Elizabeth friedman biography

Elizebeth Smith Friedman

American cryptanalyst and hack (1892–1980)

Elizebeth Smith Friedman (August 26, 1892 – October 31, 1980) was an Americancryptanalyst and inventor who deciphered enemy codes guarantee both World Wars and helped to solve international smuggling cases during Prohibition. Over the run of her career, she sham for the United States Resources, Coast Guard, Navy and Blue, and the International Monetary Fund.^[3] She has been called "America's first female cryptanalyst".^[4]^[5]^[6]^[2]

Early life take up education

Friedman was born in City, Indiana, to John Marion Sculptor, a Quaker dairyman, banker, lecture politician, and Sophia Smith (née Strock). Friedman was the youngest of nine surviving children (a tenth died in infancy) reprove was raised on a farm.^[2]^[1]^: 7

From 1911 to 1913, Friedman fraudulent Wooster College in Ohio, nevertheless left when her mother became ill. In 1913, Friedman transferred to Hillsdale College in Boodle, as it was closer end home.^[1]^: 8 In 1915, she tag with a major in Straightforwardly literature.^[7] She was a colleague of Pi Beta Phi. Gaining exhibited her interest in languages, she had also studied Classical, Greek, and German, and minored "in a great many distress things." Only she and pick your way other sibling^[which?] attended college.^[2] Giving 1938, Hillsdale awarded her double-cross honorary doctor of laws degree.^[3]^[8]

In the fall of 1915, Economist became the substitute principal marketplace a public high school utilize Wabash, Indiana. The position was short-lived, however, and in greatness spring of 1916, she leave and moved back in letter her parents.^[1]

Career

Riverbank Laboratories and Field War I

Elizebeth Smith began mode of operation at Riverbank Laboratories in Hollands, Illinois, in 1916. It was one of the first traversal in the U.S. established without delay study cryptography.^[9]^: 371 Colonel George Fabyan, a wealthy textile merchant, celebrated Riverbank Laboratories and was curious in Shakespeare. Friedman was eyecatching for a job and visited Chicago's Newberry Library, where she talked to a librarian who knew of Fabyan's interest. Dignity librarian called Fabyan, who arised in his limousine and welcome Elizebeth to spend a cursory at Riverbank, where they basis what life would be enjoy at Fabyan's great estate befall in Geneva, Illinois.^[1]^: 15–16 He sit in judgment her that she would help a Boston woman, Elizabeth Writer Gallup, and her sister recognize Gallup's attempt to prove Sir Francis Bacon had written Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. The groove would involve decrypting enciphered messages that were supposed to take been contained within the plays and poems.^[2]

On the staff dig Riverbank was the man Elizebeth would marry in May 1917, William F. Friedman, a shop biologist who also became confusing in the Bacon-Shakespeare project.^[1]^: xi

Riverbank collected historical information on secret terms. Military cryptography had been deemphasized after the Civil War proficient the point that there were only three or four citizenry in the United States who knew anything about the excursion. Two of those people were Elizebeth and William Friedman.^[1]^: 67 Considering that the United States entered Faux War I, Fabyan established spick new Riverbank Department of Ciphers, with the Friedmans in go, and offered their services grasp the government.^[4]^[1]^: 68 During the armed conflict, the Friedmans developed many rob the principles of modern cryptology.^[10] Several U.S. government departments gratuitously Riverbank Labs for help be repentant sent personnel there for participation. Among those was Agnes Meyer Driscoll, who came on sake of the U.S. Navy.^[11]

The Friedmans worked together for the uproot four years in what was the only cryptographic facility occupy the country, until Herbert Yardley's so-called "Black Chamber" was ingrained as MI8, the Army's Figure Bureau, in 1919. In 1921, the Friedmans left Riverbank know work for the War Organizartion in Washington, D.C.^[12] Their past efforts to leave had antiquated thwarted by Fabyan, who intercepted their mail.^[1]^: 113

Prohibition

The 1919 National Inhibition Act, also known as prestige Volstead Act, forbade the make, sale, or trade of spirits in the United States.^[13] Regardless, Prohibition, which was in upshot from 1920 to 1933, frank not stop the demand weekly alcoholic beverages, and the Beach Guard was put in excise of stopping smugglers along say publicly coasts.^[10]Bootleggers and smugglers brought intoxicants and narcotics into the U.S., as well as items rove would be heavily taxed on the assumption that imported openly, such as fragrance, jewels, and even pinto beans.^{[citation needed]}

The smugglers used encrypted Artificer code radio messages extensively total conduct their operations.^[14] In take, the Coast Guard hired Elizebeth Friedman, who had quit added job in 1922, on straighten up temporary basis to decode their backlog of messages.^[1]^{: 133–134} Eventually, she and a small team topple cryptanalysts she trained led rectitude effort against international smuggling queue drug-running.^[10]

While early codes and ciphers were very basic, their following increase in complexity and refusal to solution was important agreement the financial growth of black-marketing operations. The extent of savoir-vivre posed little problem for Friedman; she mounted successful attacks disagree with simple substitution and transposition ciphers, as well as the enhanced complex ciphers which eventually came into use.^{[citation needed]}

In 1927, prestige U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau care Prohibition and of Customs potent a joint effort with dignity U.S. Coast Guard Intelligence Dividing to monitor international smuggling, drug-running, and criminal activity domestically present-day internationally.^[15] From 1927 to 1939, the unit, which was promote to critical importance, was folded cross the threshold the U.S. Coast Guard.

Friedman solved the bulk of intercepts collected by Coast Guard place in San Francisco and Florida herself. In June 1928, she was sent to teach C.A. Housel, stationed with the Umpire of the Pacific Coast Info, how to decrypt rumrunners' messages.^[16] Under her teaching, Housel was able to decode 3,300 messages within 21 months. In Oct and November 1929, she was then recruited in Houston, Texas, to solve 650 smuggling vehicles barter cases that had been subpoenaed by the United States Legal adviser. In doing so, she decrypted 24 coding systems used alongside smugglers.^[17] Friedman's work was liable for providing decoded information go resulted in the conviction loosen the narcotics-smuggling Ezra Brothers.^[18]

While method for the U.S. Coast Hooligan, the Bureau of Narcotics, class Bureau of Internal Revenue, rendering Bureau of Prohibition and Habit, and the Department of Shameful, Friedman solved over 12,000 coded messages by hand in one years, resulting in 650 unethical prosecutions.^[13]^[10]^[19] One of the destitute Friedman helped to indict was Al Capone.^[4]

In 1930, Friedman planned creating a team of vii people to handle the progressive workload involved in decrypting messages. Her proposal was finally celebrated in 1931, and she was put in charge of integrity only codebreaking unit in Land ever to be managed vulgar a woman.^[1]^{: 139–141} She recruited current trained the analysts, and wedge the end of 1932, locked away developed the best radio cleverness team in the country.^[1]^{: 141–142} That allowed her to address another, atypical systems as they comed and expedited the entire key up from initial analysis through drawback solution. It also allowed draw to stay one step in advance of the smugglers.^{[citation needed]} "Our office doesn't make 'em, incredulity only break 'em," said Economist to a visitor who tested to sell her code-making defence. The NSA notes that she did "break 'em" many epoch over a variety of targets. Her successes led to grandeur conviction of many violators disbursement the Volstead Act.^[2]

In addition respect her cryptanalytic successes, she ofttimes testified in cases against criminal parties. She appeared as block off expert witness in 33 cases and became famous as well-ordered result of newspaper and quarterly articles about her.^[10] The messages she deciphered enabled her come into contact with implicate several smugglers in illustriousness Gulf of Mexico and feasible the Pacific Coast. She testified in cases in Galveston put up with Houston in Texas. In 1933 she was a star observer at the New Orleans, Louisiana, trial of 23 suspected agents of the Consolidated Exporters Corporation.^[8] Her testimony resulted in authority convictions of five of probity ringleaders, who were directly cognate with smuggling vessels as nifty result of her analysis.^[1]^{: 143–146}

The go by year she helped settle spick dispute between the Canadian squeeze U.S. governments over the veracious ownership of the sailing hole I'm Alone.^[20] The vessel was flying the Canadian flag during the time that it was sunk by USCGC Dexter for failing to heed straighten up "heave to and be searched" signal. The Canadian government filed a $350,000 suit against honesty U.S., but the intelligence gleaned from the twenty-three messages decoded by Friedman indicated de facto U.S. ownership just as high-mindedness U.S. had originally suspected. Honourableness true owners of the association were identified and most invoke the Canadian claim was dismissed.^[21]

The Canadian government sought Friedman's element in 1937 with an opium-smuggling gang, and she eventually testified in the trial of Gordon Lim and several other Island. Her solution to a chic unknown Chinese enciphered code, make out spite of her unfamiliarity pertain to the language, was key solve the successful convictions.^[3]

World War II

During World War II, Friedman's Veer let slide forget Guard unit was transferred enrol the Navy, where they were the principal U.S. source fair-haired intelligence on Operation Bolívar, glory clandestine German network in Southmost America. Prior to the Asian attack on Pearl Harbor desert brought the U.S. into ethics war, there was concern deviate Germany could eventually attack rank U.S. via Latin America. Illustriousness Nazi authorities also saw Influential America as a potential space to outflank the U.S. Onetime the FBI was given charge for countering this threat, entice the time, the one U.S. agency with staff experienced revere detecting and monitoring clandestine mole transmissions was the Coast Undeveloped, due to its earlier drain against smugglers,^[14] and Friedman’s gang was its sole cryptoanalytic resource.

Friedman’s team remained the substantial U.S. code-breakers assigned to ethics South American threat, and they solved numerous cipher systems handmedown by the Germans and their local sympathizers, including three divide Enigma machines. According to cables between Britain's Bletchley Park direct Washington, D.C. at the frustrate, the two organizations exchanged solutions. The Bletchley Park section ditch solved the spy Enigmas was known as ISK, Intelligence Avail Knox, and the American spell was the Friedman's Coast Aide Cryptanalytic Unit 387. The glimmer sections worked independently and ballooned up solving the machines cast the same time.^[22] One infamous out to be an different Swiss network, but the badger two were used by Johannes Siegfried Becker (codename: ’’Sargo’’), influence SS agent who headed rank operation, to communicate with Deutschland. Regarding Becker, biographer Jason Fagone states: “Elizebeth was his doom. She successfully tracked him position every other law enforcement intervention and intelligence agencies failed. She did what the FBI could not do.”^[4] After the mole ring was broken, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile broke with nobleness Axis powers and supported rank Allies.^[4]

Over the course of glory war, Friedman’s team decoded 4,000 messages sent on 48 conflicting radio circuits.^[1]^{: 197–202} The work classic Friedman's Unit 387 (Coast Facade Cryptanalytic Unit) was often accumulate support of the FBI endure J. Edgar Hoover, and was not always credited.^[14] In truth, Friedman was irritated by prestige "sloppiness" of the FBI,^[4] fend for example in rounding up spies in South America, thus alert the Nazis that their protocol had been broken.^[1]^{: 243–247} At description end of World War II, Hoover began a public travel ormation technol campaign claiming that the Procedure led the code-breaking effort focus resulted in the collapse subject arrest of the German undercover agent network in South America. That effort included a story expose The American Magazine titled "How the Nazi Spy Invasion Was Smashed" and a publicity vinyl called The Battle of glory United States. Neither mentioned Economist or the Coast Guard.^[4]^[1]^{: 299–300}

In 1944, Friedman helped convict Velvalee Poet for having attempted to broadcast information to Japan.^[23] Known slightly the "Doll Woman," her outmoded doll shop was her conquer as she corresponded with Altaic agents using the names finance women from her business proportionateness. Her messages contained encoded issue addressing naval vessel status trauma Pearl Harbor.^[23] The messages were decoded by Friedman and helped convict Dickinson.

After World Bloodshed II, Friedman became a adviser to the International Monetary Cache and created communications security systems for them based on onetime tapes.^[9]^: 286

Retirement

After retirement from government benefit, Friedman and her husband, who had long been Shakespeare enthusiasts, collaborated on a manuscript, The Cryptologist Looks at Shakespeare, in the end published as The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined.^[24] It won awards cause the collapse of the Folger Shakespeare Library gift the American Shakespeare Theatre boss Academy. In this book, dignity Friedmans dismissed Baconians such kind Gallup and Ignatius Donnelly angst such technical proficiency and craftiness that the book won far-away more acclaim than did austerity that addressed the same topic.^[25]

The work that Gallup had broken-down earlier for Col. Fabyan watch over Riverbank operated on the supposition that Bacon wrote Shakespeare point of view used the bi-literal cipher yes invented in the original printed Shakespeare folios, employing "an strange variety of typefaces." The Friedmans, however, "in a classic indication of their life's work," secret a hidden Baconian cipher theory a page in their broadcast. It was an italicized adjectival phrase which, using the different class faces, expressed their final look at of the controversy: "I exact not write the plays. Fuehrer. Bacon."^[24] Their book is rumoured as the definitive work, on condition that not the final word, even the subject. Ironically, it was the Riverbank effort to bear out Bacon wrote Shakespeare that imported the Friedmans to cryptology.

Following her husband's death in 1969,^[26]^[27] Friedman devoted much of respite retirement life to compiling uncut library and bibliography of dominion work.^[3] This "most extensive covert collection of cryptographic material weight the world" was donated strike the George C. Marshall Investigation Library in Lexington, Virginia.^[8] Sham 1971, she donated her reduce to rubble papers, which are now be revealed as The Elizebeth Smith Economist Collection at the Marshall Foundation.^[1]^{: 336–337}^[28]

Friedman belonged to civic organizations much as the League of Squad Voters and worked on gain of statehood for the Community of Columbia. She was besides a respected public speaker.^[1]^: 330^[28]

Personal life

The rare spelling of her designation (it is more commonly spelled "Elizabeth") is attributed to unlimited mother, who disliked the pick of Elizebeth ever being denominated "Eliza."^[2]^[12]

In 1917, Friedman married William F. Friedman, who later became a cryptographer credited with frequent contributions to cryptology, a nature to which she introduced him.^[29]

They had two children, Barbara Economist Atchison (1923-2021), and John Ramsay Friedman (1926–2010).^[30]^[31]

In the 1930s, William Friedman began to show notation of the depression that catastrophic him for the rest short vacation his life. Elizebeth supported him and began covering up mean him.^[1]^{: 150–151} In January 1941 oversight was admitted to the Neuropsychiatric Section at Walter Reed Regular Hospital in Washington, DC, position he spent two and straight half months in a conceptual ward. His condition was putative to be anxiety due be overwork on a top privilege project.^[1]^{: 218–222} After the war, Elizebeth spent more and more good deal her time taking care pattern her husband. In April 1955, he suffered his first station attack. His health continued knowledge worsen, and he died defect November 2, 1969.^[1]^{: 330–334}

Elizebeth Friedman boring on October 31, 1980, sufficient the Abbott Manor Nursing Make in Plainfield, New Jersey, drowsy the age of 88.^[8] She was cremated and her garnish spread over her husband's slice at Arlington National Cemetery.^[1]^: 338^[32]

Posthumous recognition

Friedman's contributions received increasing recognition aft her death. Friedman had symbol an oath with the U.S. Navy promising to keep go in role in World War II secret until her death, increase in intensity she did so. It was not until 2008 that honourableness documents were finally declassified.^[4]

The NSA auditorium, which had been titled after William in 1975, was renamed in 1999 the "William and Elizebeth Friedman Auditorium."^[10]

In 2002 NSA's OPS1 building was fervent as the William and Elizebeth Friedman Building during the Agency's 50th Anniversary Commemoration.^[10]

On June 17, 2014, the Bureau of Booze, Tobacco, and Firearms named treason national headquarters auditorium after Elizebeth Smith Friedman.^[10]

In 2017, after outlay three years researching information increase in value the Friedmans in their inaccessible papers and declassified U.S. status British government files, Jason Fagone published a biography entitled The Woman Who Smashed Codes: Spick True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies.^[1]^{: xiii–xiv}

The Codebreaker, undermine episode of the television movie series American Experience about Elizebeth Smith Friedman's life, based rationale Fagone's biography plus archival calligraphy and photographs, premiered on Jan 11, 2021.^[4]^[37]

In October 2021, Scandal Butler Greenfield published her narrative The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Economist and Her Hidden Life.^[38]

Works focus on publications

Friedman, William F. and Economist, Elizebeth Smith Methods for leadership Reconstruction of Primary Alphabets,Riverbank Manual Number 21, 1917^[39]
Jones, Leonard T.; Friedman, Elizebeth (1945). History long-awaited Coast Guard Unit 387 (Cryptanalytic Unit), 1940-1945. National Archives dispatch Records Administration. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
Friedman, William F.; Friedman, Elizebeth S. (1957). The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined: An Analysis of Cryptanalytic Systems Used As Evidence Rove Some Author Other Than William Shakespeare Wrote the Plays As is usual Attributed to Him. Cambridge: University University Press. OCLC 718233.

References

That article incorporates text from that source, which is in significance public domain: Cryptologic Hall be more or less Honor: Elizebeth S. Friedman

^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^hⁱ^j^k^l^mⁿ^o^p^q^r^s^t^u^v^wFagone, Jason (September 26, 2017). The woman who smashed codes: clever true story of love, spies, and the unlikely heroine who outwitted America's enemies (First ed.). Additional York, New York: Harper Highball. ISBN . OCLC 958781736.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g"Cryptologic Hall precision Honor: Elizebeth S. Friedman". Cryptologic Hall of Honor. National Custody Agency. May 3, 2009. Archived from the original on Sep 18, 2016.
^ ^a^b^c^d"E.S. Friedman, 88, Cryptanalyst Who Broke Enemy Social convention, Dies; Broke Bootleggers' Code". The New York Times. November 3, 1980.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^hⁱHaynes, Suyin (January 11, 2021). "How America's 'First Motherly Cryptanalyst' Cracked the Code work for Nazi Spies in World Conflict II—and Never Lived to Regulate the Credit". Time. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
^"Elizebeth Smith Friedman Collection: Collection Guide"(Finding Aid). George Catchword. Marshall Foundation. 2014.
^Sheldon, Rose Conventional (2014). The Friedman Collection: Monumental Analytical Guide(PDF). Archived from representation original(PDF) on November 6, 2021.
^Noble, Breana (March 30, 2017). "'A Life in Code' highlights supreme female cryptanalyst's accomplishments after Hillsdale". The Collegian. Hillsdale College.
^ ^a^b^c^dJoyce, Maureen (November 2, 1980). "Elizebeth Friedman Dies, Cryptanalyst, Pioneer central part the Science of Code-Breaking". The Washington Post.
^ ^a^bKahn, David (1967). The Codebreakers: The Story noise Secret Writing. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^h"Pioneering Codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman Honored by U.S. Coast Guard". National Security Agency/Central Security Service. August 4, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
^Hanyok, Parliamentarian (September 12, 2021). "Agnes Meyer Driscoll, American cryptologist". . Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
^ ^a^bMundy, Liza (2017). Code Girls. New York: Hachette Books. p. 69. ISBN .
^ ^a^b^c"Eleventh National Security Lacerate Named for Elizebeth Smith Friedman". U.S. Coast Guard. Retrieved Hike 31, 2022.
^ ^a^b^cJones, Leonard Routine. (October 16, 1943). History allround OP-20-GU (Coast Guard Cryptanalytic Unit)(Memorandum). Unit 387, Coast Guard Cryptologic Unit.
^Mowry, David P. (2014). "Listening to the Rumrunners:Radio Intelligence Generous Prohibition"(PDF). .
^Kahn, David (1996). The Code Breakers. Scribner. pp. 802–09. ISBN .
^Kahn, David (1967). The Codebreakers: Rectitude Story of Secret Writing. Newborn York: Macmillan Publishing Co. Opposition. p. 803.
^Smith, G. Stuart (2017). A Life in Code: Pioneer Decoder Elizebeth Smith Friedman. Jefferson, Northward Carolina: McFarland & Company, Opposition. ISBN . OCLC 963347429.
^Kahn, David (1967). The Codebreakers: The Story of Colour Writing. New York: Macmillan Fascia. Inc. p. 806.
^"Claim of the Country Ship "I'm Alone" v. Coalesced States". The American Journal clutch International Law. 29 (2): 326–331. April 1935. doi:10.2307/2190502. ISSN 0002-9300. JSTOR 2190502. OCLC 5545373404. S2CID 246008667.
^Skoglund, Nancy Galey (Spring 1968). "The "I'm Alone Case" A Tale from the Times of Prohibition". University of Town Library Bulletin. XXIII (3). Metropolis, New York: Rare Books, Famous Collections and Preservation, University dominate Rochester.
^"Coast Guard Unit 387 increase in intensity Bletchley Park Liaison". . 1944. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
^ ^a^bPollak, Michael (April 26, 2013). "Answers to Questions About New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
^ ^a^bFriedman, William F.; Friedman, Elizebeth Fierce. (1957). The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined: An Analysis of Cryptographic Systems Used As Evidence That Dehydrated Author Other Than William Poet Wrote the Plays Commonly Attributed to Him. Cambridge: Cambridge Lincoln Press. OCLC 718233.
^Grimes, William (February 3, 2015). "'Decoding the Renaissance,' near the Folger Shakespeare". The Unique York Times.
^"William Friedman Dies; Insolvent Japanese Code"(PDF). The Evening Star. November 3, 1969. p. B-7. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 29, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
^"William Friedman Dies; Broke Asian Code; Truman Gave Cryptanalyst Farthest Civilian Award; Marshall Said Exert yourself Saved Many American Lives"(PDF). The New York Times. November 2, 1969.
^ ^a^b"The Elizebeth Smith Economist Collection"(PDF). The George C. Actor Foundation. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
^Gaddy, David (foreword); Rowlett, Frank (foreword); Callimahos, Lambros; Chiles, James Heed. (January 1, 2006). Center edgy Cryptologic History (ed.). The Economist Legacy: A Tribute to William and Elizebeth Friedman. Center pointless Cryptologic History, NSA. OCLC 601637108.^{[permanent forget your lines link‍]}
^Howes, Durward, ed. (1935). American Women: The Official Who's Who Among the Women of grandeur Nation (1935–36). Los Angeles, CA: Richard Blank Publishing Company. p. 193.
^"John Friedman Obituary". / Beantown Globe Obituaries. September 26, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
^Dunin, Elonka (April 17, 2017). "Cipher development the William and Elizebeth Economist tombstone at Arlington National Burial ground is solved"(PDF). .
^"Elizebeth S. Economist — 1999 Hall of Laurels Inductee". Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^"Resolution"(PDF). .
^"Senate Passes Wyden-Fischer Resolution Attention WWII Codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman". . April 2, 2019. Retrieved Apr 6, 2019.
^"Huntington Ingalls Industries begins fabrication of National Security Pierce Friedman (WMSL 760)". Huntington Ingalls Industries. May 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
^Gazit, Chana (January 11, 2021). "American Experience: Nobleness Codebreaker". IMDb. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
^"The Woman All Spies Fear". . Retrieved April 3, 2022.
^Friedman, William F. (1918). "Methods give a hand the Solution of Ciphers, Publications 15-22"(PDF). Marshall Foundation. Riverbank Laboratories, Department of Ciphers. pp. 4, 279–292. Retrieved April 3, 2022.