American Indian Code Talkers --------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. -------------------------------------- Submitted by Linda Simpson greyoaks@brightok.net Indian Nations/Indian Territory Archivist -------------------------------------- During World War I and World War II, the United States called upon the American Indians for special help in moving information. American Indian language provided an unbreakable code. Cyyptography is a standard way of maintaining security, however it takes time to encode and decode messages from prearranged codes. Eventually the enemy can figure out most codes. To confuse the enemy, American forces in both World Wars asked the American Indians to use their unique language to insure that communications could be secure. The Indians received training courses in the United States and in the operational theatres on basic communications techniques. They learned standard military terms and phraseology. In World War I in France, the 142nd Infantry Regiment had a company of American Indians who spoke 26 different languages and dialects. Only four or five of the languages had a written form. The company of Indians played an important role, transmitting in their native language a variety of open, voice messages about troop and enemy movement. The enemy couldn't break their code. In World war II, the U.S. Army once again called upon the American Indians to help in its signal communications operation. Twenty-four Navajos were assigned to handle telephone communications, using voice codes in their native tongue. They sent messages between the Air Commander in the Solomon Islands and various airfields in the region. The U.S. Marine Corps also used Navajo code talkers to send messages between the Air Commander and the various airfields. The Navajo Code Talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific Theater from 1942-1945. they served in all six Marine divisions. The Navajo Indians were sometimes mistaken for Japanese and taken prisoners, therefore many had to have an escort so these mistakes were not made. There were about 450 Navajos who served the Nation dring World War II. In Europe, the 4th Signal Company of the Army's 4th Infantry Division was assigned 16 Comanches to work as voice radio operators to transmit and receive messages in their own unwritten language. Indian Code Talkers were also used in the Korean Conflict in the 1950's and in Vietnam in the 1960's. In 1968 Indian Code Talking was declassified. Up to that point no one had broken the code. The Indian code talkers were extremely successful and saved many lives. In 1971, President Richard Nixon awarded a special certificate to the code talkers to thank them for their "patriotism", resourcefulness, and courage.