{"id":547,"date":"2017-08-25T13:06:42","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T12:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/science-engineering\/?p=547"},"modified":"2023-06-21T09:29:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T08:29:05","slug":"turings-lost-letters-found-storeroom-tidy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/science-engineering\/2017\/08\/25\/turings-lost-letters-found-storeroom-tidy\/","title":{"rendered":"Turing\u2019s lost letters found in storeroom tidy up"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all have it \u2013 that cupboard, cabinet or even room where we \u2018tidy stuff away\u2019 simply so we can forget about it. Who doesn\u2019t have a box left unpacked after every home move that they just shove unopened under the bed?<\/p>\n

At The University of Manchester, we have our fair share of chocker storage spaces \u2013 which is hardly a surprise given the amount of research and work that\u2019s been conducted here over the decades. But when Professor Jim Miles of the School of Computer Science<\/a> decided to sort out one of the storerooms, there\u2019s no way he could have predicted uncovering a stash of lost letters by one of our most famous alumni.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat can\u2019t be what I think it is\u201d<\/h2>\n

As he sorted through one filing cabinet, Prof Miles noticed an orange paper file labelled \u2018Alan Turing\u2019 right at the back of the bottom drawer. He tells us: \u201cWhen I first found it I initially thought, \u2018that can\u2019t be what I think it is\u2019\u201d, but inside the folder was a previously undiscovered cache of letters and papers written by the \u2018Father of Computing\u2019 himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was astonished such a thing had remained hidden out of sight for so long. No one who now works in the School or at the University knew they even existed. It really was an exciting find and it is a mystery as to why they had been filed away,\u201d Prof Miles adds.<\/p>\n

An enigma<\/h2>\n

You could say that it\u2019s something of an enigma as to how such a Turing treasure-trove remained undiscovered for so long. The University\u2019s Archivist James Peters notes that archive material relating to Turing is \u201cextremely scarce\u201d, making this a \u201ctruly unique find\u201d.<\/p>\n

In total, there are 148 documents, which include Turing\u2019s handwritten draft of a programme on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for BBC radio (pictured below), as well as a letter from GCHQ (formerly GCCS) \u2013 where he was working when he cracked Germany\u2019s Enigma machine during WWII.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Checkmate<\/h2>\n

One of Turing\u2019s many accomplishments was to write an algorithm that would allow a computer to play a game of chess against a human. The program \u2013 known as Turochamp \u2013 obeyed the legal moves of the game and was able to think two steps ahead. While at the University, Turing had started the work that would allow the Ferranti Mark 1<\/a> computer to run the program, but never completed it.<\/p>\n

His developments in this area were of great interest to both other academics and the press. Pictured above is a written enquiry from someone at a chess magazine into Turing\u2019s chess-playing \u201ccalculating machine\u201d. \u201cI certainly am interested in the possibility of making machines do this sort of thing, but it is not easy and there always seems to be something more important to be done,\u201d Turing replied. It wouldn\u2019t be until much later that Turochamp ran on a computer \u2013 and it\u2019s amazing to think Turing wrote the algorithm without even having a computer.<\/p>\n

The letters also include Turing\u2019s rejection of an offer to attend a conference in the US in the spring of 1953, with the response: \u201cI would not like the journey, and I detest America.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letters, which have now been safely catalogued and stored, detail the work and research that Turing was conducting while working at the University. In particular, the find provides an insight into his work in AI, maths and computing.<\/p>\n

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Scientist, mathematician, inventor and war hero<\/h2>\n

Alan Turing is among our most celebrated alumni \u2013 and with very good reason. He is widely regarded as the \u2018father of modern computer science\u2019, and came up with the idea of a \u2018Universal Machine\u2019 that could read, decode, memorise and follow instructions. These ideas would ultimately lead to the computers we use today.<\/p>\n

Turing was a scientist and mathematician, and his early work on ciphers meant he was snapped up by the British intelligence services to work on cracking the German Enigma machines. These cipher machines were able to encipher signals that could otherwise provide important clues about Germany\u2019s military plans.<\/p>\n

Working with other code breakers at Bletchley Park, Turing developed \u2018The Bombe\u2019, which was able to break the Enigma codes. It is estimated that cracking intercepted codes helped to end the War earlier than would have otherwise been the case, saving millions of lives in the process.<\/p>\n

It ‘s estimated that cracking intercepted codes helped to end the War earlier than would have otherwise been the case, saving millions of lives in the process.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So there\u2019s very little denying that Turing was a national hero. However, during his lifetime he was treated in a far from heroic way. In 1952, while living in Manchester, Turing was arrested and charged for committing gross indecency after revealing to police he was in a sexual relationship with another man.<\/p>\n

At this time, male homosexual activity was illegal \u2013 and it would remain so until 1967. On the advice of his solicitor, Turing pled guilty to the charge and was given the option of imprisonment or probation \u2013 the latter option conditional upon him undergoing hormone treatment akin to chemical castration.<\/p>\n

Just over two years after his arrest, Turing was found dead. He had died of cyanide poisoning and his passing was officially ruled a suicide.<\/p>\n

Ahead of Manchester Pride<\/a> tomorrow, we\u2019re proud to celebrate Alan Turing and the wealth of achievements he made during his lifetime. And remember \u2013 you never know when tidying up those boxes could really pay off!<\/p>\n

Watch our interview with Prof Miles and Archivist James Peters.<\/p>\n