Culper Ring - Secrecy

Secrecy

Secrecy was so strict Washington did not know the identity of all the operatives. The general public was not aware of the Ring's existence until the 1930s. "Culper Junior’s" identity was discovered in 1939, with the discovery of a trunk of old letters in the Townsend family home. Historian Morton Pennypacker noticed the resemblance of the handwriting in these letters and letters written by Robert Townsend in George Washington's collection. Among the techniques they used to relay messages were coded messages published in newspapers and developing a method of using invisible ink, called a sympathetic stain, to write between the lines of what appeared to be a typical letter. Women were also an integral part of the Culper Ring. At this time in history, women were expected to share their husbands' beliefs and not be directly and openly involved in politics. For this reason, they would not be suspected of being spies.