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About Us
Cryptologic Heritage
Center for Cryptologic History
Pre-1952 Timeline
Pre-1952 Historical Timeline
1912 Nov 16
Herbert O. Yardley
hired as Code Clerk, U.S. State Department
1916
Colonel Parker Hitt, USA: published
Manual for MilitaryCiphers
1916 Jul 28
U.S. Navy Code and Signal Section established
1917
Gilbert Vernam, AT&T, invented one-time tape teleprinter
1917 Jan 16
Zimmermann Telegram sent
1917 Mar 01
Zimmermann Telegram released to the U.S. press
1917 Jun 10
Establishment of U.S. Army Code and Cipher Section, MI-8
1917 Jun 29
Herbert O. Yardley
commissioned First Lieutenant in U.S. Army
1917 Jul 28
Captain Frank Moorman detailed to form U.S. Army Radio Intercept Section, AEF
1917 Oct 29
First U.S. intercept in France in World War I
1917 Dec 12
U.S. Army intercept station opened, Souilly, France
1918 Apr 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 Jul
Agnes Driscoll
employed by U.S. Navy
1919 Oct 01
The Cipher Bureau began operations.
1919 Nov 01
Great Britain: Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS) established
1920
William Friedman
published
The Index of Coincidence
at Riverbank Laboratories
1920 Dec 06
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 Jan 01
U.S. Navy established Radio Intelligence Office
1924 Jan 01
Laurance Safford
became Officer in Charge, Cryptographic Research, U.S. Navy.
1924 Sep 30
Edward Hebern received a patent for a rotor-based electric code machine.
1926 Feb 09
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 Jul 15
German Army introduced the ENIGMA machine for communications security
1929
U.S. intercept station established, Guam
1929 Mar
U.S. intercept station in Shanghai decommissioned
1929 May 10
U.S. Army decided to form Signal Intelligence Service; Friedman to be chief
1929 Oct 31
The Cipher Bureau, headed by
Herbert Yardley
, closed
1930 Apr 01
Frank B. Rowlett
hired by William Friedman as cryptologist for U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service
1930 Apr 10
Abraham Sinkov
hired by William Friedman as cryptologist for U.S. Army SIS
1930 Apr 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 Jan
Intercept site established, Bar Harbor, Maine
1931 Jun
Herbert O. Yardley
published
The American Black Chamber
1932 Mar
Intercept site established, Astoria, Oregon
1932 Dec
Polish Cipher Bureau began deciphering German ENIGMA-based messages
1935 Mar 11
U.S. Navy intercept reorganized and redesignated as OP-20-G
1935 Apr
U.S. Navy high frequency direction finding installed at Mare Island, California
1935 Jul
U.S. intercept site moved from Peking to Shanghai
1937 Feb
U.S. Army SIS produced first translation of Japanese diplomatic "RED" machine
1937 Feb
Great Britain: Air Ministry adopted TYPEX MK 1 cipher machine
1938
Solomon Kullback
published
Statistical Methods in Cryptanalysis
1938 Jun
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced "PURPLE" cipher machine
1939 Jan 01
U.S. Army Second Signal Service Company (later Battalion) created
1939 Jun
Japanese Navy introduced code system known to the U.S. as JN-25
1939 Jul 24
UK-France-Poland tripartite meeting to discuss decryption of ENIGMA
1939 Aug
Astoria, Oregon intercept site relocated to Bainbridge Island, Washington
1939 Sep
U.S. Army SIS produced first translation of Japanese "PURPLE" machine
1940 Aug
U.S. Army approved exchange of cryptologic information with GC&CS
1940 Sep 11
U.S. Army and Navy sign agreement on joint exploitation of Japanese "PURPLE" machine
1940 Oct
Cavite station moved to Corregidor
1940 Oct
Shanghai station decommissioned
1941 Feb
Sinkov-Currier mission to UK departed (in UK through Mar)
1941 Mar
Monitoring school established at Fort Monmouth
1941 Jun 11
Herbert O. Yardley
hired by Canada's National Research Council
1941 Aug
Commander Alistaire Denniston of GC&CS visited SIS
1941 Sep
DF station commission at Sitka, Alaska
1941 Nov 22
Herbert O. Yardley
dismissed by Canada's National Research Council
1941 Dec 07
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 Jan
First U.S.-Canada cryptologic exchange (captured French code)
1942 Feb
U.S. Navy Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL) established
1942 Feb 01
German Navy introduced 4-rotor ENIGMA machine for U-boats
1942 Feb 05
First evacuation of Station CAST (Corregidor) personnel
1942 Mar 11
Second evacuation of Station CAST personnel
1942 Mar 15
U.S. Navy began reading Japanese system JN-25
1942 Apr 15
Central Bureau established in Australia to support Southwest Pacific operations
1942 May
DF station established at Kodiak, Alaska
1942 Jun
U.S. Army acquired Arlington Hall Station for the Signal Security Service
1942 Jul
Central Bureau moved to Brisbane
1942 Jul
Abraham Sinkov
arrived at Central Bureau, Brisbane as Commander, 837th Detachment
1942 Jul 08
FDR limits COMINT activities to Army, Navy, and FBI
1942 Oct 05
U.S. Army SSA activated Vint Hill Farms
1942 Nov
COMINT station established on Guadalcanal
1943 Feb 07
U.S. Navy OP-20-G moved to Nebraska Avenue
1943 Mar
German Navy adopted 4-rotor ENIGMA machine
1943 Apr
First break into Japanese Water Transport System
1943 May
GC&CS activated HEATH ROBINSON machine for cryptanalysis of German TUNNY machine
1943 Aug
Strategic intercept station at Amchitka, Alaska
1943 Sep
Intercept site established at Adak, Alaska
1943 Dec
Strategic DF station established at Tarawa
1944
U.S. Army Air Corps established independent intercept operations
1944 Feb
Intercept and DF stations established at Kwajalein
1944 Feb
GC&CS activated COLOSSUS MK I for cryptanalysis of TUNNY; may be first computer
1944 Apr 18
Army-Navy COMINT Coordinating Committee -- precursor of USIB -- first met
1944 Nov
DF station Tarawa decommissioned
1944 Dec
DF station Guadalcanal decommissioned
1945 Feb
DF station Amchitka decommissioned
1945 Apr
Intercept and DF stations established at Iwo Jima
1945 Jul 03
Cryptographic Security Board established
1945 Aug
Strategic DF station established at Leyte
1945 Sep 15
U.S. Army Signal Security Agency renamed Army Security Agency
1948 Jun 23
Air Force Security Group activated
1948 Oct 20
Air Force Security Group renamed Air Force Security Service
1949 May 20
Armed Forces Security Agency established
1952 Nov 04
National Security Agency established
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