[ih] Pre-internet 50 baud connections circa 1967

[Brian E Carpenter]

I have no idea about that. However, the UKUSA papers declassified by
the NSA and GCHQ a few years ago did indicate that NZ sigint was involved
in the first round of sigint networking even before WW II ended.

There was no link planned from NZ then, but NZ personnel were on site at
the AU/NZ sigint centre near Melbourne, Australia, which was linked via
Hawaii to the DC area by June 1944.

There's a memo whose file name is brusa_7jan44.pdf which describes
the future link. Some juicy extracts:

"(1) A comprehensive U.S.-British circuit, to be called the "BRUSA" circuit,
to be established as early as practicable between Washington, Pearl Harbor,
Melbourne, Colombo and G.C.C.S., incorporating U.S. Naval and British circuits
at present used for the dissemination of R.I. material."
...
"(7) All traffic to be in CCM. The number of machines required at British
stations and the provision of these machines, and of appropriate drums,
to be in accordance with Appendix III."

The memo was written by F.H. Hinsley for GCCS (the old name of GCHQ).
For CCM and its drums: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_Cipher_Machine
As far as GCCS was concerned, Melbourne and Colombo were British in 1944.
(The GCCS link from Bletchley Park to Washington went via Oshawa, Ontario,
which the British also viewed as British.)

Sources:
https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/declass/ukusa.shtml
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukusa/

Regards
   Brian


On 10/03/2016 09:21, Ian Peter wrote:
> I received the following interesting message from New Zealand last week - 
> can anyone give any more information on this?
> 
> "A basic 50 baud Military International network was established in NZDF back 
> in 1967 from Main Signals Centre in Wellington NZ sending messages to 
> Australia, UK, & USA. I recall addresses started with RPYxxx and were sent 
> either on tape, teleprinter or from TopSecret KW encryption valve equipment 
> (6L6's)."
> 
> (If it's top secret and you cant talk about it until 50 years have elapsed, 
> just let me know that you will reply next year!)
> 
> Ian Peter 
> 
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