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Press Release | Oct. 22, 2014

Five Cryptologists Added to NSA/CSS Cryptologic Hall of Honor

FORT MEADE, Md.  –  

Five "cryptologic greats" were inducted into the NSA/CSS Cryptologic Hall of Honor today at the National Cryptologic Museum (NCM). Rick Ledgett, Deputy Director of the National Security Agency, presided over the ceremony and highlighted the distinguished achievements of each of the inductees:

  • Mr. Frank Austin: An innovative and forward-thinking NSA Inspector General who created a new system still used to manage signals intelligence today, dramatically improved cryptologic educational curriculum, and was the driving force behind the establishment of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
  • Mr. Walter Deeley: A hard-charging and results-focused leader in crisis management, communication development, and cryptologic standardization who catalyzed the most significant improvement to the security of government voice communications in 50 years and impacted intelligence analysis by facilitating real-time reporting.
  • Captain Howard Ehret: A modern pioneer in U.S. Naval cryptology - namely "Naval Cryptology's Rickover" - who brought state-of-the-art technology to naval operations and standardized naval cryptologic work roles and education to change the culture of naval cryptology and reduce the threat of enemies to the U.S.
  • Mr. Marian Rejewski: An unconventional and innovative Polish mathematician who became an international hero by developing the first higher-algebraic attack against a cryptographic system to decode Nazi Germany's encrypted messages and enable the U.S. and its allies to defeat the enemy.
  • Dr. Alan Turing: A brilliant theoretician whose concepts underpin 70 years of computing, enabling processing of very high-grade enciphered communications and led to development of the modern computer, and whose work turned sophisticated encrypted messages into actionable intelligence.

NSA/CSS Director Admiral Michael S. Rogers also joined the event by video conference. He congratulated the families and friends of all inductees. Among the guests were the Polish Ambassador to the United States and other Polish officials. Members of Great Britain's intelligence and security organization, GCHQ, also attended.

The Hall of Honor was created in 1999 to pay tribute to the pioneers and heroes who have made significant and enduring contributions to American cryptology. For more information on these cryptologic greats, click on the Hall of Honor tab at NSA.gov.

The NCM is located off Exit 10A on Maryland Route 32 near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (I-295), adjacent to the headquarters of the National Security Agency. Hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (except federal holidays), and 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. For more information on the museum, tours, educational programs, and hours and days of operation, click on the National Cryptologic Museum tab at NSA.gov. Admission and parking are free. You can also follow the National Cryptologic Museum on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NationalCryptologicMuseum.