A pioneering American cryptanalyst who worked on cracking codes used by Prohibition-era smugglers and Nazi spy networks, her efforts largely unrecognized due to institutional secrecy and gender bias.

A US Army cryptologist and Elizebeth's husband, known for his foundational work in cryptanalysis, including breaking Japan’s Purple cipher and developing secure communication systems.

The eccentric patron of Riverbank Laboratories, whose funding and obsessions with pseudoscientific theories acted as both catalyst and challenge for the Friedmans' early work in cryptology.

An educator at Riverbank Laboratories who mentored Elizebeth Friedman and promoted the controversial theory that Francis Bacon authored Shakespeare’s works using a cipher.

The head of the US Army’s MI-8 who published a memoir exposing secret codebreaking activities, contrasting with the Friedmans' commitment to secrecy and scientific rigor.

The director of the FBI known for claiming credit for dismantling spy operations that were actually achieved by Elizebeth Friedman’s cryptanalytic work during WWII.

A US Army Signal Corps leader and advocate for cryptology whose support for the Friedmans integrated their cryptanalytic talents into national security efforts.

An SS intelligence officer who orchestrated Nazi spy networks in South America during WWII, becoming a key target of Elizebeth Friedman's codebreaking efforts.