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REF ID :'A4162951 

U!'\CLASSIFIED 

--

PRIORITY 

TO: t-lRo FHIEDI1AN, ~JSA 

FRO!·J: ;rno PATTON, OSO ? OSD 

LTk WHICH FOLLOBS HAS BEEN REVISED. MAY BE HAVE YOUR 

CONCURRENCE AND/OR COMi·1Ei\rrs 0 

DE.t-\R l''.R. )(AHN: 

THAN!(_ YOU FOR YOUR -L!:::TTER OF 28 DEC 54 1 l·JHICH ACCO!·!Pt-\!\!IES 

THE NEB YORK CIPHER SOCIETY'S STATEMENT EMTITLED "TO IMPROVE OUR 

CRYPTOGRAPHIC DEFENSES". AS HrnICATE:D IN MY LETTER or.· 11 JA!'l 55" 

Tl-IE SUBJECT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED UITH REPRESH!TATIVES OF THI DIRECTO!i, 

NAT ILNAL SECURITY 1~GENCY o THE DIRfCTOR CONCURS HJ THIS REPLY. . 

, THE ACTIVITIES AND OPIRATIONS TO F~iICH THE SOCIETY'S STATEMENT PERT ~.INS FALL IN THAT CATEGORY OF II,!FORMAT ION FH ICH I l-\t-1 SURE 

UE ALL AGREE IS NOT ONLY SENSIT-IVE BUT VITAL TO OUR NATIONAL 

SECURITY. RECOGNIZING THIS FACT, THE 81ST CONGRESS, AFTEREXTENDED DISCUSSIONS, PASSED PUBLIC LAW 513 1 WHICH PRESIDENT TRUMAN 

APPROVED ON 13 NAY 19500 THIS LAN~ CODIFIED AS SECTION'198 OF 

TITLE 1 S OF THE UN !TED ST P,TES CO DE 1 EI'130 DIES LEG I SLAT IOt·! DES I GN~D 

SPECIFICALLY TO PROTECT' UiHTED STATES COM!IUNICATIOi·lS HlTELLIGENCE 

,l\CTIVITIES Ar-!D UNITED ST . .;TES CODES AI'lD CIPHERS. 

IT IS EV I DEtlT TiH\T THE POSIT ION T A;{EN BY THE NEH YORK CI PH ER 

SOCIETY rs, AT LEAST IN PART? CONSISTENT DlTH THE PRINCIPLE UPON 

WHICH THIS SPECIAL LEGISLATION RESTS~ I.Eo, RATHER STRINGENT 

PROTECTIVE MEASURES ARE NECESSARY FOR MOST OF THE INFORKATION IN 

THE CRYPTOLOGIC CATEGORY. 

P1T THE SAME TIME, THE SERIOUS PROBLE!·! OF PROTECTING VITAL 

SECURITY INFORMATION WITHOUT DEPRIVING THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF 

KNOFLEDGE TO \.JH I CH IT IS ENTITLED Hl\S ALSO DEEN RECO GJ.1 IZID AI'JD 

STUDIED INTHlSIVELY BY YOUR GOVERi1JME!-!T. HE·JEDI.C\TELY P.YTE:R HIS 

INAUGURATION, PRESIDENT EISENHO~ER' CALLkD FQR A REViED OF EXEC 

ORDER 10290 OF 24 SEPT 1951 1 ~HICH .E$TABLISHED POLICY A~D 

PROCEDURES GOVERl'~ING THE TR/:\l lSilISSIO!·~ ii.ND SAFEI<EEPH!G OF 017FICI.t;L 

HJFORf'lATION. AS A DIP-ECT RESULT OF THIS m~:VIE'.·I, THE PRESIDE:r-:T 

ISSUED ZXECU'.f lVE OPD~R 10501 7 DA.TED 5· !'!OV 1953 Al,lD Ef.FECTI'!E O!··J 

15 DEC 1953 • IT IS LJ!TDZR TH~ TERt·1S o~ T~IS ORDEn9 P.f.TP.EP. THP.N 

EXEC UT IVE ORDER 101}50, AS t:OTED HJ YOU? SOC I STY'S STUDY, TH,O,T 

OFFICIAL DOCUME~TS ARE CLASSIFIED. (EXECUTIVE ORDER 10450 

PRESCRISES PERSOI~I:E:L SECURITY R~QUIR~ME:!,:Ts FOR GOVIP.i·-::::::::r:r 

E!~PLO YEES o) 

THE DECISIOf': TO RP.ISZ OR LO~·JER Ti'.2: CLf-1SSIFIC.~TIOI·: 07 OFFICI/·.L r:~;O!t!-L4TIOU REQUIRES .JUDICIOUS HffERPRETtHIOi'-~ OF E~CECUTIV~ o~rEn 

10501 H·l EAC!-'. SPEC If. IC CP_SE. IT IS tr.UE TH.4T CERT !~H' OFF IC I.l\L 

IDCU!·:El-.JTS ?ERTAiiJHJG. TO CRYPTOGRP,P~'.Y /l:i-'.D CRYPTA!~AL'!SIS ~;ERE 

UPGRP.m:D AS !~ RESULT 01:- TL'. IS ORDE:R. I,T SHOULD St: !')OT Er~ H01:~EVE:R' 

r:rnT EACH DOCU[·!D-JT so UPGRl1D;::D UAS CAP.EFULLY AND JUDICIOUSLY P..EVIE''.iED 

TO DETERMHJE 1·1H[THEP IT SHOULD SE CO!"!SIDEHED UPCLASSIFIED OR 

SHOULD BE A.CCORDED PROTECT IOJ.i 3Y USE O:! PJ! APPROPHIATE CLASS If !CAT IOI.i • 

IN EACH CASE T~E DECISION NAS MADE IN THE LIG~T OF ~HAT RESPONSIBLE 

P.UT;-[O-RIT IE:S Hi THE DEP1~RTME!'!T OF DE:!i'Et-JSE COMS IDERED NOT Oi'!LY 

PERViISS IBLE H ITH IN THE L H!IT P,T Ions 0} THE: SPEC I AL LEG I SLAT IOi) 

i1Ei'-IT IOi,!ED /i,30VE BUT ,l\LSO. n: TEE 8EST n:TEREST s o:::- [.1,~T IOI-.: P.L f'E5El·lSE. 

~~~ ~iJ~Ifa~, ~~'.i~~z Pg~{ I~:o~~Y~~o~~:i~S;:"'S" "-

IT IS RECOGI'HZED THP.1' TiiE l-JU!,E3ER OY P)~RSOi'·-~S QU1~LIFIZD TO EXECUTE 

SPEC I AL I ZED JOBS IN Ti-[E CRYPTOI.O GI C FIELD COULD BE AU Gr·'.Ef.JTED BY THE 

PPODUCTIOi\! OF TR.6.H!H~G LITEIL6iTU:RE FJUCl'. COULD 3E PIDELY DISSZ:1H:l'.TED 

; P.MD P.~/\ILP.3U~ TO M·;P.TEUR CRYPTOLOGISTS. APPRECIATIOi·i OF THIS 

::~, __ MEED":dAS CAUSSD Tl!~~ Ar.::ED f.OJ:CES- TO IilSTITUTE !:AIJY STE:PS TO HlCEEP.SE ~ · ~~1· -,-rc·----11.!U!fl"l-' o-:;- ·l:1Er- 1 einn r.ro'-1T'i'l l~ 1 T1-' 1;-- "R!·-1 ~ .L. • ---..1JL - .I 11.1. • .!J \. l _ __,_. --1 _ ... L r. ___ /.D _, f<'OR"'i-;-cJ· _ \..;__,, QUALTFn·n J _ __ _..!J --

T>.J TH-ic: L .._. 

:i FIELDo I -P.li CEVf .ll.Ii'l YOU FILL Ui·:DERSTAirn 7 l{Or_;EVER~ TEAT THIS IS 3UT 

i. ONE OF llM-!Y IlETHODS O? Ef'.HAI1JCI!·JG flJ~D PHESERVH!G OUR t.JP.TIOrlP.L 

SECURI'i'Y '.JH I CH I !UST EE COI'.S I DE RED .L\i-JD VE I Gl-!ED B'Y THOSE TIESPOi,!S 12LE 

~ 

.} 

!.: 

! 

I 

1. 

FOR THAT-SECURITY. roved for Release b NSA on 12-16-2014 ursuantto E _Q _ 1352 

.TlIIRE: IS P.LSO GEI';ERAL ,l'.\GREEl-lENT fl.S TO THE Fi;UITYUU~ESS OF 

OUTSIDE: CRITICISi-1 fa.IJ:D SUGGESTIOl'i. THAT TFE: SUGGESTIOl~S Ai'ID 

/\SSISTMiCE 1!110!·'. PERS0i'IS OUTSIDE: GOVERI'H·1El'ff CRYPTOLOGIC ACTIVITISS 

ARE CO!':SIDEBED DESHiPIBLE Ar·!D VALUABLE: IS EVIDEJ!CED BY T~-!E Fl'.CT TH/J.T 

A SCIEi'JTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD CO! .. lPOSED OF Ti'.E MOST HIGHLY-QUALIFI~D 

SCIE'.•:TISTS H-: SEVER.l\L r.·I~LDS RELATED TO Tl'.E CRYPTOLOGIC FIELD ASSISTS 

-1-\!\!D /\DVISI:S THE DIRECTOR OF THE-NAT!OHAL: SECURITY AGDJCY. THE 

BOARD Il'l TURN IS ASSISTED BY SIVERP,L PAt-:ELS Lil<ET:!.IS!!.: CO'.·!POSED OF 

EHH!ENT SPECIALISTS IN SPECU!L FIELDS PERTAHJH~G TO cot-::!U[!ICfl.TIOl·iS 

II ff ELL IGE:i'JCE /\i~D CO [-H-1LJi,' IC AT IO!·JS SEC UR IT'..' o IN .t\DDIT IOi-:? GOVE:RI':~·J'.:;'ff 

CONTRACTS H1WE BEEN LET HITH SEVER/l,L UNIVERSITIES PJ-~D CE:RTAI!l J[IGHLYQUALII"IED Ii'-:DUSTRIAL LABORP.TORIES HJ ORDER TO TA)(E t.DVf.'.!'!TAGE OF THE 

SPEC I AL SI< ILLS POSSESSED BY IND IV I DUJl,LS 0 UT S_I DZ GOVERt.JI.!I'.:NT SEYcV I CE. 

AS YOU CAN SEE~ THE GE~ERAL PROBLEM IS CONSIDERABLY BROADER 

AiiD tiORE HlCLUSIVE i·HAN THE SCH::i\lCE OF CRYPTOGRAPHY o ~ :IC°IS ncc.ucvt 'f 

PRODLEi"l Tm-U1RD i:JHOSE SOLUTION THE SCIEI .. :TIFIC COMI·!UiHTY AND THE_ 

GOVERi'JMENT ARE BOTH PORXI!~G SO THAT Tl[E JEST IlffERESTS OF 1J.i2 

i';P.TION CA.N '.3E APPRO~R.l.l\TELY SE~..iA . Pa.-:~ 

'Pkt)l.·te d. . c 0 '( ire c i I() "" .! ';;PP V"I_ s IN CE}~ EL y' ~~---r:_~· To Mr.}>_rake ( os]) - ?C'f'31') ~-"' 3hh,