
Although
the National
Security
Agency
is only thirty
years
old
(estab-
lished by order
of President
Harry S.
Truman
in
1952), the
functions
it
performs
have been
part
of
human
history
for thousands
of
years.
The
need
to
safeguard one's
own communications
while attempting
to
produce
intelligence
from
foreign communications
has long been
a
recognized
part
of
governmental
activity.
In the American experience,
cryptologic
efforts
can
be
traced
to
the
very
beginnings
of the American
nation. George
Washington
employed
Elbridge
Gerry
(later
Vice
President
of the
United Statee)
to solve
the
suspected
cryptograms of a
Tory spy,
Dr. Benjamin
Church.
Thomas