Russ’s Reviews > The Secret Lives of Codebreakers: The Men and Women Who Cracked the Enigma Code at Bletchley Park > Status Update

CH26, 1945 and After: The drawdown of BP allowed many to refocus on their pre-war plans. Some continued on with the services, while others pursued innovations in technology or private sector work. Turing continued to build his computer before he committed suicide after he was prosecuted and convicted of being gay (he was also forced to get hormone treatment). In 2009 the government gave an official apology.

Most of the workers at Bletchley kept good operational security, never talking about their work with anyone, not even those in other Huts at the Park. In a society that expects a devastating German invasion, such strict 'sealed lips' would be expected--even all road signs were removed. Soviet sympathizers, however, were able to gain access. Security was so lax that Cairncross walked out with thousands of decrypts.

Bletchley Park, especially during the beginning, was very autonomous. Military or civilian? It didn't matter. BP wasn't a place for salutes and parades. Such individualist operational attitudes probably allowed the "undisciplined" civilians to flourish and allow the best cohesion possible with the Services.

The author spends a chapter (CH:11) discussing conspiracy theory over whether or not Churchill let the enemy bomb targets, so as to not tip them off about the source of information (broken enigma transmissions). The source had to be protected at all costs, but that is not to say no action could have been taken: planes were sent to "spot" German boats, even though the Brits knew where they were already.

Ideas of class were still prevalent during this time. Many of the residents were upper class. Of course these people did not like the billeting. Given the soon to be wartime conditions, some of their comments about the Park are pretty ridiculous. CH5 - The Pols & French were crucial to solving Enigma, until they fell.

CH1 - There may have been very good, practical reasons for some of the eccentric actions of Alan Turing (purposely long bike chain and riding through the countryside wearing a gas mask). Bletchley Park was far from being filled with autistics; its environment would have precluded such a thing. CH2 - Many of the recruits were known personally by recruiters. Many females were debutantes chosen for high class qualities.