SpyCast

“My Father the Navajo Code-Talker” – with Laura Tohe


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Summary

Laura Tohe (Website) joins Andrew (TwitterLinkedIn) to discuss the stories of the WWII Navajo Code Talkers. Laura is a Diné author and the Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation. 


What You’ll LearnIntelligence
  • How the Code Talking units were formed
  • How the Navajo people used their language as a weapon
  • Laura’s father, Benson Tohe’s story
  • Did the Japanese ever break the code? 
  • Reflections
    • The relationship between language and the state
    • Storytelling and the power of oral history
    • And much, much more …


      Quotes of the Week

      “When they got into the service they were told, ‘Now you're going to use your language to develop a code.’ They said, ‘But, back at home they told us not to speak Navajo, and now they want us to develop a code in Navajo?’ So, they were not only astounded, they were puzzled why they would be asked to do this when they were in a school where their identity was being erased.” – Laura Tohe.


      Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*
      • The 18-Year-Old Soviet Spy on the Manhattan Project: Ted Hall with Director Steve James (2023)
      • ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: “The D-Day Deception” with National WWII Museum Curator Corey Graff (2023)
      • St. Ermin’s Hotel, London – The History of a Legendary Spy Site with Stephen Duffy (2023)
      • Hitler’s Trojan Horse – Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West (2023) 
        *Beginner Resources*
        • 1942: Navajo Code Talkers, Intel.gov (n.d.) [short article]
        • Basic Navajo Introduction, YouTube (2012) [3 min. video]
        • American Indian Code Talkers, WWII Museum (n.d.) [short article]
          *Featured Resource*
          Code Talker Stories, Laura Tohe (Rio Nuevo, 2012)DEEPER DIVEPrimary Sources 
          • Navajo Code Talkers: Oral History Interviews (various)
          • Proclamation 4954 -- National Navaho Code Talkers Day (1982)
          • Memorandum from Commander General Vogel to the Marine Corps Regarding Enlistment of "Navaho" Indians (1942)
            *Wildcard Resource*
            Diné Bahaneʼ: The Navajo Creation Story

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