The Invisible Cryptologists

The story of African-Americans employed by the NSA, and its forerunners at Arlington Hall Station, WWII to 1956
The establishment of the National Security Agency in 1952 came at a time of rapid change for our federal and military personnel. In 1948, in the wake of World War II, President Truman had signed Executive Orders formally desegregating the Armed Forces and the Federal workforce. In "The Invisible Cryptologists," historians at the Center for Cryptologic History have attempted to document the contributions of African Americans at the NSA during this pivotal time.
 
Until the mid-1990s, this history was largely undocumented, but the donation of a book of photographs of civilian employees, which showed an African American man receiving an award for what apeared to be war-time service, spurred a deeper look by NSA historians to investigate the story behind this photograph and learn the truth behind the many unconnected anecdotes about the African-American experience in the early days of the cryptologic organization.
 
The Invisible Cryptologists: African-Americans, WWII to 1956 was the result. Part social history, part history of intelligence, The Invisible Cryptologists shines an unflinching -- and essential -- light on the challenges and achievements of African-Americans employed by the National Security Agency, and its forerunners.