UK buyer sought for Alan Turing’s Second World War papers

19 August 2024

A wartime collection of notebooks and sheets show the famed mathematician’s development of a portable encryption system

A temporary export bar has been placed on Alan Turing’s unpublished Second World War papers, which document the ‘Delilah’ project

The wartime papers document Turing’s development of a portable encryption system for use in military operations.

The papers are valued at £397,680 and are at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found to acquire them. DCMS is hoping to find an organisation to take on the documents before November 2024.

The papers consist of two bound notebooks and six separate gatherings of loose sheets. It comprises the notes of Alan Turing (1912-54) and Donald Bayley (1921-2020) relating to the World War Two project.

Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant said the pares “offer unique insights into the extraordinary mind of Alan Turing, who is famed for decoding the Enigma machines, being instrumental in ending the Second World War and saving many lives.”

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Arts Council’s Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.

Its Chair, Andrew Hochhauser KC added: “The United Kingdom owes a debt of gratitude to Alan Turing. His extraordinary work on the Enigma project at Bletchley Park played a major part in winning World War Two and saved so many lives.”

The decision on the export licence application for the papers will be deferred for a period ending on 15 November 2024. The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for four months.