Venona


The U.S. Army's Signal Intelligence Service, the precursor to the National Security Agency, began a secret program in February 1943 later codenamed VENONA

The mission of this small program was to examine and exploit Soviet diplomatic communications but after the program began, the message traffic included espionage efforts as well.

Although it took almost two years before American cryptologists were able to break the KGB encryption, the information gained through these transactions provided U.S. leadership insight into Soviet intentions and treasonous activities of government employees until the program was canceled in 1980.

The VENONA files are most famous for exposing Julius (code named LIBERAL) and Ethel Rosenberg and help give indisputable evidence of their involvement with the Soviet spy ring.

The first of six public releases of translated VENONA messages was made in July 1995 and included 49 messages about the Soviets' efforts to gain information on the U.S. atomic bomb research and the Manhattan Project. Over the course of five more releases, all of the approximately 3,000 VENONA translations were made public.

ImageTitle
 6SEP_SUPREME_SOVIET_DECREE.PDF2nd reissue of: Message from KUZNETsOV and IL'IChEV: Supreme Soviet Decree, SAMARIN and SYChEV 6 September (Release 5)
 6OCT_MITRON.PDF2nd reissue of: MITRON's departure for America; reference to MINK
 8OCT_SKYLAROVS_STAFF.PDF2nd reissue of: NIKONOV, RYaBChIKOV, PATOVA, KRUTIKOV appointed to SKLYaROV's staff 8 October (Release 5)
 29NOV_REISSUE.PDF2nd reissue of: References to "KhOChEV", "KLARA", EDWARD, "CROAT", "VIKTOTIA", "BRUMOVIA", "RAIS" and "ALFRED" among others 29 November 1943 (Release 5)
 27FEB_SANTO.PDF2nd reissue of: References to "SANTO" 28 February (Release 5)
 9MAY_VYSELSKIJ_RECRUITED.PDF2nd reissue of: VYSEL'SKIJ to be recruited by "SANTO" 9 May (Release 5)
 14AUG_SLONI.PDF2nd reissue of: WRITER; and Kh. Z. SLONI
 15MAY_CANDIDATES_EUROPE (1).PDF2nd Reissue-"DIPLOMAT","VIKTOR","INDEETs","ZhORES","..SKIJ";"LOM" and "LAR". ARTUR: instructions on selection of candidates for Europe etc (1942) (A more complete version of documents previously released in second venona release on 10 Oct. 1995) 15 May 1942 (Release 6)
 1FEB_ARNOLD.PDF2nd Reissue: "ARNOLD"
 10NOV_REISSUE_LAN_REPORTS.PDF2nd Reissue: "LAN" reports arrival in Sweden of LARSEN, MIKKELSEN and ISAKSEN; Reference to "VOLKOV" 10 November 1943 (Release 5)
 17JAN_METALLIST.PDF2nd Reissue: "METALLIST" report on courses for political leaders at Gottroera
 23JUN_WATER_TRANSPORT_WORKER.PDF2nd Reissue: 1. Reference to "WATER TRANSPORT WORKER". 2. Reference to "KIRILL'S" departure
 3DEC_SAMUEL_AKMA.PDF2nd Reissue: 1. SAMUEL' amd AKMA; 2. ADMIRAL using post box to maintain contact; 3. AKASTO comments on conditions for agent operations; 4. MIKhAIL in London; 4. Break in liaison with MITRON
 19DEC_REISSUE_APPOINTMENT.PDF2nd Reissue: Appointment of "KLIM" to post of Counsellor: References to "KHOZYAJKA", SEMENOV, "DUNYA", "KLARA", "VETROV" and "KIN" 19 December 1943 (Release 5)
 8JUL_ARRANGEMENTS_FOR_ARTUR.PDF2nd Reissue: Arrangements for "ARTUR" in Chile and Rio and for "LUIZA" 8 July (Release 5)
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