Editing Cryptonomicon (section)

====Fictional characters====
* Sgt. Robert "Bobby" Shaftoe, a [[gung-ho]], [[haiku]]-writing [[United States Marine Corps|United States Marine]] [[Marine Raiders|Raider]].
* Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, an American cryptographer/mathematician serving as an officer in the [[United States Navy]], although he is known to wear an Army uniform if the situation calls for it.
* Günter Bischoff, a [[Kapitänleutnant]] in the [[Kriegsmarine]], who commands a [[U-boat]] for much of the story, and later takes command of a new, advanced submarine [[Air-independent propulsion|fueled with hydrogen peroxide]].
* Rudolf "Rudy" von Hacklheber, a non-Nazi German mathematician and cryptographer, who spent time attending [[Princeton University]], where he had a romantic relationship with Alan Turing and befriended Waterhouse. He seems to know more about the mysterious [[Societas Eruditorum]] than any non-member.
* Earl Comstock, a former [[History of IBM#1925–1949: IBM's early growth|Electrical Till Corp.]] executive and [[United States Army|US Army]] officer, who eventually founds the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] and becomes a key policy maker for [[McNamara Taylor mission|US involvement]] in the [[Second Indochina War]].
* Julieta Kivistik, a Finnish woman who assists some of the World War II characters when they find themselves stranded in Sweden, and who later gives birth to a baby boy (Günter Enoch Bobby Kivistik) whose paternity is uncertain.
* “Uncle” Otto Kivistik, Julieta's uncle, who runs a successful smuggling ring between neutral Sweden, Finland, and the USSR during World War II.
* Mary cCmndhd (pronounced "Skuhmithid" and anglicized as "Smith"), a member of a Qwghlmian immigrant community living in Australia, who catches the attention of Lawrence Waterhouse while he is stationed in [[Brisbane]].
* Glory Altamira, a nursing student and Bobby Shaftoe's Filipina lover.  She becomes a member of the Philippine resistance movement during the Japanese occupation.  Mother of Douglas MacArthur Shaftoe.
* Karl Beck, Bischoff's executive officer. He temporarily relieves his captain of command for an alleged mental breakdown (during which time he captures Shaftoe and Root) but later relinquishes command back to Bischoff after their entire crew is deemed expendable by their superiors.