Secret Service codename
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States Secret Service uses code names for U.S. Presidents, First Ladies, and other prominent persons and locations.[1] The Secret Service does not choose these names, however. The White House Communications Agency or 'WHCA' (originally created as the White House Signal Detachment under Theodore Roosevelt) actually assigns these names.[citation needed]
The WHCA, an agency of the White House Military Office, is headquartered at Anacostia Navy Yard and consists of six staff elements and seven organizational units. WHCA also has supporting detachments in Washington, D.C. and various locations throughout the United States of America.
According to established protocol, 'good' codewords are unambiguous words that can be easily pronounced and readily understood by those who transmit and receive voice messages by radio or telephone regardless of their native language.[citation needed]
The 'secret' codenames change over time for security purposes, but are often publicly known. For security, codenames are generally picked from a list of such 'good' words, but avoiding the use of common words which could likely be intended to mean its normal definition.
Because codewords are intended to be secret, the following is necessarily an incomplete list:
Contents |
[edit] General codenames
- POTUS - President of the United States
- FLOTUS - First Lady of the United States
- VPOTUS - Vice President of the United States
[edit] Presidents of the United States and their families
- Dwight Eisenhower - Scorecard or Providence[1]
- John F. Kennedy - Lancer[2] or Dazzle[3]
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - Lace[3]
- Caroline Kennedy - Lyric[4]
- Lyndon Johnson - Volunteer[2]
- Lady Bird Johnson - Victoria[2]
- Richard Nixon - Searchlight[2]
- Gerald Ford - Pass Key[2]
- Betty Ford - Pinafore[2]
- Jimmy Carter - Lock Master[citation needed] / Deacon[2]
- Rosalynn Carter - Dancer[2]
- Ronald Reagan - Rawhide[2]
- Nancy Reagan - Rainbow[2]
- George H. W. Bush- Timberwolf[2]
- Barbara Bush - Snowbank or Tranquility [2]
- Bill Clinton - Eagle[2] or Elvis[citation needed]
- Chelsea Clinton - Energy[4]
- George W. Bush - Tumbler[2] or Trailblazer[5]
- Laura Bush - Tempo[4]
[edit] Vice Presidents of the United States and their families
- Nelson Rockefeller - Sandstorm[6]
- Walter Mondale - Cavalier, Dragon[6]
- Joan Mondale - Cameo[6]
- Eleanor Mondale - Calico[6]
- Ted Mondale - Centurion[6]
- Dan Quayle - Scorecard or Supervisor[6]
- Marilyn Quayle - Sunshine[6]
- Al Gore - Sawhorse or Sundance[6][7]
- Dick Cheney - Angler[6]
[edit] Presidential candidates and their families
- Eugene McCarthy - Instructor[6]
- John B. Anderson - Miracle, Starburst or Stardust[6]
- Phil Crane - Swordfish[6]
- Ted Kennedy - Sunburn[6]
- Gary Hart - Redwood[6]
- Jesse Jackson - Pontiac or Thunder[6]
- John Kerry - Minuteman[7][8]
- Teresa Heinz Kerry- Mahogany[8]
- Barack Obama - Renegade[7]
- Michelle Obama - Renaissance[9]
- Hillary Rodham Clinton - Evergreen[2]
- John McCain - Phoenix[10]
- Cindy McCain - Parasol[10]
[edit] Government officials
- Henry Kissinger - Woodcutter[2]
- James Baker - Fencing Master or Foxtail[6]
- Zbigniew Brzeziński - Hawkeye[6]
- John Ehrlichman - Wisdom[6]
- Ron Ziegler - Whale Boat[6]
- H. R. Haldeman - Welcome[6]
- Ron Nessen - Clam Chowder[6]
- Scott McClellan - Matrix[11]
[edit] Congressional officials
- Strom Thurmond - Footprint[6]
- Howard Baker - Snapshot[6]
[edit] Other individuals
- Queen Elizabeth II - Kittyhawk[2], or Redfern[citation needed]
- Prince Charles - Unicorn[2] or Daily[2]
- Frank Sinatra - Napoleon[2]
- Pope John Paul II - Halo[2]
[edit] Locations and others
- Andrews Air Force Base - Acrobat or Andy [12]
- The Presidential Motorcade - Bamboo[12]
- The Department of State - Birds-eye[12]
- Camp David - Cactus[12]
- The Vice President's office - Cobweb[12]
- The Vice President's staff - Pacemaker[12]
- The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City - Roadhouse[12]
- Air Force One - Angel or Cowpuncher[12]
- Air Force One has taken off/landed - Wheels Up/Wheels Down[12]
[edit] Fictional
The practice of assigning codenames has often been extended into fictional shows about the President or other high-ranking figures.
- The West Wing
- President Jed Bartlet - Eagle[13]
- Arnold Vinick - Big Sur[14]
- Zoey Bartlet - Bookbag[15]
- C. J. Cregg - Flamingo [16]
- Sam Seaborn - Princeton[16]
- Gus Westin - Tonka[15]
- The American President
- Andrew Shepherd - Liberty[citation needed]
- First Daughter
- Samantha Mackenzie - Lucky Charm[citation needed]
- 24
- Wayne Palmer - Citadel[17]
- The Sentinel (2006 film)
- President John Ballentine - Classic[citation needed]
- First Lady Sara Ballentine - Cincinnati[citation needed]
- Shooter (film)
- the Ethiopian archbishop - Flashlight
- Tom Clancy's novels
- Robert Fowler - Hawk
- Roger Durling - Jumper
- Unnamed President in Clear and Present Danger - Wrangler[citation needed]
- Jack Ryan - Swordsman- Debt of Honor, Executive Orders
- Dr. Cathy Ryan - Surgeon- Executive Orders
- Olivia "Sally" Ryan - Shadow- Executive Orders
- Jack Ryan, Jr - Shortstop- Executive Orders
- Katie Ryan - Sandbox- Executive Orders
- George Winston, Secretary of the Treasury - Trader- Executive Orders
- In the Line of Fire
- The President - Traveler[citation needed]
- Vantage Point
- President Ashton's body double - Eagle
- President Ashton - POTUS
[edit] References
- ^ a b Junior Secret Service Program: Assignment 7. Code Names. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Secret Service Codenames (HTML) (English). 2600: The Hacker Quarterly. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ a b Taraborrelli, Randy J. (2000). Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot. Warner Books, 15. ISBN 0446524263. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
- ^ a b c d Kenneth T. Walsh. Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes
- ^ 'President Bush's Day of Terror Timeline. Fox News. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w NNDB List of Secret Service Codenames (HTML language=English). Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
- ^ a b c 'Renegade' Joins Race For White House: Obama Is Given Code Name by Secret Service. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ a b CNN Transcript, Aired July 29, 2004 - 14:33 ET. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Bloomberg Politics. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ a b - washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
- ^ McClellan, Scott (2008). What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception. Public Affairs. ISBN 978-1586485566.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Williams, Stephen P. (2004). How to be President. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-4316-5.
- ^ The West Wing Transcripts - Episode 102. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- ^ The West Wing Transcripts - Episode 703. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ a b The West Wing Transcripts - Episode 509. Retrieved on 2007-05-15.
- ^ a b The West Wing Transcripts - Episode 110. Retrieved on 2007-05-15.
- ^ 24 Addict: "Citadel is down." 4pm-5pm.
