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
 16MAR_COL_PERRUCHE.PDF• Instructions to get from KURBO the address of Col. PERRUCHE and possibly of others 16 March 1942 (Release 5)
 4MAY_FORMER.PDF1. "FORMER" 2. Reactions to Possibility of War with USSR
 8MAY_ANDERSON_TALMUD_BOOK.PDF1. ANDERSON's TALMUD and book handed over to SVANTE and FRED; 2. LEVANGER, NARYM, IVANOV, ANDERSON 8 May 1942 (Release 5)
 2SEP_BOMB_DAMAGE.PDF1. Bomb damage and air defence in South-west London 2. Minister's report on German bombing 3. Carpenter's report on German bombing 4. Press report on British bombing
 4SEP_DEGAUSSING_EQUIP.PDF1. British use of degaussing equipment reported by a Soviet trade representative 2. Report from the friends 3. Press reports on fighter pilot call-up and air losses
 10MAY_DEPART_FOR_ENGLAND.PDF1. Departure of "I" for England; 2. Instructions awaited to contact . . . 10 May 1943 (Release 5)
 9DEC_AKASTO.PDF1. Evaluation of information supplied by AKASTO; 2. Evacuation of AUGUST's wife 9 December 1942 (Release 5)
 4SEP_GERMAN_BOMBING_TACTICS.PDF1. German bombing tactics 2. Fifth-column activity
 13DEC_STEGE.PDF1. Inquiry about STEGE; 2. Query about certain books 13 December 1942 (Release 5)
 22APR_INFO_ON_FINLAND.PDF1. Intelligence from a journalist and from PER on Finland 2. Possibility of obtaining cipher pads from AKASTO (1942) (A more complete version of British Government-excised messages previously released in fifth VENONA release on 1 Oct 1996) 22 April 1942 (Release 6)
 2MAY_MAY_DAY_GREETINGS.PDF1. May day greetings; 2. Instructions for test transmissions by SAMUEL, AKMA, VAL'DEN and BERNS 2 May 1942 (Release 5)
 8MAY_KOLD.PDF1. Report from "KOLD" about Australian and Soviet Representatives in Japan 2. Report from COPLAND and Foreign Office Statement on Java
 31OCT_MTG_MOORE.PDF1. Report on PashchENKO's meeting with Moore; 2. John Pine's report on Moore. 31 October (Release 5)
 17SEP_SMIRNOVA.PDF1. Report on Smirnov, Smirnova and Kranidova 2. "AMMARILIS" 17 September 1943 (Release 5)
 10FEB_PERCH_SURNAME.PDF1. Request For "PERCH's" Surname 2. Reference To Award Made To "ZOYA" and "MAY"
Page 8 of 100