{"id":4176,"date":"2024-10-31T18:26:42","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T22:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/?p=4176"},"modified":"2024-10-31T18:26:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T22:26:44","slug":"the-secrets-of-ottawas-world-war-ii-spies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/eternal-4176-the-secrets-of-ottawas-world-war-ii-spies","title":{"rendered":"The Secrets of Ottawa\u2019s World War II Spies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Long ago, where a modern apartment building now stands, there was an impressive mansion shrouded in mystery. No one knew what went on inside\u2014it was a place of secrets. <a href=\"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\">Ottawa Future<\/a> shares the intriguing story of Ottawa\u2019s wartime spies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a294056aa3f7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a294056aa3f7\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/eternal-4176-the-secrets-of-ottawas-world-war-ii-spies\/#The_Outpost_of_the_Code_and_Cipher_School\" title=\"The Outpost of the Code and Cipher School\">The Outpost of the Code and Cipher School<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/eternal-4176-the-secrets-of-ottawas-world-war-ii-spies\/#Formation_of_the_Examination_Unit\" title=\"Formation of the Examination Unit\">Formation of the Examination Unit<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/eternal-4176-the-secrets-of-ottawas-world-war-ii-spies\/#Ottawas_Spy_Colleagues\" title=\"Ottawa\u2019s Spy Colleagues\">Ottawa\u2019s Spy Colleagues<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/eternal-4176-the-secrets-of-ottawas-world-war-ii-spies\/#Out_of_the_Shadows\" title=\"Out of the Shadows\">Out of the Shadows<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Outpost_of_the_Code_and_Cipher_School\"><\/span>The Outpost of the Code and Cipher School<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1902, John S. Edwards constructed a grand building near the residence of Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Known as the National Research Council annex, the mansion was located in Bletchley Park. Locals, except for Mackenzie King, had no idea what the building was really used for. It served as an outpost of the Code and Cipher School, conducting covert operations to support the war effort during World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Canada relied on British foreign intelligence in 1939, that changed in 1940 when wealthy Canadian philanthropists pooled resources to support the National Research Council\u2019s military research. This information is also mentioned in the Ottawa Historical Society\u2019s pamphlet <em>Canadian Bletchley Park<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These funds enabled the establishment of a code-breaking bureau, allowing Sandy Hill\u2019s spies to decode intercepted messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"797\" height=\"932\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-26.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-26.png 797w, https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-26-257x300.png 257w, https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-26-768x898.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-26-696x814.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 797px) 100vw, 797px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Formation_of_the_Examination_Unit\"><\/span>Formation of the Examination Unit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After the National Research Council received substantial donations, it was decided to form an Examination Unit in June 1941. At that time, Lester B. Pearson was in charge of recruiting staff for the bureau, having previously served as Assistant Deputy Secretary of State for External Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Later, in 1942, the bureau moved to 345 Laurier Avenue. Initially, they focused on intercepting German and French communications (with potential support from sympathizers in Quebec). When Japan entered the war, the unit\u2019s spies intercepted and decoded Japanese messages while German communications were removed from their mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ottawas_Spy_Colleagues\"><\/span>Ottawa\u2019s Spy Colleagues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Abelson native Sylvia Hellman worked on the Japanese section on the second floor. A young, ambitious typist and Willis Business College graduate, she recalled typing up decrypted messages, sealing them in envelopes, and dispatching them to the Department of Foreign Affairs. She remembered this period as one of the most fascinating in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Sylvia\u2019s colleagues was Herbert Norman, head of the Special Intelligence Unit. Known as a quiet, reserved man, he worked with the unit throughout the 1940s. However, in 1957, an old and baseless accusation of treason resurfaced, leading him to take his own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"886\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-27.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-27.png 886w, https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-27-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-27-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.ottawa-future.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/image-27-696x389.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Out_of_the_Shadows\"><\/span>Out of the Shadows<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is indeed the right way to put it. In 2022, Canada\u2019s first code-breaking unit officially came into the public eye. A photograph captured 101-year-old Sylvia Hellman standing beside a commemorative plaque for the Examination Unit, the wartime code-breaking bureau where she had worked during WWII. Her family, friends, and even close acquaintances had no idea what her work involved in the early 1940s. Holding her hand in the photograph is the daughter of her former colleague, Rita Bogu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mansion on East Laurier Avenue was a place of secrets and codes, where nothing leaked beyond its walls. Spies undertook a secret mission\u2014breaking codes and ciphers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The commemorative plaque was installed at Laurier House, a national historic site near Sylvia\u2019s wartime workplace. After the war, Sylvia and her colleagues received strict instructions never to speak of their work, a secrecy mandate they were to honor for life. However, it was finally time to unveil these secrets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Long ago, where a modern apartment building now stands, there was an impressive mansion shrouded in mystery. No one knew what went on inside\u2014it was a place of secrets. Ottawa Future shares the intriguing story of Ottawa\u2019s wartime spies. The Outpost of the Code and Cipher School In 1902, John S. Edwards constructed a grand [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":475,"featured_media":3169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[3855,3858,3861,3859,3862,3856,3857,3863,3864,3860],"moimportance":[29,30,33],"motype":[1121],"moformat":[18],"class_list":{"0":"post-4176","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-innovations","8":"tag-laurier-house","9":"tag-mansion-located-in-bletchley-park","10":"tag-memorial-plaque","11":"tag-national-historic-site-laurier-house","12":"tag-outpost-of-the-code-and-cipher-school","13":"tag-pamphlet-of-the-ottawa-historical-society","14":"tag-sandy-hill-spies","15":"tag-secrets-of-ottawas-spies","16":"tag-sylvia-hellmans-ottawa-colleagues","17":"tag-world-war-ii-era","18":"moimportance-aktualna-bilshe-roku","19":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","20":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory","21":"motype-eternal","22":"moformat-vlasna"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4183,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4176\/revisions\/4183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4176"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=4176"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=4176"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ottawa-future.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=4176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}