Cryptography and Encryption - Collection Finding Aid

Cryptography and Encryption - Collection Finding Aid

This collection consists of records related to United States encryption and cryptography policy. Specifically, it was for records related to an encryption software program called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and the author of that program Philip Zimmermann. Presidential Review Directive 27 (PRD-27) Advanced Telecommunications and Encryption (April 16, 1993) announced the creation of an Interagency Working Group (IWG) to assess the issue for the government. The development of administration policy was complex, and a number of executive offices were involved. The Department of Commerce and the Department of State were concerned with export control requirements. The intelligence and law enforcement communities with counterterrorism and anti-crime concerns. Administration policies focused initially on hardware solutions such as Clipper chips. Ultimately, in consultation with industry partners, the administration took a position favoring software solutions such as key recovery, digital encryption standards (DES), DES stacks, Secure Socket Layers (SSL), Key Management Infrastructures (KMI), and a host of similar systems.

William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum