The U.S. Marines used Navajos to transmit and receive messages in their native language during World War II. Because the Navajo language is a complex, unwritten language that has no alphabet or symbols, it was a perfect candidate for coded communication. The Japanese never broke the code.
Navajo Dictionary
- ca. 1945
Description
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
National Archives Identifier: 26870984
Full Citation: Navajo Dictionary; ca. 1945; Non-Navy, US Marine Corps, Series Navajo Dictionary June 1945; World War II Command Files, 1971 – 2004; Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Record Group 38; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/navajo-dictionary/, February 22, 2026]
Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
