Distinctions are important here. Intelligence, communications intelligence, special
intelligence, signals intelligence, PURPLE intelligence, MAGIC intelligence, ULTRA
intelligence, scientific intelligence, counterintelligence, direction-finding, photo
reconnaissance, codebreaking, cryptography, cryptanalysis, espionage, deception, covert
action, psychological warfare, propaganda, coastwatching, and code talking are some of
the terms, some used interchangeably and repititiously. As used, some terms apply only
in Great Britain, such as the original ULTRA, some in the Commonwealth, including
Australia and New Zealand, such as coastwatching, and some only among the Americans,
such as MAGIC and code talking. Germans and Japanese made intelligence gains during
the war.

Intelligence is the process of acquisition and utilization of maximum amounts of
information about the enemy It has been characterized as the "missing dimension"
because information about it necessarily remains secret, often for decades. Sir Harry
Hinsley, the chief official British intelligence historian, claimed it shortened the war by
two or three years. Signals intelligence (Sigint) is analysis of enemy communications
traffic and is deemed to have been most useful and most productive for the Allies during
World War II. Communications and special intelligence are similar. Analysis of encoded
communications traffic and direction-finding are more fruitful in results than might be
assumed.

PURPLE intelligence is codebreaking of Japanese diplomatic traffic. Among other
things, it became useful on an international scale when the Japanese Ambassador to
Germany, Baron Hiroshi Oshima, transmitted lengthy reports of his observations to
Tokyo. This was particularly informative when Oshima toured German coastal defenses
of Fortress Europe prior to the Normandy invasion. MAGIC intelligence is codebreaking
of other Japanese traffic, which the Americans had been doing successfully since the
1920s. The original ULTRA intelligence is the output from the British associated with
German armed force communications and use of the ENIGMA coding machine. ULTRA
later came to be more broadly defined to mean most signals intelligence (Sigint) from all
Axis sources.

Direction-finding is a process of detecting communication transmissions from
different locations and plotting the point of origin. Cryptanalysts survey codes and
cyphers, the methods and procedures of transmission, the volume and structure of the
communications traffic, and devices and facilities for decoding. Deception is a method
of achieving surprise in military operations. Learning about all aspects of enemy culture
and life with the goal of transmitting propaganda is psychological warfare. For example,

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