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NSA Publication Indices Declassified

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the waiting-game dept.

Schneier is reporting that a 3 year old freedom of information act request has finally come to fruition showing us indices from the NSA Technical Journal, Cryptographic Quarterly, Crytologic Spectrum, and Cryptologic Almanac. From the article: "The request took more than three years for them to process and declassify -- sadly, not atypical -- and during the process they asked if he would accept the indexes in lieu of the tables of contents pages: specifically, the cumulative indices that included all the previous material in the earlier indices. He agreed, and got them last month. Consider these bibliographic tools as stepping stones. If you want an article, send a FOIA request for it. Send a FOIA request for a dozen. There's a lot of stuff here that would help elucidate the early history of the agency and some interesting cryptographic topics."

4 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. A damn good start. by glittalogik · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A huge part of the effectiveness of FOIA legislation is in knowing what there actually is to ask for in the first place. I can just imagine the flood of new requests they're going to be receiving over the next couple of weeks.

  2. a real WTF moment... by VoidEngineer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    - "The Arithmetic of a Generation Principle for an Electronic Key Generator"
    - "CATNIP: Computer Analysis - Target Networks Intercept Probability"
    - "Chatter Patterns: A Last Resort"
    - "COMINT Satellites - A Space Problem"
    - "Computers and Advanced Weapons Systems"
    - "Coupon Collecting and Cryptology"
    - "Cranks, Nuts, and Screwballs"
    - "A Cryptologic Fairy Tale"
    - "Don't Be Too Smart"
    - "Earliest Applications of the Computer at NSA"
    - "Emergency Destruction of Documents"
    - "Extraterrestrial Intelligence"
    - "The Fallacy of the One-Time-Pad Excuse"
    - "GEE WHIZZER"
    - "The Gweeks Had a Gwoup for It"
    - "How to Visualize a Matrix"
    - "Key to the Extraterrestrial Messages"
    - "A Mechanical Treatment of Fibonacci Sequences"
    - "Q.E.D.- 2 Hours, 41 Minutes"
    - "SlGINT Implications of Military Oceanography"
    - "Some Problems and Techniques in Bookbreaking"
    - "Upgrading Selected US Codes and Ciphers with a Cover and Deception Capability"
    - "Weather: Its Role in Communications Intelligence"
    - "Worldwide Language Problems at NSA"

    1. Re:a real WTF moment... by chill · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "Key to the Extraterrestrial Messages"

      Say what?!

      --
      Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    2. Re:a real WTF moment... by uufnord · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Actually, it's not.

      Here's a link to Crank, Nuts, and Screwballs:
      https://www.cia.gov/csi/kent_csi/docs/v09i3a09p_00 01.htm

      "Key to the Extraterrestrial Messages" hasn't been declassified. However, in a different paper, "The Intelligence Revolution and the Future", the CIA has this to say:

      "Should project SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) ever receive a signal from outer space, there will be yet another role for intelligence services, not in arming the lasers, but in trying to decode the messages."

      You can see this link for that quote: https://www.cia.gov/csi/kent_csi/docs/v37i4a04p_00 06.htm

      It looks like they got the messages, AND THEY FOUND THE KEY TO DECODE THEM!

      [cue 50's theremin music]
      WooOOoooOOOooo-ooooOooooooOOOoooo..