Czechoslovak and Polish intelligence (cryptologic) services at the time of the institutionalisation of both states and their armies after 1918

Abstract

In the course of historical development, the intelligence or cryptologic departments of individual states, usually associated with military structures, have influenced the outcomes of (military) conflicts (especially during the 19th century, World War I and II, and the Cold War), as well as political events. For this reason, it is important to examine not only their political and historical impact, but also the technologies (codes and ciphers, production of cipher machines etc.) used in their operations. To find out the form and extent of the education of intelligence (cryptologic) personnel, which takes place at different types of higher (technical, military) schools in theoretical and practical fields, and their results applied in the activities of most of the state-controlled power apparatuses (foreign, interior, army-defense, National Security Bureau etc.), as well as in the communication (secure) channels of the state.Later, especially in the 1990s in Europe, these practices have been used outside the state apparatus in the commercial sphere. There was a demand for encryption devices and for programs for data protection (ensuring computer security, e.g. in banks, mobile operators, in the ICT industry, in the fight against international terrorism and organised crime, in ensuring the protection of individual  rights, etc.), and for activities in applied cryptology. In the last five years, several cryptology conferences have been held each year to exchange knowledge in the field and to characterise and understand the constant struggle between the creators and the crackers of ciphers, as this connection has in the past led to many scientific discoveries applicable to the everyday life of individual societies. The paper focuses on the analysis of the creation and organisation of intelligence services within the Czechoslovak and Polish armies after 1918.