Many of the country's secret code-breakers and eavesdroppers are hidden behind the National Security Agency's fortifications.

"It does not pay to advertise your successes," said Patrick D. Weadon, a senior NSA official. "There is always a danger when you lift the curtain ever so slightly."

But even this agency is under pressure to loosen up. The NSA relies on the U.S. public for its $8 billion budget. It needs good relations with Congress. And it must recruit talented linguists, mathematicians, analysts and technicians.

Those folks aren't going to work for NSA "if you get people...