Re: The Puzzle Palace

[tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)]

Mats Bergstrom writes:

> 
> On Thu, 10 Mar 1994, Eric Johnson wrote:
> 
> > Does anyone know what James Bamford is up to these days?  Any chance he
> > will write such a book?
> 
> And I would like to know if there is a recent issue of The Puzzle Palace 
> and if so, where. I have problems negotiating for it at Stockholm 
> bookstores, they have been stalling for several months. Thank you.

James Bamford is serving a mandatory 25 years-to-life sentence in the
Eric Blair Correctional Facility in Oceania. He was caught on his way
to Stockholm attemting to illegally export three copies of "The Puzzle
Palace" and under the "Three Strikes and You're Out" law, will face
incarceration for the rest of his life.

The former director of the NSA, General William Odom, once met
Bamford, recoiled, and said "Sir, I consider you an unindicted felon."

Bamford is still an editor on a Long Island newspaper (perhasp
"Newsday"?) and, so far as I know, has no plans to write a new book.
He is also a commentator for either one of the U.S. television
networks (ABC, I think).

The _paperback_ edition of "The Puzzle Palace" came out in 1983 and
had a _few_ new items updated from the 1982 hardback, but not enough
to worry about. While I recommend that all readers of this list read
the Bamford book, the public-key crypto section is only several pages
long and may be disappointing to many of you. 

I would imagine that some large libraries in Sweden will have it, as
it as a standard reference work in political science and history. In
the U.S., it is _widely_ available....I see many copies in used book
stores. It is possible that I can buy some of these copies, and of
other books, and arrange to mail them to deprived folks, especially in
other countries. (No promises, and don't flood me with requests. More
details to follow, if there's interest.)

Steven Levy ("Hackers," "Artificial Life") is writing a book on crypto
issues and will be at the Saturday Cypherpunks meeting in Mountain
View. I recall that he has talked to Bamford in the past, and
certainly plans to interview him for the book. 



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Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
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