Show Ciphered Messages Foil Enemy But Sometimes They Backfire L I J Operators Operators in recording room of 0 the British Broadcasting corporation London listening to stations throughout the world When they strike an interesting or mysterious broad broad- broadcast broadcast cast it its it's switched to the recorder ENDON ONDON Two British Secret seL secret se se- L cret service agents were arrested in Germany recently recent recent- ly after the Nazis had bad Intercepted intercepted intercepted inter inter- their coded radio com corn Thus was completed completed com corn a thrilling thrilling thrilling-il if un unsuccessful suc- suc chapter chapter in wartime use of ciphered messages a procedure developed during the World war and being used by byall byall byall all participants in the present war In London Berlin Derlin Paris Pari and other key cities code specialists are constantly constantly constantly con con- scanning the ether for secret ecret messages Phonograph raph Ran Down Clever tricks are often used to toll foil the enemy During the World war the allies puzzled for months I over oyer fast gibberish signals Ignall broadcast broad east cast fr from m the great German radio station at Nauen Records Record were made and studied in the allied decoding de dc- coding rooms room but the mystery remained remained re re- unsolved until one hot day dayen en tin the Mediterranean when British naval officers were mixing cool drinks drink and listening to musical selections se se- se on their portable graph raphe Finally one officer said Well that's that all aU the records except ex ex- for some of the Nauen light- light sung ding gibberish The record was started but the first officer forgot to wind the phonograph and none of his companions companions com bothered to stir Ur in the heat heaL Suddenly an officer jumped to his feet The gibberish on the slowly turning record took form In recognizable code groups being a ames mes message message sage from the German high command command com mand to an outpost In East Africa Blunder Cost a War A code blunder was responsible for Russia's Russia defeat in the World war Discarding its it old cipher in favor of a previously planned new one the Russians invaded East Prussia with two armies Through error only one of the commanding commendIng generals had been given the new code so the field radio proved a boomerang Neither army could read the others other's code consequently they resorted to clear or plain I code which the Germans had no I trouble intercepting With this unexpected unexpected un un- expected information General Von surprised the Russians at on August 26 1914 and massacred the enemy A few weeks later the Russian navy made up for the army's loss Having sunk unk a German battleship In the Baltic a Russian commander ordered that the German dead be picked out of the water and taken to land for a decent burial One of the first things they found on the person of a dead officer was the lead binding of a code book Dredging ing frantically they soon discovered the book itself and thus acquired not only the code then in use but the key to the whole system on which German naval codes were built Aided Prison Escape Codes Cedes ha have ve been used for centuries cen cen- tunes according to Secret and Urgent Ur gent a new Bobbs book written b by Fletcher Pratt From ancient Greece until today codes and ciphers have helped win and lose wars have caused heads to roll roU rolland rolland and crowns croWDS to topple One of the best such Ruch stories Gomes comes from the civil war between Charles I of England Eng land and his commons Sir John Trevanion locked in Jail all awaiting execution for participation In III the quarrel received a long letter of condolence from a friend a few hours before his scheduled death That evening he asked to be taken to the chapel for solitary devotions When the guards returned Sir John was gone Had cryptographers cryptographer examined the letter carefully they would auld have discovered that by reading every third letter after each comma the following message was found Panel at east end of chapel slides amount disbursed In November that land of sunshine and honey handed out Insist the nation can stand a large scale retirement program program pro pro- gram but realists in the administration administration adminis adminis- doubt that we can afford It IL They regard the 1940 payments as asa asa asa a modest start and refuse to make any more concessions concession to hold the pension vote next year Just a few weeks ago Security Administrator Paul McNutt emerged from a White WhiteHouse Whitehouse House conference to tell reporters it would be unwise to predict any broad revisions In the present tern tens There has been talk of com corn batting the war-inspired war merchant marine depression via social security ty and of expanding the present plan to Include self employed persons persons per per- sons but the New Deal promises it will sponsor no increase in pay ments Pensions Go to Congress Its It's not expected that 1940 elections elections elec dec will make congress any more pension-minded pension than it was last June when the house voted toted down the Townsend plan to 97 07 That plan would give a pension of a month to all persons over 60 who retire from work the money to come from a 2 per cent tax on all ali transactions are fighting furiously furious furious- ly with another group which wants the same general idea wrapped up in another package This is the General Welfare federation whose bill is now pending In hi the house It would amend the social security act to give 30 3 to 60 00 a month to all persons over CO GO the cost to be paid by a gross income tax tas of 2 per percent cent Deductions would be permitted permit permit- ted from gross Income of the cost of materials used In hi the products of Industry and of the first 60 per month or per year of gross I income received Seek Earl Early Vote The potency of this plan is shown by the fact that house members members members mem mem- bers have signed a petition to discharge discharge dis dis- dia- dia charge the house ways and means committee In hi whose hands the bill biU now rests and bring it to the floor The old age retirement plan which goes In hi effect January 1 is II figured this way Beneficiaries will receive a basic amount equal to 40 per cent of the first 50 of the average monthly wage plus 10 per cent of the next of average monthly wages To this is added 1 per cent of the basic amount for each year In hi which the tha individual earns at least In hi covered employment Thus a worker whose average monthly income was would receive receive receive re re- monthly benefits of 2573 2575 U it married he would receive an additional addi add 1288 1283 for his hla wife wile If U over 6 65 63 and 1288 1283 for each dependent child On the same basis a widow widows widow's widows widow's wid wid- ow's ow benefits would amount to 1931 per month a widow with one dependent dependent de de- pendent child would get and anda a widow with two dependent children chil dren 4 06 No benefit may be beless beless beless less than 10 a month and the tho highest high est will be 85 83 The funds come from a social security security security se se- se- se tax of 1 cent each per assessed assessed as as- essed against employ employers en and employees employees em em- covering all wages up tean to te toan an annual total of Taxpayers Taxpayer Will flU Decide Rational and unbiased observers observer of the pension movement can see ee dangers dangen on both sides Ides A citizen who's who worked hard bard all aU his life and now faces indigent old age afe Is II apt to tobe tobe tobe be a bit too demanding on his hi government goy gov And youngsters who fall faU heir to their elders elders' Jobs and must foot toot the pension bill arent aren't apt to I. tobe tobe be very sympathetic about large larce pensions At the same lime time however however how- how ever nero youth is becoming more pen slon sion It wont won't be necessary to worry a about bout alleged crackpot retirement retirement retire retire- ment meat schemes chemes On some ome too not-too- distant day one of them may be legislated Into being but not for long Eventually the electorate will decide how big a tax load it can carry |