The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization Paperback – September 29, 1983

De facto standard for referencing these activities. Older volume but scope remains suitable. Must read item.

"The Puzzle Palace" probably would have been a five star book back when it was published in 1982, a book that might have rattled a few cages and opened many eyes to what was then a secret organization.Since then, not only has the world of spydom changed (or at least I hope it has!!!), but nonfiction narratives have changed as well. This book is crammed with specifics but it reads like a textbook, which is about the way most nonfiction was written forty years ago. These days we expect and appreciate an easier reading experience--one that blends interesting narrative with otherwise dry facts.Because it's dated, and dry, I wouldn't recommend this book to casual readers. If you're intrigued by the ins and outs of intelligence gathering and distribution, this book will provide some insight into how it's been done in the past. And when taken in this way, the book helped me understand how faulty our intelligence systems have been and how good they've been--at the same time.But the book is probably going to be of most value to those interested in the history of secret agencies, the National Security Agency (NSA) in particular. Who ran the agency when, what types of intelligence they were gathering, how they distributed secret information across vast distances, which scandals most rocked the NSA's world, and how the agency became less secret are all covered.

Very interesting and informative

Worked here. Good book

I found some of the "facts" were not on the money. Bamford spent a ton of time trying to show how smart he was vs. writing the book.

Some reviewers have expressed dissatisfaction with the sometimes ponderous way the book moves, and some have complained that the book is out of date. This is not a John le Carre thriller; it does move slowly. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have its usefulness. And it is right up there with today's headlines. Reading this book can help people understand the evolution of the organization. Unlike when it was written and until the advent of the Internet, it really was shrouded in secrecy. Bamford helped to lift that shroud. To get a sharp contrast with this book, one only has to go to the NSA website, where just about everything is spelled out in black and white.When we consider that people as far removed as the leaders of Germany and Indonesia appear shocked by the 2013 revelations that NSA is spying on them, we can conclude either that they have never read this book or that they have and don't want to tell their citizens about it. In short, as Bamford points out, one or more members of the "5 Eyes Only" group has been spying on mass communications ever since the transatlantic cables were first laid, more than a century ago.Another valuable part of this history is the laying to rest of some myths of WWII communications. Bamford's book is a good counterweight to books and articles emphasizing the Enigma device. I recall one author claiming that Roosevelt "knew" the Japanese were going to attack Pearl Harbor and "let" it happen. Bamford supplies the more complex, nuanced story of how the communications failed due to human error, not to any "conspiracy."The afterword contains the story of Geoffrey Arthur Prime, which is the closest we get to a Le Carre style spy story. Prime was carrying on his work while the 1974 Le Carre novel, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was being written. See pages 502-532 in the paperback edition I have. Perhaps NSA should assign someone to read spy novels.There is one major problem with this edition, but it doesn't seem to be the author's fault.The blurb on the back of the book claims that the book includes "information on the NSA's secret role" in "major world events of the 1980s and 1990s." The afterward ends with 1982. There's nothing after that: No "Korean Airlines disaster [Sept 1, 1983], Iran-Contra [1986], [nor] the Gulf War [1990-91]."Readers counting on the book to cover these topics should complain to Penguin Books.

Being a former military member and SIGINT operator, the history this book supplies is fascinating. It answered a lot of questions for me.I understanding wanting to be thorough, but it is to a fault and can get overwhelming with minute details. It could have been shorter and been just as good. If you can wade through the names and dates, it is an interesting read.The only other drawback is the date of the publication, which is 1982. An updated version would be great if it was possible.

As other reviewers have said "Purple Palace" brings us to the mid 1980s. But much has changed going into 2024. How can NSA deal with the huge amount of fibre optic cable that has replaced terrestrial transmissions and electronic communication.A bigger concern is Artificial Intelligence and what it could do to decryption and encryption. To me it seems that AI will do a fantastic job of creating Keys and do just as good a job, if not better, of deciphering Keys.

A great overview on code breaking and the history of the NSA.

Enfin une histoire à peu près exhaustive quant à l'histoire de la NSA.Un livre que doit posséder les personnes passionnées par les écoutes et l'espionnage.

"There have been glimpses inside the NSA before, but until now no one has published a comprehensive and detailed reporton the agency...Mr. Bamford has emerged with everything except the combination to the director's safe." -- The New York Times Book Review

James Bamford has written two newer and - especially post-Snowden - important books but this remains a fascinating and gripping read even in the historical context it now exists in. Essential reading still for anyone wanting the definitive public history of the NSA, the only caveat to that statement is that you should also buy and read Bamford's other books on the subject too.

I bought the book as a gift for someone interested in knowing what part each of the U.S. agencies played in the gathering and processing Intelligence information relative to potential enemy threats. The book did have a sizable tear on the cover.