• 

REF ID:A71955 

Mr. H. P. Col'lfi'th 

Vice l'ruidet. 

1 ...... ,.J\i IL ~ 

1'eatem 1,1n1oa telegraph CompanJ' ~ Hll:J.5on ~.t:reet, .:room A~.3.3 

Nev XorkJ Hew lo:rk 

Dear Mr. Cof'l1.tbz 

?rQ:f'as.or Cairns. Chc.raan or the NaU.on.al. Security 

.lgette1 ~cienu.tic. AdYisory .noard, hrw aaQd that the iiicloa.-1 

:m.norandum be c.1.retil.ated to ;;.o. ot.ber aeaibera of tbe doUd 

for c~nt. 

As ~ b.1 bla. your connent.• should be aeut, 

direot.17 to hia. An intoraat.i.011 eopy to ae wuld, aowever, 

be appreciaW. 

lncl.1 

Mao !or Jll8lll.bera ot 

liS.A.. A& dtd 24 Mar $J ~ 

SVli?iB:LlrHM. 

W.ULIAM F._ FRIELMAI 

Exeouti.Te SecretaqN.UI Scimt.ilic Mmorr lioard 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 02-12-2014 pursuantto E .0. 1352a 
~NflMN'NA~ SECUIU'fY INPORMA'f'ION ~ 

24 March 195.3 

MEMORANDUM FOR: Members of NSA Scienti!J.c Advisory Board 

SUBJECT: SCAMP Program 19 53 

1. A SJlBPO&um known as SCAMP was sponsored in the SUillJller ot 19$2 

by the Armed Forces Securit¥ Agency {now called the Nata.onal Security 

Agency) at the Institute for Numerical Analysis of the National Bureau 

of Standards on the campus of tba Universi. ty ot Califomia at Los 

Angeles.. A sequel, SCAMP 1953, is planned for this coming summer.. The 

project is to be financed by funds transferred from tha NSA to the NBS 

through the Office of Naval Researcho Accordingly., Dr. Mina Rees of the 

ONR and Dr.. John H.. Curtiss of the NBS are interested both in the 

scientific quality ot the SCAMP program and in its relevance to the 

practical problems of the Natl.onal Security Agency.. I accorchngly agreed 

to describe to the Advisory Board the Jresent plans for SCAMP 211d t.o 

tr&I1SJ1Ut the Board's comments to Dre Rees. Since t1D& did not permit us 

to consider this matter at our meeting on 5 February• I am soliciting 

your opinions by mail, though I realize that some ot you are relativel7 

near to the problems involved.a 

2o Aside from NSA personnel, the expected SCAMP participants are 

Ao A .. Albert,, R .. Ho Bni.ck, K., Ae Bush, So So Cairns (Chairman), Randolph 

Church, Ao Ho Cl.1.f.'tord, W., So Connor, R. P .. Dilworth, Ao Mo Gleason, 

R., A., Good, Da W., Halll'l Marshall Hall, A. Jo Hoffman, V., L .. Klee• Erwin 

Kleinfeld~ Jo Co Koken, Morris Newman, L. J. Paige (Executive Secretary), 

Gordon Pall 8 Ao Eo Roberts., and Co Bo Tompld.nsci 

)o The general objectl.ves or SCAMP were expressed as follows in a 

letter of 2.3 January 19.$.3 from John H. Curtiss tD the Chief of Naval 

Research. 

a., "Increasing the general knowledge available concerning 

discrete prob1ems and their computational solution.," 

b., "Educat.1.Dg competent mathematicians in mathematical 

theory and tectmiquee of interest to the sponsor .. n 

4" Al though details remain to be worked out, it is contemplated 

that the first objective shall be pursued as follows: 

a.. As background material.• and as a nucleus alx>ut which t.his 

yearns research may be blll.lt,, the participants will be 

supplied with: 

(1) An expository account,, now being prepared, of last 

summer• s wrk and of closely related top1Cs 8 , 

( 2) A paper '°Discrete problems and computers" (copy being 

sent separately to members or the Adv1sory Board) 

prepared by Co Bo Tompkins subsequent to SCAMP 19 521 

CONFIDENTIAL 
{ 3) Ma wr-tal concerning convex regions and their use in 

ch.aerate ccmputational problems~ being developed and 

prep::ired in a sui. table form for use by participants 1 

( 4) Appropriate computa t.ions prepared for SWAC in advance 

of th0 symposium, together WJ. th cochng and full descn.Pt.J.ons of the problems for exposi toey purposes .. 

o.. Durmg July and August, research will be conducted by tile 

participants listed a.b::>ve,, in collaboration td.th personnel assigned to 

SCAr!P by the Kl.tional Security Agencyo The latter will, besides participating in tr..s research1 help guide .i.t in dJ.recta.ons of particular 

int.erest to the li!SAo The part.icipants have been selected because of 

their demonst.nted a.bill. ey- and 1nderendent interest in discrete probl.ElllS 

mo'l'"e or less relatea to the purposes of SCAM.Po It is considered best 

not to confine their activities by assigning to them a sat or specific 

problem.a» but ratner t.o leave them free to carry out the mission of 

SCAI•,P rn. ~ the .iud or the preoaratory measures just listed, the educa ... 

tional i::>!'Ogr"am about to be described and the cont1.nw.ng advice ot NSA 

pers.onnru..o 

So To promote tha second objective under item 3 above, material 

concanung cornmwucations and soms of the enginearing aspects of COJBoa 

puters will 'be made available to the participants s according to present 

plansi) as f'ollm1a: 

ao A c.ourse of eight lectures will be devoted to selected 

topics in military comm.micationso These will be planned 

within the NSA and presumably delivered by NSA personnel" 

b., Another course of eight lectllres will describe engineering 

aspects cf computer components in order that the partici"" 

pants rf!2.y be in a. posit:i.on to assess the possibUi't.7 ot 

solV1.ng certain problems WJ.th the aid of special purpose 

squipmsnto Mro Josep.a Desch of Na'b.onal. Cash Regis tar has 

expressed a ul.llingness to cooperate in t.ru.s lecture 

course, and Mro John McPherson has assured me that IBM 

personnel WJ.ll also provide expert assistanceo 

Attand.ance at the lecture courses ia to be opti.onal, and the s eriea on 

engineering aspects of computers will be open to interested persons who 

a.re not membars of SCAl1P o 

60 I should appreciate your comments on the SCAMP program at an 

early date. They should be addressed to me at the Mathematics Departmenti 

Ulll.Yersi ~;y o£ Illinois3 Urbana, Illlnoiso 

Sa So CAIRNS 

Cbainnan of the Advisory Board 

CONFIDENTIAL