In terms of timing, the author/ speaker had no way to know this, but at the time they're saying hey, actually this is practical because you don't need a machine (1941), both sides are in fact using machines.<p>The Japanese begin using "Purple" about this time (prior systems "Red" and "Blue" were not mechanical), the Nazis had Engima even before the war and have also been using Lorenz / "Tunny" for a few months although only in prototype and their Allied counterparts are using a roughly similar technology to Enigma (Typex) and another weird (but pragmatic) rotor machine the ECM Mark II.