The Girl Who Knew Too Much Full Story

[Lu Rounsaville]

Sometimebetween uncovering the Santa Claus myth and discovering that our dog was not sent to a farm in Colorado, but was put down by the vet, we learned that Mom had made up her glamorous life as a Rockette. This private joke was her way of breaking the monotony of being with the kids all day and night. Dad was, of course, saved from the chaos at home by the relative peace of the fire house.

From there she must have been sent to Washington DC. I remember her referring to a brownstone in Georgetown which she shared with other Navy women. She was quickly promoted to lieutenant. In a letter to Kay, her brother, Buddy, wrote:

On August 14, 1945 at 7 pm, President Truman announced the Japanese surrender to a weary but euphoric nation (Code Girls, pg. 329). Of course the code breakers already knew this important development and, consistent with their professional etiquette, kept it quiet.

Just as quickly as the code breakers were trained and thrown into their wartime assignments, they were thanked and dismissed from their posts, and told it was their patriotic duty to get off the government payroll. (Code Girls, pg. 331). Women returning from the war were expected to embrace domestic life and leave the jobs to the men.

Thank you Anne for sharing this wonderful story of your amazing mom. Your essay is both compelling and informative. Hope you are enjoying your last few days in Florida and looking forward to seeing you soon.

My mother once mentioned that during the war she was invited to work with an agency because she spoke fluent German and had secretarial skills. Is there a way for me to find out if she was a Code Girl?

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