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…
Surveillance Detection Routes: A Key Tool in Security Operations
Surveillance Detection Routes (SDRs) are a critical component of security operations, particularly in the context of protecting against potential threats. They are designed to help identify whether an individual or…
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,…
Peter Tazelaar: Real-Life Meets Fiction
Peter Tazelaar in1945. Peter Tazelaar was a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II and worked as an agent for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). Created in…
Codename CYNTHIA: The Unsung Spy Heroine of World War II
Amy Elizabeth “Betty” Thorpe. Wars are not won by respectable methods — Betty Thorpe Pack, Codename CYNTHIA Betty Thorpe Pack was a remarkable woman who sought out and led an…
The Return of SMERSH: Russia Revives Stalin’s Notorious Spy-Hunting Unit
1943 SMERSH identity document cover. Russian (English): НКО (Народного Комиссариата Обороны (People’s Commissariat of Defense) Главного управления (Main Department) контрразведки (Counterintelligence) СМЕРШ (SMERSH) SMERSH, a counter-intelligence agency with a name…