The young girls came from all over the United States, volunteers all, wanting to help the war effort in any way they could. They headquartered and were trained in Washington, DC; sworn to secrecy and given Top Secret clearances, these 10,000 dedicated women formed the core of America's enemy code breakers.
They comprised 70 percent of the code-breaking operation, but as women in a male dominated society they walked without curiosity through the government's most restricted halls. When they were occasionally questioned, they gave innocuous - and successful! - replies: 'I sharpen pencils,' or 'I'm an assistant secretary for General so-and-so.' After the war many of these women used their experience to leapfrog into careers previously unattainable for females, but they always kept their war duties secret, so much so that only now have their exploits been uncovered. Read about them in 'Code Girls.'
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