Unveiling Delilah: Alan Turing's Secret Wartime Voice Encryption Project
A recently unearthed collection of papers, known as the "Bayley papers," has shed new light on a previously obscure chapter of cryptographic history: **Alan Turing**'s "Delilah" project. This top-secret endeavor from World War II involved the development of a portable voice-encryption system, showcasing **Turing**'s diverse contributions beyond code-breaking.
In November 2023, a significant cache of wartime documents, dubbed the βBayley papers,β was auctioned in London, fetching nearly half a million U.S. dollars. This remarkable collection includes numerous sheets penned in **Turing**βs own hand, detailing his clandestine βDelilahβ engineering project, active between 1943 and 1945.
**Delilah** was **Turing**βs innovative portable voice-encryption system, aptly named after the biblical figure known for deception. The papers also contain material written by **Donald Bayley**, often in the form of notes taken during **Turing**βs discussions. It is thanks to **Bayley** that these invaluable historical documents survived, as he meticulously preserved them until his passing in 2020, 66 years after **Turing**βs death.
The unearthing of these papers offers a fascinating glimpse into the lesser-known aspects of **Turing**'s wartime work, extending his legacy beyond the well-documented efforts at **Bletchley Park**.