THE UPPER-LOWER CASE CASE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80M01048A000800050058-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 19, 2005
• Sequence Number: 58
• Publication Date: December 12, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

Approved Folease 2005/03/07: CIA-RDP80M0104,P00080005005
12 December 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: The Upper-Lower Case Case
1. The advantages in data handling of all electric
communications have been illustrated in many ways. Not
least of them is the disappearance or diminution to triv-
ial status of the data input problem and the consequent
availability of all information in machine language for
processing.
2. The purpose:of.this paper is to expose some
potential reactions of consumers, i.e., ultimate read-
ers of communications, to what they may see from the new
system. Unless a change is made, all of our communications
will be stored and retrieved in upper case. All of our
texts stored in the new will be in upper case,
except that generated at Headquarters in ATS or similar
systems.
3. MY ESTIMATE IS THAT THE REACTION OF READERS WILL BE
NEGATIVE WHEN THEY REALIZE WHAT HAS HAPPENED. OC SAYS THAT
WHITE HOUSE-BOUND MESSAGES ARE NOW RE-TYPED. COMMUNICATIONS
IN CAPTIAL LETTERS ARE UNACCEPTABLE THERE.
4. THERE MAY BE SOME DISPOSITION TO FOB OFF ADVERSE
REACTION TO UPPER CASE AND TO DISCOUNT CRITICISM OF YET
ANOTHER WAY IN WHICH COMPUTERS DICTATE TO HUMAN BEINGS.
BEFORE ADOPTING THIS APPROACH, ONE SHOULD RECALL THE
REASONS FOR OUR PREDICAMENT AND SEE IF THEY ARE STILL
VALID, FOR, IF THEY ARE NOT, IT MIGHT BEHOOVE US TO MAKE
OUR PRINTED OUTPUT MORE SALABLE.
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5. TIIE TROUBLE MAY BE TRACED To J. M. EMILE BAUDOT WHO
INVENTED THE TELETYPE SYSTEM IN 1874 USING A 5 ELEMENT CODE
THAT PERMITTED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF THE ALPHABET. SINCE
1877 HIS CODE HAS BEEN WIDELY USED FOR RADIO AND CABLE TRANS-
MISSIONS. THIS CODE IS SEVERELY LIMITED IN THE NUMBER OF
CHARACTERS IT CAN REPRESENT. SOME O THE CODES ARE RE-
STRICTED TO FUNCTIONS SUCH AS SHIFT 'UP AND DOWN, SPACE,
CARRIAGE RETURN, TAB, AND "ALL-BLANK" WITH 26 CODES USED
FOR PRINTED CHARACTERS.
6. THERE ARE MANY REASONS THAT HAVE MADE FORWARD
THINKING COMMUNICATORS WANT TO CHANGE FROM THE 5 LEVEL
BAUDOT CODE TO A 7 OR 8 LEVEL CODE W111CH WOULD NOT ONLY
PERMIT EXPANDED CHARACTER SETS BUT REDUNDANCY CHECKS FOR
IMPROVING ACCURACY. ALTHOUGH THE DESIRABILITY OF SUCH A
CHANGE HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR 30 YEARS, AT LEAST, THE
TEDIOUS TASK OF.NEGOTIATING INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS FOR
CHANGE AS WELL AS THE GIGANTIC COSTS FOR CONVERSION OF
EQUIPMENT IMPOSE NEARLY INSUPERABLE OBSTACLES. NO ONE WHO
MUST USE INTERNATIONAL CIRCUITS EXTENSIVELY DARES DEPART
FROM A 5 LEVEL CODE UNILATERALLY.
. 7. IF THE AGENCY'S COMMUNICATIONS WERE INDEPENDENT OF
COMMERCIAL LINKS AND IF IT WERE POSSIBLE FOR THE AGENCY TO
HAVE EXCLUSIVE USE OF A SATELLITE SYSTEM, IT MIGHT BE FEAS-
IBLE TO USE AN EXPANDED CODE THAT WOULD PERMIT BOTH
REDUNDANCY CHECKING AND UPPER AND LOWER CASE PRINTING.
8. IT IS NOT ONLY IN COMMUNICATIONS THAT WE HAVE AN
INTELLIGIBILITY PROBLEM. UNTIL RATHER RECENTLY OUR COMPUTERS
PRINTED OUT ONLY UPPER CASE. NOW WE CAN HAVE LOWER CASE, TOO,
IF WE PAY THE PRICE OF SOMEWHAT SLOWER PRINTING (500, INSTEAD
OF 1,000 LINES A MINUTE). COMPUTERS HAVE BEEN LIMITED, NOT
BY CHARACTER CODES--THEY HAVE LONG USED 8 BIT BYTES--BUT BY A
TRADITION OF UPPER CASE PRINTING WHICH HUNG OVER FROM THE
CODE LIMITATIONS OF PUNCHED CARDS AND PRINTING SYSTEMS IN
WHICH THE SIZE OF THE TYPE BAR OR PRINTING WHEEL WAS PROPOR-
TIONAL TO THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS OtZ WHERE THE MODE OF
PRINTING, E.G., BY WIRES INHIBITED THE VARIETY OF INTELLIGIBLE
CHARACTERS REASONABLY POSSIBLE.
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9 On the-assumption that readers of documents much
prefer upper-lower case presentation and that intelligibility
of the text.would be much improved by such presentation, let
us consider what can be done without entailing a departure
from the 5 level Baudot code for communications.
10. An editing routine on incoming texts could be
devised that would use certain characters (codes) for
control to upper case. For example, a--period would
always be followed by one upper case letter; an-asterisk-
before and after proper name would cause the capitalization
of all intervening words; a number sign would be followed
by capitals until the next occurrence of a number sign, etc.
11. Except for the period, these symbols require special
insertion by the originator or by the communications system.
It-seems unrealistic to impose such a requirement on the
originator. It would, however, be feasible to make the in-
sertion of such symbols an automatic function, say of the
Automated Field Terminal (AFT), as normal typing is converted
to the communications code.
12. Let us suppose that future communications will be
prepared by normal. typing and that no re-typing will be
necessary for communications. Either a device such as a
cassette will record the typing electrically for input to
AFT or some sort of optical character reader (OCR) will
scan the typed texts. In such cases the AFT could be
programmed to insert the special characters required.
13. Now-that upper and lower case would be stored-in
the computers, other consequences for processing would
abound. Visual Display Units (VDU's) now used will NOT
show lower case. New policies would have to consider the
problem of mixed files and whether, in converting lower
to upper case, provision for return to lower case should be
made. The CS would need a new COM equipment as the present
one will not handle lower case characters.
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14. As we a .roach consideration of a proposal for an
all magentic it seems most desirable to face the
upper-lower case case squarely. Customer reactions to upper
case only will be less troublesome now than after thousands
of documents are stored in capitals only.
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