• EDUCATE
    EDUCATE

    ...our citizens to be cyber smart, and develop pathways for the future cyber workforce.

  • ENGAGE
    ENGAGE

    ...and convene partners to address emerging cyber and cryptologic issues.

  • COMMEMORATE
    COMMEMORATE

    ...our cryptologic history & those who served within the cryptologic community.

THE NCF VISION

Advance the nation’s interest in cyber and cryptology through leadership, education, and partnerships.

1963: US-USSR agreed to "hotline."

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

19 June 1963: US and USSR agreed to a "hotline" between Moscow and Washington. It was a one-time tape/teletype system for which the Soviets and Americans exchanged compatible equipment. The original hotline went into use as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a few months before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It was phased out in the early 1980s and replaced by a computerized system. The encryption system, ECTRRM, was attached to the teletype and donated to the National Cryptologic Museum by Norway. A Norwegian company manufactured the system used by both ends of the Washington-Moscow link. It used a 5-hole punched paper tape for its keying system. Notice the stamp on the side of the paper roll. If unrolled for nefarious purposes, the paper could not be rolled back with exactly the same tension and the stamp will be distorted. This simple technique provided a high level of security.

John F. Kennedy became the first U.S. president to have a direct line to the Kremlin in Moscow. The “hotline” was designed to facilitate communication between the president and Soviet premier. However, though the public perception of a "Red Phone" that went directly to Moscow is not exactly how the process worked. The "hotline" would first involve a call to the Pentagon where the message would be typed into a teletype machine, encoded, and then transmitted. The message would reach Moscow within minutes. Read the excerpt below to learn more.

Excerpted from History.gov:

"An article in The New York Times described how the new system would work: Kennedy would relay a message to the Pentagon via phone, which would be immediately typed into a teletype machine by operators at the Pentagon, encrypted and fed into a transmitter. The message could reach the Kremlin within minutes, as opposed to hours. Although a far cry from the instantaneous communication made possible by today’s cell phones and email, the technology implemented in 1963 was considered revolutionary and much more reliable and less prone to interception than a regular trans-Atlantic phone call, which had to be bounced between several countries before it reached the Kremlin.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson became the first U.S. president to use the new system during the Six Day War in the Middle East when he notified then-Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin that he was considering sending Air Force planes into the Mediterranean."

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  • The first hire at SIS was Annie Louise Newkirk, hired as a cryptographic clerk. Interesting note, when a phone call came in for someone working in the vault room, Ms. Newkirk would buzz the back room using a Morse code equivalent for the first initial of the individual's name. In honor of Women's History Month - click to learn about more female cryptologic pioneers!

About Us

The NCF's Vision is to strengthen trust in the digital ecosystem.

The NCF Mission: Advance the nation’s interest in cyber and cryptology as we:

Educate citizens to be cyber smart individuals, 

Develop pathways for the future cyber and cryptologic workforce, 

Engage and convene partners to address emerging cyber and cryptologic issues and, 

Commemorate our cryptologic history and those who served. 

The Foundation provides exceptional cryptologic programs, encourages young minds to learn about cryptology and to explore cyber-related career opportunities, hosts educational, cryptology-related exhibits at various community events, and honors the people— past and present—whose contributions to our national security protect and make possible our way of life.

The NCF also provides needed support to the National Cryptologic Museum (NCM), the first public museum in the U.S. Intelligence Community. Located adjacent to the National Security Agency (NSA) in Maryland, the NCM houses a unique and priceless collection of artifacts that represent our Nation's history in code making and code breaking, as well as a world class library of cryptologic media. The NCF has acquired rare and invaluable artifacts for the Museum and helps to support new educational and interactive exhibits.

The NCF is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Learn more about our MISSION, VISION, and VALUES.