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·I. 

THF. NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD 

RJ!!PORT FOR THE PERIOD 

JANUARY 1953 THROUGH JUNE 1954 

INTRODUCTION I 

The National Security Agency Scientific Advisory Board (NSASAB) was 

created und.er NSA Regulation Number 11-3, dated 22 January 1953. This 

regulation was renewed, in slightly modified form,on 26 January 1954. 

The present report is subm~tted in conformity with para.graph 4£, Section 

III of that regulation. The period covered, however, is a year and a 

half 111stead of a single year, bringing the reports into phase with 

fiscal years. 

The Board, which superseded the Special Cryptologic Advisory Group 

(SCAG), was established in order that the NSA migl)t :·secure the advice 

and assistance of an organized group of consultants, qualified in fields 

directly related to the most iiopor~nt and difficult problems of the 

Agency. Experience with SCAG suggested the desirability of a relatively 

sne.11 advisory board, holding two or three formal meetings a year and 

performing its functions largely through the instrumentality of a varying 

system of panels and subpanels, composed not only of Board members but 

also of other outside consultants with special technical qualifications. 

Thus· individual consultation is emphasized, supplemented by occasional 

discussions and reports by· groups designated to study particular problems. 

Reports from such specialized group~ are submitted to the Boa.rd for approval, and then to the Director of the NSA. 

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The Director of the NSA appoints the members of the Board, its 

Chairman, and the members of the ~rious panels and subpanels. 

In general, the Board is charged with reviewing the principal problems 

of the Agency, surveying the methods and the equipment employed in attacking such problems, directing attention to relevant external studies and 

developments, and suggesting modifications in modes of attack, in emphasis, 

in equipment and so on. 

An Executive Group for Boe.rd Affairs (EXSAB), in the NSA is charged 

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with ve.riolis liaison fUn.ctions, including presentations, e.r~angements for meet~ngs e.nd vis~ts of individuals or groups, and monitoring the implementation of··such NSASAB recommendations as are approved by the Director, NSA. 

This group ha:s attacked with great skill and dil'.lgence the difficult con- . tinuing problem of briefing the members of NSASAB e.hd its panels on the mnifold 

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work of the Agency. Their efforts included general presentations on 

COMINT and COMSEC operations and on the organi-;ation of NSA; various 

tours of analytic machinery; discussions o:f' telet;Vpe scramblers,· 

special intercept equipment a.nd urgent. Russian problems in various 

phases o:f' consideration .• 

II~ MEMBERSHIP OF NSASAB · 

The members of NSASAB at the ti~ of its first ~eting, 4 February 

1953, were: 

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Professor Stewart s. Cairns, C~irma.n 

Head, Department of Mathematics 

University of Illinois. 

Mr. H. P. ·Corwith 

Vice President 

Western Union· Telegraph Company. 

Dr. Howard T. Engstrom 

Assistant Vice President ~ngineering Research Associates 

Division of Remington Rand 

Mr. John c. McPherson 

Vice President 

International Business Machines Corporation. 

Professor Howard P. Robertson 

Califqrnia Institute of Technology \~ ·.: •, . . 

Professor John von Newna.rm. · Institute for Advance Study 

Professor s. S. WilKs 

Princeton U.niy.ersfty 

By 23 March 1953, ·the.Board had increased by the addition of: . . .. . 

Dr. L.T.E. Thomps0n 

:Vice Chairman·; Research arid Development :Board 

Department of .De:Cense. 

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By the meettng of 11 June·1953, the Board had. accquired: 

i:>r. Walter R.G. Baker 

Vice President and General Manager 

Electronics Division 

General Electric Company. 

At the meeting of 11 September 1953, Dr. L.T.E. Thorrpson r.equested that 

his active Board memberspip be terminated, in view of the.abolition of 

the Research and Development Board and his resignation from full-time 

service with the Department of Defense• Hie request was granted and.he 

was replaced by: . 

Mr. Donald A. Quarles 

Ass·ietant Secretary of Defense for Research and Development. 

The only other change in Boa.rd membership-was the addition, before the 

meeting of 20-21 April 1954 of: · ~ 

Mr. Arthur w. Horton,.Jr. 

Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. 

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Certain meetings were attended by Mr. J .z. Millar of Western Union,· 

iri place of Mr. Corwith, and by Mr. M. Dean Post in place of Mr. Quarles. 

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•· , III. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD AS ·A WHOLE 

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ForD¥1-l meetings of NSASAB were held on 5 February.1953, 11-12 June 

1953, 11 September 1953, 15-16 October 1953 and 20-21 April 19.54. 

J:V. THE SPECIAL STUDY GROUP 

The first .specific major undertaking of NSASAB 1was an investigation 

which culminated in a report entitled "The Potentialities of COMINT for 

Strategic Warning.", The.proposal for thi!1J st~ was introduced and 

discussed at. the meeting of 11-12 June 1953 by Radm. J.N. Wenger and 

Dr. L.T.E. Thompson. The Director pf NSA requested that the Board conduct 

the prqposed study, with the purpose Df evaluating COMINT as an important 

a.d.Junct to early warning radar in connection with the air defense problem. 

The. composition of· the Special Study Group was as follows: 

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i. Members of the NSASAB: 

Dr. H.P. Robertson, Chair111m 

Dr. Howard T .. Engstrom 

Mr'. John C. McPherson 

Dr. Samuel s. Wilks • 

·2. Consultants: 

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Mr. M. Dean Post; Staff Assis-tant, 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and 

Development ' 

Mr. Charles s. Weaver, Staff 4lssistant, 

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and 

Development 

Dr. Richard c. Raymond, Electronics Division, 

RAND Co:i-pora'tion. ::, . .. NBA Particii-ants and· Observers: -~ 

Mr. William F: Friedman, Executive Secretary, NSASAB 

Captain Irving T. McDona'ld, Jr. 1 USAF 

Miss Carolyn J. Fox. 

4. U.SAF Security Service Observer: 

PL 86-36/50 USC 3605 

Colonel· Gordon W. W+ldes, USAF. EO 3.3(h)(2) 

. This Group devoted a large part of the summer to their formidable 

task. The Board-member pa.r"ticipants, accOJJQ;>anied by'' the consultants, 

the Executive Secretary, Colonel Wildes and CaptainiMcDonald visited 

various· establishments, consulting numerous persons, studying, discussing and preparing their report. The group reported in preliminary form 

at the NsASAB·Jbeeting of'-11September1953 and i:g. final form at the 

meeting of' ·15-16 October, when the Board voted its unanimous approval 

of the repQrt. For present purposes; it appears suff.icient to remark ·' · 

that the report contains JE.rty recommendations "$.Dd suggestions, the 

importance of which can not. ·be- overestimated, /which have been reviewed 

in NS.A and, as approved by the Director, are/being followed up on an 

active, continual basis. At the meeting of /20-21 April 1954, there 

was some discussion of the variO'Us recommendations and the consequent 

actions. There was also a discussion of a/ modified version to be 

aupplied ~- thej bat their request. It appears 

clear that tbe work or tne special Stuoyroup will be of lasting value 

in the further development of the c6MINT program.. It 'bas likewise .proved 

valuable 'in ~onnection with the high-level personnel problem of the Agency. . . 

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V. THE PANEI.S 

A second major accomplishment has been the establishment of"three 

panels: Electronics, Ma.themtics, and Telecommunications. The fields 

of specialization, the modus operandi ·and the composition of the panels 

were subjects for deli~eration throughout the period covered by this 

report. · Each member of the Board is available for panel work, and the 

chairman of each panel is a Board me~ber. · 

14 members of the ElectronicB .Panel 

(H. T. Engstrom, Chairman) · r 

7 members of the Telecommunications Panel 

(H. P. Corwith, Chairmn) . . 

12 members of the Ma.thematics Panel 

{s. s. Wilks, Chairman) 

. ~· . A number of other possible members are in a pendi~ category.. The members 

were appointed by the Director, in accordance with NSA Regulation 11~3, on. 

reconmendation from-·the Board and after the necessary clearance procedures. 

The chairmen were similarly appointed, after consultation with the Chairman of NSASAB. The pane!s were sufficiently complete to justify meetings 

on 20-21 May 1954, attended by all members excepting five of the mathema.-

ticians. · · 

These two days were d.e~oted largely to briefings and conducted tours 

for those unfamiliar with the work of the Agency, to technical presentations 

for the several panels and to individual consulting. It is expected that 

·the work of the panels will be largely on an individual consulting basis, 

with occasional panel meetings. It is also expected that certain problems 

will be attacked ~Y subpanels or special committees cutting across panel ~ounda.ries and possibly enlisting the aid of experts who are ~ot panel 

members • Qne such committee has already commenced to function, as noted 

in the next paragraph. 

VI. THE COMMITTEE ON GE~ PURPOSE FLmCmU: ANALYTIC EQUIPMENT 

This committee Wa.s estr;.blished at the suggestion·and under the chairmanship of John c. McPherson. The menibership··is drawn from the Electronics 

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and Ma.thematics Panels.* A first meeting was held at the Agency 4-7. ~ 1954 . • Ill • • 

*{Mr. McPherson, Dr'- von NeUDlBnn, Mr. Howard, Prof. Forrester, Mr. Desch, 

Mr. ·Dunwell, Dr. Shannon, and Mr. Horton.) . . 

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VJ.I. 'l'llm DEPTJl'Y Dm."ECWR FOR RESEARCH /\NI) n~VJ~l.OP~NT 

The seuv~h for a. Deputy Directox· (R/D) (Ja.tes back to August of 1952. 

It was f'ra1.1gbt with the difficulties (1) :J.nil;:l.ally of obtain:i.ng a suitable 

super-gra.drJ for the position (2) o:f ::1Jc1tlri.g an individual who c:ombined the 

necessary high qualif'ications, presi Lg£:. a.nu experience with availability 

• and 'W'illi11gness to serve. From the very. :l.'i:t·st Board meetin13, 5 February 

1953, until an appointment was finE.J.ly rrr.=i.~e in April 1954, the Board devoted 

a great cleal of time to assisting Lu the. e1~arch. Long li1rta· of variously 

qualified prospects were drawn up r1nrl apportioned into ca l~cgories i'n 

accordar.ce with estimates of thei··· e.va:i.le.bility and thei'J'• su:i.tabUity. 

From tinie to time a few of' these p1·ospf~cts were arranged preferentially 

and submitted to the Director, Nr:l\., e.o ·sl.iggestions for t.he next few approachns. In February 1954, th'' l?Oselbility of A.B. Cfo,rlt (a. vice president 

of the Bell Telephone Laborator l.es) ca.me into the picture. He was obviously 

qualii'ied a.:r;id was fortunately founq to be available ruul willing. His 

appointment was announced to ·the BO£u·d members by leM .. cr prior to the 

meeting of 20-21April1954, at which.time Mr. Clark was introduced to 

NSASAB and participated in i"t.B· deliberations. 

VIII. THE PERSONNEL PROBillM 

Various discussions of NSA problems have l.P.d. to personnel considerations. 

These have included such ma:bters as the distribuUon of effort betwe~n 

relatively long-range research and problems related to current production. 

The urgency of the latter may at times tend to divert sone 'attention.from 

the former. Another source of difficulty, wh"l.ch has been substantially 

ameliorated, was the la.ck of super-gr~des and th~ shortage of high-level 

positions to which scientists in the Agency mJBht aspire, without necessarily being promoted from scientific work int1J prine.ril.y administrative 

duties. At the :qieetings in the fall of 1953 1 the Board discussed the highlevel personnel problem. On 16 October, it ad.opted a Resolution on PersonIlel, which, along with the report of thE! Speclo.l Study Group, was of assistance to the Director i~ obtaining significant :l.mprovements. There are, of 

course, continuing problems, including the es1;a:blishrnent of a. well-developed 

career program for sc:J.entists at the NSA .and the problem of .recr~iting outstattding new talent d.espite the security restr:lctions which inevitably 

interfere with "selling" the Agency to a des:l.ro.ble prospect. Various sug-· 

gestions have involved the possibility of utilizing the prestige of Board · members· in'recruiting. The members of NSASAB have.expressed a willingness 

that this be done, if it can contribute to the effort. The.possibility· of 

lilore extended use of Educational Testing Services (Princeton, N.J.) was 

suggested in connection with procedures for the selection, placement and. 

evaluation of personnel. It appears that S.S. Wilks may be useful if. it i~ 

decided to pursue this possibili~y and, in general, if opinions are wanted 

regarding the merits of various personnel consulting organizations . 

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IX. TRAFFIC ANALYSIS 

The desirability and practicability of increased exploitation of 

traf'fic analys~s was discussed at· various times~ The discussions inclμded the question of increasing the amount of T/A at outl.y~ng points, 

wi~h the result- that more product.and less actual traffic would be sent 

to the NSA. This possibility11 raises serious personnel considerations, 

including the need to establish career futures for personnel in "medium 

levels" of T/A work. Dr. Wilks is helping in connection.with statistical. 

aspects of the T/ A methods problem. He plans to purs"ue this study in 

liaison with related British efforts. 

X. CONSULTING ACTIVITIES 

The Board has been in:fox:med, through formal p~esentations and 

individual consultations, of a large number of NSA activities and problems. 

At various times, on the OGcasion of meetings and also between meetings, 

members of the Board have, on request and at their oWn. initiative, 

visited the Agency and performed consulting services. It appears impracticable, in this report,to detail these instances or to evaluate the 

resulting contributions. · 

XI. GENERAL 

The preponderance of recommendations ma.de by the Board are contained 

in the Special Study Group's report on the "Po~entialities·or COMINT for 

Strategic Warning." Since the actions taken on the recommendations are 

being followed up on .a continual basis, and since most of the members of' . the Group are stili available, an ·opportunity ·is afforded for continued 

study of this whole problem. · · · 

During the Board meetings various problem areas.have been suggested 

:J,n addition to those acted upon by the Boa.rd. Some of these will come 

under closer' examination by the Board in the coming year • . . 

XII. THE CHANGE IN CHAIRMANSHIP 

Dr.· S. s'. Cairns served as first Chairman of' ·NSASAB and continued in 

that capacity until the meeting f'or 21 May l.954. He had asked to be. rel.ieved 

of the office in view of an impending sabbatical year in Europe. On 21 May, 

Jo!ln c. McPherson was introduced as new Chairman of the Board. \ 

~~ ... ro~ · STEWART S. CAmNS · ~ • 

. Chairman I . 

~"SA Scientific Advisory Board ; 

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