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Letter to the Editor: Succinct Memos of Yore

SUMMARY

An NSA veteran remembers an ironically long memo about short memos. 

DOCUMENT’S DATE

Dec 07, 2005

PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

Mar 01, 2018

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Page 1 from Letter to the Editor: Succinct Memos of Yore
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL (U) Letter to the Editor : Succinct Memos of Yore FROM: the SIDtoday Editor Unknown Run Date: 12/07/2005 (U//FOUO) A recent article cited an NSA memo that asked employees to "Please stop utilizing 'utilize'..." (see link) . This jogged one reader's memory of another noteworthy memo: From: (U//FOUO) Your article on the "use versus utilize" memo should also reference an earlier memo by then-DIRNSA Adm. Noel Gayler . It was two sentences, (if I can remember correctly) and said: "In the future, all memos will be short and to the point. This is an example." This was followed in a week by a 5-page staff memo "explaining" what DIRNSA meant. "(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)." DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108