Re: Speaking of Iranian ciphers

From: Andrew Swallow (am.swallow_at_eatspam.btinternet.com)
Date: 06/03/04 

Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2004 16:06:53 +0000 (UTC)

"Lassi Hippeläinen" <lahippel@ieee.orgies.invalid> wrote in message
news:40BEF6D9.EF28E6AA@ieee.orgies.invalid...
> Andrew Swallow wrote:
> <...>
> > The weapons embargo prevented the Iranians from replacing
> > their military communications equipment during the Iran-Iraq
> > War, so their crypto designs may date back to World War 2.
>
> Weapons embargoes don't work for governments during a war. They get
> worked around.
>

Several years into the war, I can remember the Iranian and
Iraqi buyers being shown round the communications
equipment factory where I was working. They were rumours
that they having trouble borrowing the hard currency and then
the negotiations were aborted by the British Government's
embargo.

> Anyway, Iran was considered a friendly country by the USA while the Shah
> ruled there till seventies. If you are interested in how the CIA was
> involved, Google should help.
>
What they had would depend on when the previous purchases
had been. In the 40s and 50s Britain made some money
selling second hand German Enigma machines.

Andrew Swallow

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