FORT MEADE, Md., July 25, 2019 —
The NSA’s Center for Cryptologic History is pleased to announce the 2019 induction of four cryptologic forerunners into the Cryptologic Hall of Honor.
This year’s inductees are:
- Mr. Edward M. Drake – For more than 30 years, he was the architect of the Canadian Army’s SIGINT service, and the establishment of Canada’s civilian SIGINT service in the post-World War II era. He spearheaded Canadian-based intelligence programs that provided crucial security for North America against Soviet military threats. Drake is the first Canadian to be inducted in the Cryptologic Hall of Honor.
- Chief Radioman Harry Kidder, USN – He pioneered U.S. Navy radio intercept, creating and teaching a course in a concrete schoolhouse on the roof of the main Navy building in Washington, D.C., which he designed and helped construct. Chief “Pappy” Kidder was a trainer and mentor to generations of Navy cryptologists during his nearly four decades of uniformed service, and becomes only the second enlisted person to be inducted.
- Colonel Alva Bryan Lasswell, USMC – He identified, decrypted, and translated Japanese diplomatic and Imperial Fleet code messages. His expertise and analyses were key to the cryptologic impact on U.S. decision making in the Pacific during World War II, during such seminal events as the Battle of Midway in 1942 and the shoot down of the airplane transporting Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku in 1943.
- Lt Gen Kenneth A. Minihan, USAF (Retired) – He transformed NSA/CSS from a Cold War organization following a WWII blueprint to a 21st century organization where converged networks became the organizing principle, with offense and defense collaborating in real time.
More information about the 2019 honorees will be published following the induction ceremony in November.
The next call for nominations will be issued in early 2020. Any individual or group can nominate a cryptologist; nominations are welcome at any time during the year. For more information, please contact the Center for Cryptologic History at cch@nsa.gov.
The criterion for nomination to the Cryptologic Hall of Honor is an individual or group must have made a significant contribution through cryptology to America’s national security. This may have been through a single event or a lifetime of superior achievements in cryptology. The individual must have departed Government cryptologic service 10 years prior to the nomination. Non-government individuals may also be considered for achievements that occurred at least 10 years prior to the nomination.
You can visit the Cryptologic Hall of Honor display in the National Cryptologic Museum to learn about all the cryptologists in the Hall of Honor.