From: Tim Magee <Tim@alia1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 3 Sep 95 15:15:52 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: anyone know what this "top secret" code does?
Message-ID: <150@alia1.demon.co.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


In your message dated Saturday 2, September 1995 :
> Does anyone remember the scenario someone suggested awhile back that
> hypothesized a scheme by the NSA or other TLAs to encourage the use
> of WEAK crypto?  It involved spreading a lot of F.U.D. about PGP and
> other strong crypto methods, followed by the discovery/leak of a
> supposedly "strong" crypto algorithm to replace it.

If the YFTLA could diffuse actual source of a method *supposedly* stronger than 
IDEA and get away with it, could they not equally qell get away with planting 
their man Zimmermann and having him publish PGP with a cunning trapdoor?  Let's 
see, to lend cred to that though they'd probably have to have him arrested on 
trumped-up charges and generally harassed ...

Many people only THINK they know what cynicism means.

Seriously: I've not been round long enough to have a good idea how likely my 
proposed scenario is.  You can all probably tell me things about Z's provenance 
which blow my little theory sky-high.

cheers,
tim M.
-- 
"Man is born free, and everywhere he is very reasonable." -- Rousseau (roughly)
Tim Magee, e-mail: Tim@alia1.demon.co.uk, tel: +44-1225-316785