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
 20JAN_LUND.PDFLUND to be sent illegally to the U.S.A 20 January 1943 (Release 4)
 23MAY_LYCHKIN.PDFLYChKIN to be processed for the post of courier of the Special Guard 23 May (Release 5)
 30MAR_MORE_FOREIGN_OFFICE_TELEGRAMS.PDFMaclean gives KGB more Foreign Office Telegrams 30 March (Release 3)
 29MAR_FOREIGN_OFFICE_TELEGRAM5.PDFMaclean provides text of Foreign Office Telegram to KGB 29 March (Release 3)
 29MAR_FOREIGN_OFFICE_TELEGRAM4.PDFMaclean provides text of Foreign Office Telegram to KGB 29 March (Release 3)
 29MAR_FOREIGN_OFFICE_TELEGRAM3.PDFMaclean provides text of Foreign Office Telegram to KGB 29 March (Release 3)
 29MAR_FOREIGN_OFFICE_TELEGRAM2.PDFMaclean provides text of Foreign Office Telegram to KGB 29 March (Release 3)
 29MAR_FOREIGN_OFFICE_TELEGRAM.PDFMaclean provides text of Foreign Office Telegram to KGB 29 March (Release 3)
 13SEP_LUKA.PDFMagazine article catches LUKA's attention 13 September 1943 (Release 2)
 12DEC_SWEDES.PDFMail sent to London with a Neighbour; Swedes reported continuing to D/F The Soviet Fleet in The North: Swedes are Reading Telegrams
 3APR_ISAAC_FOLKOFF.PDFMAJ attempting to contact Isaac Folkoff 3 April (Release 4)
 6APR_ISAAC_FOLKOFF.PDFMAJ makes contact with Isaac Folkoff. Difficulty with password. 6 April (Release 4)
 28DEC_CIPHER_MATERIALS_VENEZUELA.PDFMAKAShEV and KIRPIChNIKOV take cipher materials to Venezuela 28 December (Release 5)
 15APR_MANNERHEIM_DIETL.PDFMANNERHEIM and DIETL clash over operations in Finland; and Movements of German units and tanks 15 April 1942 (Release 5)
 22JUN_MARCEL_GAUTIER.PDFMarcel Gautier approaches the KGB chief in Mexico City
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