The Iga and Koga Clans: Japan’s Legendary Ninja Warriors
A ninja and Prince Hikaru Genji by Utagawa Kunisada. Ch. 12, Suma, from the series The Color Print Contest of a Modern Genji (Ima Genji nishiki-e awase). 1853. Cropped. The…
The Foundation of the CIA
Aerial view of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters, Langley, Virginia. From the Carol M. Highsmith Archive collection at the Library of Congress. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), an independent civilian…
Operation POSTMASTER: The Great Gamble
Modern (2007) aerial view of Santa Isabel harbor where Operation POSTMASTER took place. Photo: Ipisking / CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED. Operation POSTMASTER was a British special operation conducted on the…
Behind Enemy Lines: The Unsung Heroes of OSS Detachment 101
Irrawaddy Ambush.Stuart Brown 2010 Oil on canvas Donated courtesy of Michael DeSombre. The painting depicts one of OSS Detachment 101’s many guerrilla operations staged to disrupt Japanese supply and reinforcement…
The CIA’s Secret War: The Cultural Front of the Cold War
“Rite of Spring” Choreography by Adam Hougland. Dancer Angelina Sansone. Photographer Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios / CC BY 2.0 DEED. The Cultural Cold War was a set of…
Nancy Wake: The White Mouse of World War II
Nancy Wake with rifle in occupied France during World War II. Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, also known as Madame Fiocca and Nancy Fiocca, was born on August 30, 1912, in…
The Unexpected Spy: Harpo Marx
Lobby card for Monkey Business (1931) with Chico (left) and Harpo (right). Arthur “Harpo” Marx, born Adolph Marx, was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and harpist, and the second…
Diving into History: Dr. Christian Lambertsen and the OSS Maritime Unit
Members of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two (SDVT-2) prepare to launch one of the team’s SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDV) from the back of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Philadelphia…
Emily Anderson: Cracking Codes and Compositions
Erwin Rommel with Italian governor of Libya, General Italo Gariboldi (on Rommel’s right), inTripoli, February 1941. Emily Anderson cracked the Italian codebooks, changing the course of the war in North…
The 80th Anniversary of Colossus: The Code-Breaking Computer of Bletchley Park
A Colossus Mark 2 codebreaking computer being operated by Wrens (Women’s Royal Naval Service) in 1943. January 18, 2024, marks the 80th anniversary of Colossus, the world’s first digital computer,…