CIA cryptonym

A set of cryptonyms seen in declassified CIA documents. There has been much speculation as to the meaning of these.

Each CIA cryptonym in these documents contains a two character prefix called a digraph, which designates a geographical or functional area. The rest is either an arbitrary dictionary word, or occasionally the digraph and the cryptonym combine to form a dictionary word (ie - AEROPLANE).

Partial List of Digraphs and Probable Definitions

• AE - Soviet Union
• BE - Poland
• DI - Czechoslovakia
• DM - Yugoslavia
• DN - South Korea
• KU - part of CIA
• OD - Other Department
• SM - United Kingdom

Unidentified Digraphs

AM, AV, CA, DT, EC, ES, FJ, HB, HO, HT, JM, JU, KM, LC, LI, PB, SE, SC, WS, ZR

Partial List of CIA Cryptonyms and Probable Definitions

• BGGYPSY - Russia; Russian
• FJHOPEFUL - military base
• MKULTRA
• HTAUTOMAT - U-2 Spy Plane Project
• HTKEEPER - Mexico City
• HTLINGUAL - mail interception operation
• HTPLUME - Panama
• KUBARK - the CIA
• KUCLUB - Office of Communications
• KUDOVE - office of the director
• KUFIRE - intelligence
• KUGOWN - propaganda
• KUSODA - CIA Interrogators
• LCFLUTTER - truth drugs: sodium amytal (anobarbital), sodium pentothal (thiopental), and seconal (seconbarbital).
• ODACID - State Department
• ODEARL - Dept of Defense
• ODENVY - FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation
• ODOATH - US Navy
• ODUNIT - US Air Force
• ODYOKE - US Government
• PBPRIME - the United States of America
• QKFLOWAGE - United States Information Agency

Undefined Codewords

AEBARMAN, AEFOX, AEFOXTROT, AELADLE, AEROPLANE, AMLASH, AVBLIMP, AVBRANDY, AVBUSY, CABOUNCE, DTFROGS, ECJOB, ESMERALDITE, FJDEFLECT, HBDRILL, HOPEFUL, JMBLUG, JUBATE, JUBILIST, KMFLUSH, KUCAGE, KUDESK, KUHOOK, KUJUMP, KUPALM, KUTUBE, LCPANES, LICOZY, LITEMPO, ODIBEX, PBCABOOSE, PBFORTUNE, PBSUCCESS, SECANT, SEQUIN, SCRANGER, WSBURNT, WSHOOFS, and ZRBRIEF

(cf: Cullather and PBSUCCESS document collection at http://www.foia.ucia.gov/popdoc1/guatemala.htm; Leo D. Carl, The International Dictionary of Intelligence, Mavin Books, 1990, p. 107; Phillip Agee, Inside the Company: CIA Diary, Stonehill Publishing, 1975, p. 48; David Wise, Molehunt, Random House, 1992, p.19)