A Tale of Two Movies

[A.T. Murray]

Here we can almost but not quite prove that we are living in a computer simulation. During the coronavirus pandemic, do you sometimes get up in the middle of the night and watch a pre-pandemic movie? V.T.Y. Mentifex does. Very Truly Yours just today turned his computer on and went channel-surfing through the movies to waste away the minutes that Windows XP Home Edition takes to get up and running, ready to peruse the alt.folklore.computers newsgroup on Usenet.

Years ago, Mentifex (ATM) read a book by Gordon Prange about Richard Sorge, the German spying for the Russians in Japan during World War Two. Then ATM read an even better book by Gordon Prange about the 1942 Battle of Midway, in which the American Navy with only three aircraft carriers was up against the Japanese navy with ten aircraft carriers. Soon VTY ATM discovered an old movie called "Midway" starring Hal Holbrook and Peter Fonda and Robet Mitchum and many others. ATM would watch the old "Midway" over and over again until he knew it by heart. It even had a young Tom Selleck in it.

Then in 2019 -- shades of Beau Geste -- they made a re-make of "Midway" with many up-and-coming new actors. So now Yours Truly had to decide which "Midway" he liked better, the old one or the new one. The 2019 new "Midway" starts earlier in history and goes more into the air-raid by Jimmy Doolittle on Tokyo. In a memorable scene, gun-toting Chinese farmers are itching to kill Doolittle for his preposterous claim that he has just parachuted out of an American bomber. They don't believe him, until a Chinese family comes out of hiding with Doolittle's parachute. Awe-struck, they reach a welcoming hand out to Jimmy Doolittle and they say, "You bombed Japan???!!!" It was like if present-day Social Justice Warriors were to say to an a.f.c. reader, "You bombed Mar-a-Lago?"

By the dawn's early light we report to you now that a movie being offered at 4:00 a.m. today had a fetching face on the thumbnail graphic accompanying the 2002 movie called "A Walk to Remember." Gee, he thought to himself, her face is just as fetching as those other TV movie stars yclept Shannon Doherty and Christina Ricci. Let's click the remote control on Mandy Moore and look into her obviously not very serious history -- since (we think) we have never seen her before.

The first row of her appearances is a bunch of music videos, so she must be more of a vocalist that a serious movie star. But we have never heard of all these songs and musicals. But wot-the-heck we click the down-button and we see what other movies Mandy Moore has appeared in. Major bombshell, computer folklore fans and movie fans:: "Ann Best, Midway(!!!)." Sturm und Drang, Shock and Awe. Suddenly in the mind of mindmaker Mentifex, a scene from 1942 Hawaii starts playing. The legendary, eponymous U.S. Navy war hero -- all genuflect == Wade McClusky is sitting in the Officers' Club and asks Mandy Moore playing Ann Best, "How long have you been married?"

"Long enough to know that he deserves to be leading his own
squadron," the hot-tempered Navy wife played by Mandy Moore retorts to the historic figure Wade McClusky. As the re-make movie goes on, Dick Best and Wade McClusky and the other U.S. Navy pilots turn the tide of World War Two by sinking all four of the Japanese aircraft carriers threatening the island of Midway. In his Steve Jobsian Reality Distortion Field, Mentifex (ATM) starts thinking that he will go on a.f.c. and post "A Tale of Two Movies." DIS ALITER VISUM.

As the 2002 movie "A Walk to Remember" continues with really short commercial breaks, one commercial slaps Mentifex in the face with a loud voice that goes, "This... is a tale of two kitties," followed by something like a comparison of two catfoods or two kitty-litters. Mentifes thinks, the omnipresent computer simulation is mocking me. A few scenes later, the preacher father of Mandy Moore says from the pulpit, "God is not mocked." During another commercial, Mentifex channel-surfs and sees that another channel is offering "A Tale of Two Cities."

So which do you like better, "Sabrina" with Humphrey Bogart or "Sabrina" with Harrison Ford? "Lara-Croft: Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie or "Lara-Croft: Tomb Raider" with Alicia Vikander? Any way you look at it, you lose, Bob, because you are immersed in a computer simulation -- menetekel menetekel -- and you will be judged accordingly.

http://ai.neocities.org/Concursus.html -- Concursus Omnium Bonorum

[Andreas Kohlbach]

Post by A.T. Murray
Years ago, Mentifex (ATM) read a book by Gordon Prange about Richard
Sorge, the German spying for the Russians in Japan during World War
Two. Then ATM read an even better book by Gordon Prange about the 1942
Battle of Midway, in which the American Navy with only three aircraft
carriers was up against the Japanese navy with ten aircraft
carriers.

Although the Japanese possessed ten carriers at the start of the war, only
four of these were engaged against three American carriers in the Battle
Of Midway.

US lost one and the Japanese three. That, and the Battle Of The Coral Sea,
was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

Or the story in the book takes place in an alternative timeline/universe?

[Louis Krupp]

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

Post by A.T. Murray
Years ago, Mentifex (ATM) read a book by Gordon Prange about Richard
Sorge, the German spying for the Russians in Japan during World War
Two. Then ATM read an even better book by Gordon Prange about the 1942
Battle of Midway, in which the American Navy with only three aircraft
carriers was up against the Japanese navy with ten aircraft
carriers.

Although the Japanese possessed ten carriers at the start of the war, only
four of these were engaged against three American carriers in the Battle
Of Midway.
US lost one and the Japanese three. That, and the Battle Of The Coral Sea,
was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
Or the story in the book takes place in an alternative timeline/universe?

I believe the Japanese Imperial Navy lost four carriers at Midway.

Louis

[Andreas Kohlbach]

Post by Louis Krupp

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

Post by A.T. Murray
Years ago, Mentifex (ATM) read a book by Gordon Prange about Richard
Sorge, the German spying for the Russians in Japan during World War
Two. Then ATM read an even better book by Gordon Prange about the 1942
Battle of Midway, in which the American Navy with only three aircraft
carriers was up against the Japanese navy with ten aircraft
carriers.

Although the Japanese possessed ten carriers at the start of the war, only
four of these were engaged against three American carriers in the Battle
Of Midway.
US lost one and the Japanese three. That, and the Battle Of The Coral Sea,
was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
Or the story in the book takes place in an alternative timeline/universe?

I believe the Japanese Imperial Navy lost four carriers at Midway.

After further reading, that appears to be correct. Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū and
Hiryū were sank.

[Peter Flass]

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

Post by Louis Krupp

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

Post by A.T. Murray
Years ago, Mentifex (ATM) read a book by Gordon Prange about Richard
Sorge, the German spying for the Russians in Japan during World War
Two. Then ATM read an even better book by Gordon Prange about the 1942
Battle of Midway, in which the American Navy with only three aircraft
carriers was up against the Japanese navy with ten aircraft
carriers.

Although the Japanese possessed ten carriers at the start of the war, only
four of these were engaged against three American carriers in the Battle
Of Midway.
US lost one and the Japanese three. That, and the Battle Of The Coral Sea,
was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
Or the story in the book takes place in an alternative timeline/universe?

I believe the Japanese Imperial Navy lost four carriers at Midway.

After further reading, that appears to be correct. Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū and
Hiryū were sank.

The scary thing is, this could have easily gone the other way.

[J. Clarke]

On Thu, 27 May 2021 13:05:00 -0700, Peter Flass

Post by Peter Flass

Post by Louis Krupp

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

Post by A.T. Murray
Years ago, Mentifex (ATM) read a book by Gordon Prange about Richard
Sorge, the German spying for the Russians in Japan during World War
Two. Then ATM read an even better book by Gordon Prange about the 1942
Battle of Midway, in which the American Navy with only three aircraft
carriers was up against the Japanese navy with ten aircraft
carriers.

Although the Japanese possessed ten carriers at the start of the war, only
four of these were engaged against three American carriers in the Battle
Of Midway.
US lost one and the Japanese three. That, and the Battle Of The Coral Sea,
was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
Or the story in the book takes place in an alternative timeline/universe?

I believe the Japanese Imperial Navy lost four carriers at Midway.

After further reading, that appears to be correct. Akagi, Kaga, S?ry? and
Hiry? were sank.

The scary thing is, this could have easily gone the other way.

There was a significant element of luck in that battle--the US
spotting the Japanese first was a major element. However the US
knowing when they were coming and roughly what their plans were and
the approximate composition of their force also made a significant
difference. As did an accident of timing, and an attack that was
wonderfully coordinated pretty much by accident.

[Andreas Kohlbach]

Post by Peter Flass

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

Post by Louis Krupp

Post by Andreas Kohlbach
Although the Japanese possessed ten carriers at the start of the war, only
four of these were engaged against three American carriers in the Battle
Of Midway.
US lost one and the Japanese three. That, and the Battle Of The Coral Sea,
was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
Or the story in the book takes place in an alternative timeline/universe?

I believe the Japanese Imperial Navy lost four carriers at Midway.

After further reading, that appears to be correct. Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū and
Hiryū were sank.

The scary thing is, this could have easily gone the other way.

US intelligence and a gut feeling of a senior officer saved the day (and
thus the war).

[greymaus]

Post by A.T. Murray
Here we can almost but not quite prove that we are living in a computer simulation. During the coronavirus pandemic, do you sometimes get up in the middle of the night and watch a pre-pandemic movie? V.T.Y. Mentifex does. Very Truly Yours just today turned his computer on and went channel-surfing through the movies to waste away the minutes that Windows XP Home Edition takes to get up and running, ready to peruse the alt.folklore.computers newsgroup on Usenet.
Years ago, Mentifex (ATM) read a book by Gordon Prange about Richard Sorge, the German spying for the Russians in Japan during World War Two. Then ATM read an even better book by Gordon Prange about the 1942 Battle of Midway, in which the American Navy with only three aircraft carriers was up against the Japanese navy with ten aircraft carriers. Soon VTY ATM discovered an old movie called "Midway" starring Hal Holbrook and Peter Fonda and Robet Mitchum and many others. ATM would watch the old "Midway" over and over again until he knew it by heart. It even had a young Tom Selleck in it.
Then in 2019 -- shades of Beau Geste -- they made a re-make of "Midway" with many up-and-coming new actors. So now Yours Truly had to decide which "Midway" he liked better, the old one or the new one. The 2019 new "Midway" starts earlier in history and goes more into the air-raid by Jimmy Doolittle on Tokyo. In a memorable scene, gun-toting Chinese farmers are itching to kill Doolittle for his preposterous claim that he has just parachuted out of an American bomber. They don't believe him, until a Chinese family comes out of hiding with Doolittle's parachute. Awe-struck, they reach a welcoming hand out to Jimmy Doolittle and they say, "You bombed Japan???!!!" It was like if present-day Social Justice Warriors were to say to an a.f.c. reader, "You bombed Mar-a-Lago?"
By the dawn's early light we report to you now that a movie being offered at 4:00 a.m. today had a fetching face on the thumbnail graphic accompanying the 2002 movie called "A Walk to Remember." Gee, he thought to himself, her face is just as fetching as those other TV movie stars yclept Shannon Doherty and Christina Ricci. Let's click the remote control on Mandy Moore and look into her obviously not very serious history -- since (we think) we have never seen her before.
The first row of her appearances is a bunch of music videos, so she must be more of a vocalist that a serious movie star. But we have never heard of all these songs and musicals. But wot-the-heck we click the down-button and we see what other movies Mandy Moore has appeared in. Major bombshell, computer folklore fans and movie fans:: "Ann Best, Midway(!!!)." Sturm und Drang, Shock and Awe. Suddenly in the mind of mindmaker Mentifex, a scene from 1942 Hawaii starts playing. The legendary, eponymous U.S. Navy war hero -- all genuflect == Wade McClusky is sitting in the Officers' Club and asks Mandy Moore playing Ann Best, "How long have you been married?"
"Long enough to know that he deserves to be leading his own
squadron," the hot-tempered Navy wife played by Mandy Moore retorts to the historic figure Wade McClusky. As the re-make movie goes on, Dick Best and Wade McClusky and the other U.S. Navy pilots turn the tide of World War Two by sinking all four of the Japanese aircraft carriers threatening the island of Midway. In his Steve Jobsian Reality Distortion Field, Mentifex (ATM) starts thinking that he will go on a.f.c. and post "A Tale of Two Movies." DIS ALITER VISUM.
As the 2002 movie "A Walk to Remember" continues with really short commercial breaks, one commercial slaps Mentifex in the face with a loud voice that goes, "This... is a tale of two kitties," followed by something like a comparison of two catfoods or two kitty-litters. Mentifes thinks, the omnipresent computer simulation is mocking me. A few scenes later, the preacher father of Mandy Moore says from the pulpit, "God is not mocked." During another commercial, Mentifex channel-surfs and sees that another channel is offering "A Tale of Two Cities."
So which do you like better, "Sabrina" with Humphrey Bogart or "Sabrina" with Harrison Ford? "Lara-Croft: Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie or "Lara-Croft: Tomb Raider" with Alicia Vikander? Any way you look at it, you lose, Bob, because you are immersed in a computer simulation -- menetekel menetekel -- and you will be judged accordingly.
http://ai.neocities.org/Concursus.html -- Concursus Omnium Bonorum

A short aside, the Chinese farmers that got the doolittle air men to
freedom were rounded up later by the japanese army, and any that had
the tokens given by the americans were shot.

Yes, Midway was unexpected turn in the war, and displaying that crypto
breaking was the key to victory . Some day we may know the true story.

There is a video on youtube about the British Colossus, well worth
viewing. I must review it, but from seeing it once, I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

[gareth evans]

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

Perhaps our exposure to computers and cryptography is such that we
can equal or surpass whatever was done in WWII and do so
from within our own homes?

I wonder whether there is a concerted effort by TPTB, both
Yank and Brit, to keep the minds of hoi polloi focussed around
Enigma machines and Morse Code to discourage them from making
mental leaps into what may even be trivial crypto developments.

[greymaus]

Post by gareth evans

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

Perhaps our exposure to computers and cryptography is such that we
can equal or surpass whatever was done in WWII and do so
from within our own homes?
I wonder whether there is a concerted effort by TPTB, both
Yank and Brit, to keep the minds of hoi polloi focussed around
Enigma machines and Morse Code to discourage them from making
mental leaps into what may even be trivial crypto developments.

I heard/read once of British people who married during the war, and
emigrated to the US. they had friends over, the husband was recalling
his time in Blet*, on which his wife revealed that she had worked there
too, but in a different area They had never talked to each other before
about that, in fear of the British Officials Act.

***@mail.com
A mousehole to infinity

[Bob Eager]

Post by greymaus

... I think that the lecturer says that there are still secrets about
crypto in WWII to be revealed.

Perhaps our exposure to computers and cryptography is such that we can
equal or surpass whatever was done in WWII and do so from within our
own homes?
I wonder whether there is a concerted effort by TPTB, both Yank and
Brit, to keep the minds of hoi polloi focussed around Enigma machines
and Morse Code to discourage them from making mental leaps into what
may even be trivial crypto developments.

I heard/read once of British people who married during the war, and
emigrated to the US. they had friends over, the husband was recalling
his time in Blet*, on which his wife revealed that she had worked there
too, but in a different area They had never talked to each other before
about that, in fear of the British Officials Act.

I heard this from one of the guides at Bletchley Park (I used to visit
quite a bit until they went all corporate).

She mentioned a couple who came into Hut 11, where the Bombe (a kind of
motorised multiple Enigma machine) was housed; this was a working
replica. The attendant was demonstrating how it was set up.

The lady in the couple burst out "That's not how it was done", and it
transpired that this had been her job during the war. Her husband was
qute shocked.

Afterwards, they were chatting with the attendant, and the husband said
to his wife "You never told me you worked here", to which her reply was
"It was a secret!" (they'd been told to keep quiet indefinitely because
the crypto stuff was still under wraps).

He then confessed "I worked here too..."

[gareth evans]

Post by Bob Eager

Post by greymaus

... I think that the lecturer says that there are still secrets about
crypto in WWII to be revealed.

Perhaps our exposure to computers and cryptography is such that we can
equal or surpass whatever was done in WWII and do so from within our
own homes?
I wonder whether there is a concerted effort by TPTB, both Yank and
Brit, to keep the minds of hoi polloi focussed around Enigma machines
and Morse Code to discourage them from making mental leaps into what
may even be trivial crypto developments.

I heard/read once of British people who married during the war, and
emigrated to the US. they had friends over, the husband was recalling
his time in Blet*, on which his wife revealed that she had worked there
too, but in a different area They had never talked to each other before
about that, in fear of the British Officials Act.

I heard this from one of the guides at Bletchley Park (I used to visit
quite a bit until they went all corporate).
She mentioned a couple who came into Hut 11, where the Bombe (a kind of
motorised multiple Enigma machine) was housed; this was a working
replica. The attendant was demonstrating how it was set up.
The lady in the couple burst out "That's not how it was done", and it
transpired that this had been her job during the war. Her husband was
qute shocked.
Afterwards, they were chatting with the attendant, and the husband said
to his wife "You never told me you worked here", to which her reply was
"It was a secret!" (they'd been told to keep quiet indefinitely because
the crypto stuff was still under wraps).
He then confessed "I worked here too..."

Dr Giles (Really Miles!) Parkes, RIP, of the SMEE was a retired GP but
the national gear cutting expert (I once did an Excel spreadsheet,
Hobnail, for him to calculate change gears for hobbing of helical gears)
and the SMEE had been approached to produce the gears to go into
that Bombe replica, but Giles had problems with them meshing
properly despite following the original plans and they were very noisy
in operation.

Anyway, being at Bletchley for the commissioning of the Bombe, a lady
who had been there in WWII commented that she remembered that very noise,
so perhaps there had been errors in the original plans all those
years ago!

[Jim]

Post by greymaus

Post by gareth evans

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

Perhaps our exposure to computers and cryptography is such that we
can equal or surpass whatever was done in WWII and do so
from within our own homes?
I wonder whether there is a concerted effort by TPTB, both
Yank and Brit, to keep the minds of hoi polloi focussed around
Enigma machines and Morse Code to discourage them from making
mental leaps into what may even be trivial crypto developments.

I heard/read once of British people who married during the war, and
emigrated to the US. they had friends over, the husband was recalling
his time in Blet*, on which his wife revealed that she had worked there
too, but in a different area They had never talked to each other before
about that, in fear of the British Officials Act.
A mousehole to infinity

I know several people,I may or may not have been one of them, who had to
sign the US official Secrets Act paperwork upon discharge last century.
While they did so, they were informed that they weren't to acknowledge
signing such a document... and the Act didn't exist. One of them, asked
politely what were they signing then ? They were informed that wasn't
funny... A higher ranking officer than the grouchy one, pointed out it
did exist and they should sign. Apparently the questioner had looked
down at the bottom most line of the document and had noticed the
'officialese' there. And signed it.

[J. Clarke]

Post by Jim

Post by greymaus

Post by gareth evans

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

Perhaps our exposure to computers and cryptography is such that we
can equal or surpass whatever was done in WWII and do so
from within our own homes?
I wonder whether there is a concerted effort by TPTB, both
Yank and Brit, to keep the minds of hoi polloi focussed around
Enigma machines and Morse Code to discourage them from making
mental leaps into what may even be trivial crypto developments.

I heard/read once of British people who married during the war, and
emigrated to the US. they had friends over, the husband was recalling
his time in Blet*, on which his wife revealed that she had worked there
too, but in a different area They had never talked to each other before
about that, in fear of the British Officials Act.
A mousehole to infinity

I know several people,I may or may not have been one of them, who had to
sign the US official Secrets Act paperwork upon discharge last century.
While they did so, they were informed that they weren't to acknowledge
signing such a document... and the Act didn't exist. One of them, asked
politely what were they signing then ? They were informed that wasn't
funny... A higher ranking officer than the grouchy one, pointed out it
did exist and they should sign. Apparently the questioner had looked
down at the bottom most line of the document and had noticed the
'officialese' there. And signed it.

My response to such a demand would likely been to call my lawyer, and
if they raised a fuss about that called the New York Times.

However if there is no statute supporting it and its existence can't
be divulged good luck enforcing it.

[greymaus]

Post by J. Clarke

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

My response to such a demand would likely been to call my lawyer, and
if they raised a fuss about that called the New York Times.
However if there is no statute supporting it and its existence can't
be divulged good luck enforcing it.

Its way beyond being funny. Sign the damn thing and move on. This is
beyond lawyers.

There was an idiot Irishman a few years ago who was detained because
made a humerous answer to such a question.. A few days in the slammer
cooled him down.

***@mail.com

[J. Clarke]

Post by greymaus

Post by J. Clarke

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

My response to such a demand would likely been to call my lawyer, and
if they raised a fuss about that called the New York Times.
However if there is no statute supporting it and its existence can't
be divulged good luck enforcing it.

Its way beyond being funny. Sign the damn thing and move on. This is
beyond lawyers.
There was an idiot Irishman a few years ago who was detained because
made a humerous answer to such a question.. A few days in the slammer
cooled him down.

That's Ireland. You're talking about something that allegedly
happened in the US and in the US _nothing_ is "beyond lawyers" and
some of us actually believe in and stand up for something called the
"Constitution" which is above, among other things, paranoid spooks.

[greymaus]

Post by J. Clarke
That's Ireland. You're talking about something that allegedly
happened in the US and in the US _nothing_ is "beyond lawyers" and
some of us actually believe in and stand up for something called the
"Constitution" which is above, among other things, paranoid spooks.

I don't think I will ever get back to the States. Last time, I stood in
line coming out and wondered at the security, in the days of plastic
knives and guns, and wondered at the bull*.

[Peter Flass]

Post by J. Clarke

Post by greymaus

Post by J. Clarke

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

My response to such a demand would likely been to call my lawyer, and
if they raised a fuss about that called the New York Times.
However if there is no statute supporting it and its existence can't
be divulged good luck enforcing it.

Its way beyond being funny. Sign the damn thing and move on. This is
beyond lawyers.
There was an idiot Irishman a few years ago who was detained because
made a humerous answer to such a question.. A few days in the slammer
cooled him down.

That's Ireland. You're talking about something that allegedly
happened in the US and in the US _nothing_ is "beyond lawyers" and
some of us actually believe in and stand up for something called the
"Constitution" which is above, among other things, paranoid spooks.

Unless the individual simply “disappears”, which has happened.

[J. Clarke]

Post by Peter Flass

Post by J. Clarke

Post by greymaus

Post by J. Clarke

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

My response to such a demand would likely been to call my lawyer, and
if they raised a fuss about that called the New York Times.
However if there is no statute supporting it and its existence can't
be divulged good luck enforcing it.

Its way beyond being funny. Sign the damn thing and move on. This is
beyond lawyers.
There was an idiot Irishman a few years ago who was detained because
made a humerous answer to such a question.. A few days in the slammer
cooled him down.

That's Ireland. You're talking about something that allegedly
happened in the US and in the US _nothing_ is "beyond lawyers" and
some of us actually believe in and stand up for something called the
"Constitution" which is above, among other things, paranoid spooks.

Unless the individual simply “disappears”, which has happened.

If their intent is to "disappear" someone there is no need for that
person to sign a form that is so secret that it cannot be used as
evidence in a court of law.

[Peter Flass]

Post by J. Clarke

Post by Peter Flass

Post by J. Clarke

Post by greymaus

Post by J. Clarke

... I think that the
lecturer says that there are still secrets about crypto in WWII to be
revealed.

My response to such a demand would likely been to call my lawyer, and
if they raised a fuss about that called the New York Times.
However if there is no statute supporting it and its existence can't
be divulged good luck enforcing it.

Its way beyond being funny. Sign the damn thing and move on. This is
beyond lawyers.
There was an idiot Irishman a few years ago who was detained because
made a humerous answer to such a question.. A few days in the slammer
cooled him down.

That's Ireland. You're talking about something that allegedly
happened in the US and in the US _nothing_ is "beyond lawyers" and
some of us actually believe in and stand up for something called the
"Constitution" which is above, among other things, paranoid spooks.

Unless the individual simply “disappears”, which has happened.

If their intent is to "disappear" someone there is no need for that
person to sign a form that is so secret that it cannot be used as
evidence in a court of law.

Maybe that wasn’t THEIR intention.

[David Lesher]

Post by greymaus
I heard/read once of British people who married during the war, and
emigrated to the US. they had friends over, the husband was recalling
his time in Blet*, on which his wife revealed that she had worked there
too, but in a different area They had never talked to each other before
about that, in fear of the British Officials Act.

After F. W. Winterbotham's book and the lid came off [late
60's], there was a party at Whitehall. Denniston was there.

A MP was introduced to him, and he in turn introduced his spouse
"Lady xxx"...

She responded "I doubt you remember me, Sir, but I worked for
you in Hut 3."

Her husband blurted out "So THAT's what you did during the War..."


{In the UK, a MP == Member of Parliament}

Proud to have actually met Tony Sales...

[greymaus]

Post by David Lesher
She responded "I doubt you remember me, Sir, but I worked for
you in Hut 3."
Her husband blurted out "So THAT's what you did during the War..."
{In the UK, a MP == Member of Parliament}
Proud to have actually met Tony Sales...

I read somewhere that girls/women were recruited for that job if they
had refined accents. There was something about that vicar's wives were
recruited for making one-pad pages for that sort of encryp* , picking
bingo-style balls out of a container.

[Bob Eager]

Post by greymaus
I read somewhere that girls/women were recruited for that job if they
had refined accents. There was something about that vicar's wives were
recruited for making one-pad pages for that sort of encryp* , picking
bingo-style balls out of a container.

I still use casino dice for generating random passwords.

[Andreas Kohlbach]

I read somewhere that girls/women were recruited for that job [...]

Watching some older Youtube videos about WWII and later industrial work,
"women" were often called "girls", no matter what age.

Political incorrect today.

[Jeff Gaines]

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

I read somewhere that girls/women were recruited for that job [...]

Watching some older Youtube videos about WWII and later industrial work,
"women" were often called "girls", no matter what age.
Political incorrect today.

It was standard up to the end of the century in many cases, in our family
we had boys and girls, that covered grandparents right through to great
grandchildren.

[greymaus]

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

I read somewhere that girls/women were recruited for that job [...]

Watching some older Youtube videos about WWII and later industrial work,
"women" were often called "girls", no matter what age.
Political incorrect today.

Everything is politically incorrect nowadays.
Bring back the mini-skirt!

[Charlie Gibbs]

Post by greymaus

Post by Andreas Kohlbach

I read somewhere that girls/women were recruited for that job [...]

Watching some older Youtube videos about WWII and later industrial work,
"women" were often called "girls", no matter what age.
Political incorrect today.

Everything is politically incorrect nowadays.
Bring back the mini-skirt!

_Fuck_ political correctness!
-- Billy Connolly

[David Lesher]

Post by greymaus
I read somewhere that girls/women were recruited for that job if they
had refined accents. There was something about that vicar's wives were
recruited for making one-pad pages for that sort of encryp* , picking
bingo-style balls out of a container.

I have never seen anything like that in all my BP reading.

However....

At the beginning, BP badly needed trusted employees,
especially those who read German fluently.

They were found in the debutante daughters of the upper class
and royalty. Many had been overseas educations, as in Germany.

They wanted to contribute to the war effort. Further, they had
little in life to look forward to except being married off to
their parent's choice for them.

One was granddaughter of a Royal, and thus when he died, her
father and her moved up. One day she was working when someone
behind her "Ahem'd" and she turned around. There was her
godfather, and senior Park management.

"Hello, Uncle Dickie.."
He asked what she was doing, and she explained the index file.

The next day she was called on the carpet for wasting an
important officer's time. She defended herself by noting
he WAS her godfather, and he'd asked her.

BTW....

Uncle Dickie was Lord Mountbatten, head of Combined Operations,
and number 3 or 4 in the war effort.

See "The Debs of Bletchley Park."