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

[Doug Millison]

"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critics as immoral, was quickly withdrawn from circulation and 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."

full-text at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/29/world/29MARK.html

P.S.
This article is Holocaust-free, for those of you who choose not to 
see the Holocaust-related aspects of GR and V. and Pynchon's other 
writings.  Enjoy!
-- 
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