Catalogue description Government Code and Cypher School: Diplomatic Section and Intelligence Exchange Section: Summaries of Messages of Political Interest for British and US Military Commanders

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Details of HW 39
Reference: HW 39
Title: Government Code and Cypher School: Diplomatic Section and Intelligence Exchange Section: Summaries of Messages of Political Interest for British and US Military Commanders
Description:

This series contains a series of reports issued by the Government Code and Cypher School of selected decrypted foreign diplomatic telegrams compiled for their interest to military commanders, known as the STARK reports. The reports in this series were mainly drawn from the BJ series (HW 12) and the COM series (HW 32).

The reports, mainly verbatim telegrams as intercepted, cover the final year of the war reported from German and Japanese sources, and contain detailed information of, particularly, the Soviet advance in Eastern Europe, the division and administration of occupied Germany, reparations, border adjustments and repatriation of prisoners, Japanese comment on post-war Europe and Japanese relations with the Soviet Union.

The records in this series were retained by the department until transferred to the PRO in 2001, when they were immediately open.
Date: 1944-1945
Arrangement:

The STARK reports are arranged in date order as issued according to their original serial numbers.
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department: ULTRA/ZIP/STARK 1 - 450
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Foreign Office, Government Code and Cypher School, 1922-1946
Physical description: 16 file(s)
Access conditions: Open
Immediate source of acquisition:

In 2001 Government Communications Headquarters
Accumulation dates: Series ran 1944-1945
Selection and destruction information: Complete series selected. These records contain information significant in the conduct of the Second World War and have been selected for permanent preservation in accordance with the PRO acquisition policy (para 2.2.1.3).
Accruals: No future accruals expected
Administrative / biographical background:

The STARK reports (summary reports of intercepted diplomatic messages of political interest to US and UK field commanders) began in response to a request raised initially by the senior US liaison officer at Bletchley Park, Col. Telford Taylor, in February 1944. He had asked that the BJ series of diplomatic intelligence be made available to US commanders in the European and Mediterranean theatres. The STARK series was initiated in June 1944, having been delayed until after D-Day.

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