User:StephenRWright/Wesley A. Wright

Wesley A. Wright ... Prior to Pearl Harbor being attacked on December 7, 1941, Lasswell states it was a trying period because this group had only begun its operation on May 1, 1941. Several of the officers had only recently been trained as Japanese language, which explains the reason Rochefort wanted Lasswell. With only 10 officers and 30 enlisted men they began their work.

FIVE KEY OFFICERS OF THE DUNGEON CAPT Forrest R. “ Tex ” Biard (USN Retired) (Aiken 3-4 & 6-7) CDR Joseph J. Rochefort.............. Early Japanese Linguist (1929) LTCDR Joe Finnegan ................... Trained in Japan 1934-1937 (Linguist/Cryptanalyst) LTCDR Thomas H. Dyer.............. Cryptanalyst Maj Alva B. “Red” Lasswell.......... Trained in Japan 1935-1938 (Linguist/Cryptanalyst) LTCDR Wesley A. Wright............ Cryptanalyst

“The fate of the nation quite literally depended on about a dozen men who had devoted their lives and their careers, in peace and war, to radio intelligence. Eight of these men worked in the basement of the Administration Building .” (The Dungeon) “Seven were naval officers and one was a Marine officer. Of the seven Navy officers, four had been passed over for selection. The other three received their promotion to Lieut. Commander (sic) a few months prior to the war. The officer-in-Charge was Commander J. J. Rochefort, who had been first passed over in selection for Commander. Without his inspiring leadership, technical competence, unselfish devotion to duty and his personal example of untiring effort, it is doubtful that the full result could have been achieved.”

This report listed there names: “J. J. Rochefort, T. H. Dyer, J. Finnegan, A. B Lasswell, T. A. Huckins, W. A. Wright, J. A. Williams and J. S. Holtwick”…”It is devoutly to be wished that the nation will never be so poor but that men will be found to make similar sacrifices. But the reliance on such sources of personnel is too nebulous to furnish a firm foundation upon which to build an intelligence organization.”…(Lasswell Three – 3 & 4).