President Reagan Using A Stu-Ii Telephone

Here nosotros run into a neat in addition to real rare, mayhap fifty-fifty unique moving painting of quondam U.S. of America president Ronald Reagan using a STU-II secure telephone:

President Reagan making an early on morning time telephone telephone telephone regarding the invasion of Grenada
(Photo: Reagan Library, Oct 22, 1983)

In this moving painting nosotros run into president Reagan making a telephone telephone telephone to his staff regarding the invasion of Grenada. Because he was staying at the Eisenhower cabin on the Augusta National Golf course of written report inward Georgia, it was necessary to practice a secure telephone business amongst the White House.

This was done past times installing a STU-II, which was the minute generation Secure Telephone Unit (STU). This arrangement was introduced past times the NSA inward the early on 1980s, in addition to replaced older systems, similar the extremely bulky KY-3, in addition to was the successor to the STU-I.

In the moving painting nosotros run into the STU-II telephone, amongst handset, a normal keypad, some indicator LEDs in addition to iii extra buttons at the bottom, for selecting secure or nonsecure mode. This telephone alone acted equally concluding or user interface, because the actual encryption arrangement (crypto designation: KY-71) was located inward a large metallic cabinet, amongst which it was connected through a thick 9-way cable. The STU-II was built past times ITT amongst Northern Telecom equally a sub-contractor.

The same room amongst left to right: national safety advisor Bud McFarlane,
secretarial assistant of dry reason George Shultz in addition to president Ronald Reagan.
The STU-II secure telephone is on the tabular array at the far right.
(Photo: Corbis)

Additionally, a reader of this weblog told us that during presidential roadtrips the STU-II was transported inward aluminium transit cases amongst a packed weight of 170 lbs. Each instance contained 1 KY-71 (the crypto engine), 1 HYX (the handset) in addition to ii ZAMX (unknown).


As of 1987, the STU-II was replaced past times the much smaller STU-III, which was a secure telephone that consisted of 1 unmarried desktop device alone in addition to had much amend speech communication quality. This novel telephone became available for president Reagan past times the halt of his minute term:

President Reagan using a Motorola SECTEL yard version
of the STU-III secure telephone program
(Photo: NSA, engagement unknown)