Slashdot article http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/04/02/1433243&mode=thread Beeb Story, with pictures, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_698000/698804.stm An Enigma machine used by the Nazis to send coded messages during World War Two, has been stolen from the code-cracking Station X at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire. The machine, worth about �100,000, is one of only three in the world. It was brought to the UK after the war. It looks like an old-fashioned typewriter, but the codes it produced were so sophisticated the Germans believed they were unbreakable. Bletchley Park Trust director Christine Large said: "This is a selfish act, calculated to deprive the visitors and students at Bletchley Park of the chance to enjoy and appreciate a unique piece of history." She added: "This is a devastating theft and has cast a dark cloud over Bletchley Park. We would liken it to the theft of the Cezanne at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum." Thames Valley police say the machine was stolen on Saturday afternoon, when the centre's museum was open to the public. Officers believe it was lifted from a glass display cabinet, where it formed the centrepiece of the main public display. It is feared the thieves may try to sell the machine on the internet. The author of the book Station X, Michael Smith, called it a "devastating blow", but said he did not believe the machine had been stolen to order. 'Beggars belief' "The trouble someone would have in selling this would be immense," he said. "I believe it's just a very stupid act by somebody and really beggars belief. I just hope it's returned safely." The site was already protected by 24 hour security guards, said Ms Large, but work to install state-of-the security at the site has now been speeded up. "The Trust will be deeply grateful for any information that may lead to the return of the machine," she added. The codebreakers of Station X are credited with shortening the war by several years. The top secret site employed teams of mathematicians, linguists and chess champions. By the end of the war 10,000 people were working there. Its work was so secret that even after the war its existence was not revealed. It was not until 1967 that details were made public, and some of its former workers later appeared on a television documentary about the station's historic achievements. Winston Churchill had dubbed the staff as "the geese that laid the golden eggs, and never cackled". The codebreakers included mathematician Alan Turing, seen as a genuis whose pioneering work paved the way for modern computers. The site was eventually scheduled for demolition, but a farewell party brought together 400 codebreakers whose stories were so fascinating it was decided to try to save the building instead. Hollywood blockbuster Not only was that goal achieved, but the story of Station X is being turned into a �90m Hollywood blockbuster starring Harvey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi. Rock star Mick Jagger is a Bletchley Park enthusiast, and even owns an Enigma machine, but of a different type from the one stolen. Police have appealed to any members of the public with any information on the machine's whereabouts to contact them.
