ENIGMA – The European Numbers Information Gathering and Monitoring Association

The European Numbers Information Gathering and Monitoring Association “E.N.I.G.M.A.” was the first group of numbers stations listeners that collaborated and shared important findings among their members. ENIGMA was based in the United Kingdom and had contributors worldwide. The contributions received were used for their newsletters, which they originally released 4 times a year (later 2 times).

The group was mainly active from 1993 – 2000, and over that time they ended up releasing 18 newsletters. These newsletters were unique in the way that they are one of the very few sources that documented numbers stations at the time. The information contained in them is unique and is very difficult to find anywhere else. In this time they also created the original classification system that is still used today for stations, and are also responsible for a large majority of the names.

ENIGMA lasted 7 years and disbanded in 2000. The co-founder of the group Mike G. Wrote that all of ENIGMA’s publications would be archived at the British National Library. Copies of the newsletter are otherwise extremely rare.