This was designed to be an agency that came into the public view as little as possible and remained as far away from any kind of oversight by law as possible an oversight bamford laments in the book while in the late 70s, the nsa took giant steps forward in technology and research, it did not accompany such steps. An nsa ferret mission along, or across, a soviet border could trigger world war iii. Published september 29th 1983 by penguin books first published. In 1982, james bamford published the puzzle palace.
The puzzle palace is a brilliant account of the use. With detailed information on the nsa s secret role in the korean airlines disaster, irancontra, the first gulf war, and other major world events of the 80s and. The puzzle palace was a landmark book, and widely read in circles that knew something of the nsa. A revelatory tale of science, adventure, and modern myth. A book whose publication nsa opposed with even greater vigor than it had the codebreakers, bamfords work was the first fullscale study of nsa, and one of the few that exists even today. It dwarfs the cia in budget, manpower, and influence. In 1982, following graduation, he wrote the puzzle palace. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel.
Sep 23, 1982 the puzzle palace is and despite the fact that the book came out in the early 80s, everything sounds all too familiar and is relevant to current events. James bamfords 1982 classic is an eyeopening exploration of the national security agency the nsa. Bamford, a former investigative reporter for abc news who wrote the puzzle palace about the nsa in 1982, said his new book is based mostly on documents obtained through the. The puzzle palace 23 september 1982 edition open library. Jun 10, 20 in 1982, long before most americans ever had to think about warrantless eavesdropping, the journalist james bamford published the puzzle palace. When the puzzle palace came out, top officials seriously discussed prosecuting the author for. The national security agency is the largest, most secretive, and potentially most intrusive american intelligence agency. Kindle store go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals. Body of secrets by james bamford schneier on security. Why uncle sams ears are burning the washington post.
Now bamford applies his relentless investigative drive and unparalleled access to intelligence sources to produce a. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The puzzle palace should be required reading for devotees of investigative reporting. A report on nsa, americas most secret intelligence agency houghton mifflin which became a national bestseller and won the top book award from investigative reporters and editors, the professional association of investigative journalists. A report on nsa, americas most secret agency by bamford, james and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The predecessor of nsa, the armed forces security agency afsa, was established within the department of defense, under the. In 1947, the governments of the united states, the united kingdom, canada, australia, and new zealand signed a secret treaty in which they agreed to cooperate in. The puzzle palace has been generally well received by experts, and has been used as a textbook at the defense intelligence agencys national intelligence university. With detailed information on the nsas secret role in the korean airlines disaster, irancontra, the first gulf war, and other major world events of the 80s and 90s. Nsa united states national security agency judson knight. Mar 22, 2019 the puzzle palace has been generally well received by experts, and has been used as a textbook at the defense intelligence agencys national intelligence university. This was designed to be an agency that came into the public view as little as possible and remained as far away from any kind of oversight by law as possible an oversight bamford laments in the book while in the late 70s, the nsa took giant steps forward in technology and research, it did not accompany such steps with increased oversight. It is the first major, popular work devoted entirely to the history and workings of the national security agency nsa, a united states intelligence organization. The title refers to a nickname for the nsa, which is headquartered in fort.
The nsa has long eluded public scrutiny, but the puzzle palace. Oct, interesting essay about james bamford and his efforts to publish the puzzle palace over the nsas objections. In the puzzle palace, james bamford revealed the existence of the nsa, the largest, most secretive, and bestfinanced intelligence organization in the world. The puzzle palace is and despite the fact that the book came out in the early 80s, everything sounds all too familiar and is relevant to current events. In body of secrets, he took readers inside the ultrasecret agency, charting its deeds and misdeeds. Try your hand at a problem written by a member of our expert workforce. With detailed information on the nsas secret role in the korean airlines disaster, irancontra, the first gulf war, and other major world events of the 80s and. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. James bamford has been the preeminent expert on the national security agency since his reporting revealed the agencys existence in the 1980s. A report on america s most secret agency for kindle. Bamford is the author of the puzzle palace, the first book published about the nsa. Focused on cryptologic and cryptanalytic missions, it is the nations leading employer of mathematicians, yet little is known about the.
With detailed information on the nsas secret role in the korean airlines disaster, irancontra, the first gulf war, and other major world events of. May 06, 2020 the puzzle palace is very dry reading. Fifteen years later, bamford used the access granted by the freedom of information act to write the puzzle palace. A report on americas most secret agency reprint by bamford, james isbn.
The predecessor of nsa, the armed forces security agency afsa, was established within the department of defense, under the command of the joint chiefs of staff, on may 20, 1949. This book, dating from 1982, is a description of the current and past activities of the us national security agency nsa, the largest and most expensive of the intelligence organisations in the us but, for many, the least visible and most protected by statute and by government. Aug 01, 2019 government security services, led by the u. Now bamford describes the transformation of the nsa since 911, as the agency increasingly turns its hightech ears on the american public. Inside the nsa itself, where the agencys secrecy prevents its employees from knowing much about their own history, it was a bestseller.
New book on nsa sheds light on secrets baltimore sun. The puzzle palace a report on nsa americas most secret. This was designed to be an agency that came into the public view as little as possible and remained as far away from any kind of oversight by law as possible an oversight bamford laments in the book while in the late 70s, the nsa took giant steps forward in technology and research, it did not accompany such steps with increased oversight bmford bringing its. Book design by michael collica library of congress cataloginginpublication data bamford, james. Nsa united states national security agency judson knight legendary for its secrecy, the national security agency nsa is the leading cryptologic organization in the united states intelligence community. However, a justice department report obtained by author james bamford while researching his book, the puzzle palace, quoted additional portions of the directive. Legendary for its secrecy, the national security agency nsa is the leading cryptologic organization in the united states intelligence community. The book is impressive not just for its breadth, but also its. The puzzle palace is an important, fascinating book about secret power. Bamford, a former investigative reporter for abc news who wrote the puzzle palace about the nsa in 1982, said his new book is based mostly on documents obtained through the freedom of. Bamford, who served in the navy and studied law before becoming a journalist, published three more books after the puzzle palace. The books weakness is that it has some painfully boring passages that, for example, bother to briefly touch on where hundreds of different men went to college, and the color of their hair. The directive specifies that the director of nsa is to produce sigint in response to the objectives, requirements and priorities of the director of central intelligence.
This was designed to be an agency that came into the public view as little as possible and remained as far away from any kind of oversight by law as possible an oversight bamford laments in the book while in the late 70s, the nsa took giant steps forward in technology and research, it did not accompany such steps with increased oversight and bringing it. James bamford born september 15, 1946 is an american bestselling author. National security agency, screen a large part and perhaps all of the voice and data traffic that flows over the global communications network. Inside the national security agency i take books like this with a large grain of salt. But for bamford, the biggest surprise was the books reception at nsa. The title refers to a nickname for the nsa, which is headquartered in fort meade, maryland. Wor a solid account of the nsa with lots of jawdropping information.
The nsa has long eluded public scrutiny, but the puzzle palace penetrates its vast network of power and. The nsa has long eluded public scrutiny, but the puzzle palace penetrates its vast network of power and unmasks the people who control it, often with shocking disregard for the law. The puzzle palace is a book written by james bamford and published in 1982. Applying complex algorithms and expressing difficult cryptographic problems in terms of mathematics is part of the work nsa employees do every day. With detailed information on the nsa s secret role in the korean airlines disaster, irancontra, the first gulf war, and other major world events of the 80s and 90s.
In addition to describing the role of the nsa and explaining how. The book is impressive not just for its breadth, but also its depth. Nsa united states national security agency revelations. The national security agency nsa is one of the most secret and secretive members of the u. James bamford behind the scenes at the national security agency, which is many times larger than the cia and spends many billions more per year, is. So sensitive was the information uncovered that the agency twice attempted to suppress the book, threatened the author with prosecution, and even raided one of the. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study.
Inside americas most secret intelligence organization at. This book has been optimized for viewing at a monitor setting. The book the nsa tried to suppress with a startling new afterword on the geoffrey arthur prime spy case. Nsa employees work on some of the worlds most demanding and exhilarating hightech engineering challenges. With detailed information on the nsas secret role in the korean airlines disaster. Apr 25, 2001 the puzzle palace was a landmark book, and widely read in circles that knew something of the nsa. In 1982, long before most americans ever had to think about warrantless eavesdropping, the journalist james bamford published the puzzle palace. C05642694 secret sec intelligence in public literature. This book has been optimized for viewing at a monitor. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. One of the most dramatic stories of genetic discovery since james watsons the double helixa work whose scientific and cultural reverberations will be discussed for years to come. The nsa has long eluded public scrutiny, but the puzzle palace penetrates its vast. The puzzle palace by bamford, james and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The book s weakness is that it has some painfully boring passages that, for example, bother to briefly touch on where hundreds of different men went to college, and the color of their hair.