http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAY80WKNHC.html
By Eun-Kyung Kim
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The National Security Agency, the supersecret
intelligence mission most Americans do not even know exists, gives
some explanation in a television documentary for its tightlipped
behavior.
"It's really important that the American people understand what we do,
that we are in fact a relatively powerful organization. And it's
absolutely critical that they don't fear the power that we have," the
agency's director, Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden, says in a rare
interview.
The History Channel program, airing Monday as part of the network's
"History's Mysteries" series, seeks to explain the agency's mission
and examines recent controversies.
Considered the eavesdropping branch of the intelligence community, the
NSA gathers information through satellites, telephone intercepts and
other methods. Not much else is known about the NSA, which employees
joke stands for "No Such Agency"
Hayden offers little more.
"We intercept communications of adversaries of the United States and
attempt to turn that into wisdom for American policy-makers and
commanders," he said, according to a transcript of the show. "By the
same token, we attempt to prevent other nations from doing that to the
United States of America. That's what we do."
Congress recently resolved a budget battle over funds for the NSA when
President Clinton signed legislation authorizing money for
intelligence agencies, including the NSA and CIA. He had vetoed the
original spending bill because of a provision that would have made the
leaking of government secrets a felony offense. The exact budget
figure included in the bill is classified.
"If you were comparing NSA to a corporation in terms of dollars spent,
floor space occupied and personnel employed, it would rank in the top
10 percent of the Fortune 500 companies," said Judith Emmel, a
spokeswoman for the agency, which has its headquarters in Fort Meade,
Md.
Last year, the NSA defended itself against allegations it illegally
snooped into e-mail messages and other communications between ordinary
Americans. On the cable program, Hayden denied such action.
"I'm here to tell you that we don't get close to the Fourth
Amendment," he said, referring to the constitutional provision
prohibiting unreasonable search and seizure. "We, for better or worse,
stay comfortably away from that line."
The program recounts the agency's history and the codes it has
deciphered from Japanese, German, Vietnamese and other foreign
governments during past conflicts.
"The ability to do communications intelligence has saved lives. It has
kept us out of war. It has shortened war when we've been in it," said
David Hatch, NSA senior historian.
The NSA had to revise its mission after the 1991 collapse of the
Soviet Union. The agency soon shifted its focus to terrorists, drug
traffickers and the threat of war over the Internet.
"Cyberwar is a term that you hear today a lot. And the business we're
in is to counter the effectiveness of cyberwarfare against our
infrastructures," said Michael Jacobs, deputy director of information
assurance.
"We acquire information, we determine its value and we pass it on,"
said Maureen Baginski, who heads NSA's Office of the Director.
"Really, what you have here is a bunch of Americans that are
safeguarding Americans."
--
On the Net:
National Security Agency: http://www.nsa.gov
History Channel: http://www.historychannel.com/
ISN is hosted by SecurityFocus.com
---
To unsubscribe email LISTSERV@SecurityFocus.com with a message body of
"SIGNOFF ISN".
Received on Sun Jan 7 00:08 CST 2001