09/02/2021

Two-Part Code between Le Tellier and Colbert (1650)

I added two ciphers used between Le Tellier and Colbert in "Ciphers Early in the Reign of Louis XIV". This is something more than a routine addition, because this shows that the same corresondents used one-part code in November 1650 and two-part code in December 1650. Is this the first two-part code in mainstream French ciphers? Apart from sporadic examples (Duke of Nevers, Edward Stafford), the first two-part code known to me has been Louvois' code (1676). Considering that Louvois was son of Le Tellier, it is probable that he learned of two-part code from his father. It is often said that two-part code was invented by the codebreaker Rossignol. It is wondered whether Le Tellier learned of it from Rossignol or he devised it himself or learned of it from any other source.

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