The 2013 Center for Cryptologic History Calendar

Yesterday, I posted a copy of the Center for Cryptologic History’s official 2012 calendar. Today, I post the print-version of the official 2013 Center for Cryptologic History’s. With regard to historical tidbits, trivia, and factoids, there is almost complete overlap between the 2012 and 2013 calendars. However, the 2013 calendar has an entirely new set of pictures.  

It seems that David Kahn has been promoted to “noted cryptologic historian” for the 2013 calendar year.  This promotion further serves as evidence of domestication of David Kahn. In the 1960s, Kahn wrote Code Breakers and defied demands by the NSA to redact information from his book by secreting away the footnotes to the information the NSA demanded be removed.  Now, the NSA owns his private collection and calls him a “noted cryptologic historian’.

2013 CCH Calender

The 2012 Center for Cryptologic History Calendar

It seems a little late in the year for a 2012 calendar to be of much use, however the Center for Cryptologic History's 2012 calendar will be good for years to come. The calendar is filled with rare pictures about the NSA and is positively brimming with historical facts relating to the NSA, SIGINT, COMINT, and Cryptologic history to list just a few topics. 

2012 CCH Calendar

NSA Releases Cryptologic Quarterly Index

In response to a FOIA request, the National Security Agency has released an index of its Cryptologic Quarterly articles from the 1980s through 2010. Covering topics from "Applied Wavelet Analysis to the Zimmerman Telegram, the index provides a glimpse into the academic and intellectual activities of the NSA staff. 

The index, alphabetized by title has largely been declassified and there minimum redactions to titles or the keyword index with only a small percentage of the titles withheld in their entirety. The NSA, however, invoked the b(3) exemption so most of the authors are unknown. Those authors whose identities were revealed are mostly associated with the Center for Cryptologic History though some were written by prominent NSA figures such as Frank B. Rowlett, Howard H. Campaigne, and former DIRNSA William Studeman.

Cryptologic Quarterly Article List

NSA Releases Complete Listing of Closed IG Complaints

In response to a FOIA request, the National Security Agency has released a listing of all its closed Inspector General (IG) investigations.  

The listing is detail sparse, providing only a few details such as the case number,  the date closed, a generic description of the subject matter such as “Time, Attendance, and Pay," "Reprisal," and Miscellaneous." The list said to be all inclusive as stated in the FOIA request. This is a complete listing of closed IG complaints from 1995 to the summer of 2012. The list is organized by case number. The dating is a little disjointed, with the cases from 1995 to 1999 starting on page 20.

List of Closed NSA Inspector General Investigations

The Cobra Judy (Partially) Declassified

In the late 1970s, the National Security Agency and others within the American Intelligence Community developed a "modern multi-sensor collection system to monitor Soviet Strategic Missile testing." This system, interestingly enough due to the Air Force role in its creation, was a ship code-named “Cobra Judy.” The Cobra Judy, which was a refitted U.S. Navy ship, took four years of study and four years of construction to complete, work that was largely done in the Baltimore.

The Cobra Judy was an unwitting participant in one of the more under-appreciated and amusing Cold War incidents. In October 1979, the Belorussyia, a cruise ship with 450 passengers, dragged a dead pilot whale into the Harbor on its bow, requiring an elaborate security and maritime response to keep the whale carcass from disrupting shipping, people from sawing on the whale, and the Soviet tourists on task and on time. (1)

It is under-appreciated because the incident has largely been forgotten and because the National Security Agency apparently misunderstood the nature of the Soviet vessel. In an 1983 Cryptologic Quarterly article, the Belorussyia, not named in the article, is described as a mere "cargo ship". You can read the NSA’s article on Cobra Judy here.

Ultimately, though details are not forthcoming, the NSA’s author described the article as having “delivered as promised.”

(1) David Ress, Dead Whale Makes the Trip Up Bay on Soviet Ship's Bow, Baltimore Sun, 10/19/1979