Joseph Oswald Mauborgne impacted world events as a trailblazer, inventor, author, cryptologist, scientist, and leader for 38 years, including several first-time communications and cryptologic feats.
At Fort Riley, Kansas in 1912, he installed a radio transmitter in an airplane, from which Hap Arnold (the future WWII Army Air Forces commanding general) sent him the first air-to-ground radio transmission. In 1917, he concluded that Parker Hitt’s cipher strip device was not secure. His M-94 cylinder cipher improved Hitt’s device by employing 25 cipher disks, thereby minimizing alphabet repetition. The army used his M-94 until the 1950s. In 1919, Mauborgne perfected a one-time pad system. OTPs, because of their one-time-only usage of randomly selected key, are extremely difficult to break, even today. Along with Gilbert Vernam, he is credited as a co-inventor of the OTP.
As the army’s Chief Signal Officer (1937-1941), he recognized that war was coming with Japan and he reoriented radio collection towards them. During this time he developed a close working relationship with William Friedman, and personally persuaded Friedman to join the Signal Corps in 1921. Friedman later cited him as the best director the Signal Corps ever had. The two men collaborated on cryptologic patents, and Mauborgne’s own patents covered wave meters, antennas, interference reduction, and electrical signaling, as well as radio transmissions, reception, and signaling.
Mauborgne’s desire for cryptologic sharing made him a trailblazer in formulating two SIGINT partnerships that endure today. He authorized the transfer of the Purple Analog Machine in early 1941 to the British. Mauborgne’s action persuaded our allies that the United States was a worthy partner. He also facilitated the creation of Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE). Canada sought his assistance in 1941 and Mauborgne recommended that Canada hire Herbert O. Yardley. (Yardley had run the US Army’s successful 1920s cryptologic organization, the Cipher Bureau.)
Finally, as Chief Signal Officer, Mauborgne sponsored the mass production of the SCR-268 and 270 radars, both widely used in WWII. It was the latter that detected the approaching Japanese Pearl Harbor attack aircraft. Tragically, these radar blurbs were misidentified by a site supervisor as US aircraft and thus dismissed.
Mauborgne was a pioneer in many areas of communications technology and cryptology. His foresight and initiatives facilitated victory in World War II and paved the way for future successes. MG Mauborgne retired in 1941 and passed away in 1971.
MG Joseph O. Mauborgne, USA was inducted into NSA's Cryptologic Hall of Honor in 2023. The Cryptologic Hall of Honor was created in 1999 to pay special tribute to the pioneers and heroes who rendered distinguished service to American cryptology.