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Society & Culture

E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds

Bletchley Park by Bletchley Park

Jan 23, 202654:19Society & Culture

January 2026 Rome: the 1930s, and the Italian secret services were having extraordinary success in reading the messages sent by rival countries’ diplomats from their embassies in the ‘Eternal City’. With the road to Worl...

About This Episode

E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds is an episode from Bletchley Park by Bletchley Park. January 2026 Rome: the 1930s, and the Italian secret services were having extraordinary success in reading the messages sent by rival countries’ d...

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Episode Details

Published Jan 23, 2026, 54:19 long, audio available.

Questions About This Episode

What is E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds about?

January 2026 Rome: the 1930s, and the Italian secret services were having extraordinary success in reading the messages sent by rival countries’ diplomats from their embassies in the ‘Eternal City’. With the road to World War Two still ahead, it was a time of significant geo-political tension. The Italian government was learning the secrets of countries such as Britain and France in order to gain an advantage in international affairs. This would continue after Italy joined the war in 1940, with substantial consequences for the campaign in North Africa. In this episode, we will hear how the Italians didn’t succeed by using mathematicians or intellectuals, but with a rather more direct approach. David Kenyon, Bletchley Park’s Research Historian, joins podcast producer Mark Cotton to reveal more. Our thanks go to Dr Ben Thomson for voicing our historical documents. Image: ©UK in Italy “Old British embassy with flag” CC BY-ND 2.0 , , , , ,

Where can I listen to E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds?

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Which podcast is E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds from?

E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds is an episode from Bletchley Park by Bletchley Park.

How long is this episode?

This episode is 54:19 long.

When was this episode published?

This episode was published on Jan 23, 2026.

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Where can I listen to E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds?

You can listen to E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds on this page when the episode audio is available from the podcast feed.

Which podcast is this episode from?

E187 - Codebooks, Diplomats and Diamonds is from Bletchley Park by Bletchley Park.

What are the episode details?

Published Jan 23, 2026 and 54:19 long