As the code-breakers entered boot camp and their code-breaking training, they were sworn to secrecy. This meant they were not allowed to tell people what they did for work. They were informed that if they told anyone what they did, they were going to get shot. Many of the women kept these secrets their whole lives.
"When you have a secret, you don’t go around telling people that you have a secret. You make up a good story, and you pass off your story, and you don’t let anyone know you’re doing"
-Frances Scott,WWII Code Breaker.
If anyone asked, they were to answer: "They sharpened pencils," " Took out the garbage," or just did "Secretary work." Some women even made up a secret code word for when they went out and someone was getting too nosey about their work. Whenever they heard a member of their group order a Vodka Collins, they knew that they had to get this girl away from someone. Most of the time, they would excuse themselves to the women’s restroom, where they would sneak away.
It was common for men to take credit for women's achievements during this era. The past director of the F.B.I, J. Edgar Hoover took credit for female code-breaker Elizabeth Friedmans' work when she discovered a Nazi Spy ring. J. Edgar Hoover took credit for her discovery. The information about the female code-breakers, was declassified in 2016 and was only discovered when the author, Liza Mundy, looked into the history of the N.S.A.