Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes
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TRUE Turing was interviewed over the burglary & his admission of gross indencency (homosexual acts)
TRUE Turing was burgled. The police came to take finger prints. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 10760
We don't know if MI6 monitored Turing. We don't know if the British secret service MI6 monitored Turing after the war. Seems unlikely.
TRUE-ISH Nock didn't exist & Turing lived in Cheshire, not Manchester. So the crimes would've been investigated by the Cheshire constabulary. He did work at Max Newman's Computing Laboratory at the University of Manchester. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 9350
FALSE-ISH The police did interview Turing about the burglary. Turing certainly didn't suffer fools & was a little eccentric, but was considered sociable, friendly, witty & gentle. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH It's likely the investigating officers talked about Turing.
TRUE Turing did travel on a day when the trains were swollen with evacuating kids. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4070
FALSE How Turing came to be recommended to Denniston is not clear. It's suspected that a don at Cambridge, Professor Adcock, recommended him. He began his posting there with a course, not an interview with Denniston. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 3785
FALSE Turing was known for his wit & tomfoolery. Oxford University Press
FALSE Denniston had decades of experience in cryptography - his grandkids state that the film takes an "unwarranted sideswipe" at his memory. In reality, Denniston supported Turing's work. There's no record of the depicted interactions between Turing & Denniston. Daily Telegraph
TRUE Turing was exceptionally bright. His maths teacher described him as a "genius" Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 988
FALSE-ISH Turing didn't have much time for Denniston, but there's no evidence of a hateful dislike between the two men.
FALSE Turing never had an interview with Denniston & was not turned down. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 3785
FALSE-ISH Turing did learn German at school, although his teacher said he had no "aptitude for languages". Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 1616
FALSE-ISH Turing was already working for the government's Code and Cypher School before he started at Bletchley - so, it's not entirely impossible that he heard something. But Bletchley Park work was top secret, so it seems unlikely.
FALSE-ISH British intelligence did initially believe Enigma was uncrackable. As did the Germans. But outstanding work by Polish & French intelligence had already led to some deciphering of Enimga messages & a well developed methodology for doing so. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 3780, 4279
TRUE-ISH We'd expect that the team working on the machine would look over it regularly.
FALSE Cairncross never worked on Enigma (he worked on 'Tunny', a completely different code). He wasn't even a high level codebreaker. It's doubtful Turing even knew him. New York Review of Books
TRUE Denniston had over two decades of experience in cryptography & led the cryptography unit so it's likely he knew & could explain how an Enigma machine worked. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE-ISH It's highly likely Bletchley Park was in possession of an Enigma machine at some point. But Polish intelligence did not steal one. They were in fact the first to break early Enigma code & built the first "bombe" cryptological machine in 1939. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
More complicated than that. It was more complicated than that. There were several different Enigma machines of varying complexity. Some used a combination of electromagnetic cyphering (which the team could technically reverse engineer) & codebooks (which they needed to capture somehow). Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH The Enigma machine had many billions of possible combinations. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH There was just initially a small group of four who struggled with Enigma - though none of the people in the film, bar Alan, were in it. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4101
FALSE There are no records showing that they interacted at all during their time at Bletchley Park. The Government Code & Cypher School was under the control of the head of the secret service. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 3739
TRUE-ISH People have questioned the calculations. Plus it's unclear whether Turing means 10 men each checking one setting per min, or 10 men together checking one setting per min. Either way, it would have taken a very long time. StackExchange
FALSE-ISH Turing was shy, eccentric, impatient & judgemental of those of lesser intelligence, but not socially inept & narcissistic, as the film implies. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE The earlier attempts to crack the code didn't use frequency analysis, everyone knew that was worthless. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH Turing did work on the design of a machine with Donald MacPhail. But it was not a new invention. Rather an adaptation of an existing design made by Polish secret service. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 3970, 4499
TRUE Turing was indeed a runner (& a very good one - he finished fifth in the 1948 British Olympic marathon Trials). Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 1730
TRUE Polish intelligence built the first "Bombe" decryption machines in 1938. The Germans quickly increased the complexity of the Enigma machine & put the decryption beyond the reach of these early machines. Only the resource-rich English could develop the research. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4381
FALSE There was no Nock. The investigating officers did not dig into Turing's war records. Tippex was not invented until 1956. The Guardian
FALSE A lowly police inspector could not have - would not have - illegally accessed Turing war records with a fake letter.
FALSE Turing did make a request for additional resources. But not to Denniston. No one made formal complaints about Turing. He did not have an altercation with Denniston or any other authority figure. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH This was a true statement, but Turing wasn't the the first to articulate it. Polish intelligence had already built a decryption machine. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4382
FALSE-ISH Turing did not have such a confrontation with Denniston. However there was some reported tension at Bletchley between the discplined service chiefs & the "unorthodox' & "undiscplined" cypher teams. Turing in particular thrived on a lack of uniformity & rank. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4980, 4984, 4996
TRUE-ISH Turing (and three others) did write directly to Churchill in an appeal for more resources. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5423
FALSE-ISH Churchill did not put Turing in charge of the unit but did respond immediately to Turing's request. He had a keen interest in cryptograph & even visited Bletchley in the summer of 1941. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5025
TRUE-ISH Turing was not particularly popular at school. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 938
TRUE Turing attended Sherborne school. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE There's no evidence that Turing suffered from OCD. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH Physical & emotional bullying was commonplace at Sherbourne. Turing definitely experienced it but was not singled out. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE On at least one occasional at school boys trapped him under the floorboards Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 941
FALSE-ISH Christopher Morcom did not free him from the floorboards. But they were friends. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 1197
TRUE-ISH Turing did not organise a crossword-recruitment drive. The Daily Telegraph did organise a crossword competition. Those who completed it in under 12 minutes were approached for work at Bletchley. Aperiodical.com
There was such a competition. The Daily Telegraph did organise a crossword competition. Those who completed it in under 12 minutes were approached for work at Bletchley. Aperiodical.com
TRUE During bombing raids on London, the populace took shelter in the Underground.
TRUE London was repeatedly bombed.
There was such a competition, not organised by Turing. Turing did not organise a crossword-recruitment drive. The Daily Telegraph did organise a crossword competition. Those who completed it in under 12 minutes were approached for work at Bletchley. Aperiodical.com
FALSE Joan was not recruited via a crossword. She was poached directly by another team member, Gordon Welchman, from Cambridge where she was an undergraduate. She had even met Turing once before at the University Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4783
TRUE-ISH Despite illustrous achievements at Bletchley, Joan was paid less than the men & considered her career limited due to her gender. Women working at Bletchley Park were mostly employed in clerical & administration work & not the more intricate cryptology. University of St Andrews honours project (2008) by Lynsey Ann Lord
There was a recruitment drive of this sort. The Daily Telegraph did organise a crossword competition. Those who completed it in under 12 minutes were approached for work at Bletchley. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4787
FALSE There is no evidence to suggest that JOAN was "better" (or "worse") than Turing. She was certainly a talented mathematician & considered one of the best cryptographers at Bletchley.
TRUE-ISH The sentence for treason was death.
FALSE-ISH It was not Christopher who introduced Turing to cryptography but another, later friend Victor Beuttell. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 1701
TRUE Turing did have a crush on Christopher Morcom at school. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 1198
FALSE The new wave Bombe machine, designed by Turing, was not built by him at Bletchley. It was built by Harold Keen at the British Tabulating Machine factory at Letchworth. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4499
FALSE Turing did meet Joan's parents but only after they had become engaged much later. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5040
FALSE Joan's father was a vicar but there's no evidence he blocked her working at Bletchley. She was, in fact, already at Bletchley when Turing met her. She was promoted to work with Turing's team. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE-ISH While this scene didn't happen, it's likely the female staff lived separately from the male staff at Bletchley.
FALSE Didn't happen. Not sure where that line came from.
FALSE The police did not suspect him of espionage. They pursued him with regard to the homophobic law of gross indecency. He submitted a five-page statement admitting to his affair with Murray – evidence which helped convict him. The Guardian
TRUE-ISH While Joan would've arrived at Bletchley Park at some point, she was already working at Bletchley Park when promoted to work on Turing's team.
FALSE The Nazis were very successfully bombing Allied supply ships on the Atlantic but Britian was by no means starving. The Taste of War: World War Two & the Battle for Food (2011) by Lizzie Collingham
Cannot confirm the 100,000 tons figure. Cannot confirm the 100,000 tons figure.
TRUE-ISH Photographs of the Germans' monthly code books show code changes listed for each day. We cannot confirm those changes were made at midnight, but it seems likely. Telenet
FALSE Didn't happen. The Bombe machine was slow & ineffective a lot of the time, but mainly because the Enigma code was so complex & was continualy revised & complexified by the Germans. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE Peter Hilton did not have a brother who works on food convoys. Daily Telegraph
FALSE Didn't happen. Turing would never have committed such a breach of security. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE In real life, the machine that cracked Enigma was called the Bombe, & the first operating version of it was named Victory. The Guardian
One of Turing's theories concerned such a machine. Yes, one of Turing's theories revolved around the idea of a universal computing machine (a Turing machine) that could perform any computing task. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE Turing was never suspected of being a spy. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH Double agents often do not form lasting & adult emotional relationships due to their explotative motives. CIA
FALSE Turing was never suspected of being a spy. Denniston never threatened Turing. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE-ISH Turing was never suspected on being a spy so Joan never had to console him on that point. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE-ISH It's unlikely that workers at top secret Bletchley chatting casually about their cypher work. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH Hugh Alexander was considered charming & a diplomat. Turing was not a great manager of people but he was well liked & his co-workers were fond of him.
FALSE Turing was known for sociability, wit & tomfoolery. Oxford University Press
FALSE Turing & Christopher shared no common interest in Cryptography. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH It was actually Gorden Welchmann who suggested a new wiring configuration for the machine that spectuacularly improved its performance. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4522
FALSE-ISH The Bombe machine was not housed at Bletchley. It did click & whirr loudly hence the name "bombe". Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE The Germans made great advances across Europe.
TRUE The Bombe machine was slow & often took weeks to decrypt messages. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE The machine wasn't even installed at Bletchley Park. Denniston did not try to shut it down or fire Turing. Denniston was an experienced cryptanalyst & was among those who debriefed the 3 Polish experts who had already spent years figuring out how to attack the Enigma. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4698
FALSE Never happened. Turing's colleagues were fond of him though. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE This never happened. But Hugh Alexander was considered the diplomat of the team. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5002
FALSE No one knew there was a spy at Bletchley Park until after the war. Wikipedia: John Cairncross
TRUE-ISH Unable to not tell the truth, Turing admitted to police that he had an affair with a friend of the man who burgled his house. He naively wrote a five page statement explaining everything. The police thought it was a "lovely statement". Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE It was Turing himself who reported the fateful 1952 burglary, probably involving a working-class boyfriend, that brought his gay lifestyle to the attention to the police, thus setting off the legal proceedings against him. New York Review of Books
TRUE-ISH It's probable, since the early machines were slow. They were later made faster & more powerful. CNET
FALSE Joan was happy at Bletchley & had no plans to leave. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5048
FALSE No evidence of such a scene happening & it seems out to character for Joan. Records describe her as congenial but shy, gentle & kind, non-aggressive & always subordinate to the men in her life. University of St Andrews honours project (2008) by Lynsey Ann Lord
TRUE-ISH Turing did tend to apply logic to his human decisions. But he proposed to Joan in the traditional way, after spending some days together. She gladly accepted. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 3296, 5034
FALSE The engagement was kept hidden. Joan did not wear her ring in the Hut & only one member was told of the engagement. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5049
FALSE Cairncross and Turing never met. In his own autobiography, Cairncross wrote: “The rigid separation of the different units made contact with other staff members almost impossible, so I never got to know anyone apart from my direct operational colleagues.” The Guardian
TRUE-ISH Christopher did fall ill, suffering from Bovine TB, and died - though no one had told Alan that Christopher had contracted the disease from drinking infected cows milk as a small boy. We don't know about the note. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 1467
FALSE Nock didn't exist & no such conversation with police detectives is on record.
TRUE The Bombe machine did struggle to keep up with advancements & modifications of the Enigma system. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE-ISH No record of Hugh meeting a friend of Joan's. Hugh was charming though. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE People at Bletchley Park were not allowed to talk to other people about their work, details of their activities & certainly not contents of intercepted transmissions. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE-ISH The Weather reports were part of the ongoing solution to decrypting Enigma messages. But it was more complicated that is shown in he film. It was not down to repeated usage of the phrase "Heil Hitler" Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4905, 5290
FALSE-ISH It's not how it happened. The reality was complicated & long-drawn. Too complicated to explain in this little box. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH The broader team - not just Alan's team - did maintain an Atlantic plot which showed estimated positions of U-boats, warships & convoys. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4951
FALSE The team did not decide which decrypts were to be acted upon. The Admiralty did. There was concern that successful intercepts might alert the Germans. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 4924
FALSE-ISH While this scene did not happen, the sinking & constant struggle with Enigma did sap the team's morale. The HMS Carlisle was an anti-aircraft ship that patrolled the Mediterranean, not the Atlantic. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5434 Wikipedia: HMS Carlisle (D67)
TRUE-ISH Many convoys were torpedoed by German U-Boats in the Atlantic.
FALSE Turing & Joan did not travel to London to conspire with Menzies. (However, the Government Code & Cypher School was run by the head of the secret service, not by the Admiralty) Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
Menzies decided this for himself. Menzies decided for himself which intercepts to act on & which to not. Turing & he did not develop a plan. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH Kinda true. Sometimes, the Allies had to engage in some subtle internal subterfuge to mask the use of such exact intelligence from their own people, in case those without appropriate clearance inferred the German codes had been cracked.
FALSE Menzies didn't need to agree because he wasn't there. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
Can't confirm this. Can't confirm this.
FALSE Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the Nazi party, did not have a military command until close to the end of the war. Wikipedia: Heinrich Himmler
FALSE Well, they trusted him for good reason. He was in charge of a leading team of cryptographers & had proved himself highly proficient. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
Peter respected Turing. Peter Hilton had nothing but respect for Alan Turing whom he considered a genius. Daily Telegraph
FALSE Cairncross was a soviet spy. But he worked on another team at Bletchley & it's doubtful they ever even met. He was not revealed as a spy until 1951. New York Review of Books
FALSE Turing never met Cairncross. Its ludicrous to believe that he would actively cover up for a spy. New York Review of Books
FALSE Never happened. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE This scene never happened. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE False. Cairncross was not deliberately placed at Bletchley. He did reveal to the Soviets that the British were breaking German codes. He was not revealed as a spy until 1951. Wikipedia: John Cairncross
TRUE-ISH Churchill was happy to share some intelligence with the Soviets but not the methods on how they obtained it.
FALSE Cairncross was not an unwitting double-agent passing disinformation onto the Soviets. British Intelligence did not discover he was a spy until 1951. Wikipedia: John Cairncross
FALSE Dramatic conceit. Didn't happen.
FALSE There was no such setup. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
FALSE Didn't happen. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH The real Turing was engaged to her for a while, but he told her within a few days that he had homosexual tendencies. According to him, she was “unfazed” by this. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5038
TRUE Joan suspected Turing was gay. The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing & the Invention of the Computer (2007) by D. Leavitt, p176–178
TRUE True. She was not the kind of woman to be bothered by "bogeywords". Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5038
FALSE Never happened. The breakup was quiet & very upsetting for both of them. Turing acted honourably. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 5274
FALSE Joan was passionate about her work, but was notably deferent to men. University of St Andrews honours project (2008) by Lynsey Ann Lord
FALSE These terrible decisions were not made by the cypher team but higher ups in the Admiralty & government.
TRUE-ISH Certainly many WWII battles were aided & won by Enigma intelligence. But the Ardennes wasn't one of them as the Germans did not use Enigma to transmit orders during that battle. Wikipedia: Battle of the Bulge
TRUE The Allies won the war.
FALSE-ISH All materials at Bletchley were destroyed. However many of the cypher teams - Turing & Joan included - stayed friends.
Nock didn't exist. Dramatically invented scene. There was no Nock.
FALSE-ISH Turing was pre-warned that his friend had died & that he should prepare for the worst. The housemasters announced Christopher's death to all the boys, not just Turing & was kind & comforting. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, Location 1474
TRUE Turing was sentenced on three counts of gross indeceny.
TRUE-ISH Joan did not turn up at Turing's house. However they remained life-long friends & she probably would've done anything to support him.
Turing's circle dispute that he was depressed. "Many members of Turing’s circle, dispute that the experience sent Turing into a downward spiral of depression. By the accounts of those who knew him, he bore the injustice with fortitude, then spent the next year enthusiastically pursuing projects." New York Review of Books
TRUE Turing accepted a year of hormone treatment over prison. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, p595
FALSE Joan wasn't there.
FALSE Turing was eccentric but never confused computers with people. New York Review of Books
TRUE-ISH If Turing was sent to prison, he could've lost his Manchester University position & access to the computer.
FALSE-ISH Privately, Turing may well have been upset about the verdict but his letters convey only a pragmatic resignation to his punishment. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges, p595
TRUE-ISH Joan married a colleague named Lieutenant-Colonel J (Jock) K R Murray, a retired army office in 1952. University of St Andrews honours project (2008) by Lynsey Ann Lord
No mention of this side-effect. Turing complained that the hormonal treatment gave him "breasts" but there was no mention of other physical or mental symptoms. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE-ISH The country did have much to thank Turing for, but it really was a massive team effort with over 9000 dedicated staff working at Bletchley during the war. Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983) by A. Hodges
TRUE Turing was highly active, creative & influential in the fields of theoretical computer science & artificial intelligence. Wikipedia: Alan Turing
FALSE This catchphrase was made up for the film.
TRUE-ISH All materials at Bletchley were destroyed after the war.
FALSE-ISH It's open to interpretation whether TURING committed suicide or actually accidentally poisoned himself with cyanide from his lab (he left no suicide note). Either way, it happened a full year AFTER he stopped hormonal therapy. New York Review of Books
TRUE Truly terrible. The Guardian
TRUE Queen Elizabeth issued a royal pardon for Alan Turing. BBC News
TRUE Some historians estimate that Bletchley Park's massive codebreaking operation, especially the breaking of U-boat Enigma, shortened the war in Europe by as many as two to four years. BBC News
TRUE-ISH Hmm, not really. The first book about Bletchley was published in 1974, 30 years after the war.
TRUE "Providing a blueprint for the electronic digital computer. The fact remains that everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a word-processing program, is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine." Time Magazine
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Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes