The Woman All Spies Fear

This work details the life of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a top American code breaker in the United States who deciphered enemy messages during World War I, the prohibition era, and World War II. Her important work received little attention as it was classified but also because as a woman, she was under-valued, and her male counterparts and superiors often took credit for her work. The harassment, discrimination, sexism, low wages, and threats she faced in her career are outlined. This biography provides a look at her internal conflicts of balancing a home, a career, and her relationships, and the external conflicts she faced as a professional woman at that time.