On this episode of Our American Stories, Elizabeth Smith Friedman helped build modern American cryptography, though much of her work remained classified for decades. From World War I through World War II, she broke enemy codes, trained military intelligence officers, dismantled Prohibition-era smuggling networks, and exposed Nazi spy rings operating in South America.

Lindsay Larkin, who attended Friedman's alma mater, shares the story of a pioneering codebreaker whose quiet work shaped U.S. intelligence and national security long before her contributions were publicly recognized. We'd like to thank Constituting America for turning us onto this tale. 

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