Cryptologic History

"On This Date in Cryptologic History" Calendar

1948: Stone Board Has First Meeting

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

25 August 1948: First meeting of the Stone Board; led to establishment of AFSA. Learn more below and visit the link at the bottom of the page for more information about Rear Admiral Earl Everett Stone, USN.

The Stone Board (a Department of Defense committee), led by Rear Admiral Earl Everett Stone, USN, was appointed to make recommendations for reforming and reorganizing cryptologic activities. The Army supported consolidation, but the Navy and Air Force opposed unification. In December 1948, the Stone Board issued a report that recommended maintaining the status quo. A few months later, with the advent of a new secretary of Defense and a change of position by the Air Force, the Navy grudgingly went along with the unification concept. The AFSA - Armed Forces Security Agency was created on 20 May 1949.

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