195. Mic Drop: A return to the NSA's Cryptologic Museum - a spycatcher's dream

Summary

Podcast Summary: Click Here – Episode 195: "Mic Drop: A Return to the NSA's Cryptologic Museum - A Spycatcher's Dream"

Host: Dina Temple-Raston
Guest: Vince Houghton, Director and Curator of the National Cryptologic Museum
Release Date: December 27, 2024

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Introduction to the National Cryptologic Museum

In Episode 195 of Click Here, host Dina Temple-Raston delves into the enigmatic world of espionage and cryptology through a visit to the National Cryptologic Museum. Situated just outside the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, the museum houses an extensive collection of artifacts pivotal to the history of intelligence and cryptography.

Quote Highlight:
Dina Temple-Raston introduces the museum by stating, “If you're one of those people who is about all things spycraft, it's worth a visit” ([00:21]).

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Exploring the Museum’s Unique Artifacts

Vince Houghton, the museum’s director, shares insights into the remarkable collection, emphasizing that approximately 85% of the artifacts are one-of-a-kind pieces. These artifacts range from the infamous Enigma code machine used by Adolf Hitler to modern technological items like President Obama's BlackBerry.

Notable Quote:
Vince remarks, “There’s a lot of questions I wish I could answer that I can’t answer for classification reasons” ([00:13]), highlighting the sensitive nature of many exhibits.

The display includes:

• Enigma Code Machine: Used by Nazi Germany during World War II, pivotal in encoding military communications.
• Obama’s BlackBerry: A nod to contemporary intelligence tools, showcasing the evolution of communication devices used in national security.

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The Story Behind the Russian Fish

One of the episode's focal points is the "Russian Fish," a unique German machine from World War II designed to intercept and decode Soviet communications. Houghton recounts the discovery of this artifact in a top-secret NSA warehouse adorned with crates labeled "top secret."

Key Insights:

• Discovery and Identification: The Russian Fish was unearthed from a warehouse with crates that hadn’t been opened in decades. Houghton explains the process of identifying its origin based on the crate’s condition and accompanying paperwork ([03:19] – [03:50]).

  Quote:
  "We had teams that we sent into Germany to grab anything not nailed down that we could potentially use in the future" ([05:33]).

• Functionality and Impact: The machine was essential in the early Cold War era for reassembling broken-up Soviet radio messages spread across multiple channels, effectively allowing the West to eavesdrop on Soviet communications.

  Quote:
  “We nicknamed it the Russian Fish... it was a special machine designed to get around Soviet encryption” ([04:58]).

• Preservation Efforts: Despite its historical significance, the machine was almost forgotten until Houghton’s team decided to display it, underscoring the museum’s role in preserving hidden technological milestones.

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Colossus: The First Programmable Computer

The episode also highlights the Colossus computer, a groundbreaking invention by British codebreakers during World War II. Colossus was instrumental in deciphering the Lorenz cipher used by the German military, marking the advent of programmable computing.

Detailed Discussion:

• Technical Specifications: Colossus contained over 1,700 thermionic valves and occupied an entire room. It was capable of performing complex calculations to break the Lorenz cipher, which was significantly more advanced than the Enigma machine.

  Quote:
  “Colossus is what we can define as the very first computer... it had memory so you could actually learn from what it had done prior” ([09:02]).

• Historical Significance: Breaking the Lorenz cipher provided the Allies with critical intelligence, directly impacting the war’s outcome by allowing them to intercept and understand high-level German communications.

• Museum’s Exhibit: While the original Colossus machines were destroyed post-war to maintain secrecy, the museum houses a piece of it, described as resembling “an abstract desk clock” with intricate gears ([10:09]).

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From Colossus to the Cray 2 Supercomputer

Vince Houghton draws a lineage from the early days of computing with Colossus to modern supercomputing technology, exemplified by the Cray 2. The Cray 2, displayed at the museum, represents the pinnacle of 1980s computing power, notable not only for its processing capabilities but also for its innovative cooling system.

Key Features:

• Design and Functionality: The Cray 2 was renowned for its speed and distinctive aquarium-like appearance, where circuit boards were submerged in liquid coolant to prevent overheating.

  Quote:
  “You have a circuit board inside the liquid. And it's not shorting it out... that's how powerful these computers were” ([11:16]).

• Technological Evolution: The transition from Colossus to the Cray 2 underscores the rapid advancements in computing technology, from wartime codebreaking to the era of supercomputers that support modern intelligence operations.

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Vince Houghton’s Journey and Museum Curation

Houghton's background as a soldier in the Balkans during the 1990s provided him with firsthand experience in intelligence operations, which he now brings to his role as curator. His military and intelligence collaboration enriches the museum's exhibits, offering authentic narratives behind each artifact.

Personal Insights:

• Military Experience: Houghton served in peacekeeping missions, assisting in locating mass grave sites and uncovering hidden weapons, which gave him a deep understanding of intelligence work from a tactical perspective.

  Quote:
  “I learned everything from the tactical side” ([07:45]).

• Curatorial Philosophy: Houghton prioritizes the display of artifacts that tell compelling stories, ensuring that each exhibit not only showcases technological advancements but also the human elements behind them.

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The Museum’s Role in Preserving Intelligence History

The National Cryptologic Museum serves as a repository for sensitive and historical artifacts that trace the evolution of cryptology and intelligence. Houghton emphasizes the museum's responsibility to preserve these items while navigating the challenges posed by classified information.

Modern Relevance:

• Exhibits like Obama’s BlackBerry: Highlighting the museum's ability to display contemporary intelligence tools alongside historical artifacts, illustrating the continuous advancement in technology.

  Quote:
  “We can put stuff on display that no one else has a chance to ever see before” ([11:50]).

• Rapid Technological Change: The museum constantly updates its exhibits to keep pace with the fast-evolving landscape of digital security and intelligence, ensuring relevance for new generations.

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Conclusion

Episode 195 of Click Here offers an intriguing glimpse into the National Cryptologic Museum, shedding light on the hidden artifacts that have shaped the digital and intelligence landscapes. Through Vince Houghton's expertise, listeners gain an appreciation for the intricate history of espionage technology and the preservation efforts that keep these stories alive. Whether it's the mechanical ingenuity of the Russian Fish or the computational prowess of Colossus and the Cray 2, the museum stands as a testament to the relentless pursuit of knowledge and security in the digital age.

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Produced by: Lucas Riley, Sean Powers, and Dina Temple-Raston
For more cybersecurity and intelligence coverage, visit The Record.

Transcript

[A]

From Recorded Future News and prx, this is Click Here.

[B]

There's a lot of questions I wish I could answer that I can't answer for classification reasons. Yeah, okay.

[A]

All right, well, let me know when that changes.

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Go ahead. You go first. From Recorded Future News, I'm Dena Templerest, and this is Click Here's Mic Drop, an extended cut of an interview we did that we think you might want to hear a little more of. And today we're listening back to a story we ran earlier this year about the National Cryptologic Museum, which you could be forgiven for not knowing even exists. I spoke to its director and curator, Vince Houghton, and if you're one of those people who is about all things spycraft, it's worth a visit. It's based just outside the wire at NSA headquarters in Annapolis Junction, Maryland. And if you get to the armed guards at the gate, you've gone a little too far. The stuff Vince has managed to dig up is pretty spectacular.

[B]

I can tell you about 85% of our artifacts on display are one of a kind. They're either the first of whatever they were, they're the only one left of whatever they were, or they were used by a specific person or specific historical event.

[A]

So you can see everything from an Enigma code machine used by Adolf Hitler to President Obama's infamous BlackBerry.

[B]

I had to fight really hard just to keep my BlackBerry. You can actually see him in this picture with his daughters on that very specific BlackBerry.

[A]

Stay with us.

[C]

Do nice guys really finish last? I'm Tim Harford, host of the Cautionary Tales podcast, and I'm exploring that very question. Join me for my new miniseries on the art of fairness. From New York to Tahiti, we'll examine villains undone by their villainy, monstrous self devouring egos, and accounts of the extraordinary power of decency. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[A]

From. Recorded future news. This is Click Here's Mic Drop. At the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. There's this iconic scene in which Harrison Ford is walking down the steps of a museum and the arc he'd spent the movie chasing is put into a wooden crate that is hammered shut. It's locked, and then rolled down the aisle of a huge warehouse filled with other wooden crates that contained treasures long since forgotten. Vince Houghton had an experience just like that when he was allowed into a top secret NSA warehouse to find things that might be suitable for the museum. He wouldn't tell me where it was, but he did describe what it looked like inside.

[B]

There's floor to ceiling crates. Some of them haven't been open in 50 years. They all have top secret written on the side of them, but no one's been inside of them.

[A]

And the real problem, Vin said, was where to start. Do they start at the bottom right hand corner and work their way through or do they start at the back?

[B]

But that's not the way I do things. So I kind of walked around and said, what's the most interesting looking crate? And there are ones that were clearly put there during World War II. I'm like, let's start with those or ones that were put in there during the war.

[A]

And how did he know they were from World War II?

[B]

Well, there was date on the side. You could tell because they were falling, crates were falling apart. There's paperwork that went along with it that said when it had been packed.

[A]

The first one you opened up, what was in it.

[B]

So the first one we opened up actually had a machine. We didn't know what it was. It was a big machine, about half the size of a conference table that had a bunch of dials and knobs and other things on it, some writing both in German and English, and it weighed hundreds and hundreds of pounds.

[A]

There was no paperwork, nothing to provide even a clue as to what it was.

[B]

But it was cool looking. And those are always, you know, cool looking means you keep it around, right? It's like we're going to find out what this is.

[A]

It was made of steel, had four wooden handles on the side and looked interesting enough that Vince sent his collections manager into the NSA archives to try to figure out what it was. Turns out it was a special machine built by the Germans at the end of World War II that allowed them to listen to Soviet communications.

[B]

We nicknamed it the Russian Fish. Not we, the museum, we the Allies, the, the Americans, the British in the end of World War II. And it was a special machine designed to get around Soviet encryption.

[A]

The Soviets were sending unencrypted radio messages, but broke them up into nine different channels. And if you don't have a way to grab all nine channels at once and then put them back together again, all you'd get was static. And this giant German machine figured out how to reassemble them.

[B]

It didn't help them much. At the end of the war, it didn't matter how good their intelligence was, they were getting overrun. So they buried it, literally buried it underground. We had teams that we sent into Germany to grab anything not nailed down that we could potentially use in the future. And these teams stumbled upon this machine.

[A]

It turns out that the Germans had buried the machine just, just down the road from a POW camp. So the teams went in and said, hey, can anyone teach us how to use it? As a result, during the early years of the Cold War, the West used the Russian fish to snoop on Soviet communications. Eventually it became obsolete. It was packed into a crate and left to be forgotten in the NSA's warehouse. That is until Vince found it and put it on display in the museum.

[B]

So this is the Russian fish. Again, very difficult to describe. It looks like a big trunk, solid steel, it's got all sorts of knobs. These are the different channels.

[A]

The Russian fish looks like one of those steamer trunks people hoisted into a ship in the 1920s, except it was much heavier.

[B]

If you want to just kind of try to lift it.

[A]

Are you joking?

[B]

No, I'm being serious. Yeah. That's all you can do? That's fine. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And this was the first box you opened.

[B]

This was the first crate we pulled down and we're like, that's a fun looking machine. What is that?

[A]

Vince Howden isn't your typical mild mannered museum curator. He served in the army.

[B]

So I served in the Balkans in the 90s. For the most part, I was a knuckle dragging door kicker. But we work very closely with both civilian and military intelligence agencies in multiple capacities, which is what my bio lets me say.

[A]

He was part of the peacekeeping forces that went in after the war. In the late 90s, US operators were either helping the UN locate mass grave sites or were digging up hidden weapons the Serbs might have stashed in case the fighting started again.

[B]

That's where I really got my first taste of how intelligence worked.

[A]

So you weren't in an Intel?

[B]

No, I was not an Intel. I learned everything from the tactical side.

[A]

Not far from the Russian fish display is this much smaller contraption.

[B]

So this is the German Lorenz cipher machine that was the impetus.

[A]

Looks like a typewriter crossed with a meek writer.

[B]

Because it was so hard to break, it was not something that could be broken through brute force, through pencil and paper, even through what was created to help break Enigma.

[A]

During World War II, the Lorenz cipher was used to encrypt the messages coming out of the highest levels of the Third Reich. It was more powerful than the famed Enigma machine. In fact, its code was so unbreakable that the code breakers at Bletchley park in the UK had to essentially build a computer, something they called the Colossus to break it. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Dr. Chance Forbin. In a few moments, Colossus will address us directly.

[B]

This is the voice of world control.

[A]

This isn't the code breaking machine Alan Turing built, but his math contributed to the design.

[B]

So Colossus is what we can define as the very first computer. What makes it a computer was that it was programmable. It didn't just do one thing over and over and over again. And it had memory so you could actually learn from what it had done prior. And this was necessary to beat Lorenz.

[A]

Colossus has more than 1700 thermionic valves and it took up an entire room. And in February 1944, it broke its first message, giving the Allies the ability to read Hitler's communication with his generals. And then the Brits promptly built more machines.

[B]

Colossus is not just one single computer. Eventually they built 10. 10 colossuses or colossi or whatever.

[C]

Colossi.

[B]

Colossi 8 were destroyed immediately when the war ended because of secrecy, and the other two were destroyed about 15 years.

[A]

Later with an axe.

[B]

Or with an axe, a sledgehammer, taking it apart piece by piece. You didn't want our adversaries to learn what we had because this is a huge step forward in computing technology.

[A]

The museum only has a piece of it on display. It looks like an abstract desk clock, but with only half a dial and a lot more gears.

[B]

Colossus itself was not declassified until the 1970s. What Colossus does is it sparks this revolution. Colossus is really the first one specifically designed to break codes.

[A]

Vince said from there, it was only a matter of time before we got to a real supercomputer.

[B]

And the Cray 2 is where we're getting into the early 1980s and we're start talking about true supercomputing technology, where these machines are the cream of the crop, the state of the art.

[A]

The Cray 2 supercomputer looks like something out of Star Trek. When it was released in 1985, it was the fastest computer in the world. But what set it apart wasn't just how it processed information, it was how it cooled itself.

[B]

This is the floor net, which is the liquid coolant that allowed this not to burn through the floor, because these.

[A]

Were the Cray looks sort of like an aquarium, but instead of fish, you have circuit boards. And you could actually put a circuit board inside the liquid.

[B]

Inside the liquid. As you can see right here, we have a circuit board plugged in with a battery floating inside the liquid. And it's not shorting it out. That would run through this entire system to make sure that this didn't overheat to the point where it literally melted itself. That's how powerful these computers were.

[A]

One of the benefits, he says, of working in a technology museum is there's a constant churn of displays. Everything gets out of date pretty quickly. So things like Obama's BlackBerry can be put in the case at the museum while the rest of us still remember what a BlackBerry looks like.

[B]

You know, Apple puts out a new iPhone every year. You think how fast NSA is replacing replacing supercomputers? It's fairly quick, and we're in a position where we can put stuff on display that no one else has a chance to ever see before.

[A]

From Recorded Future News, this has been Click Here's Mic Drop. It was written and produced by Lucas Riley, Sean Powers, and me, Dina Temple Rastin. We'll be back on Tuesday. Have a great weekend.

[D]

Looking for more of the cybersecurity and intelligence coverage you get on Click Here? Then check out our sister publication, the Record. From Recorded Future News, you'll get breaking cyber news from reporters in New York, Washington, London and Kyiv, among others. And you'll see for yourself why it attracts hundreds of thousands of page views every month. Just go to the Record Media.