What the NSA is probably capable of has been know about for 30+ years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Puzzle_Palace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Puzzle

What the NSA is probably capable of has been know about for 30+ years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Puzzle_Palace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Puzzle_Palace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_Secrets https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_Secrets People just didn't care that much. The threat of nuclear annihilation made it all seem different.