), that I tacked
 onto the end of this post, is a very, very brief history of
 Cryptography -

- - --

 "Great Moments in Cryptography

 1900 B.C.
 Menet Khufu, Egypt

 Into the rock of a nobleman's tomb, a master scribe carved unusual
 symbols rather than the standard hieroglyphics. The intent was to
 impart a grandeur to the message, the oldest known cryptographic
 text.

 Jan. 17, 1917
 London

 Britain decodes the 'Zimmerman' telegram from Berlin to the German
 ambassador in Washington. Describing a plan to give Mexico the U.S.
 Southwest, it helped draw an outraged America into World War I.

 Dec. 7, 1941
 Washington, D.C.

 Navy spies crack a message from Tokyo to its embassy in Washington
 saying it will break off talks with the U.S. at 1 p.m. -- dawn at
 Pearl Harbor. The navy spies miss the import of this; Tojo strikes
 unopposed.

 Nov. 4, 1952
 Washington, D.C.

 Truman creates National Security Agency, master of math-based codes."

- - --

 To which, I add my own date to remember -

 "Infamous Moments in Cryptography

  Apr. 16, 1993
  Washington, D.C.

  The Clinton Administration announces introduction of the 'Clipper
  Chip,' a cryptographic scheme developed by the NSA under the
  auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
  (NIST). Under 'Clipper,' monitoring high-tech communications is
  made simpler for law enforcement agencies and privacy becomes a
  secondary triviality."

  I can only keep my fingers crossed that we see more articles like
  this geared to informing the public of this ruse.

Paul Ferguson               |  The future is now.
Network Integrator          |  History will tell the tale;
Centreville, Virginia USA   |  We must endure and struggle
fergp at sytex.com             |  to shape it.

          Stop the Wiretap (Clipper/Capstone) Chip.