United States National Security Medal

The National Security Medal was established by President Harry Truman in 1947 as the highest decoration that could be conferred by the United States Government for intelligence work in the cause of the nation’s security. The initial examples of the medal were numbered, but subsequent examples were not numbered. This example of the medal dates from the period of the late 1950’s to the late 1960’s, an era that represented the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. This period of time saw the initiation of the intelligence overflight missions of the Soviet Union by the CIA’s U-2 spy planes and the downing by the Soviets of one of the planes, piloted by Francis Gary Powers. This same period of time also saw the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba; the construction of the Berlin Wall and the “Berlin Crisis” that led to Berlin being termed “the most dangerous place in the world”; and the Vietnam War. Recipients of the National Security Medal have included the most important intelligence officials serving in the cause of the nation’s security, including several Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency; two Directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; senior officers of the National Security Agency; and other individuals such as Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the legendary Lockheed engineer who developed both the U-2 and SR-71 “Blackbird” spy planes. This medal is of the highest quality, reflecting early production. It is suspended from a slot brooch on a machine woven ribbon with the medal’s distinctive “ladder” design. The medal exhibits a superb matte gilt finish that was given mirror like polished highlights to the eagle’s head, the edges of the eagle’s wings, and the oak leaf border around the medal. Overall excellent condition.