On Monday, September 15 — the 80th anniversary of the Army Security Agency’s establishment — the Veterans Breakfast Club hosted a fascinating livestream conversation with ASA veterans. It was a rare chance to hear firsthand about missions carried out in silence throughout the Cold War, especially in Vietnam. This anniversary seemed especially fitting as a moment to announce and rally support for a documentary film in production by El Dorado Films. ASA veteran Bill Blockhus-Morgan is serving as historian, technical advisor, a source of graphics and some photographs, and a provider of information for the writers of the documentary.
Bill has invited all ASA veterans, small unit members, field station personnel, aviators, schools, special operations teams — everyone who has stories, photos, equipment memorabilia, locations, insignia — to contribute. The film aims to focus its narrative around three interviewees whose experiences represent America’s intelligence journey from 1945 through the transition into INSCOM, but it will also provide historical context: Cold War crises, wars from Korea to Vietnam, early missions like TICOM (Target Intelligence Committee) in 1945-47, plus the roots of ASA going back further. Bill’s goal is to produce a one-hour documentary (though he hopes stories may justify a multi-part series down the road), with sufficient archival material and veteran testimony to show not just what ASA did, but how it mattered.
The ASA was formally established on September 15, 1945, when the U.S. Army reorganized the Signal Security Agency (SSA) into the Army Security Agency, headquartered at Arlington Hall Station in Virginia. It took over responsibility for Army Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) and Communications Security (COMSEC) missions, with a charter to build and run fixed field stations abroad, support tactical field units, and centralize processing and control through its headquarters.
ASA rapidly expanded after its creation and players major roles in the Korean War and early Cold War. Its mission broadened beyond communications interception to include electronic intelligence, electronic warfare, signal intercept, direction finding, acoustical intelligence, and cryptologic/analytic work. Fixed field stations were located around the globe — in Europe, the Pacific, Turkey, Africa, etc. Hartford Hall (Arlington Hall), among other sites, was central.
ASA also had a strict structure of compartmentation, which meant many veterans knew only their piece of the puzzle. Despite the secrecy, its work fed into national policy, crisis decision-making, and combat operations.
In 1977, ASA was officially merged into the newly created U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). Although the name “ASA” ceased as an organization, its legacy continued through INSCOM, and many ASA veterans went on to serve in later intelligence, electronic warfare, and security roles well into and beyond the post-Cold War era.
Much of ASA’s story remains unknown. Because of compartmentation and classification, many veterans hold pieces of the history no public archive has. Documents declassified by NSA and others are still heavily redacted. Unit insignia, patches, photos, stories from stations and tactical units are scattered in private hands or fading in memory. The documentary intends to bring these pieces together — not just to preserve them, but to help the public understand what ASA did, how it affected U.S. foreign policy, and how veterans’ work shaped the outcomes of wars, crises, technology, and intelligence practices.
If you served in any capacity with ASA — field stations, direct support units, aviators, special operations, Arlington Hall or schools — your story matters. Bill Blockhus-Morgan and the team want your:
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personal interviews (oral histories)
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photographs (people, equipment, insignia, locations, operations)
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unit history or anecdotal narratives
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sketches, maps, anything that helps reconstruct what ASA operations looked like in practice.
Even if you don’t know the “big picture,” your piece helps complete the puzzle.
You can send materials or inquiries to:
Bill Blockhus-Morgan
Email: blockmor2@gmail.com
Phone: 520-559-0975
Address: 3733 E. Mohawk Drive, Sierra Vista, Arizona 85650
