FORT MEADE, Md. –
The National Security Agency (NSA) announces today that it has declassified and released to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) over 50 000 pages of historic records. These records cover a time-frame from before World War I through the 1960s.
This release of documents is the first in a series of releases planned over the next two years as part of NSA/CSS's commitment to meeting the requirements outlined in the President's 21 January 2009 Memorandum on Openness and Transparency in Government (Executive Order 13526).
Highlights of this release include:
- Manuals, charts, and other documents on the development of early computer systems at NSA/CSS, including the HARVEST. This innovative system was developed with IBM and was in use from 1962 to 1976;
- Early publications on cryptography, including Cryptology: Instruction Book on the Art of Secret Writing from 1809;
- Documents from World War II, including previously unreleased German documents from the Target Intelligence Committee (TICOM).
The released documents will be maintained by NARA and available for review at the National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland. A list of the documents is available on NSA's Declassification and Transparency Webpage.
Since the records were physically transferred to NARA, NSA is no longer the custodian and does not maintain copies of the records for release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Information about conducting research at NARA is available on the National Archives Website.
For more information about the National Security Agency, please visit NSA.gov.