After a tour of the base, Kristi and I were able to tour the National Cryptologic Museum before returning home. What is cryptology? Merriam-Webster defines it as the scientific study or art of writing and solving codes. The museum is divided by war periods. It includes the machines/devices used, recounts of spy missions, and a unique gift shop. I recommend taking a tour if time permits. Admission and parking are free of charge.
Pictured: Post Theatre. This is where participants could view the hearing via secure video.
Pictured: Mosaic at the entrance to the museum. The NSA headquarters is located adjacent to the museum.
Pictured: Motorcycle used in the Vietnam War.
Pictured: George Washington display at the museum. The plaque reads, ” The necessity of procuring good intelligence is apparent and need not be further urged — all that remains for me to add is, that you keep the whole matter as secret as possible. For upon secrecy, success depends in most enterprises of the kind, and for want of it, they are generally defeated, however well planned and promising a favorable issue.”
Pictured: A mold of a “gift” crafted by Soviet children during the Cold War. The plaque reads, “In 1945, Soviet school children presented a wood carving of the Great Seal of the United States to the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, Averell Harriman. (This replica is molded from that carving.) The ambassador hung the seal in his office of his residency, Spaso House. During George F. Kennan’s ambassadorship in 1952, a security check discovered that the seal contained a microphone and resonant cavity. Using a specific frequency. the Soviets activated the microphone which transmitted a signal, modulated by the voices in the room, back to a nearby receiver.”