In An Age Of Communication Options History Tells Us There Will Always Be Secret Codes
Friday, November 27, 2009 by Connor Sullivan
The means of exchanging ideas have never been more prolific. Modern communication includes television, radio, newspaper, telephone, cellular phone, twitter accounts, face book, you tube, IM, personal blogs, bumper stickers and many other options. Clothing has also become a form of communication, with shirts, pants, ribbons, message buttons, silicone wristbands or a silicone bracelet. It seems everyone has a message and a way to communicate it. It hasn’t always been that way, and in some parts of the world it still remains difficult to freely express an opinion. There have been many methods of communicating secretlyduring the course of history. Some of these methods are very simple some are very complex.
In ancient times there are accounts of messages being sent by slaves bearing tattoos under their hair. This required the shaving of the head, the tattooing of the message and then waiting for the hair to grow back. There are stories about the Greeks being warned of a planned Persian invasion by a slave with a message inked into his scalp. This was not a great method for sending important information. Slaves didn’t have dry erase scalps, so they could only be used once. They also used wax tablets to conceal messages. These tablets were a bit like dry erase boards. A communication could be sent, and then the tablet could be smoothed out and used again. Hidden messages would be covered on the wood backing that held the wax.
During World War II secrets were sometimes knitted into clothing like hats, scarves or sweaters. They often created the message in Morse code. The message was knitted then incorporated into an article of clothing. Often the bearer of the message didn’t know they were passing secrets. Messages were also stuck to envelopes on the back of stamps and sent by courier or regular mail.
An extraordinary mode of war time communication was performed by Native American Code talkers. much of the public knows about the Navajo code talkers in World War II, but many other Native American languages where used in World War II and World War I. Choctaw was used to help win the battles in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign in France. A captain overheard several men speaking Choctaw and he developed a code using the Choctaw speakers. Much of the acclaim for the war achievements was given to the unbroken code. Hitler took notice of the historical battles of World War I and sent historians to the States to decipher the Native American tongues. They could not gain enough skill the many different idioms and speech patterns. Many of the battles in WWII were successfully guided by Native American Code talkers.
Throughout the ages men and women have sought ways of communicate. TodayThe ability to communicate has been enhanced a thousandfold with the digital explosion. With every new invention, our ability to reach out into the world has been enhanced. With every advancement the question was asked how to communicate secretly. Hidden messages can appear inciphers hidden in photographs or software. History has demonstrated that clandestine messaging increases with technological advancements and necessity. There will always be unseen ways to pass our messages onward.
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