Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology 

Parker Hitt was an extraordinary Army Officer with an interesting and wide-ranging career but like so many of his time he has largely been forgotten. Though Hitt did not consider himself a cryptologist, it is his cryptologic legacy that lingers, thanks in part to David Kahn, author of The Codebreakers. This presentation, based on my 2022 biography of the same name, will examine Hitt's life, and particularly his Army career, and explain why he earned the moniker "father of American military cryptology."