Indiana Jones® in Real Life: The OSS Archaeologists of WWII
The iconic bullwhip and hat used by Indiana Jones. Photo by Gary Stewart / CC BY 3.0. During World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to…
Project Iceworm: The Cold War’s Arctic Secret
Aerial view of Camp Century, Greenland. U,S, Army. During the height of the Cold War, the United States embarked on a top-secret mission known as Project Iceworm. This ambitious project…
Operation Ghost Stories: Unmasking Russian Spies in America
Russian spy Anna Chapman and an undercover agent meet in a coffee shop in New York, June 26, 2010. Video frame from FBI surveillance video. Federal Bureau of Investigation Operation…
The Mystery of “Donovan of Central Intelligence”: A Classified Comic Strip
Few spy stories are as intriguing as that of “Donovan of Central Intelligence,” a seven-page comic strip from a 1950 issue of Atomic Spy Cases. This comic, which was kept…
The History of the CIA Seal: A Symbol of Strength and Intelligence
CIA seal in entrance of the CIA headquarters lobby. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) seal is one of the most recognizable symbols of American intelligence. Featured prominently on the floor…
Operation Lemon Aid: Unmasking Soviet Espionage in the United States
United Nations General Assembly Hall. The Soviets used the UN as a front for espionage. Photo by Patrick Gruban / CC BY-SA 2.0. In the 1970s, the Cold War between…
William Sebold: Double Agent Who Helped Break the Duquesne Spy Ring
William Sebold and his wife photographed in New York City, 1937. NY Daily News. William G. Sebold, born Gottlieb Adolf Wilhelm Sebold on March 10, 1899, in Mülheim, Germany, played…
Prince Serge Obolensky: The Aristocrat Who Joined the OSS
LTC Serge Obolensky and his OSS team. U.S. Archives. Prince Serge Obolensky, born Sergei Platonovich Obolensky Neledinsky-Meletzky on November 3, 1890, in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia, led a life that was…
Intrepid’s Influence: How William Stephenson Helped Shape the OSS
Donovan presenting Stephenson with the Medal of Merit in 1946. Photo courtesy of The Intrepid Society, William Stephenson CC MC DFC, famously known by his codename “Intrepid,” played a pivotal…
Jack Hemingway: A Life of Adventure
Jack Hemingway entered the army as an officer with the military police; but spent most of WWII assigned to the OSS. Photo: Ernest Hemingway Photograph Collection/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library…