‘Make security your thing’: how the NSA promoted secrecy in bizarre Cold War office art
![](https://rtd.rt.com/files/stories/nsa-bizarre-security-posters/18-b.bmp)
Long before Edward Snowden, during the Cold War, the US National Security Agency (NSA) knew how to encourage employees to keep their mouths shut about government secrets. It knew a thing or two about graphic design, as seen on a batch of declassified posters that emphasise the need for silence.
![© nsa via government attic](/files/info/nsa-bizarre-security-posters/NSA posters4-1-23-br.jpg)
More than a hundred vintage NSA flyers from the 1950s onwards were published earlier this month by the Government Attic website that posts obscure government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
![© nsa via government attic](/files/info/nsa-bizarre-security-posters/NSA posters4-2-33-br.jpg)
From pop-culture references to holiday-themed posters, the NSA office art took creativity to a new level and made sure to grab the staff’s attention.
![© nsa via government attic](/files/info/nsa-bizarre-security-posters/NSA posters4-4-34-br.jpg)
At water coolers, cafeterias and restrooms, NSA officers were always reminded that “security is a state of mind” and were warned against throwing away sensitive information into garbage bins. Although “security is no laugh-in matter,” RTD has picked out the most bizarre, odd, and sometimes surreal NSA posters.
![© NSA via Government Attic](/files/info/nsa-bizarre-security-posters/NSA posters4-5-39-br.jpg)