Cryptologic Bytes

"On This Date in Cryptologic History" Calendar

1921: William Friedman began 6 month contract with Army Signal Corps

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

1 Jan 1921: William Friedman began a six-month contract with the Army Signal Corps to prepare cryptographic systems. (Photo: Marshall Foundation)

Excerpt from army.mil:

In 1921, the Army's Chief Signal Officer offered Friedman a trial six-month government contract as a civilian cryptographer. This began William Friedman's 34-year career as an Army employee. By the end of 1921 he was named the Cryptanalyst of the Signal Service, accepting a salary of $4,500 per year. His duties ranged from teaching a course on military codes and ciphers, to writing the Army's first training manual on the topic, called Elements of Cryptanalysis. Friedman published numerous other works throughout the 1920s.

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