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The National Cryptologic Museum will host author Jean C. O’Connor for a public talk on Revolutionary War cryptographer James Lovell on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 10 a.m. at Fort Meade, Maryland. Admission is free.
O’Connor, a retired teacher and historical novelist and Lovell’s five-times-great-granddaughter, plans to trace his evolution from Boston Latin School educator to the Continental Congress’s code expert, including his role assisting Generals George Washington and Nathanael Greene by cracking British communications. In the presentation, she will discuss Lovell’s path to becoming “Congress’s decipherer extraordinaire.”
Lovell, inducted in 2023 into the National Security Agency’s Cryptologic Hall of Honor, was described by former NSA Director William Friedman as “the Revolution’s one-man NSA.”
O’Connor drew on family papers and primary sources, inspired by a few lines in her grandmother’s journal, to write two novels about Lovell: The Remarkable Cause: A Novel of James Lovell and the Crucible of the American Revolution and Congress’s Cryptographer: A Novel of James Lovell and the American Revolution.
The museum notes the event arrives as the United States marks its 250th anniversary in 2026, offering a look at the origins of American intelligence work during the nation’s founding.
The National Cryptologic Museum, which is open to the public, operates Tuesday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and no reservations are required.
Event information:
– Date and time: Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 10 a.m.
– Location: National Cryptologic Museum, Fort Meade, Md.
– Admission: Free, open to the public
For media inquiries about the exhibit and the museum, contact Iyube L’Bert at 443-634-0721 or [email protected].
