During World War II, the U.S. Navy built its Naval Security Station in the northwestern part of Washington DC
It became the headquarters of USN OP-20-G, the main US naval cryptanalysis group during the war. Although its field units did some great work, the USN hierarchy had a very poor track record of cooperation with its erstwhile British colleagues, and shocked the Brits with immediate post-war security violations and claims of cryptanalytic credit. See the book The Emperor's Code for details.
It's at 3801 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington DC.
To see the place:
— Take the DC Metro to Tenleytown-AU
— Exit the station and walk south
— Continue generally south on Nebraska
— Just past the national Presbyterian church is the former NSS
Here are some former NSS towers, now partly used by NBC station WHD-4 and other broadcasters:
Those towers and the entrance to the former NSS. It's now the headquarters of the ominously named Department of Homeland Security, although even in mid-2007 there were still no signs to that effect.
NSS / DHS entrance from across the street.
The colonial-style NSS buildings you see in 1940s photos.
The colonial-style NSS buildings you see in 1940s photos.
Plenty of trees, and plenty of fence. Not much to see. Move along.
See "On the Trail of Military Intelligence History: A Guide to the Washington DC Area", U.S. Army INSCOM History Office, 2007 (36 pages, 2.6 MB PDF): http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/inscom/trail.pdf
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