The four-story brownstone at 141 East 37th Street in Manhattan has no remarkable features: a plain building on a quiet tree-lined street in the shadow of the Empire State Building. In the summer of 1920, Herbert O. Yardley, a government codebreaker, moved in with a gang of math geniuses and began deciphering intercepted Japanese diplomatic telegrams. This was the Black Chamber, America's first civilian code-breaking agency. From this was born the American surveillance state, and eventually the sprawling National Security Agency, which you may have heard about recently.

According to Reuters, Edward Snowden persuaded his colleagues at the NSA regional operations in Hawaii to give him their log-in credentials, which he then used to access some of the classified material he would later leak to journalists.

The relationship between the United States and the strongest country in Europe continues its downward plunge: Asked about the ongoing investigation by Germany into U.S. spying, NSA leaker Edward Snowden said he would be willing to assist and provide clarification about leaked documents that have already proved disastrous to the diplomatic standing of the U.S. in Germany.

Michael Hayden, the former head of the NSA and the CIA, is the official mouthpiece of the American surveillance state. His blithe, unquestioning acceptance of the idea that privacy is a foolish notion is horrifying. And for that, he is valuable.

For the past half-year, classified documents leaked by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden have revealed dozens of details about the U.S. government's spying operations. But the past ten days have been especially hectic, and especially complicated: First, we heard that the NSA has been spying on... well, basically of our allies and their leaders, and reportedly without the knowledge of President Obama; then the NSA said that wasn't true. It's all very confusing. Let us explain.

On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. intelligence officials did their best to disprove reports that the NSA monitored more than 170 million phone calls in France, Spain, and other European countries last year. NSA head Gen. Keith Alexander called the reports "completely false" and said the information was provided to the NSA by the intelligence agencies in each country.

Amid a growing controversy surrounding reports that the U.S. monitored the personal phone calls of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Obama may order the NSA to end its spying program that targets allied heads of state, though no final decision has been made.

Another day, another revelation that the U.S. undertook a massive spying operation against one of its allies. According to a report in Spanish paper El Mundo, the NSA monitored more than 60 million phone calls in Spain over a 30-day period last year.

A new report in Der Spiegel says the the United States has been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2002, and a different report (albeit from a less reputable source) says President Obama knew about it.

Hundreds of people are marching against government surveillance and in support of NSA-leaker Edward Snowden today in Washington, as European leaders continue to push for talks to curb U.S. spying efforts abroad.

The tough week for U.S. intelligence agencies continues: France and Germany, two recent NSA targets, want to meet with the United States to establish new, mutually agreeable guidelines for spying operations. Meanwhile, American officials are reportedly warning other countries that documents describing their cooperation with the NSA or CIA may be among those taken by Edward Snowden.

The Amtrak Acela is the subject of many jokes and legends among Washington D.C. political people. Now we can add the Tale of the Blabby Ex-NSA Director.

Now we know why Angela Merkel was so upset yesterday: According to a report published by the Guardian, the NSA monitored the phone calls of at least 35 world leaders, using phone numbers provided by a U.S. official in another government department.

The German Foreign Ministry has summoned the U.S. ambassador over reports that the NSA monitored Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone. Yesterday, Merkel called President Obama to confront him about the allegations.

How do you get American citizens to care that they are being surveilled by their own government? Have a bunch of celebrities film what feels like a movie trailer about sinister forces of darkness. It's the thriller of the year, ya'll.

President Obama received what sounds like an awkward phone call today from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was reportedly upset by rumors that the NSA has monitored her personal cell phone.

One day after news broke that the NSA hacked into the Mexican president's email, French paper Le Monde reported that the U.S. spy agency recorded more than 70 million phone calls in France over a 30 day period last year.

A woman in D.C. scared off a mugger by lying and telling him that she worked for the NSA and they would track him if he took her phone.

The United States has always liked to keep a close eye on its neighbor to the south, making sure that things stay pretty comfortable for U.S. interests. But while former Mexican President Felipe Calderon enjoyed an especially close relationship to the United States, it wasn't enough to stop the NSA from hacking his email account and spying on his whole administration.

Glenn Greenwald, the columnist who brought the world the Ed Snowden Papers, is leaving the Guardian to start his own website. BuzzFeed reports Greenwald, who spent the summer scoring scoop after scoop about the NSA, is starting "a very well-funded… very substantial new media outlet."