Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code

In the heat of battle, it is of the utmost importance that messages are delivered and received as quickly as possible. It is even more crucial that these messages are encoded so the enemy does not know about plans in advance.

During World War II, the Marine Corps used one of the thousands of languages spoken in the world to create an unbreakable code: Navajo.

World War II wasn’t the first time a Native American language was used to create a code.

During World War I, the Choctaw language was used in the transmission of secret tactical messages. It was instrumental in a successful surprise attack against the Germans.

Germany and Japan sent students to the United States after World War I to study Native American languages and cultures, such as Cherokee, Choctaw, and Comanche.

Because of this, many members of the U.S. military services were uneasy about continuing to use Code Talkers during World War II. They were afraid the code would be easily cracked, but that was before they learned about the complexity of Navajo.

Read more and use the Navajo language to try and break a code on the CIA website...