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Book Review: The Business of Secrets and 1970s Crypto

🔐 Fred Kinch’s memoir recounts his years selling commercial cryptographic hardware from 1969 to 1982, chronicling Datotek’s pivot from file to link encryption and the chaotic marketplace of the era. He describes regulatory battles, notably ITAR and NSA scrutiny, alongside anecdotal demonstrations of security that now seem alarmingly informal. Kinch’s stories reveal a world where vendors, customers, and even governments often accepted cryptographic strength on trust rather than proof.