Editing National Security Agency (section)

=== World War II and its aftermath ===
During [[World War II]], the [[Signal Intelligence Service]] (SIS) was created to intercept and decipher the communications of the [[Axis powers]].<ref name="army mil">{{cite web |title=Army Security Agency Established, 15 September 1945 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/110544/ |author=USAICoE History Office |website=army.mil |date=6 September 2013 |publisher=[[United States Army]] |access-date=November 9, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716133448/https://www.army.mil/article/110544/ |archive-date=July 16, 2020}}</ref> When the war ended, the SIS was reorganized as the [[United States Army Security Agency|Army Security Agency]] (ASA), and it was placed under the leadership of the Director of Military Intelligence.<ref name="army mil" />

On May 20, 1949, all cryptologic activities were centralized under a national organization called the Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA).<ref name="army mil" /> This organization was originally established within the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]] under the command of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]].<ref name=Burns>{{cite web |title=The Origins of the National Security Agency 1940–1952 (U)|last=Burns |first=Thomas L. |publisher=National Security Agency |url=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB278/02.PDF |website=gwu.edu |access-date=November 28, 2020 |page=60 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129024035/https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB278/02.PDF |archive-date=November 29, 2020}}</ref> The AFSA was tasked with directing the Department of Defense communications and electronic intelligence activities, except those of U.S. [[military intelligence]] units.<ref name=Burns /> However, the AFSA was unable to centralize [[COMINT|communications intelligence]] and failed to coordinate with civilian agencies that shared its interests, such as the [[United States Department of State|Department of State]], the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI).<ref name=Burns /> In December 1951, President [[Harry S. Truman]] ordered a panel to investigate how AFSA had failed to achieve its goals. The results of the investigation led to improvements and its redesignation as the National Security Agency.<ref name=NSApt2of3>{{cite web |title=The Creation of NSA – Part 2 of 3: The Brownell Committee |url=https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/crypto_almanac_50th/The_Creation_of_NSA_Part_3.pdf |website=nsa.gov |publisher=National Security Agency |access-date=July 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918015612/http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/crypto_almanac_50th/The_Creation_of_NSA_Part_3.pdf |archive-date=September 18, 2013 }}</ref>

The [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] issued a memorandum of October 24, 1952, that revised [[National Security Council Intelligence Directives|National Security Council Intelligence Directive (NSCID) 9]]. On the same day, Truman issued a second memorandum that called for the establishment of the NSA.<ref name=Truman>{{cite web |title=Memorandum |author=Truman, Harry S. |url=https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/truman/truman_memo.pdf |website=nsa.gov |publisher=National Security Agency |date=October 24, 1952 |access-date=July 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821073605/http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/truman/truman_memo.pdf |archive-date=August 21, 2013 }}</ref> The actual establishment of the NSA was done by a November 4 memo by [[Robert A. Lovett]], the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]], changing the name of the AFSA to the NSA, and making the new agency responsible for all communications intelligence.<ref>{{cite web |first=Thomas L. |last=Burns |url=https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/cryptologic_histories/origins_of_nsa.pdf |title=The Origins of the National Security Agency |year=1990 |publisher=National Security Agency |series=United States Cryptologic History |volume=1 |pages=107–08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322122158/https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/cryptologic_histories/origins_of_nsa.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-22 |df=mdy-all |access-date=2016-08-23 }}</ref> Since President Truman's memo was a [[classified information|classified]] document,<ref name=Truman /> the existence of the NSA was not known to the public at that time. Due to its ultra-secrecy, the U.S. intelligence community referred to the NSA as "No Such Agency".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-such-agency-spies-on-the-communications-of-the-world/2013/06/06/5bcd46a6-ceb9-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html|title='No Such Agency' spies on the communications of the world|last=Anne Gearan|date=June 7, 2013|access-date=November 9, 2013|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-date=December 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225234416/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-such-agency-spies-on-the-communications-of-the-world/2013/06/06/5bcd46a6-ceb9-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>