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42.4 North George ?Jason Drivt 

Arl.itlgton 3, Virginia 

2 April 1951 

Pfc. James P. 'Iburber, Jr., Signal Corps 

Company 116, Basic '!r&ininc Group Signal Corps Replacement T.rainin[s Center 

Gamp Gordon, Georgia 

Oea.r ?Jr. 'lburber: 

Receipt of your letter ot 28 trs.rch is acknowledged. 

Answering your first question, I would be inclined to think that 

your value to the.Army would be increased if you were transferred to 

a unit· in which yot?J" special aptitudes were more applicable than e.t 

present, if', as you indicate, the .job you are now doing is of a. 

routine nature, easily handled'by anyone v:ith clerical.ability. 

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Anst>rering yoilr second question, the type of work you would do in 

the Arm:r Securit:r Agency would· be in the field o£ communications 

research, with certa~ aspects of interest and value in the intelligence field. Although it would not make direct use of your civilia.n 

experience, which I take to be in the field of journal1am, that 

experience.might constitute.excellent background tor the specialized 

training you would.be given to prepare you for the type o:t research 

mentioned above. For this reason, it might. be ·advisable to state in 

your application for transfer that :rou wish to be assigned as a 

st:udent in the Ar:m::r Sec~;t"ity·Agency School with a view t¢ obtaining special. training in the field.of· communications research. 

very 't,ruly yours, 

P.s. I thirlk it best to keep this out of-official channels, hence 

the uee of 1.Jl7 pereo.nal address • 

. @'pproved for Release by NSA on 05-08-2014 pursuantto E.O. 1352a 
REF ID:A6~8 

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Company #6 

'Basic Training Group 

Signal Corps Replacement Training Center 

C3mp Gordon, Georgia 

Colonel 'filliam F. Friedman 

Armed Forces Security Agency 

Department of Defense 

Washington 25, D.C. 

Dear Sir: 

28 11.~rch 1951 

Colonel Jfa.ulsby Forrest, my fatli..er-in•l.aw, .forwarded your 

letter of 13 March 1951, and I 'flant to the.Dk you very much for the 

courtesy you have shown me in regard to this matter. 

I abl. taking undue liberty in writing directly to you prior 

to filing an application through channels, ror I have several 

questions I would like to ask before any formal actinn is taken. 

At the moment, I am classified as a general clerk (MOS 4055) 

and am working in the S-3 section of the Basic Training Group 

here at Camp Gordon. If I do not transfer, I will probably stay ~ith this grou~ for quite some tiroe. 

As far as wy personal feelings are concerned, I ~m quite 

content at the moment·, but not overly enthusi!.atic as to the 

future aspects or my jol-:>. In addition, there is not the slightest doubt in '1lI1' mind that my routine job could be perfectly 

handled by anyone with clerical ability. 

My_ ma.in questions ~re: 1 .. Would my value to the United 

States Anny be increased ii' I were to be transferred, and 

2. 'illlat type of work would I do in the f;_T'ffly Secu.t'ity .P .. gency'? 

It sounds extremely interesting and might 1'e n;u.ch more in the 

line of my civilian experience~ 

Please do not go ottt of your way to· answer this or take 

any action Y!h!?.t-so-ever. ?!y primar;r concern is that I do not 

make a complicated transfer merely for the e:ike of transferring, 

thR.t the end re9ult will be prof'itable for all concerned. 

With sincere appreciation, I ~m 

Very truly yours 

e.T~~~, Pfc Signal Corp!'J