NSA Releases Heavily Redacted 1972 Technical Journal Article After Nine-Year FOIA Wait

The NSA has released a heavily redacted copy of a 1972 technical journal article after nine years of a FOIA request. The article, titled “Maybe It’s Related to the Phase of the Moon…,” was written by Herbert S. Guy, Jr., and discusses the analysis of a callsign system. The released portion describes the article as “the story of the dissection of a callsign system” and outlines the overlapping work of cryptanalysts, traffic analysts, and linguists. However, most of the article remains redacted, with large sections, including entire pages, withheld. The NSA claims the withheld material is exempt under FOIA Exemption 3, citing Section 6 of Public Law 86-36. The agency argues that disclosure would harm an interest protected by the exemption.

• The article was initially requested in August 2017 and processed as FOIA Case 102240.
• The NSA released a redacted version on August 25, 2026, after nine years of the FOIA process.
• The Black Vault intends to appeal the redactions and seek further disclosure of the withheld material.
• The agency states that the withheld information is exempt under FOIA Exemption 3, citing the specific statute applicable in the case.

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