Talk:CIA cryptonym

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Cold War, a project which is currently considered to be inactive.Cold WarWikipedia:WikiProject Cold WarTemplate:WikiProject Cold WarCold War articles

Espionage Low‑importance

	CIA cryptonym is within the scope of WikiProject Espionage, which aims to improve Wikipedia's coverage of espionage, intelligence, and related topics. If you would like to participate, visit the project page, or contribute to the discussion.EspionageWikipedia:WikiProject EspionageTemplate:WikiProject EspionageEspionage articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Military history: North America / United States / Cold War Start‑class

This article is within the scope of the Military history WikiProject. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. To use this banner, please see the full instructions.Military historyWikipedia:WikiProject Military historyTemplate:WikiProject Military historymilitary history articles

Start

This article has been rated as Start-class on the project's quality scale.

This article has been checked against the following criteria for B-class status:
Referencing and citation: criterion not met Coverage and accuracy: criterion met Structure: criterion met Grammar and style: criterion met Supporting materials: criterion not met

Associated task forces:
/
	North American military history task force
	United States military history task force
	Cold War task force (c. 1945 – c. 1989)

LCFLUTTER[edit]

An anonymous user objects:

(my $0.02: I believe LCFLUTTER refers to Polygraph techniques and not to truth serums)

But polygraph techniques are mentioned plainly in referenced texts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 9-1-1 (talk • contribs) 22:55, 6 March 2003‎ (UTC)[reply]

Anonymous users[edit]

I would just like to express my amusement that this article has been edited almost exclusively by anonymous users. Isomorphic 09:40, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Damn. Now you're telling me! Too late to use a proxy, though. :-)

Anyway, this usenet post seems to have some insider's information: [1]. Should we use it ? Bogdan | Talk 18:06, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

MOCKINGBIRD[edit]

Isn't MOCKINGBIRD also a cryptonym? Guaka 20:59, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Digraphs[edit]

Why'd the definitions of the digraphs get killed? 68.39.174.39 02:07, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)

KURIOT[edit]

Seems to me that I read that "KURIOT" (that is: "KU-RIOT") was a digraph for the CIA itself (maybe the watch center or something like that...) Wierd thing is that "Kuriot" itself is a word (Russian,I think)...for what it's worth... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.155.129.128 (talk • contribs) 10:41, 18 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Context[edit]

Could someone please clean up this article to provide context for what it's saying? - Richardcavell 05:54, 28 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Just a few things[edit]

CHATTER was Navy, not CIA; our own article on it even says so. BLUEBIRD and ARTICHOKE were exactly the same thing; the name simply changed (several times), although this article quite clearly suggests that they were different (and unrelated) projects. Dominic Streatfeild's Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control (ISBN-10: 031232572X; ISBN-13: 978-0312325725) has a chapter on BLUEBIRD/ARTICHOKE/MKULTRA if you need to cite something to ref that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.163.113.201 (talk • contribs) 18:49, 23 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

unverified definitions[edit]

this is OR, but it could help to find the actual definitions

In researching PBSUCCESS on the CIA FOIA site, I discovered that PBCABOOSE is used in cables titles "CABLE TO DIRECTOR FROM LINCOLN RE GUATEMALA 1954 COUP". This also indicates LINCOLN means more than just and operation involving a basque seperatist movement. It appears that PBCABOOSE refers to reports concerning PBSUCCESS addressed to the Director.

Also, ESQUIRE refers to a person in the same diplomatic envoy as JMBLUG (from 255. Telegram From the CIA Station in Guatemala to Operation PBSUCCESS Headquarters in Florida/1/; http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/ike/guat/20181.htm) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sdirrim (talk • contribs) 18:05, 13 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

FD[edit]

Does anyone known what the prefix "FD" means? (as in FD/TRODPINT?) —Preceding unsigned comment added by C0N6R355 (talk • contribs) 20:08, August 28, 2007 (UTC)

EC[edit]

In the article, EC is listed both for Ecuador, and in "Unidentified digraphs". (Given ECHELON, I guess EC is not Ecuador then? But I don't know.) --Avbentem (talk) 10:59, 19 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is this a copy ?[edit]

CIA cryptonyms (www.spywriter.com) or did this person copy from Wikipedia ? - Zilotte (talk) 23:15, 24 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

PB[edit]

This article lists PB as meaning Guatemala... however, I've read elsewhere that PB means "Presidential Board." Any know any sources to back up either claim? For example, wasn't PBJOINTLY the operation code for the Berlin tunnel... thus not Guatemala? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jclingerman (talk • contribs) 20:22, 23 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Re-hash needed?[edit]

I have made some changes to this article to knock it into compliance with normal Wikipedia standards, but I believe there is a fundamental problem that needs to be tackled. The basic CIA cryptonym format is a defined digraph followed by other characters, and I believe was/is primarily for addressing cable/telex messages. In the article, cryptonyms of that type are mixed with other code names, many applicable only to operations or projects, not telex destinations. I propose to make a section dedicated to the 'telex' cryptonyms, and dump all the others in alphabetical order in one or more other sections. I'm expecting to get a copy of Waldron 2005 Ultimate Sacrifice on loan in about a week, so in the meantime perhaps other people might wish to comment on my plan. MTIA, PeterWD (talk) 20:36, 12 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Cleanup and improvement[edit]

I tried to cleanup and improve the page, especially cleaning the codenames that are not CIA cryptonyms (Byeman, Talent/Keyhole and other agencies). Some suggestions to add more cryptonyms (because I am too bored right now) :

~~Tibet operations STCIRCUS, STBARNUM~~
Philip Agee gave a lot of other cryptonyms in his "inside the company/CIA diary" (not sure of the title)
~~polish mole Riszard Kulinsky (I'm never sure of the right spelling...) was CK/GULL and QT/GULL (can't remember where I read that, but can probably be found with Google Books).~~
Pete Early "confessions of a spy", Milt Bearden "The Main Enemy", and Grimes & Vertefeuille "circle of treason" gave cryptonyms of most CIA Soviets agents of the 1980s.

Enjoy. Rob1bureau (talk) 21:00, 22 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The cleanup is most welcome, and I haven't the time right now to check everything, but perhaps we should be careful about removing information (see WP:REMOVAL) where it is not otherwise referenced in WP. eg I now can't find any instance in en:wp of KUMOTHER. PeterWD (talk) 12:11, 23 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding KUMOTHER, it appears to be inaccurate :

Some Web sites, including until recently Wikipedia, say that Angleton’s CIA cryptonym was KUMOTHER, but no such term existed. https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol53no4/pdf/U-%20Article-Robarge-Passages-53-4-corrected-1Mar10.pdf (Studies in intelligence, vol 53 no 4)

Regarding the others, they are mostly Byeman, T/K and SIGINT compartments codenames. Alert and Chatter are other agencies codenames. I must say I have second thoughts about AQUATONE, CHALICE and OXCART, I thought they were Byeman codenames but apparently they were purely CIA projects (USAF called Aquatone "Senior Year"). Cheers, Rob1bureau (talk) 13:31, 23 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, at least we now have some more explanations, that can be found via searches, albeit in talk space.PeterWD (talk) 14:58, 23 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

MXSCOPE too [2] Rob1bureau (talk) 23:27, 1 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

CLOWER[edit]

Wilfred O. Clower was a eary 1950's spook in Guatamala... http://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/ike/guat/20172.htm SChalice 22:59, 17 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]