Up until the passage of the
Bill of Rights amendments and the Constitution we were under British Law, and its infamous Official Secrets Acts. That's why you will find very little written about Brit criminal cases beyond arraignment, until after sentencing is completed at trial. The Peter Zenger case may be a small data point in the jurisdictional heavens, but it was massively important to the Patriots of the day.
It may not have been called the NSA, but it was the logical start to its beginning. IMHO :^)