NSA Agents Threaten to Kill Bidzos of RSA?

[David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Subject: Re: NSA Agents Threaten to Kill Bidzos of RSA?
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 18:28:30 GMT




Frankly, I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion of this
chilling report! Here we have the NSA--or at least an agent of the
NSA--threatening the president of the leading cryptography company,
and there's a muted response. This when a personality-oriented flame
war can generate 20 comments in two days. Jeesh.


Perhaps people dismissed it as too unbelievable, even though the
article was very clear in what happened.


In any case, Jim Bidzos has authorized me to pass on this comment:


--Begin comment by Jim Bidzos--




Date: Tue, 28 Jun 94 22:14:34 PDT
From: jim@RSA.COM (Jim Bidzos)
Message-Id: <9406290514.AA02321@RSA.COM>
To: pcw@access.digex.net
Cc: tcmay@netcom.com
In-Reply-To: Peter Wayner's message of Mon, 27 Jun 1994 20:55:15 -0400
<199406280049.AA20853@access2.digex.net>
Subject: NSA Agents Threaten to Kill Bidzos of RSA?


Everything reported in the Merc News is true. I am certain that he was
not speaking for the agency, but when it happened he was quite
serious, at least appeared to be.  There was a long silence after he
made the threat, with a staring contest.  He was quite intense.


I respect and trust the other two who were in the room (they were
shocked and literally speechless, staring into their laps) and plan to
ask NSA for a written apology and confirmation that he was not
speaking for the agency. We'll see if I get it.  If the incident made
it into their trip reports, I have a chance of getting a letter.






--end comment by Jim Bidzos--




[djf --  I asked Jim if this was indeed from him and he said:]


Date: Wed, 29 Jun 94 12:18:17 PDT
From: jim@RSA.COM (Jim Bidzos)
To: farber@central.cis.upenn.edu
Subject: is this from you?>




Yes, it is from me.