The
Secrets, Lies and Teletypes
code-breaking exhibit opened to the public March 23.
The
new exhibit explores the development of cryptology and code
breaking from ancient times to the present, focusing on the
role of machines and computers.
The
exhibit highlights the German Air Force Enigma machine on
loan from the National Cryptologic Museum, part of the National
Security Agency. The three-rotor Enigma was used to facilitate
secure messaging during World War II for the Nazi war effort.
In
addition, the National Security Agency has loaned the Museum
an M-209, a U. S. Army Signal Corps machine used by American
troops to send and receive encrypted messages.
The
exhibit explores the history of secret communications, including
semaphores, punch-card equipment, Teletypes, and other machines
that played roles in cracking codes and conveying encrypted
messages, as well as the famed Navajo code-talkers who stymied
Japanese efforts to crack U.S. communications in the Pacific
Theatre during World War II. |