Friedman was the primary codebreaker for our [U.S.] military during that war and pioneered many of the techniques that were used so successfully during the next generation's war. In the interim, she worked with
Coast Guard intelligence to combat rum running during Prohibition, decoding criminal messages and often testifying in trials to help convict the bootleggers.
During World War II, she worked with the
Navy but was not allowed to lead her codebreaking unit. As a woman, she was required to report to a junior male officer because women weren't allowed those positions of authority then.
Her intelligence work helped take down Nazi cells in South America and prevented Germany from bringing the war to our hemisphere in hopes of diluting American strength on the European fronts. Since the work was secret, Friedman sat by quietly as J. Edgar Hoover claimed credit for her work as the FBI took down the enemy intelligence networks.