Leo Marks, British War-Code Wizard, Dies at 80

[Andrew Foley]

>"Leo Marks, who played a major role in Britain's sabotage operations
>against Nazi Germany in World War II as the chief designer of codes
>used by agents behind enemy lines, died Jan. 15. He was 80. "
>
>....echoes of Pirate's message:
>
>"But he became dissatisfied with that effort as well and created a
>system in which codes were transferred to squares of silk carried by
>agents. Each code would be used to send only one message. Then an
>agent would cut the square containing that code from the silk and
>burn it. The codes were invisible until an agent shined a specially
>designed ultraviolet flashlight on them."
>
>....obligatory recursive self-reference to Pynchon's use film in GR,
>and to the reception of GR itself which was denounced in some corners
>for its morality:
>
>"Following World War II, Mr. Marks turned to writing for stage and
>film. He wrote the screenplay for "Peeping Tom," the story of a
>cinematographer who kills women after filming their last, fearful
>moments. The film, released in Britain in 1960, was denounced by
>critics as immoral, was quickly withdrawn from circulation and
>severely damaged the career of its director, Michael  Powell. But it
>came to be viewed as a classic film about film-making itself."


Leo Marks was the son of the co-owner of "Marks and Co.", the second-hand
and antiquarian bookshop which was made famous by Helene Hanff's book _84,
Charing Cross Road_.  It seems he initially got the idea for _Peeping Tom_
while watching the prostitutes plying their trade across the road from the
shop.