Author, Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology
This week, Ira spoke with Betsy Rohaly Smoot, author of Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology (published by the University Press of Kentucky). In this deciphered episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Betsy talks about Hitt’s contributions to the development of American military cryptology; his writing of The Manual for the Solution of Military Ciphers prior to World War I; why he was relatively unknown for his contributions to the military; how he was able to contribute his talents in World War II, despite having retired from the service ; why he promoted the idea of women in the workplace; and the possible reasons for his lack of advancement in the ranks.
Betsy Rohaly Smoot is an intelligence historian interested in early twentieth-century cryptology and communications who has published articles in both Cryptologia and Intelligence and National Security. She retired from the Center for Cryptologic History of the National Security Agency in 2017.
http://www.betsyrohalysmoot.com
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