Born: 12 October 1893, United States
Died: circa 1980
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Velvalee Malvena Blucher
American spy Velvalee Dickinson was convicted of spying against the United States on behalf of Japan during World War II. Known as the “Doll Woman”, she used her New York City doll shop to send information about the U.S. Navy to contacts in Argentina by steganographic messages. She was caught when one of her Buenos Aires contacts moved and her messages were returned and intercepted by the FBI.
Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s cryptanalysis unit at US Coast Guard Headquarters examined the letter and broke the code, concluding that references to “dolls” meant three warships and that the “doll hospital” was a West Coast-based shipyard where repairs were made, while the “fishing nets” and “balloons” disclosed information about coastal defenses and other critical information on the West Coast.
Dickinson was indicted on 11 February 1944, and plead guilt on 28 July of that year.