The Puzzle Palace is a book written by James Bamford and published in 1982. It is the first major, popular work devoted entirely to the history and workings of the National Security Agency, a United States intelligence organization. The title refers to a nickname for the NSA, which is headquartered in Fort Meade, Maryland. In addition to describing the role of the NSA and explaining how it was organized, the book exposed details of a massive eavesdropping operation called Operation Shamrock. According to security expert Bruce Schneier the book was popular within the NSA itself, because "the agency's secrecy prevents its employees from knowing much about their own history".
Read more about The Puzzle Palace: Research and Publication, Threatened Legal Action and Document Reclassification, Reclassified Source Documents and American Library Association Lawsuit, Reviews and Reception, Editions
Famous quotes containing the word puzzle:
“The at present unutterable things we may find somewhere uttered. These same questions that disturb and puzzle and confound us have in their turn occurred to all the wise men; not one has been omitted; and each has answered them, according to his ability, by his words and his life.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)