From: cfrye@ciis.mitre.org (Curtis D. Frye)
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 93 09:22:56 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Pyrrhus Cracks RSA?
Message-ID: <9311231727.AA09153@ciis.mitre.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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>> = cfrye@ciis.mitre.org (Curtis D. Frye)
>  = boone@psc.edu (Jon Boone)

>> Strong words that, IMHO, put way too much faith in the argument that a
>> "restrictive" work environment inevitably crushes individualism and
>> creativity.  Any organization, .gov or !.gov, that:  
>> 
>>   *  recruits the best and the brightest and pays them well; 
>
>   Do you know how much NSA employees get paid?  I'm wondering, because it
>   is certainly _not_ the case in the CIA.  The "analysts" may make somewhere
>   between the $30K - $45K range, but that's hardly "good pay" for people
>   who are experts on that kind of analysis, especially when they have Ph.D.s.

While I'm not intimately familiar with the workings of the NSA, I would
guess that folks w/ Ph.D.'s and no/little work experience are probably
brought in near the top end of that range, though the advanced degree would
allow for quicker advancement to senior technical or management positions
and correspondingly greater pay.  Also, be sure to include the labor
surplus, government benefits and job satisfaction as factors in considering
salary adequacy.

>
>>   *  gives access to substantial computing/financial resources and academic  
>>      knowledge; 
>>   *  fosters team-building, creativity, and competition *within the group*; 
>>   *  rewards achievement and provides status *within the group*; and 
>>   *  provides other movitivation, be it patriotism/pride/whatever, 
>> 
>> will produce more than its fair share of advances in a field.  Given a
>> concentrated environment and an advanced set of tools, it seems improbable
>> that any group, regardless of organizational affiliation, could be
>> outperformed *on an evolutionary basis* by a loose band of academicians and
>> private researchers with irregular contact.  
>> 
>> Curtis D. Frye
>> cfrye@ciis.mitre.org
>> "If you think I speak for MITRE, I'll tell you how much they
>>  pay me and make you feel foolish."
>
>  Please tell me how much MITRE pays you.  Is your above description a 
>  description of MITRE?

MITRE pays me significantly less than what they would pay a Senior VP,
which is about the level where I would feel comfortable stating that I
"speak for" MITRE.  As for the team-building observations I made above,
they are made from a general management perspective and are open to debate,
though that discussion might be a bit off-topic for cypherpunks if removed
from the crypto framework.

--
Best regards,

Curtis D. Frye
cfrye@ciis.mitre.org
"If you think I speak for MITRE, I'll tell you how much they
 pay me and make you feel foolish."