DATE
|
EVENT
|
1912 November 16
|
Herbert O. Yardley hired as Code Clerk, U.S. State Department
|
1916 |
Colonel Parker Hitt, USA: published Manual for MilitaryCiphers |
1916 July 28 |
U.S. Navy Code and Signal Section established |
1917 |
Gilbert Vernam, AT&T, invented one-time tape teleprinter |
1917 January 16 |
Zimmermann Telegram sent |
1917 March 1 |
Zimmermann Telegram released to the U.S. press |
1917 June 10 |
Establishment of U.S. Army Code and Cipher Section, MI-8 |
1917 June 29 |
Herbert O. Yardley commissioned First Lieutenant in U.S. Army
|
1917 July 28 |
Captain Frank Moorman detailed to form U.S. Army Radio Intercept Section, AEF |
1917 October 29 |
First U.S. intercept in France in World War I |
1917 December 12 |
U.S. Army intercept station opened, Souilly, France |
1918 April 15 |
Arthur Scherbius offered prototype ENIGMA machine to German Navy |
1918 May |
William Friedman commissioned First Lieutenant, assigned to Radio Intelligence Section, France |
1919 May 19 |
Chief of the U.S. Department of State approved creation of Cipher Bureau (AKA Black Chamber) |
1919 July |
Agnes Driscoll employed by U.S. Navy
|
1919 October 1 |
The Cipher Bureau began operations. |
1919 November 1 |
Great Britain: Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS) established |
1920 |
William Friedman published The Index of Coincidence at Riverbank Laboratories
|
1920 December 6 |
William Friedman hired as contract code compiler by U.S. Army |
1923 |
Chief of Naval Operations directed U.S. Navy to undertake intercept of foreign communications |
1924 |
U.S. established COMINT site in Shanghai |
1924 January 1 |
U.S. Navy established Radio Intelligence Office |
1924 January 1 |
Laurance Safford became Officer in Charge, Cryptographic Research, U.S. Navy. |
1924 September 30 |
Edward Hebern received a patent for a rotor-based electric code machine. |
1926 February 9 |
German Navy introduced the ENIGMA machine as "Radio Key C" for communications security |
1927 |
U.S. intercept station established, Peking |
1927 |
Swedish businessman Boris Hagelin introduced A-22 machine |
1928 |
U.S. Navy began Japanese kana intercept course |
1928 July 15 |
German Army introduced the ENIGMA machine for communications security |
1929 |
U.S. intercept station established, Guam |
1929 March |
U.S. intercept station in Shanghai decommissioned |
1929 May 10 |
U.S. Army decided to form Signal Intelligence Service; Friedman
to be chief |
1929 October 31 |
The Cipher Bureau, headed by Herbert Yardley, closed |
1930 April 1 |
Frank B. Rowlett hired by William Friedman as cryptologist for U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service |
1930 April 10 |
Abraham Sinkov hired by William Friedman as cryptologist for U.S. Army SIS |
1930 April 21 |
Solomon Kullback hired by William Friedman as cryptologist for U.S. Army SIS |
1930 May |
U.S. intercept station established, Olongapo, Philippines |
1930 May 13 |
John Hurt hired by William Friedman as Japanese linguist, U.S. Army SIS |
1931 January |
Intercept site established, Bar Harbor, Maine |
1931 June |
Herbert O. Yardley published The American Black Chamber |
1932 March |
Intercept site established, Astoria, Oregon |
1932 December
|
Polish Cipher Bureau began deciphering German ENIGMA-based
messages
|
1935 March 11
|
U.S. Navy intercept reorganized and redesignated as OP-20-G
|
1935 April
|
U.S. Navy high frequency direction finding installed at
Mare Island, California
|
1935 July
|
U.S. intercept site moved from Peking to Shanghai
|
1937 February
|
U.S. Army SIS produced first translation of Japanese diplomatic "RED" machine
|
1937 February
|
Great Britain: Air Ministry adopted TYPEX MK 1 cipher machine
|
1938
|
Solomon Kullback published Statistical
Methods in Cryptanalysis
|
1938 June
|
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced "PURPLE" cipher
machine
|
1939 January 1
|
U.S. Army Second Signal Service Company (later Battalion)
created
|
1939 June
|
Japanese Navy introduced code system known to the U.S. as
JN-25
|
1939 July 24
|
UK-France-Poland tripartment meeting to discuss decryption
of ENIGMA
|
1939 August
|
Astoria, Oregon intercept site relocated to Bainbridge Island,
Washington
|
1939 September
|
U.S. Army SIS produced first translation of Japanese "PURPLE" machine
|
1940 August
|
U.S. Army approved exchange of cryptologic information with
GC&CS
|
1940 September 11
|
U.S. Army and Navy sign agreement on joint exploitation
of Japanese "PURPLE" machine
|
1940 October
|
Cavite station moved to Corregidor
|
1940 October
|
Shanghai station decommissioned
|
1941 February
|
Sinkov-Currier mission to UK departed (in UK through March)
|
1941 March
|
Monitoring school established at Fort Monmouth
|
1941 June 11
|
Herbert O. Yardley hired
by Canada's National Research Council
|
1941 August
|
Commander Alistaire Denniston of GC&CS visited SIS
|
1941 September
|
DF station commission at Sitka, Alaska
|
1941 November 22
|
Herbert O. Yardley dismissed
by Canada's National Research Council
|
1941 December 7
|
Japanese forces attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
|
1942
|
U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service redesignated Signal
Security Service
|
1942
|
U.S.-UK agreement on sharing naval communications intelligence
|
1942 January
|
First U.S.-Canada cryptologic exchange (captured French
code)
|
1942 February
|
U.S. Navy Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL) established
|
1942 February 1
|
German Navy introduced 4-rotor ENIGMA machine for U-boats
|
1942 February 5
|
First evacuation of Station CAST (Corregidor) personnel
|
1942 March 11
|
Second evacuation of Station CAST personnel
|
1942 March 15
|
U.S. Navy began reading Japanese system JN-25
|
1942 April 15
|
Central Bureau established in Australia to support Southwest
Pacific operations
|
1942 May
|
DF station established at Kodiak, Alaska
|
1942 June
|
U.S. Army acquired Arlington Hall Station for the Signal
Security Service
|
1942 July
|
Central Bureau moved to Brisbane
|
1942 July
|
Abraham Sinkov arrived
at Central Bureau, Brisbane as Commander, 837th Detachment
|
1942 July 8
|
FDR limits COMINT activities to Army, Navy, and FBI
|
1942 October 5
|
U.S. Army SSA activated Vint Hill Farms
|
1942 November
|
COMINT station established on Guadalcanal
|
1943 February 7
|
U.S. Navy OP-20-G moved to Nebraska Avenue
|
1943 March
|
German Navy adopted 4-rotor ENIGMA machine
|
1943 April
|
First break into Japanese Water Transport System
|
1943 May
|
GC&CS activated HEATH ROBINSON machine for cryptanalysis
of German TUNNY machine
|
1943 August
|
Strategic intercept station at Amchitka, Alaska
|
1943 September
|
Intercept site established at Adak, Alaska
|
1943 December
|
Strategic DF station established at Tarawa
|
1944
|
U.S. Army Air Corps established independent intercept operations
|
1944 February
|
Intercept and DF stations established at Kwajalein
|
1944 February
|
GC&CS activated COLOSSUS MK I for cryptanalysis of TUNNY;
may be first computer
|
1944 April 18
|
Army-Navy COMINT Coordinating Committee -- precursor of
USIB -- first met
|
1944 November
|
DF station Tarawa decommissioned
|
1944 December
|
DF station Guadalcanal decommissioned
|
1945 February
|
DF station Amchitka decommissioned
|
1945 April
|
Intercept and DF stations established at Iwo Jima
|
1945 July 3
|
Cryptographic Security Board established
|
1945 August
|
Strategic DF station established at Leyte
|
1945 September 15
|
U.S. Army Signal Security Agency renamed Army Security Agency
|
1948 June 23
|
Air Force Security Group activated
|
1948 October 20
|
Air Force Security Group renamed Air Force Security Service
|
1949 May 20
|
Armed Forces Security Agency established
|
1952 November 4
|
National Security Agency established
|