#1 Left Off Crest

Given my recent complaints regarding the CIA's Crest database, I have decided go forth and collect through as many of the documents the CIA has declined to include on the internet version of CREST as possible. Below are two letters involving First DIRNSA, Ralph Canine.

The first is a 2/9/1956 letter from Allen W. Dulles to Ralph J. Canine inviting him to "associate" the NSA with the Guided Missile Intelligence Committee. 

<a title="View Feb 1956 Letter from Allen Dulles to Ralph Canine on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/79540337/Feb-1956-Letter-from-Allen-Dulles-to-Ralph-Canine" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">Feb 1956 Letter from Allen Dulles to Ralph Canine</a><object id="doc_560239709996383" name="doc_560239709996383" height="500" width="100%" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf" style="outline:none;">        <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf">        <param name="wmode" value="opaque">        <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff">        <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">        <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always">        <param name="FlashVars" value="document_id=79540337&access_key=key-piwjb9b8humtoybnh8f&page=1&viewMode=list">        <embed id="doc_560239709996383" name="doc_560239709996383" src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=79540337&access_key=key-piwjb9b8humtoybnh8f&page=1&viewMode=list" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="70" width="100%" wmode="opaque" bgcolor="#ffffff"></embed>    </object>

This second letter is is a 5/28/1951 letter to Canine from an assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence agreeing to cooperate with him "to make a presentation on the Organization and Operation of the Central Intelligence Agency and its anticipated intelligence requirements from censorship."

<a title="View May 1951 Letter to Canine from Assistant to DCI on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/79540849/May-1951-Letter-to-Canine-from-Assistant-to-DCI" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">May 1951 Letter to Canine from Assistant to DCI</a><object id="doc_240750753257166" name="doc_240750753257166" height="500" width="100%" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf" style="outline:none;">        <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf">        <param name="wmode" value="opaque">        <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff">        <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">        <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always">        <param name="FlashVars" value="document_id=79540849&access_key=key-xzg4df5iwc2qtlzxjql&page=1&viewMode=list">        <embed id="doc_240750753257166" name="doc_240750753257166" src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=79540849&access_key=key-xzg4df5iwc2qtlzxjql&page=1&viewMode=list" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="70" width="100%" wmode="opaque" bgcolor="#ffffff"></embed>    </object>

"Remarkable people with remarkable skills: How the NSA's Disability Policy Works

In 2010, the National Security Agency was recognized and honored as a leading DOD component with regarding to implementing and executing pro-disability policies. In response to a FOIA request, the NSA has released a copy of their guiding policy that made them a well-requested, forward-looking employer.

NSA/CSS Policy 4-23: The NSA's Disabilities Policy

CIA Recommendations to be the 1st Director of the National Security Agency

I came upon this list of possible candidates to be the first Director of the National Security Agency compiled by Huntington Sheldon then Assistant Director of the Office of Current Intelligence of the Central Intelligence Agency. While going through the list, I was struck by the absence of the man who became the first DIRNSA- Ralph Canine- and by those recommended by Sheldon who Canine beat out. Among the more notable names on the list are Omar Bradley, Mark Clark, Matthew Ridgway, and Anthony McAuliffe made famous for service during the Second World War. Canine beat out former DCI Hoyt Vandenberg and SAC founder Curtis E. LeMay to list a few. I doubt this was accidental; I suspect this slight was intentional given CIA displeasure over how the Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) had supported it during the agencies' mutual early years. Canine had been the last director the AFSA.

CIA List of Perspective NSA Directors

Besties: Earl E. Stone and J. Edgar Hoover

Earl E. Stone, the first director of the Armed Forces Security Agency, was a law enforcement “bestie” with J. Edgar Hoover, Director FBI, was praised by D.M. Ladd as being “most cooperative with the Bureau and has never hesitated to assist the Bureau in problems of mutual interest.” In a 7/10/1951 letter, Hoover told Stone that he “wish[ed] to extend to you my appreciation for the excellent cooperation that you have furnished to the Federal Bureau of Investigation” and “it has been a pleasure to have worked with you on matters of mutual interest which have so vitally affected the internal security of our country.” See the correspondence between them from one of Stone's FBI files.

Earl Stone/ J Edgar Hoover Correspondence

A Quick Bit of Korean War History

A Bit on the Korean COMINT Effort is a four-page history of the Korean communication intelligence effort of the Armed Forces Security Agency and National Security Agency during the Korean War. Undated, riddled with redactions, this short history is still informative, teaching us about how poorly prepared the intelligence community was for the Korean War. Lacking Korean linguists, knowledge of Korean military nomenclature, even dictionaries, cryptanalysts pressed ahead, rapidly achieving success and producing "large" amounts of end product that were " of extreme value to the customers." The redaction portion that ends at "the situation continued until the truce agreement was signed in July 1953," probably details the improvement in North Korean communications security that hampered COMINT efforts later in the war. The same is probably true of the redacted portion after the discussion on unclassified COMINT sources.

Richard Chun's A Bit on the Korean COMINT Effort

INSCOM Publications

Much like the NSA, which has multiple publications, United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) (which is part of the Central Security Service) has fascinating, publicly-available publications. The INSCOM Journal is a quarterly magazine and the INSCOM Insight is a monthly newsletter, both, while produced primarily for INSCOM staff, are available to all at on INSCOM site. Just follow my links

Newly Released NSA Publications

Cryptome is reporting that the NSA has released over three dozen articles Cryptologic Quarterly and another one from the Cryptologic Almanac. Judging from the lack of attribution, it appears that John Young has compiled a list of the recently released articles.

This is the second bulk release of such articles in the last two weeks by the NSA. In late December, the NSA released five Cryptologic Spectrum and twelve Cryptologic Quarterly articles in response to FOIA requests. Cryptome also compiled a list of those articles.

(H/T) Cryptome

Jeff Dunham's Baltimore Show

I received a free ticket to Jeff Dunham's Controlled Chaos show that happend on December 28th. A combination ringing of endorsements and nothing to do led me to going. His show was awesome and toward the end of it, I think he outed a member of the National Security Agency.

Toward the end of the show, Dunham began to interact with the audience. He called out this beefy, neck-bearded programmer type and asked him what he did. The guy hemmed and halled before giving up that he worked for "the government." Dunham pressed some more, but moved on to some other man who willing gave up that he did something with carpeting. Dunham then returned to the original man who now claimed he worked for the "IRS." Dunham then mocked this response through his puppets who joked that he was in trouble now and he should have left well-enough alone. Then the guy stated he had lied. Finally, he stated that he worked "DOD" and when he asked again he stated he "worked for the DOD," and that " he supported the war fighters."

I suspect this man was NSA for two reasons. One, the way he initially attempted to dodge the question with vague answers like "government" and then backpedaled to "DOD" when pressed hard enough. From what I have read on the Internet, in James Bamford books, and heard from people who have worked with or for the NSA is that the NSA keeps is mouth shut and its head down. I does not draw attention to one's self while working for the NSA. He could have done better, but then again, he was getting hammered most likely for the first time in front of 11,000 people, so who am I to judge.  When asked, NSA personnel are supposed to say thing like " I work for the DOD," which is a massive government agency that few people find intriguing by itself or even recognize as the military at times.

Second, the phrase "supporting the warfighter" caught my attention. The phrase enjoyed at least a bit of use back in the early 2000s as shown by this 2003 press release and this 2005 press release regarding the appointment of Keith Alexander as the 16th director of the NSA. It was also used in a NSA history video.

Granted, lots of military components use the "supporting the warfighter" bit. However, this, combined with his initial recalcitrance about who worked for is why I think Jeff Dunham might have outed a NSA employee