Navajo Code Talkers

Here is a photo of Eight Code Talkers. John Goodluck is in the bottom row, second from right In A league of their own, the Navajo code talkers were a substantial necessity for the fight to win WWII. Because of a lack of alphabet,symbols,and an unwritten language, it made deciphering impossible for the Japanese.At the beginning of the war, there were only 30 non Navajos who could speak the language, and not all of them were fluent. Phillip Johnston was one of those who spoke fluently, a veteran of WWI, he grew up on a Navajo reservation. He was the mastermind of using Navajo for coding.Unlike other codes that took hours to decode, the Navajo code took mere minutes. This idea was vital to making a congruent code.

Pfc. Preston Toledo and Pfc. Frank Toledo, in the Marine artillery division, decode in their native tongue.

(Pictured here are Cpl. Henry Blake,Jr.,and
Pfc George H. Kirkof code talkers on the battle front
relaying secret orders over the
battle field)



Here is an overview article about the Navajo code talkers.




Here is an poster of the names of all the Code talkers
http://http//www.lapahie.com/NavajoCodeTalker_Poster_Lg.cfm











Q.N.A

Q-Who Came up with the idea of using Navajo as a code?
- Philip Johnston.

Q- Why was the code successful?
-Lack of alphabet, symbols, and an unwritten language.

Q- Who was the code meant to fool?
- The Japanese.




Summary
The Navajo code talkers, were one of the main reasons that U.S secrets stayed that way. WIthout any form of alphabet the Japenese, had the worst time trying to decode the messages.

The Navajo Code Talkers

The Navajo Code Talkers were a vital part of World War II. Without them the war may have had a drastically different outcome. The Code Talkers were a group of Navajos put into six different military divisions whose simple job was to speak their own language. They used their own language and transformed it into a code that would never be broken by any code breaker. The idea to use the Navajo language was presented by Philip Johnston, a World War I veteran who lived among the Navajo when his was a missionary to them. Johnston came up with the idea when he saw in a newspaper that a Louisiana division was trying to develop an uncrackable code. Johnston promoted the idea of utilizing the Navajo language to the government, but they unsure of the idea because the Japanese had sent people over to study Cherokee and Choctaw languages, but they forgot the Navajo language.

(A primary source of a picture of Philip Johnston with a Navajo Code Talker during the 1940's)

Philip Johnston's reasons for promoting the use of the Navajo language was because it was an unwritten language and was extremely complex to anyone without extensive training in the language. The Navajos created a system of messaging by sending messages of seemingly unrelated Navajo words. However, those words would translate to ant, apple, axe, etc. Then the first letter of each word they translated to would correspond with a letter of the English Alphabet (ex. the Navajo word Wol-la-chee would translate to ant which would correspond with the letter A.)

Below is a link to a primary source of their language, a Navajo Code Talker Dictionary revised in 1945:

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-4.htm

The first Navajo code talkers were a group of 29 who developed the language while attending boot camp. The whole entire dictionary of their code had to be memorized during camp.

During the war, the ranks of the Navajo code talkers exceeded 400 during 1942-1945. They were credited with saving numerous lives and helping to bring about a quick end to World War II.

( Primary source of World War II Navajo code talker in 1943 using a walky-talky.)

The strength of the Navajos' code was unparalleled. The code was nearly so unbreakable that it baffled even the most skilled Japanese code breakers. Because of that code the outcome of the war was drastically different and the Navajo Code Talkers were honored for their great service in the war.

(Pictures of Navajo Code Talkers exchanging code. Click Above to view top picture primary source. Click Below to view bottom picture primary source.)

Links to Secondary Sources

https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-story-archive/navajo-code-talkers/index.html


http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-2.htm


http://www.bingaman.senate.gov/features/codetalkers/


http://www.navajocodetalkers.org/


http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/navajacode.htm

Quiz Questions

1. Who promoted the idea of using the idea of using the Navajo language as a code?

2. When did the Navajo code talker units serve in the war?

3. How many different divisions did the Navajos serve in?

Answers

1. Philip Johnston

2. 1942-1945

3. Six