Temperament mattered, and here, too, was where the schoolteaching advantage came in. Officials were finding the best code breaker was a “mature and dependable” person with a “clear, bright mind”—but someone “young enough to be alert, adaptable, able to make adjustments readily, willing to take supervision,” and “able to withstand inconveniences of Washington.” This description fit many schoolteachers, including Dot Braden, to a T.
