The Friedman Legacy: A Tribute to William and Elizebeth Friedman

Chapter 5. Lecture V

For a half century following the close of the Civil War, cryptology in the United States enjoyed a period of hibernation from which it awoke at long last about 1914, not refreshed, as did Rip Van Winkle, but weaker. This is perhaps understandable if we take into account that the United States was able to enjoy a long era of peace, broken only briefly by the short war with Spain in 1898. For over three decades there was little or no need for cryptology in the United States government, except for the communications of the Department of State. The military and naval services apparently felt that in time of peace there was no need for either cryptography or cryptanalysis, and since it looked as though the United States was going ...