Upon receiving the patent, Hedy and George had the option of marketing
the Secret Communications System for a sizeable profit. However, with patriotic
spirit they handed the invention over to the military to be used for the
war.
Unfortunately, the government was not convinced that the invention
was reliable. Specifically, they questioned if the motor that kept the
record strips syncronized would be precise. They also questioned whether
or not the record strips would be strong enough to resist breaking. Another
concern that they had was if the records strips could be made small enough
to be placed inside a torpedeo. They ultimately decided not to use the
invention.
George went back to his low paying career as a composer. Hedy wanted to devote her technical abilities to the National Inventors Concil in Washington DC. However, she was told that she could be a greater help toward the war by using her fame to raise money selling war bonds. She took this advice and sold $7 million in a single evening. Sadly, her technical abilities were not taken advantage of.
George died in 1959 at the age of 59, one month after his son was born. Hedy is currently living in Florida and is fortunate enough to see their invention in use. The invention was finally implimented by the military during the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962. In the1980’s, this military secret became declassified and started to be used commercially as what is known today as Spread Spectrum.