TOP SECRET: Declassifying the Black Codebreakers of World War II and the Cold War

FAIN: FZ-300269-24

Sarah Valentine
Unaffiliated Independent Scholar (Pittsburgh, PA 15220)

Research and writing leading to a book on the history of all-Black codebreaking units in the U.S. Army’s intelligence agencies during World War II and the Cold War. 

TOP SECRET unearths the history of two all-Black codebreaking units in the Army's intelligence agencies during World War II and the Cold War. The result of a racial hiring quota, the World War II-era Commercial Code unit freed the US from relying on British intelligence on Axis trade relations. Despite limited resources, the unit processed thousands of messages daily and employed Black scholars and professionals from around the country. In the aftermath of World War II, another all-Black group, the Russian plaintext exploitation unit, arose to counter the growing threat of Soviet nuclear war. Under the harsh conditions of segregation, the codebreakers learned Russian and processed over 100,000 intercepted telegrams daily, becoming the Allies’ main source of Soviet intelligence until the early 1950s. The project highlights these hidden heroes’ critical contribution to national security and will captivate readers with its fresh perspective on the most pivotal moments of the 20th century.