American 6813 Division History October 1945 Page 18

Tony Sale's Codes and Ciphers

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In conclusion is quoted the assessment of the value of Ameri-
can perticipation in Hut Six, an assessment made by Mr P. S. Milner-
Barry, head of the Hut, in a letter to the detachment commanders:


Hut6, Block D
10th May, 1945

"My dear Bill,


I cannot let the American contingent pass from Hut 6 without

trying to express, however inadequately, my sense of the debt which I
myself and my colleagues owe to you.

At this stage it will probably do no harm to confess that when.

shortly after taking over the leadership of Hut 6, I was informed by
the Director at short notice that a large body of Americans was bear-
ing down on me, I viewed the prospect with some consternation; not for
any insular prejudice, but because at that time it did not appear that
we were in immediate need of reinforcements, while we were faced with
technical problems which would make it difficult to find the time for
training.

I can now say with sincerity that it was one of the luckiest

things that happened to Hut 6 and one of the nicest things that has
happened to me personally. That is because every one of you laid
himself out from the word go to cooperate in every way possible and what-
ever we asked you to, went three quarters of the way to do it. I do not
know if that is a charateristic of your nation generally, but I should
be very proud of my countrymen if I could feel confident that in a similar
situation a collection of Englishmen would behave as well. You settled
down immediately to learn the job and to give us your best. There is a
silly prejudice in this country that Americans are anxious to show the
world how much better they do the job than other countries. That is
another preconceived notion which I hope has received a nasty knock. The
best of your men were quite first rate, as is shown by the number of key
positions which they occupied, but I never met any men less anxious to
claim the credit to which they were entitled.

I It has been a real pleasure to me, and I know I speak for the

Hut as a whole, to work with so friendly and likeable a group of men, and
our connection with you is one of the many things that has made Hut 6 a unique
experience for me. I like to think too, that it is a good omen for the
future, for it seems to me quite obvious that, unless we do pull together,
the outlook for the world is about as dark as it could be.

The breaking up of Hut 6, even for so joyful a cause, is a melan-

choly business. In the general sadness of parting with so many good friends
there is the particular regret of losing you, whom in the future we cannot
expect to meet as we shall our own country-men. But I hope most sincerely
that our ways will bring us together again. The very best of luck
to you all, and me heartfelt thanks."
III. Block F
13


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