[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1130-E1131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF ANGELINE ``ANGIE'' NANNI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 2019

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Angeline 
``Angie'' Nanni for her critical role in the once highly classified 
Venona Project breaking encrypted Soviet communications. Angie, with 
her unparalleled gift for numbers and analytical thinking, dedicated 
her career to breaking codes to maintain the safety and security of the 
United States during the Cold War.
  Born August 2, 1918 in the small town of Blairsville, PA, Angie was 
expected to work in her sisters' beauty salon. Not passionate about 
being a beautician, she ran the business side of the shop. However, 
during the end of WWII, Angie and her sisters set off to Washington, 
D.C. to help with the war effort. Once the war was over, Angie decided 
to stay near the capital. When the opportunity to take an exam for a 
government job arose, she decided to take it.
  Angie, one of the only non-college educated women taking the coded 
exam, not only passed with flying colors, but also was the first person 
to finish the exam. Her natural affinity for numbers allowed her to 
strip down the codes and extract the pertinent information. Angie 
joined the female-dominated coalition of cryptanalysts based in 
Arlington, Virginia post. Described as a ``needle-in-a-haystack 
ability,'' Angie's job was to match messages coming from two distinct 
channels, accessing vital information from what were thought to be 
unbreakable Soviet codes.
  During the era of McCarthyism and blind accusations, there was a 
secret group of women who held more confidential knowledge than any 
branch of government so close to their chests that not even their 
family members knew the details of their jobs. Angie worked for the 
Venona Project until it ended in 1980. At her retirement party, nobody 
knew from what job she was retiring.
  Due to her hard work, in addition to the other members of the Venona 
Project, many encrypted messaged from the KGB were able to be 
deciphered. Some of the most notable codes Angie helped break were 
names for many prominent players of the era, including President 
Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, The Manhattan Project, Julius Rosenberg, 
and Washington, D.C.

[[Page E1131]]

  It is a great honor to recognize Angie Nanni for her service to our 
nation throughout her life. May she inspire others to recognize their 
true potential to make a difference in the world.

                          ____________________