Read the excerpt from "Tools of the Spymaster." The author's main purpose in this excerpt is to
General Clinton, concerned about what General Howe
O describe a form of code writing using an example.
was planning and doing, made use of a mask to write a
• explain the mistakes of General Howe during the
secret message in a letter to General Burgoyne.
war.
Before writing the letter, Clinton had placed an
O entertain the reader with a humorous story of
miscommunication.
hourglass-shaped mask on a piece of paper and then
had formed the secret message within that shape.
O argue that using a mask is the best method for
sending secret messages.
The unmasked letter had enough false information in it
to fool any American who happened to see it. But when
Burgoyne viewed the letter with the mask, he read
Clinton's view of the real situation: Howe has made a
bad move; I don't have enough men to do anything
about it.