Interview Questions for The Woman All Spies Fear

• How did you first hear about Elizebeth Smith Friedman?
• What made Friedman unique?
• How did Friedman get her start in code breaking?
• Why did she lie about her age, and why is there a “missing year” in her life?
• Why was Friedman critical to the American code-breaking effort in World War I? How was she ultimately rewarded?
• Did Friedman’s marriage to William Friedman, godfather of the NSA, help or hurt her career?
• How did Friedman take on the Mob? Was she ever in danger?
• What was her greatest code-breaking triumph?
• Did Friedman want to be famous? How famous was she?
• How did Friedman deal with reporters?
• What role did Friedman play in WWII? How important was her contribution?
• Did she really crack Enigma?
• Why did the FBI steal credit for her work?
• What was the cause of William Friedman’s breakdowns? How did the Friedmans cope with them?
• Why did the NSA raid her home in 1958, and what impact did that have on her and her husband?
• Why was Friedman forgotten?
• Did you find any surprises in the archives while you were researching Friedman’s life? Did anything surprising happen as you wrote the book?
• Did Friedman inspire other women to go into code breaking?
• How has code breaking changed since Friedman’s day?
• What does Friedman’s hidden story tell us about American history? About the history of women? About the history of code breaking?
• What can we learn from Friedman’s life? Are there any lessons that are important today?