New Temporary Exhibit Takes Visitors “Behind the Fenceline”

Our new exhibit aims to shed some light on what happens inside NSA offices, revealing a world that's surprisingly normal and incredibly fascinating.

From restored artifacts to classified mysteries. Here's a sneak peek of what you'll find:

• The Book that Spills Secrets: Discover a substitution cipher used during World War II, brought to the National Cryptologic Museum (NCM) through a predecessor agency. Witness the painstaking process of its restoration and uncover the stories it holds.

• The Magic Black Cloth: Ever wondered how classified information stayed hidden before computer passwords? Get up close with the enigmatic black cloth that concealed top-secret data.

• Elizebeth Friedman's Legacy: Step into the shoes of legendary cryptanalyst Elizebeth Friedman. See the ciphers she worked on and get a sense of her groundbreaking contributions to the field.

From cracking secret codes to crafting new ones, this exhibit offers an unprecedented look into the world of the National Security Agency.

Join us as we pull back the curtain and reveal the secrets hiding in plain sight.

The National Cryptologic Museum is open Tues-Friday and the first Saturday of the month from 10am-4pm.
Admission is free, reservations are not required. For more information on scheduling a visit or a field trip visit nsa.gov/museum/