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January 7, 2009

The NSA on the Origins of the NSA

From its website.

Posted on January 7, 2009 at 1:39 PM • 13 Comments

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Comments

Just a link? Really?

Posted by: user at January 7, 2009 2:47 PM

@user

No, you have to be a paying blog member to see the whole posting.

Posted by: Nick at January 7, 2009 3:25 PM

I'm just surprised because Bruce usually has such great insight to share.

Posted by: user at January 7, 2009 3:52 PM

@user

Can't a blogger be busy once in a while?

Posted by: Ceej at January 7, 2009 4:05 PM

Yeah, what's this post about?

I read the link and found this:

"During the Korean War the quality of strategic intelligence derived from COMINT fell below that which had been provided in World War II. Consumers were disappointed and increasingly critical."

Fair point, but the Korean War started in 1950 with shockingly poor intelligence as the AFSA was underfunded, misinterpreted/unclear and probably compromised by a foreign agent. Here's a more succinct explanation:

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB260/...

"The Agency provided no warning that North Korea intended to invade South Korea in June 1950 because it was paying no attention to Korea."

The NSA link you provided skips right over 1950. Sure, the AFSA was stumped by Chinese military cipher systems, as well as North Korean one-time pad cipher systems, which led to the consumer dissatisfaction in the mid 50s and later improvements, but I believe the circumstances at the start of the Korean war are an even more compelling bullet-point in the origin of the NSA.

Posted by: Davi Ottenheimer at January 7, 2009 5:40 PM

I think the point of the post was simply to note how the NSA has no operational history after 1952 and no official and publicly available history whatsoever after 1957.

Posted by: Glenn at January 7, 2009 6:34 PM

Why is the first comment on Bruce's blog always something worthless about how you think this post isn't that good? Or that it's old? If you don't like it, maybe you should stop reading the blog. At the very least, stop posting off topic critiques. Send those to Bruce so I don't have to read them.

Posted by: blog reader at January 7, 2009 6:40 PM

Don't click on that link!

:-)

Posted by: Wehaveyounow at January 8, 2009 12:46 AM

@ Wehaveyounow,

"Don't click on that link!"

To late they have the new LinkSeers (TM) URL embeded technology, the minute you see the link it effects your brain waves in a way that you radiate a recognisable pattern that they detect unless you have your tin foil hat on ;)

Posted by: Clive Robinson at January 8, 2009 3:05 AM

@ Clive R.

> they have the new LinkSeers (TM)

Whew! Thank god it's not the LinkSpears (RickRoll v.2) technology!

> it effects your brain waves

Maybe _you_ need the NSA to *e*ffect your brainwaves; personally, I manage to generate my own brainwaves without their help....

Posted by: RonK at January 8, 2009 5:40 AM

That Web page reminds me of the Cretan Liar. Why would I believe the account of its own origins offered by an agency whose job is to hide, obfuscate, baffle, and deceive?

Posted by: Tom Welsh at January 8, 2009 5:55 AM

Because the most salient truths must be told early, often, and repeatedly, to balance the Other.

Posted by: Peter E Retep at January 12, 2009 4:51 PM

Link is dead. According to their "What's New" page they launched a new website today. Let the conspiracy theories commence.

Posted by: Beau at January 15, 2009 10:06 AM

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