Listen to Episode 872 of Slate’s The Gist:
Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS feed ∙ Download ∙ Play in another tab
Slate Plus members: Get your ad-free podcast feed.
Elizebeth Smith got her start poring over Shakespearean verse for secret messages that were not there. But she soon used those skills to break codes used by America’s enemies in both world wars. The FBI took credit for her decryptions of Nazi messages, and her husband’s work received much greater attention from the wars’ historians. Jason Fagone changes that with his latest book, The Woman Who Smashed Codes, and joins Mike to talk about it.
In the Spiel, Mike surveys famous comedians’ reactions to Louis C.K.’s admitted sexual misconduct.
Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.
Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook.
Email: thegist@slate.com
Twitter: @slategist
