
John Nash's Letter to the NSA - ckuehne
http://agtb.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/john-nashs-letter-to-the-nsa/
======
thebigshane
National Geographic recently had a "special" on "Inside the NSA: America's
Cyber Secrets" where they mentioned and showed this letter. They said the NSA
didn't end up doing anything with it but still wanted to classify it for 50+
years so that no one else could use the ideas within.

My favorite parts of the episode were:

\- All of the Windows XP machines everyone was using

\- The flashing red lights on the ceiling in secure areas (familiar for those
that have been in similar secure facilities)

\- The obnoxious re-enactments where real employees pretend to gather and
discuss on-going developments. It was outright silly.

The episode just aired in January and it looks like it isn't on their site
yet, but there are related videos:
[http://www.nationalgeographic.com/search/?search=%22Inside+t...](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/search/?search=%22Inside+the+NSA%22)

EDIT: The NSA press release mentions it too. They say "featured" but they
didn't spend more than 5 minutes out of the hour program.

    
    
       The Nash letters were also recently featured on the National Geographic [...]

~~~
jberryman
Why the lights on the ceiling?

~~~
thebigshane
In secure facilities (particularly defense related) where secret information
or networks are in use, visitors must be accompanied by an escort and
announced before entering. Everyone has to stop any actual sensitive work,
shut off their monitors to sensitive systems, and cover up sensitive documents
on your desk. Then as long as the visitor is in a certain area of the
building, red flashing lights (no siren/noise) must stay on to alert everyone
else that an un-cleared visitor is currently in the area. This is why most
"actual work" gets done in basements and extra-secure rooms where visitors
rarely ever see, because the constant interruptions are devastating.

------
moonboots
I can't help but think that the NSA would have taken the letter more seriously
if had been typed.

[http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/nash_letters/nash_lett...](http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/nash_letters/nash_letters1.pdf)

~~~
thebooktocome
Type math? In 1955? That would have required specialized equipment, possibly a
secretary. Nash clearly believed that the contents were of national security
interest.

~~~
moonboots
He should have invented TeX.

~~~
VikingCoder
I think he did. Unfortunately he also invented fonts that appear to be hand-
drawn by a person suffering from schizophrenia. =(

~~~
SimHacker
Here's a font that appears to be hand-drawn by a person suffering from
megalomania:
[http://www.fonts101.com/fonts/view/Uncategorized/34398/Dijks...](http://www.fonts101.com/fonts/view/Uncategorized/34398/Dijkstra.aspx)

------
ohashi
I am pretty sure you can see them at the cryptography museum right next to the
NSA. I went two weeks ago and Nash letter is right in the front.

------
skrebbel
I wonder what letters / blog posts / emails are written _now_ that will make
us look back in awe in 60 years.

~~~
steve-howard
I wonder if such things still happen. In 1955, the world was a lot less
interconnected, and there was a much more real sense of global tension such
that you would want to keep secrets. Today I'm not sure an academic would be
so quick to dash off a letter to someone who would keep their discoveries
secret for half a century.

------
hsmyers
Tough call---part of me says that they blew it off while the rest of me says
they put the information to work (as best as they were able) In any event I
doubt they got back to him...

~~~
peterwwillis
The PDF record shows both parties replied to each other a couple times but the
NSA thought his method didn't meet their security criteria.

But they also could have shelved it for years until someone had a use for it,
the same as Hedy Lamarr's frequency hopping patent. (Granted, they probably
modified it slightly so they didn't have to give him any credit)

~~~
blake8086
This may be of some use to you: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr>

