Who Was:

Elizebeth Smith Friedman

https://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic-heritage/historical-figures-publications/hall-of-honor/1999/efriedman.shtml

The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies,and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone; 921 F156w

Mr. Fagone brings a private and humble woman to the forefront in his engaging biography of Elizebeth Smith Friedman. Though not a household name like J. Edgar Hoover, the United States owes a lot to Mrs. Friedman because of her work as a cryptographer for the U.S. government. Her code-breaking training began at a private civilian compound in Illinois where she had the task of deciphering messages supposedly hidden in Shakespeare’s plays. The college-educated Friedman became suspicious that Shakespeare’s plays had any hidden secrets because only the woman who trained her could find the secret codes, and her results could not be replicated. Elizebeth shared her suspicions about her Shakespeare work with a scientist named William Friedman, who worked at the compound doing genetics research.

William and Elizebeth married and left the compound in Illinois for Washington D.C., where they were employed for the rest of their careers. Both of them studied the art of cryptography and developed methods that their successors could use. They also collected cryptography materials so that they and others could learn. As part of the Coast Guard staff, Elizebeth aided the government in breaking organized crime syndicates that ran rampant during Prohibition. The skills she honed prepared her for cracking the communications of the Nazis working in South America during WWII. Though not publicly credited for her efforts, records in the National Archives demonstrate the impact she had on the national security efforts of the United States. Fagone includes some of the codes and methods Elizebeth used to break the codes throughout the biography. Those interested in U.S. history, intelligence, and women’s history will find Mrs. Friedman’s biography a compelling story.