diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a44f40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# AES Crypt
+
+This is a branch of the soure repository for the AES Crypt software
+available from www.aescrypt.com.  This branch has a few more build options
+than the master code available from aescrypt.com directly.
+
+AES Crypt was initially developed for Windows and then later ported to Linux.
+Other versions of the software, including Mac, Java, Android, and iOS, were
+created, most of which were derived from the Linux code.
+
+The code for each platform is stored in a directory for that platform
+(e.g., Windows and Linux).  A "readme" file exists in each that provides
+any additional information that might be useful for that platform.
+
+Some of the source code is not yet published here, though all source code
+is still available from https://www.aescrypt.com.
+
+The code in this repository is the current development code and
+may contain code that has not been fully tested.  As a new version binary
+is released and a version number associated with it, the source code and
+binary will be posted to www.aescrypt.com/download.