Spie (Spies)...La Piazza Universale 2.0

They always told me that life never stop to surprise you...Today I got another proof of the truthfulness of this statement... few days ago I was surprise to find even one match between secret services and occupations in the Renaissance period, and now I've just found another one!! As it looks from this document the spy work was already diffused and despited at the time of Tommaso Garzoni...

If it was...

Our Professor V. Marchis proposed us a new challenge to face in building the structural base of this blog... It consist in chosing a single paint, song and movie that could fully describe our blog. Sadly for me, I haven't figured it all out yet, but for now I can present you my idea of which is picture that  in my mind correspond  to a visual transfiguration of my blog: the Gioconda by Leonardo Da Vinci

Gioconda, by Leonardo Da Vinci, Musée du Louvre, Paris

My connection might result a little bit illogical or unfounded to some of you, due to the great time and topic lapse, but I can assure you that there are few interesting links between the two elemets.

First of all they are both an incredible example of the Technique: the Gioconda painting is a demonstration of the amazing drawing and painting skills of the author Leonardo da Vinci, of his innovative genius: like the use of the sfumato, a method that consinsts in making a a subject blend in what is sorrounding it, by not drawing the outlines. The evolution lies in the presence of the atmosphere as a visual element of the painter's original perception of the reality.
On the other side secret services are the maximum expression of technology in terms of prototypes, since all new inventions pass under the army's supervision before being patented to see if they can be of military interest; in terms of security since they can boast he newest and most advanced instruments to encrypt and break codes, really usefull when it comes to understand others movement, to built an advantage in war time and prevent unpleasant situations that could put an end to a peaceful period; and in terms of organization since they control an entire system of many agents, spread all around the country taken into consideration and most probably all around the world, with different capabilities to absolve multiple functions.

Another common pecularity is given by the mistery halo that surround them: in the first case the enigma around the subject, the painter's choices about the eyes, the pose of the body, the ambiguous facial expression etc, in the other one due to the need of absolute secrecy in treating classified data like undercover agent identities and witness protection programme information.
I don't think it is wrong to think that it's just that not knowing, those secrets that concern them is the real cause of a such great media interest, like for example literary and cinematographic productions such as  The Da Vinci Code and the series of 007 by Ian Fleming.

        
 

Cifranti (Ciphers) ... from "La piazza Universale di tutte le professioni del mondo"

When professor V. Marchis told us about "La piazza universale di tutte le professioni del mondo" by Tommaso Garzoni,last week, and suggested a research inside of its list of occupations duringof the rinascimental period  to see if there were ancestors of our blog carachters, I was actually quite skeptical about the results of my search, but never say never in life!! I found a match in the very first page of the list even if it took quite a while to understand the font and words but here I am, so... enjoy these extract..

The paragraph regarding Ciphers starts from "Scriurono.." and it talks about coded messages, hidden messages under wax layer, or written on some messenger's head (similar techniques were already discussed in the post  entitled Coded Messages), or with particular inks that would have become visible after executing of a certain procedure...

A small notice..

As you may have seen I've started to publish few post concerning the argument that i choose to treat...and there could be someone asking himself "which order, which cryteria is she using to select the subject?"... i know no one was, but I'm still going to clarify this point.

Well, I've specified in my first post that the purpose of this blog is to treat the Secret services on the technological point of view by investigating the "Gravity's rainbow"  book, and since I am right now reading it, the book itself is defining my index, so it's possible to say that the order of the content is the same in which the topic itself appears in the book.

Coded Messages

It always have been clear to any king, emperor or government that keeping important messages and information from falling into hostile hands, is essential for the nation,empire or reign sake in both peace and war periods. That's why each one of them has created cryptography departement since ancient times.

Following I present two tecniques for coding messages mentioned in Pynchon's book. Actually these two example refer more to Steganography rather then Criptography, which is a less efficient way to keeping a message secret, because the message is just hidden...once it's discovered it can be easily read by anyone. A solution to this problem could be combining the two techniques, creating multiple issue to deal with in forcing the message as in the Kryptosam example (last quote).

Code messages in a dozen Slavic tongues were being tattooed on bare upper lips over which the
operatives then grew mustaches, to be shaved off only by authorized crypto officers and
skin then grafted over the messages by the Firm's plastic surgeons .. . their lips were
palimpsests of secret flesh, scarred and unnaturally white, by which they all knew each
other.

Teddy Bloat's [...] packing inside his stylish kangaroohide musette bag and threaded
around the odd necessities— midget spy-camera, jar of mustache wax



"Kryptosam" is a proprietary form of stabilized tyrosine, developed by IG Farben as
part of a research contract with OKW. An activating agent is included which, in the
presence of some component of the seminal fluid to date [1934] unidentified, promotes
conversion of the tyrosine into melanin, or skin pigment. In the absence of seminal fluid,
the "Kryptosam" remains invisible. No other known reagent, among those available to
operatives in the field, will alter "Kryp-tosam" to visible melanin. It is suggested, in
cryptographic applications, that a proper stimulus be included with the message which
will reliably produce tumescence and ejaculation. A thorough knowledge of the
addressee's psychosexual profile would seem of invaluable aid.
—prof. dr. laszlo jamf, "Kryptosam" (advertising brochure), Agfa, Berlin, 1934

Enough sperm saved, though, to rub over the blank scrap  enclosed with the picture. Slowly then, a revelation through the nacreous film of his seed,  in Negro-brown, comes his message: put in a simple Nihilist transposition whose keywords he can almost guess.

[Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon]

The Nihilist Transposition is a real cripthography sample, where letters are turned into other using a row column transposition, following the pattern dictated by a Polybius square built on the base of a wordkey. Initially created by Russian spies it has been adopted also by the heads of the KGB

If you want to get into the Nihilist Transposition to know more or even learn how to use it for sending your secret messages go on and check these link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilist_cipher
http://www.cryptogram.org/cdb/aca.info/aca.and.you/chap08.html#NIHITR

Further explanations about the difference between Cryptography and Steganography are given in the book  The Code Book, by Simon Singh, a book that I've already mentioned in the post Secrecy...Pro & Con

Minicameras 2.0

This argument is related to the topic of a previous post (Minicameras...micro optic at the service of the spies)
Just wanted to indulge you with some photos about these incredibly developed device

two images of the minox camera

Rolleflex mini cameras

Comparison between the two minox models: M3 and A

Comparinson between 3 different models:  from left Rolleflex TRL, Minox M3 and Minox A

Tessina miniature camera also in the watch band version (below)

Wristwatch camera by Steineck Abc

Minox Film

Minicameras with lighters or cigarette pocket shape

Minicameras...micro optics at the service of the spies

Teddy Bloat's [...] packing inside his stylish kangaroohide musette bag and threaded
around the odd necessities— midget spy-camera


Tacked to the wall next to Slothrop's desk is a map of London, which Bloat is now busy
photographing with his tiny camera [...] It takes him four exposures, click zippety
click, my how very efficient at this he's become

Quotes from Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

He has access to the entire battle plan for Case Blue. We know something about it, but Moscow
needs the details.’
Frieda was making a bewildering set of assumptions, but Carla went along with it. ‘I can ask him .
. .’
‘No. You have to make him bring you the battle plan.’
‘I’m not sure that’s possible. He’s not completely stupid. Don’t you think—’
Frieda was not even listening. ‘Then you have to photograph it,’ she interrupted. She produced
from the pocket of her uniform a stainless-steel box about Infthe size of a pack of cigarettes, but longer
and narrower. ‘This is a miniature camera specially designed for photographing documents.’ Carla
noticed the name ‘Minox’ on the side. ‘You’ll get eleven pictures on one film. Here are three films.’
She brought out three cassettes, the shape of dumbbells but small enough to fit into the little camera.
‘This is how you load the film.’ Frieda demonstrated. ‘To take a picture, you look through this
window. If you’re not sure, read this manual.’

Quote from Winter of the World by Ken Follet

Miniature cameras have revolutionized the world of espionage making some missions much faster to accomplish, but equally dangerous, and the data obtained from them more reliable and accurate.

If you're interested in miniature cameras, into their evolution, their structure and their application on the espionage field go ahead and check the link below:

http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Bl-Ch/Cameras-Miniature.html


P.S. In this blog as you can see I added a quote coming from another book which plot is set more or less in the same historical period of Gravity's Rainbow.
It is Winter of the World by Ken Follet, second chapter of the Century Trilogy, preceded by Fall of Giants. They are both historical thriller ad I found them amazing and really catching. Their dimension exceed the 800 pages, but the narration is fluent, so I haven't really felt the weight, except for the physical one!

Continues...

ABC of Secret Services

That's what secret services mean to me

A as Apache
B as Bletchley Park
C as Coded Messages
D as Double Cross System
E as Enigma
F as Firm
G as G-2
H as Hans Thilo Schmidt
I as Intercept
J as Joséphine Baker
K as Kryptosam
L as Lawrence, T.E.
M as Mata Hari/Minicam
N as Network
O as Organizations
P as Penkovsky & Gordievsky
Q as
R as Radio/Richard Sorge
S as Stenography/Secret Weapon
T as Telegraph
U as URSS spies
V as V-2
W as Wilhem Stieber
X as
Y as
Z as Zero

I still seriously miss few of them but...as soon as I got them i'll add them!!