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American Cryptology during the Cold War - The Black Vault

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intelligence collection. <strong>The</strong> best known of <strong>the</strong> latter were <strong>the</strong> U-2 overflights which<br />

originated in <strong>the</strong> mid-1950s. Even when actual penetrations went out of favor, SAC<br />

continued to fly "exciter flights" along <strong>the</strong> periphery, nudging <strong>the</strong> boundaries of <strong>the</strong> Soviet<br />

air defense system to actually stimulate reactions and get <strong>the</strong>m to turn on <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

equipment.129<br />

By <strong>the</strong> early 1950s <strong>the</strong> Soviet Union had built a capable air defense system. It was<br />

deficient in high-altitude aerial intercept capability, but <strong>the</strong> Soviets had an outstanding<br />

radar detection system, beginning originally with <strong>American</strong> lend-lease equipment. And<br />

as <strong>American</strong>l<br />

~ircraftbeganplayingwith<strong>the</strong>itbOfders;<strong>the</strong>S(')vretsbegan<br />

coming up after <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

<strong>The</strong> ensuing twenty years were marked by repeated border incidents, both aerial and<br />

naval. A study by NSA in 1986 documented 126 incidents, 81 of<strong>the</strong>m occurring <strong>during</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

1950s. <strong>The</strong> peak year, 1952, was marked by nineteen incidents, including <strong>the</strong> downing of<br />

an RB-29 in <strong>the</strong> Sea of Japan on 13 June, <strong>the</strong> first SIGINT aircraft shot down <strong>during</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Cold</strong> <strong>War</strong> (and <strong>the</strong> first loss oflife by USAFSS intercept operators).<br />

<strong>The</strong> Soviets and <strong>the</strong>ir allies became hypersensitive to peripheral reconnaissance, and<br />

on occasion <strong>the</strong>y acted "trigger-happy." In some cases, such as <strong>the</strong> shootdown of a USAF<br />

photo mapping mission north of Japan in 1954, Soviet radars showed <strong>the</strong> <strong>American</strong><br />

aircraft in Soviet territory. In o<strong>the</strong>r cases, especially in <strong>the</strong> Berlin air corridors, Soviet<br />

pilots showed a predisposition to fire at an Allied aircraft no matter which side of <strong>the</strong><br />

border it was on. Some missions were shot down; o<strong>the</strong>rs were simply fired on or harassed<br />

by "buzzing."<br />

Although <strong>the</strong>re is no direct evidence for it, it appears very likely that <strong>the</strong> pattern of<br />

peripheral reconnaissance employed by <strong>the</strong> U.S. and its allies exacerbated an already<br />

touchy situation and led to more incidents. As Table 5 show<br />

f <strong>the</strong> incidents<br />

were clearly aerial reconnaissanc~<br />

andoftl1e!<br />

econnaissance<br />

CPAs (closest point of~];)p:f6ach) we~~Jrequently within af~\Y'miles of <strong>the</strong> twelve-mile<br />

limit and often paraHeled <strong>the</strong> ix>r

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