Station HYPO

By Norman Klar

I was ordered to Taiwan as the Officer-in-Charge of the U.S. Naval Security Group Activity. I had additional duty (ADDU) as the Cryptologic Advisor to USTDC (Taiwan Defense Command) and technical advisor to, as well as a member of, the J2( Intelligence) Staff Indications Center. I received four separate unclassified Fitness Reports throughout the tour with duties listed as follows: 1) USTDC-To help in combined and/or joint operations to assist U.S. and GRC forces defend Taiwan and the Penghus, and if directed assisting in defending the GRC held offshore islands. 2) Headquarters Support Activity (HSA) – Our administrative command. 3) CINCPACFLT -To perform Naval Security Group functions as directed by CNO and by CINCPACFLT 4) DIRNAVSECGU – For performing NavSecGru functions.

Task Force 38 sortied from LEYTE GULF on 1 July, 1945, one what proved to be the final war cruise of World War II. The enemy altered the aircraft grid system on this date and some time was to elapse before grids were available in sufficient quantity to break the system. Fortunately, the enemy employed almost no countermeasures against Task Force 38 up to the time the grid system was broken. In fact, the entire operation was one in which the contribution of the Radio Intelligence Units was primarily of negative information as the enemy husbanded his air force in anticipation of Blue landings on the main islands.

On August 15, 1964, the Naval Communications Station Philippines (NCSP) Det Alfa at Phu Bai, RVN was established. NCSP was established at that site circa 1957, and had existed in some form at Sangley Point before then.  Both the Marines and Navy had personnel assigned to Phu Bai prior to the official establishment of the Det and intercepts from Phu Bai were among those related to the Gulf of Tonkin incident that marked our serious involvement in Vietnam.