35: The Code Breaker

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

History, Society & Culture

4.9 • 40.8K Ratings

🗓️ 10 January 2017

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

His ear for hearing patterns served him well.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the way I heard it.
0:08.6	The radio buzzed and hummed, struggling to hone in on the right frequency.
0:13.3	The interference was distracting, but the code breakers highly trained ear was the best
0:18.3	in the Air Force.
0:19.6	And now all his concentration was focused on picking out the distant rhythms banging
0:25.3	through the ether.
0:27.3	Did da did da da did did da da da da da da.
0:31.9	The tones came fast and furious, buried and static, but the code breaker heard their message
0:36.7	loud and clear and their message was big news.
0:40.7	He checked his transcription twice before he left his post.
0:44.3	He knew he was good, very good, in fact, but he didn't want to get this one wrong.
0:50.7	Da did did for d, a single did for e, did da for a, and then another d, d e a d.
1:01.4	The young airman removed his headphones and contemplated the impact of what he had
1:05.7	just learned.
1:07.2	The most notorious mass murderer in the history of the world was dead, and right now he was
1:13.1	the only American who knew it.
1:16.0	He rose stiffly and shook out the kinks, the long lonely hours hunched over the receiver
1:21.8	were wearing on his back and hips.
1:24.3	He walked to his superior's office and entered without knocking.
1:27.7	This annoyed his superior, but the code breaker was never much for protocol.
1:33.3	I have some news, said the code breaker, and I have a door, said the superior.
1:38.8	Maybe you'd care to knock on it before entering.
	...

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