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National Security Agency/Central Security Service

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# NSA 60th Anniversary

HomeHelpful LinksNSA FOIADeclassification & Transparency InitiativesHistorical ReleasesNSA 60th Timeline

Established on Nov. 4, 1952, in 2012 the National Security Agency celebrated 60 years of service to the nation.

In issuing the directive that gave birth to the agency, then-President Harry Truman understood the need to continue U.S. efforts that had led to breaking German and Japanese codes in World War II, success against the German U-Boat threat in the North Atlantic, and victory in the Battle of Midway in the Pacific. America had become a dominant power on a global stage, facing global responsibilities and threats. As war raged in Korea, the creation of NSA allowed the Defense Department to consolidate cryptologic support to military operations, and to meet challenges that the nation would face in the Cold War.

Learn more about the Agency's storied history of service to the nation in our 60th Anniversary publication and accompanying interactive timeline: NSA's 60 Years of Defending Our Nation.

## NSA 60th Anniversary Book

You can read the NSA 60th Anniversary Book in the following format:
                        - NSA 60th Anniversary Book (PDF)
                        - NSA 60th Anniversary Book (Hardcopy for sale through CWF, 301-688-7337. Phone orders ONLY)

The below interactive NSA Timeline is from 1952 to 2012 and highlights major events in NSA's 60 years of defending the nation. Please click on the various decades to find important historical documents, audio files, and photographs from World War II and the beginnings of NSA through the 2000s. Included are 250 declassified documents, 196 of which are being released for the first time, and over 150 photographs and audio files. Example of what this timeline covers: NSA's first Director, the move to Fort Meade, Congressional hearings, the Suez Crisis, NSA's purchase of its first supercomputer, spies and defections, a ship capture, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Gulf of Tonkin, Soviet challenges, Project GUNMAN and bugs in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, support to Desert Storm, information technology revolution age, expeditionary SIGINT, and COMSEC developments. It then leads into the 1990s and 2000s and covers Afghanistan and Iraq and cyber security. The sources of this unique, historical collection are from the National Security Agency archives as well as all the Presidential Libraries. NSA/CSS 60th Anniversary Timeline

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## NSA 60th Anniversary Audio Transcripts

### **Pre-NSA**

                    -   Dr. Abraham Sinkov Talks About his Move into the Cryptologic FieldApril 20,1930View Transcript

### **1960s**

                    -   Snippet from News Conference Held in Moscow Regarding Mitchell and Martin DefectionJuly 1, 1960View Transcript
                    -  Brigadier General John Tiltman speaks about the TUNNY machineSeptember 1, 1960View Transcript
                    -   The President's TV Address to the Nation Regarding North Vietnam's Attack on U.S. ShipsAugust 4, 1964View Transcript
                    -   President Johnson and Sec of State McNamara discuss upcoming statement at Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearings about Gulf of Tonkin AttacksFebruary 19, 1968View Transcript
                    -   Brigadier General John Tiltman talks about French SecuritySeptember 14, 1969View Transcript

### **1970s**

                    - Elizebeth Friedman Discusses Code SystemsJanuary 1, 1976View Transcript

### **1980s**

                    -   NSA Director Lieutenant General William E. Odom, USA, visits President Reagan in the Oval OfficeView Transcript
                    -   NSA Deputy Director Robert E. Rich Visits President Reagan in the Oval OfficeView Transcript
                    -   President Reagan's Speech Dedicating Ops 2A and 2B Buildings during his visit to NSAView Transcript
                    -   President Reagan Departing Following the Ops 2A and 2B Building Dedication 

### **1990s**

                    -  Interview with Carroll Robinson, first African American EngineerJune 8, 1999View Transcript 

### **2000s**

                    -   Our HistoryJanuary 12, 2004View Transcript

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                        - NSA.GOV                            - About
                          - Leadership
                          - Cybersecurity Collaboration Center
                          - National Cryptologic Museum
                          - Contact NSA
                          - Accessibility
                          - ABA Notice
                          - Site Policies
                        - CULTURE                            - Core Values
                          - Operating Authorities
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                          - General Counsel
                          - NSA Inspector General
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                          - Privacy Act Requests
                          - Frequently Asked Questions
                          - Request a Speaker
                          - Prepublication Review
                          - Media Inquiry
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                          - Media Destruction Guidance
                          - Classified Materiel Conversion
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                        - RELATED LINKS                            - DNI.gov
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