(( bombs, cannons, artillery fire )) 

NARRATOR: Only nine years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor the 

United States once again found itself in the throes of an unexpected war. 

This time, on the Korean Peninsula. 

But the U.S. had seriously downsized its cryptologic operations at the end 

of World War II, and the remaining resources were focused on the Soviet 

Union. The nation's civilian and military codemakers and codebreakers 

needed to be united. 

With the stroke of his pen, President Truman created one truly integrated 

organization - the National Security Agency. NSA opened its doors in 

November of 1952, building on the legacy of its predecessor, the Armed 

Forces Security Agency. 

The National Security Agency began supporting warfighters on the Korean 

battlefields from its headquarters in Washington, DC. NSA cryptologists 

helped General Walker avoid enemy fire on the Pusan Perimeter, and set 

the groundwork for General MacArthur's victorious 

landing at Inchon. 

After the armistice, U.S. leaders once again turned their attention to the 

Soviet threat. 

(( counting in Russian )) 

Soviets had begun building and testing nuclear weapons. Atomic bomb 

hysteria swept the Nation's capital. 

The Joint Chiefs of Staff believed the city would be a potential bombing 

target. 

So NSA moved to its current location at Fort Meade, Maryland, in 1957. 

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY: The weapons of war must be abolished 

before they abolish us. 

NARRATOR: By 1961, Cold War tensions took us to the brink of a nuclear 

war. The Nation's worst nightmare was confirmed. 

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY: Unmistakable evidence has 

established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites is now in 

preparation on the island of Cuba. 
NARRATOR: President Kennedy imposed strict blockade on military 

shipments to Cuba. If the Soviets were to challenge the U.S. fleet, it could 

mean war. 

NSA closely monitored the Russian Fleet's movements. The Agency 

would be the first to inform the President when the Russians stood down. 

Signals Intelligence helped President Kennedy manage the day-to-day 

aspects of the crisis and avoid armed conflict which might have escalated 

into nuclear war. 

A great victory of the Cold War was won, but a crisis was festering in 

Southeast Asia. U.S. cryptologists were dispatched to Vietnam four years 

before Americas full military involvement. To intercept the adversary's 

communications, they had to get close to enemy lines and would be 

among the first American casualties. 

When U.S. troops returned home, NSA cryptologists stayed behind to 

provide intelligence and secure communications support to the U.S. 

embassy. They stayed until it was almost too late. 

The end of the Cold War emphasized the value of Signals Intelligence and 

Information Assurance. NSA continued to support policymakers and 

combatant commanders in conflicts around the globe with real-time 

actionable intelligence and state-of-the-art secure communications. NSA's 

research contributed significantly to the development of the Super 

Computer, the cassette tape, the microchip, quantum mathematics, 

nanotechnology, biometrics, semiconductor technology. 

DAVE HATCH: Despite technical innovations, cryptology still remains a 

dangerous profession for those who practice it. Most people don't realize 

that cryptology is an inherently dangerous business. Since 1945, over 150 

American cryptologists, both military and civilian, have given their lives in 

the service of their country. 

NARRATOR: As the turn of the century approached, new challenges 

emerged. NSA would need to be more agile than ever before.