Navajo Code Talkers
Navajo Code Talkers were an extremely important part of our victory in World War II. The plan for using this almost secret language outside the Navajo people, was brought to life by Philip Johnston. Johnston heard that the military was looking at different Native American languages to use as a new code. Immediately Johnston thought of Navajo. Johnston lived on a Navajo reservation for most of his childhood as a missionary. Here, he learned the Navajo language and at age nine, served as an interpreter the Navajo in Washington, D.C., to push for Indian rights. The marines tried his idea, and approved a pilot project with thirty Navajos to be a part of the program.
The recruits’ first job was to develop a code. Navajo was thought to be a good choice because it isn’t written and people who are not of Navajo origin rarely speak it. The marines made this code even more unbreakable with word substitution. Over 400 Navajos were a part of the program. The code started by using word association, or using Navajo words and applying them to terms of war. By the end of the war, the code went from 211 terms to 411 terms. Another idea used to make the code was an alphabet system. This was used to spell words not found in the Navajo vocabulary.
When the code talkers were tested, they passed with flying colors. They translated, transmitted, and retranslated a test message in two and a half minutes, which would normally take hours. The Navajo Code Talkers were then used in every major operation that involved the marines in the Pacific. Their job was to give tactical information over phone and radio. Major Howard Connor said, “Were it not for the Navajos, the marines would have never taken Iwo Jima.” The actions of these men were not recognized until 1968 when the operation became declassified.
Works Cited
"Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 06 Nov. 2008. Web. 08 May 2016.
<https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-story-archive/navajo-code-talkers/>.
Page by SH
<https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-story-archive/navajo-code-talkers/>.
Page by SH