National Security Agency - The Black Vault

1960s
the Joint Chiefs of Staff and components of the
Intelligence Community on this development
and its implications.
In response, the Defense Intelligence Agency
(DIA) convened an interagency taskforce in
the Pacific to identify remediation measures
that could be taken to address security
weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Eventually, this
DIA-led group was known by the covername
PURPLE DRAGON.
After the PURPLE DRAGON group completed
its review, the blame for the breaches in security
surrounding ROLLING THUNDER missions was
placed on poor communications security (COMSEC)
practices by U.S. forces, compounded by operational
practices that made bombing raids predictable. The
study group made a number of recommendations
to correct the problems. The findings of the PURPLE
DRAGON team were partially implemented and
gave rise to the discipline of Operations Security
(OPSEC), which is still used today.
As the Nixon administration adopted the policy
of “Vietnamization” of the war, NSA helped in the
transfer of equipment and provision of training to a
South Vietnamese intelligence organization.
The Nation’s experience in Vietnam will be debated
for years to come. But no one should ever forget the
countless acts of courage and bravery demonstrated
not only by our Nation’s war fighters, but also by the
silent sentinels of the cryptologic service.
The Liberty
In 1967 tensions were once again rising
in the Middle East between Israel and her
Arab neighbors. Hoping to collect critical
intelligence in the region, the USS Liberty was
sent to the eastern Mediterranean. The ship,
manned by a full complement of Navy SIGINT
personnel and three NSA civilians, was on
station just as the Six-Day War broke out.
U.S. Navy ships were ordered to draw back at least
100 miles from the area of operation; however,
due to a host of errors, the Liberty did not get
the message. On the afternoon of June 8, while
steaming off the coast of Israel, the ship was
attacked by Israeli Navy and Air Defense Forces.
Thirty-four crew members were killed and 171
wounded, and the ship itself was badly damaged.
Commander William McGonagle, the ship’s
captain, despite being wounded, was able to
direct a robust salvage operation that somehow
managed to keep the ship afloat. For his bravery,
heroism, and actions in saving the ship and
administering to his crew, McGonagle would
later be awarded the Medal of Honor.
The Ears
of Neptune
The critical work of the USS Oxford during the
Cuban missile crisis prompted the “powers that
be” in the community to expand the program
of U.S. Navy ships collecting critical SIGINT.
Like U.S. Navy ships everywhere, cryptologic
vessels like the Oxford were a flexible asset
that could be deployed on short notice
and sent to any coastal location to gather
pertinent and real-time intelligence.
But, while these technical research ships
were indeed versatile and manned by crews
of talented and dedicated men, they also
proved to be exceedingly vulnerable. This
vulnerability led to two tragic incidents at sea
involving the USS Liberty in 1967 and the USS
Pueblo in 1968. These experiences exposed
the problems in the use of these ships and
ultimately led to the program’s termination by
the end of the decade. n
Eventually, the Israeli Government apologized
for the incident and attributed it to a series
of errors. In addition, Israel agreed to pay
compensation to the United States. After an
investigation, the U.S. ultimately accepted
the apology. To this day, historians continue
to debate the exact nature of events that
transpired, and intense controversy remains
over whether or not the attack was deliberate.
Despite the controversy, what can be said
unequivocally is that the crew’s service and
sacrifice exemplified the best traits of the
U.S. Navy and the cryptologic service, and
demonstrated once again that the discipline can
sometimes be a dangerous one. (More information
on the USS Liberty can be found on NSA.gov.)
1960s
U.S. Army Signal Corps Communications on Monkey Mountain, Vietnam.
The Pueblo
Six months after the Liberty incident, another
distressing incident, involving the USS Pueblo,
occurred. In 1967 North Korean aggression
The USS Liberty in drydock, Malta 1967.
National Security Agency 60 Years of Defending Our Nation 39