Code Poem for the French Resistance

[idlab]

This is the title of a poem by Leo Marks, which starts 'The life that I have is all that I have, / And the life that I have is yours.' But does it really contain a hidden message? If so, what does it say and how is it coded?

[WendyW]

It is not that type of code and it was not written a serious piece of poetry. When sending some coded messages the code is decoded by using a reference point ie a book, poem etc. Leo Marks wrote the poem so that it could be used in this way and the agent who used it was Violette Szabo. Take a look at http://www.angelfire.com/va/violetteszabo/ Leo Marks was a codebreaker who saved agents lives by improving the security of wartime cyphers. A good place to read about him and his work is http://www.angelfire.com/va/violetteszabo/

[WendyW]

Sorry the site for Leo Marks is http://www.mishalov.com/Marks.html

[Pinotage]

Further to WendyW's reply, I thoroughy recommend Leo Mark's own book, "Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941-1945" Its in paperback now and is a tremendous read. Straight from school to Bletchley Park, after the war a filmmaker.