Pages

Friday, February 6, 2009

Crack the Code

I was watching a movie last week while i was sick with strep throat and tonsillitis (gross), and a topic in the movie got me curious. National Treasure 1 and 2 is all about history and how important it is. If anyone doesn't know i LOVE history and am fascinated by it. In the 2nd movie Nicholas Cage's character kidnapped the President of the United States for about 10 mins while the secret service go into panic. What got me thinking was the called the president "eagle" or something like that. I wanted to know what the real code names are for the president of the us and there families? Also when and why did the secret service start. Like if Lincoln would have had secret sever would he be alive? where did it begin?

With a reported one third of the currency in circulation being counterfeit, the Secret Service was commissioned on July 5, 1865 in Washington, D.C. as the "Secret Service Division" of the Department of the Treasury and was originally tasked with the suppression of counterfeiting. The legislation creating the agency was on Abraham Lincoln's desk the night he was assassinated.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman was residing in the Blair House, across the street from the White House, while the executive mansion was undergoing renovations. Two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, approached the Blair House with the intent to assassinate President Truman. Collazo and Torresola opened fire on Private Leslie Coffelt and other White House Police officers. After the attempt assassination the secret service was given the new job of the protection of politicians and turned over most the counterfeit money problems to the FBI.

In 1968, as a result of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, Congress authorized protection of major presidential and vice presidential candidates and nominees . Congress also authorized protection of the spouses of deceased presidents unless they remarry and of the children of former presidents until age 16. Congress passed legislation in 1994 stating that presidents that enter office after January 1, 1997 will receive Secret Service protection for 10 years after leaving office. Individuals that entered office prior to January 1, 1997 will continue to receive lifetime protection.

According to established protocol, 'good' codewords are unambiguous words that can be easily pronounced and readily understood by those who transmit and receive voice messages by radio or telephone regardless of their native language. Traditionally, all family members' code names start with the same letter. The code names change over time for security purposes, but are often publicly known. For security, code names are generally picked from a list of such 'good' words, but avoiding the use of common words which could likely be intended to mean its normal definition. The code names started with Truman after the attempt assassination realizing they needed to heighten security.

Harry S. Truman - General

Dwight Eisenhower - Scorecard or Providence
Mamie Eisenhower - Springtime

John F. Kennedy - Lancer
Jacqueline Kennedy - Lace
Caroline Kennedy - Lyric
John F. Kennedy, Jr. - Lark
Rose Kennedy - Coppertone

Lyndon Johnson - Volunteer
Lady Bird Johnson - Victoria
Lynda Bird Johnson - Velvet
Luci Baines Johnson - Venus

Richard Nixon - Searchlight (pun from watergate? maybe)
Pat Nixon - Starlight

Gerald Ford - Pass Key
Betty Ford - Pinafore
Susan Ford - Panda
Michael Ford - Professor
Jack Ford - Packman

Jimmy Carter - Deacon
Rosalynn Carter - Dancer
Amy Carter - Dynamo
Chip Carter - Diamond
Jack Carter - Derby
Jeff Carter - Deckhand

Ronald Reagan - Rawhide
Nancy Reagan - Rainbow
Maureen Reagan - Rhyme, Rosebud
Michael Reagan - Riddler
Patti Davis - Ribbon
Ron Reagan - Reliant
Doria Reagan - Radiant

George H. W. Bush - Timberwolf
Barbara Bush - Snowbank or Tranquility
Marvin Bush - Tuner
Neil Bush - Trapline
Jeb Bush - Tripper

Bill Clinton - Eagle
Hillary Rodham Clinton - Evergreen
Chelsea Clinton - Energy

George W. Bush - Tumbler or Trailblazer
Laura Bush - Tempo
Barbara Bush - Turquoise
Jenna Bush - Twinkle

Barack Obama - Renegade
Michelle Obama - Renaissance
Malia Obama - Radiance
Sasha Obama - Rosebud

3 comments:

  1. oh how interesting... id like t be glamour... you can be glitz!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank you for commenting!! you the only one so far. i think code names are essential. Smoke Rayce!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. im a regular commenter. dont worry my blogging will happen we have got to get melle involved in this blog life!

    ReplyDelete