Michael Kahn

David Kahn, born in 1930 and passing in 2024, was a distinguished American historian, journalist, and author renowned for his extensive research into the history of cryptography and military intelligence. His early fascination with secret writing, sparked by a childhood book, set him on a path that would lead to groundbreaking work in the field. Kahn's career included journalism for publications like Newsday and the International Herald Tribune, and he was a founding editor of the Cryptologia journal.

His most significant contribution remains "The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing," published in 1967. This comprehensive volume is widely considered the definitive history of cryptography, tracing its evolution from ancient times. The book's creation was not without challenges, as Kahn faced scrutiny and attempts by government agencies to influence its publication. Despite these obstacles, "The Codebreakers" became a landmark text, later updated to include more recent developments in the field. Kahn continued his academic pursuits, earning a doctorate from Oxford University and later serving as a scholar-in-residence at the NSA, donating his extensive collection to their museum.

David Kahn's magnum opus, "The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing" (1967), is widely acknowledged as a foundational text in the study of cryptography. The book meticulously details the history of secret communication, spanning from antiquity to the era of its writing. Its comprehensiveness and depth earned it acclaim, though it predated major public revelations about World War II codebreaking efforts like the Enigma machine and the rise of public-key cryptography. The initial publication involved significant contributions from figures like Bradford Hardie III, and the work faced considerable pressure from intelligence agencies who sought to limit its scope. Kahn himself felt compelled to modify certain sections due to pressure from the intelligence community, particularly concerning the relationship between American and British security agencies. An updated edition in 1996 aimed to bridge the gap created by subsequent technological advancements and historical disclosures.

Kahn's career began in journalism, working as a reporter for Newsday and later as an editor for the International Herald Tribune in Paris during the 1960s. It was during this period that an article he wrote for The New York Times Magazine about NSA defectors served as the catalyst for his monumental work on cryptography. His academic journey also led him to earn a doctorate (D.Phil.) from Oxford University in modern German history in 1974. He continued his journalistic career with Newsday until 1998 and also held a position as a journalism professor at New York University. Despite earlier tensions with the National Security Agency concerning "The Codebreakers," Kahn was later honored as the NSA's scholar-in-residence in 1995, culminating in his donation of a vast personal collection of cryptologic materials to the NSA's National Cryptologic Museum.