Breaking Codes Breaking Barriers The WACs of the Signal Security Agency World War II

The entry of the United States into the Second World War led to unprecedented conscription of most able-bodied men. In the face of acute wartime labor shortages, women were needed in the defense industries, the civil service, and even the Armed Forces. Virtually all Americans were 100 percent behind the war effort, but when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the bill establishing the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on May 14, 1942, he did so amid controversy. America desperately needed more persons in uniform, but that need collided with the strongly held view that women did not belong in the military.Actually, women have had roles with the military services, if not in the services since our country was founded. The WAAC simply formalized that tradition. Initially, clerical-type jobs were opened to women, but manpower shortages soon required that women be allowed to do more than serve in such positions as telephone operators, typists, and clerks. With the reorganization of the WAAC into the Women's Army Corps, WACs began to put their civilian skills — such as mathematics, communications, and linguistics — to work for the Army. The US Army Signal Security Agency sought women having experience in these areas to fill positions in its highly secret cryptologic work.The Americans and British intercepted and unscrambled secret military and diplomatic messages that their enemies transmitted by radio. Some of the greatest triumphs of the war came as a result of these broken codes and ciphers. With the recent declassification of official records, the story of the secret war of codes and codebreakers has become well known, but most research focuses on the work itself, rather than on those who made the effort possible. This publication gives voice to some of the women who were a part of the cryptologic successes that fed the Allies the information they needed to thwart the enemy's plans and win decisive battles in Europe and the Pacific. WACs assigned to the Signal Security Agency joined a unique group of highly trained individuals, both civilian and military, who served at the Agency's headquarters and fixed field sites.This publication was written by Mrs. Karen Kovach of the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) hlistory Office and is based on INSCOM's historical records holdings. However, the heart of this story is the recollections shared by WAC members of the Second Signal Service Battalion. Some married after the war and are quoted under their married names, but when known, their maiden names are given. Title: Breaking Codes Breaking Barriers The WACs of the Signal Security Agency World War II Author Name: Kovach, Karen Location Published: US Army Intelligence and Security Command: 2001 Binding: softcover Book Condition: excellent Pages: 50 Categories: Women at War, Espionage, Intelligence & Spies, Intelligence War Seller ID: 0705