[ARC5] How Secret Was the ZB/YG System? Not much!

[Unserviceable but Repairable]

> The ZB/YG system was never SECRET...not even close...not even when WWII 
  was in progress.

Since every combatant had the open source basis to the YG/ZB, there must
be an untold chapter on axis nations holding US aircraft maintenance 
contracts.  Performance, of course, would have been on our carriers & 
island airbases.  Else how could we bring 'em in for gas & shop work?*

An analogy might be all the combatants lining up in Switzerland for SKF 
ball bearings.

OK, ok, ok - the card data was 'insulated.'  I use that term since
it's never shown up in this thread.

So then the YG/ZB system may be the 1st ever example of public key 
encryption.  It's just amazing what instruction book cover-classifications
& dates can reveal about circuits, procedures, & algorithms.

A ret. adm. and ham, once on the navy board of aviation promotions,
sez the system stayed in service thru early 'nam .  It's 'insulation' 
remained secure.

Seems the navy stopped teaching morris code to the flyers about then.
System isn't friendly to no-code types.

It took ham radio 45 years to catch up.


*Anyone have fotos of gobs wrenching Zeroes on the USS Yorktown?