ABSTRACT
There is a large gap in the literature on cryptology. Following Claude Shannon’s papers “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” (1948) and “Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems” (1949), there was virtually
nothing new until 1967, when David Kahn’s The Codebreakers, a historical work, was published. There are some exceptions, such as the papers by Jack Levine, which, although original, were not in the direction that Shannon’s work pointed. A great deal of new research was being done, but the public was unaware of it because of the National Security Agency (NSA). As Figure 11.1 indicates, NSA does not stand for Never Say Anything or No Such Agency. Yet, for much of the agency’s history these names were appropriate, as the organization was deeply shrouded in secrecy:
The situation has changed somewhat, since Bamford made this comment. NSA has released a four-volume history of the agency, but a great deal of material has been redacted from it. Still, this represents a tremendous break from tradition; the agency was literally born in secrecy.
