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
 11MAY_BUDGET.PDFBudgetary matters; also, U.S. Naval attache 11 May 1943 (Release 4)
 14NOV_BULGARIAN_POLITICAL_AFFAIRS.PDFBulgarian political affairs: PETKOV ChOLAKOV BOSWALL "ShELK" KIRSANOV BIRYuZOV 14 November (Release 5)
 15NOV_BULGARIAN_POLITICAL_AFFAIRS.PDFBulgarian political affairs: PETKOV ChOLAKOV BOSWALL "ShELK" KIRSANOV BIRYuZOV 15 November (Release 5)
 9JUL_CEASE_STUDYING.PDFCadres to cease studying at London Technical College, English language instruction to be provided
 6AUG_CALL-UP_BRITAIN.PDFCall-up in Britain; Anti-tank obstacles being removed; and Information from the FRIENDS on use of sirens
 24MAR_VIDAF_PRICE_OF_WHEAT.PDFCanadian Wheat Commissioner VIDAF on the question of the price for wheat 24 March 1942 (Release 5)
 13APR_CANBERRA_EXPENSE_ACCOUNT.PDFCanberra expense account for second half of 1944 13 April (Release 5)
 DOC-12.PDFCanberra Translations
 13APR_CARGO.PDFCargo to be loaded in Portland 13 April 1943 (Release 4)
 29JAN_CARGOES_FINLAND.PDFCargoes Despatched to Finland 29 January 1942 (Release 5)DF
 31MAY_CARIDAD_MERCADERS_SON.PDFCaridad Mercader's son Jorge has been liberated from a German POW camp 31 May (Release 4)
 17JUN_CAVALRYMAN.PDFCAVALRYMAN's son embarked on ship Ob 17 June 1943 (Release 2)
 28FEB_CEASE_CONTACT_PUKOL.PDFCease contact with Antonio PUKOL; warn "ARTUR" and "ALEKSANDR" about secrecy and coordination with Moscow
 19MAR_HARRY_DEXTER_WHITE.PDFCenter explains using a certain person to meet Harry Dexter White 19 March (Release 3)
 8AUG_CESSATION.PDFCessation of contact with an unreliable source, the KGB has been warned 8 August 1943 (Release 4)
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