Ann Zeilinger Caracristi (February 1, 1921 – January 10, 2016) was an American cryptanalyst, former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency,[1] where she served at various positions over a 40-year career.

[3] Caracristi was sent to Washington, D.C., she attended the cryptanalysis courses of William Friedman where puzzles were used to train cryptographers in the art of pattern recognition.

During World War II, Caracristi's cryptography work was focused on deciphering the additive systems used by Japanese military forces and merchant fleet.

She was one of the first women at the National Security Agency to be promoted to a "super-grade," the equivalent of the modern Senior Executive Service; the first woman to be chief of a major operations group; and she was the first Deputy Director of NSA.

[5] She lived most of her adult life in an 18th-century one-bedroom cottage at 1222 28th Street NW in Georgetown, and her hobbies included birds and collecting pewter.