Elizabeth Smith Friedman: The Woman Who Put Cryptography on the Map

On this episode of Our American Stories, Elizabeth Smith Friedman's accomplishments were as many as they were vital to national security—so crucial that it took until the 2000s to declassify what she was doing in WWI and WWII. Hillsdale College student and substitute panelist on Constituting America’s podcast "Constitutional Chats" Lindsey Larkin tells the unknown story of this remarkable decoder. We'd like to thank Constituting America for turning us onto this tale. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
Up next a story from Hillsdale College, one of their
students telling it about Hillsdale's greatest cryptologist. And Hillsdale's been
a proud sponsor of this show from when it started
way back in twenty sixteen. Let's get into the story

(00:38):
below there.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
My name is Lindsay Larkin. I'm a student from Hillsdale College,
and today I am really excited to share the story
of a woman who cracked enemy codes during both World Wars,
exposed Nazi spirings in South America, and helped dismantle organized
crime networks during Prohibition.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Her name Elizabeth Smith Friedman.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Elizabeth Smith Friedman was born in eighteen.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Ninety two in a small town in Indiana. She is
the youngest of nine children.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
From an early age, she has a passion for literature
and languages.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
After earning an English.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Degree from Hillsdale College, she longs for a path beyond
the conventional expectations placed on women at the time, and,
as fate would have it, an extraordinary opportunity.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Came her way. In nineteen sixteen.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
She responds to a newspaper advertisement from George Fabian, an
eccentric millionaire with an unusual interest. He hopes to prove
that Sir Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare's Place.
This leads Elizabeth to Riverbank Laboratories, one of the first

(02:05):
institutions in the.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
US dedicated to cryptography.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Though the Shakespearean theory was highly questionable at bests, the
cryptographic work at Riverbank was genuine. There, Elizabeth meets William Friedman,
a fellow codebreaker who would become both her professional partner
and husband. Together, they lay the foundation for modern cryptanalysis.

(02:36):
When World War One erupts, the US government turns to
Riverbank Laboratories for assistance in breaking enemy codes. Elizabeth begins
to analyze intercepted messages and develops techniques to decrypt complex
ciphers used by German spies. In addition to this, she

(02:59):
helps train militi terry intelligence officers in cryptanalysis, laying the
foundation for the army's cryptographic efforts.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
Elizabeth and William.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Play a critical role in the war's efforts. While William
later joined the army, elizabeth expertise is soon called upon
in a different but equally vital battle one taking place
much closer to home. During Prohibition, criminal organizations had begun

(03:30):
to rely on secret codes to coordinate their illegal liquor trade.
The US government needed someone capable of breaking these encrypted messages,
and Elizabeth was the ideal candidate. Working with the Coastguard,
she meticulously decodes communications that eventually lead to the disruption
of major smuggling operations. Not only does Elizabeth work behind

(03:55):
the scenes, but she also takes the stand in court,
presenting her findings with remarkable clarity and confidence, even while
facing notoriously dangerous criminals. Yet despite these pivotal contributions, she
often goes unrecognized. Even during World War II, Elizabeth leads

(04:15):
a team for the US Coast Guards Intelligent Unit cracking
the secret codes of Nazi spy rings operating in South America.
Using painstaking linguistic and mathematical analysis, she decrypts thousands of
encoded messages, exposing entire espionage networks that were feeding intelligence

(04:37):
to the Axis Powers. Her work not only helped dismantle
these networks, but also ensure that vital wartime communications remained secure.
Despite Elizabeth's incredible contributions, public recognition often went to others,

(04:57):
particularly Jay Edgar Who and the FBI, but history is
clear Elizabeth's work was instrumental in these victories. After the war,
Elizabeth chooses to live a much quieter life. She spends
her remaining years with William until his passing in nineteen

(05:19):
sixty nine. Elizabeth Smith Friedman passes away in nineteen eighty,
with much of her work still classified until two thousand
and eight. It was only in later years that her
immense contributions received the recognition they deserved. Today, her legacy
endures not just in cryptology, but in the countless women

(05:44):
in stem who now look to her as a role model.
Her techniques continue to influence intelligence agencies, and her story
serves as a testament to the power of intellect and perseverance.
Elizabeth Smith Friedman was far more.

Speaker 3 (06:01):
Than just a codebreaker.

Speaker 2 (06:02):
She was a pioneer, a patriot, and a woman who
profoundly impacted American history.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Monte Montgomery, himself a Hillsdale grad, and
a special thanks to Lindsay Larkin, a Hillsdale College student,
with this terrific story on Elizabeth Smith Friedman and what
a pioneer she was, indeed a pioneer, a patriot, and
a woman who profoundly impacted American history. And unlike Rosie

(06:37):
the Riveters, and we've told lots of stories about those
women who impacted American history, here was one in the
area of stem a cryptologist doing things like busting organized
crime networks and then Nazi networks. And a special thanks
to Constituting America for sending us this wonderful story to
learn about the terrific work they do. This education nonprofit

(07:00):
educates and inspires students across the country on the relevance
of the Constitution and the principles of self governance. A
terrific organization. Go to Constituting America dot org. That's Constituting
America dot org. The story of Elizabeth Smith Friedman. Here
on Our American Stories, leeh abb Here, host of our

(07:31):
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