"Protesters called it an act of war when the U.S. Coast Guard sank a Canadian-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Mexico in 1929. It took a cool-headed codebreaker solving a "trunk-full" of smugglers' encrypted messages to get Uncle Sam out of the mess: Elizebeth Smith Friedman's groundbreaking work helped prove the boat was owned by American gangsters. This book traces the career of a legendary U.S. law enforcement agent, from her work for the Allies during World War I through Prohibition, when she faced danger from mobsters while testifying in high profile trials. Friedman founded the cryptanalysis unit that provided evidence against American rum runners and Chinese drug smugglers. During World War II, her decryptions brought a Japanese spy to justice and her Coast Guard unit solved the Enigma ciphers of German spies. Friedman's "all source intelligence" model is still used today by law enforcement and counterterrorism agencies against 21st century threats."

"In 1916, at the height of World War I, brilliant Shakespeare expert Elizebeth Smith went to work for an eccentric tycoon on his estate outside Chicago. The tycoon had close ties to the U.S. government, and he soon asked Elizebeth to apply her language skills to an exciting new venture: code-breaking. There she met the man who would become her husband, groundbreaking cryptologist William Friedman. Though she and Friedman are in many ways the “Adam and Eve” of the NSA, Elizebeth’s story, a vital piece of women's history, incredibly, has never been told.

In The Woman Who Smashed Codes, Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman, who played an integral role in our nation’s espionage history for forty years. After World War I, Smith used her talents to catch gangsters and smugglers during Prohibition, then accepted a covert mission to discover and expose Nazi spy rings that were spreading like wildfire across South America, advancing ever closer to the United States. As World War II raged, Elizebeth fought a highly classified battle of wits against Hitler’s Reich, cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German spies. Meanwhile, inside an Army vault in Washington, William worked furiously to break Purple, the Japanese version of Enigma—and eventually succeeded, at a terrible cost to his personal life.

Fagone unveils America’s code-breaking history through the prism of Smith’s life, bringing into focus the unforgettable events and colorful personalities that would help shape modern intelligence. Blending the lively pace and compelling detail that are the hallmarks of Erik Larson’s bestsellers with the atmosphere and intensity of The Imitation Game, this historical biography is page-turning popular history at its finest.

This page-turning work of American history finally tells Elizebeth’s full story, revealing:

• Codebreaking Pioneer: Discover how Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a brilliant Shakespeare expert, was recruited into the secret world of cryptanalysis, becoming one of the founders of the modern science of spycraft.
• WWII Espionage: Follow Elizebeth’s classified battle of wits against the Third Reich as she unmasks Nazi spy rings in South America and cracks multiple versions of the formidable Enigma machine.
• The Husband and Wife Duo: Explore the unique partnership between Elizebeth and her husband, William Friedman, the brilliant pair who confronted the evils of their time and laid the groundwork for the NSA.
• A Classified Legacy: Learn why the story of this extraordinary woman, who played an integral role in our nation’s history for forty years, was deliberately kept secret for decades."

"This book is a detailed biography of Elizabeth Smith Friedman, a pioneering woman in modern cryptography in the United States. Covering her life from 1892 to 1980, it explores her significant contributions to codebreaking and intelligence. Her husband, William Friedman, is also featured, known for leading the U.S. Army's efforts to decode Japanese diplomatic ciphers, including the Purple cipher. The narrative delves into her work at the Riverbank Laboratories, her involvement in uncovering secret plots during Prohibition, and her role in monitoring Nazi spy networks in South America during World War II. Based on letters, diaries, declassified documents, and interviews, the book reveals many previously unknown achievements. Notable figures such as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Alan Turing, and Ian Fleming also appear, adding depth to the story. This acclaimed biography was recognized as the best book of the year by NPR and served as the basis for a PBS documentary. The author, Jason Fagone, is a respected American journalist specializing in science, technology, and culture. The translator, Akie Onogi, is a professional translator based in Osaka. This is a compelling read for those interested in cryptography, history, and espionage.

Elizabeth Smith Friedman, a woman who laid the foundation for modern cryptography in the United States, is a masterpiece review that approaches the unknown life of Elizabeth Smith Friedman. NPR's Best Book of the Year.

A masterpiece review of the life of Elizabeth Smith Friedman (1892-1980), a woman who laid the foundation for modern cryptography in the United States. Her husband, William, is also known as the legendary cryptographer who led the deciphering of the Japanese diplomatic code (commonly known as the purple) in the U.S. Army.

Based on the strange Shakespearean research at the Riverbank Institute founded by the strange man Faybian, his encounter with William, his encounter with William, the cooperation of gangsters who plan to smuggle alcohol under Prohibition, and the monitoring and tracking of the Nazi spy network in South America during World War II - carefully follow the unknown achievements based on letters, diaries, declassified historical materials, and interviews with stakeholders. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Alan Turing, who cracked the Enigma code, and Ian Fleming, the creator of 007, also appear and add to the shadows."

"Elizebeth Smith Friedman had a rare talent for spotting patterns and solving puzzles. These skills led her to become one of the top cryptanalysts in America during both World War I and World War II.

She originally came to code breaking through her love for Shakespeare when she was hired by an eccentric millionaire to prove that Shakespeare's plays had secret messages in them. Within a year, she had learned so much about code breaking that she was a star in the making. She went on to play a major role decoding messages during WWI and WWII and also for the Coast Guard's war against smugglers.

Elizebeth and her husband, William, became the top code-breaking team in the US, and she did it all at a time when most women weren't welcome in the workforce.

Amy Butler Greenfield is an award-winning historian and novelist who aims to shed light on this female pioneer of the STEM community."

"William and Elizebeth Friedman were roped into an odd profession by a wealthy eccentric and became America's premier cryptologists.

Toward the end of World War I, the British Army began manufacturing thousands of small cipher machines, "Pletts Cryptographs," for use by the Allied forces. The British asked the American forces to use them as well. No one in the French, British, or American military had been able to break the ciphers; the machine had a mechanism that regularly altered the ciphering scheme, so the first a might be turned into an f and next a into an r.

Just to be sure that it was safe from enemy codebreakers, the American military passed it on to a remarkable husband-and-wife team in Illinois for testing. William and Elizebeth Friedman received a package with five telegram-length messages. It took all of three hours to break the lot, after with they returned them to London, solved. The first of the messages read: "This cipher is absolutely undecipherable.

Few ciphers were indecipherable to the Friedmans. By the end of his life, William Friedman was recognized as the greatest maker and breaker of codes and ciphers. Repeatedly, he accepted challenges to solve "unbreakable" ciphers, and succeeded. The paprs he wrote brought cryptology, an ancient skill as obscure as witchcraft, into the scientific age. The team he trained and supervised broke into Japan's highest diplomatic cipher just before World War II; not only did the group penetrate the secret, it built a deciphering machine that worked as well as Japan's cipher machine. Elizebeth Friedman provided exceptional assistance to the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy, unraveling secret messages from rumrunners during Prohibition, narcotics traffickers during the 1930's and enemy agents during wartime. True to the shadowy world of intelligence work, th epair shunned publicity and avoided discussing their work - even with each other."

"SHE learned about ciphers from Shakespeare. In her position as chief Crypt-analytic Section of U.S. Coast Guard, trim, smart young Elizebeth Friedman has "cracked" (solved, to us) more secret messages of criminal rings than any other woman in this country. Dope smugglers, jewel thieves, rum runners - enemies of the Government - tremble before her agile brain. A cryptic wireless message, intercepted, is brought to her. Studies it. Translates it - and Federal agents are on the trail. At a recent trial in New Orleans, where she was Uncle Sam's expert witness, nine lawyers tried to confound her. She won - and another gang of dope peddlers went to jail. Seldom, if ever, finds a message too complicated to unravel. uses many methods, including higher mathematics. Became interested in analyses of cryptograms by working on the old controversy as to whether or not Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays and concealed his message in cipher. First real work began with spy codes during the World War. Mrs. Friedman is the mother of two children, and accomplished musician, club woman, ardent bicyclist. Married to Major William Friedman, Chief of the Signal Intelligence Service of the War Department. Together they have represented the United States at international conferences. Last year, while in Spain, they received cryptic messages from their nine-year-old daughter. It seems it runs in the family."

"Decode the story of Elizebeth Friedman, the cryptologist who took down gangsters and Nazi spies in Code Breaker, Spy Hunter, a picture book biography from award-winning authorLaurie Wallmarkand illustratorBrooke Smart.

“An engaging introduction to a unique woman in a fascinating field” (School Library Journal), young readers will learn all about Elizebeth Friedman (1892–1980), a brilliant American code breaker who smashed Nazi spy rings, took down gangsters, and created the CIA’s first cryptology unit. Her story came to light when her secret papers were finally declassified in 2015.

From thwarting notorious rumrunners with only paper and pencil to “counter-spying into the minds and activities of” Nazis, Elizebeth held a pivotal role in the early days of US cryptology. No code was too challenging for her to crack, and Elizebeth’s work undoubtedly saved thousands of lives.

Extensive back matter includes explanations of codes and ciphers, further information on cryptology, a bibliography, a timeline of Elizebeth’s life, plus secret messages for young readers to decode."

"In the third book in the Asha and Baz series, readers learn about secret codes and how to break them from World War II codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman!

A secret code and a mysterious prize up for grabs at school prompts Asha and Baz to once more use their magic stick to travel to the past. This time they land in 1942, where they meet Elizebeth Friedman, a codebreaker working with the US Navy.

She’s the perfect person to help the kids with their codebreaking challenge, but she’s hard at work decoding secret messages from Nazi spies!

With a navy officer pressuring Elizebeth to work quickly and the Allied war efforts at risk, the kids could be in for more than they expected in Asha and Baz Meet Elizebeth Friedman!"

"An inspiring graphic novel about Elizebeth Friedman, a codebreaking pioneer who changed the course of World War II. Nazi spy rings! No-good gangsters! Shakespearian lies! Discover the courageous woman who cracked all these cases and more—with only a pencil and paper. The youngest of ten siblings, Elizebeth Friedman stood out from an early age with brilliant language skills and a passion for English literature. Eventually, these talents led to a new opportunity: codebreaking. Using ciphers and other trailblazing techniques, Friedman solved coded messages to take down some of the most notorious gangsters in the United States, including the infamous Al Capone. During World War II, as German forces stormed across Europe, she took her skills to the frontlines, thwarting Nazi spies and helping lead Allied forces to victory. In this action-packed, full-color graphic novel, learn more about this daring woman who took risks, defied expectations, and confronted the enemies of World War II."