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Admiral Grace Hopper’s landmark lecture is found, but the NSA won’t release it


In a vault at the National Security Agency lies a historical treasure: two AMPEX 1-inch open reel tapes containing a landmark lecture by Admiral Grace Hopper, a giant in the field of computer science. Yet this invaluable artifact remains inaccessible, trapped in an obsolete format that the NSA will not release, stating that the agency is unable to play it back.

In a vault at the National Security Agency lies a historical treasure: two AMPEX 1-inch open reel tapes containing a landmark lecture by Admiral Grace Hopper, a giant in the field of computer science. Titled “Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People,” this lecture, recorded on August 19, 1982, at the NSA’s Fort Meade headquarters, and stored in the video archives of the National Cryptographic School, offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a pioneer who shaped the very fabric of technology. Given the NSA’s extensive network and collaborative relationships with various organizations and affiliates, the agency is well-positioned to locate, borrow and use a working VTR machine to access Admiral Hopper’s lectures as well as other content currently found only on AMPEX 1-inch videotape.

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