Operation Mount Hope III: A Bold Military Heist
The Libyan Mi-25 taken in Chad by the US Army in 1988 during Operation Mount Hope III. On display at the Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham Alabama. The Mi-25 is…
Operation Periwig: A Deceptive Masterstroke of WWII
Questionnaire, which was attached in capsules to pigeon legs as part of Operation Periwig. Operation Periwig was a deceptive masterstroke of WWII. The PSYOP operation was conceived in November 1944…
Mountains of Resistance: The CIA’s Covert Support for Tibetan Independence
Memorial Plaque dedicated to Tibetan Freedom Fighters at Camp Hale. Central Intelligence Agency photo. In the late 1950s, Tibet was under increasing pressure from the Chinese government, which sought to…
From OSS to CIA: The Remarkable Journey of Conrad LaGueux
LaGueux with famous Pittman Apartment evacuation point in background. Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)), Vietnam. 2000. Photo from Central Intelligence Agency. Conrad “Connie” Edward LaGueux was a remarkable figure…
The OSS and Beyond: How Wild Bill Donovan Helped Shape the CIA
William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan William Joseph Donovan, often referred to as “Wild Bill,” was a pioneering figure in American intelligence and a key architect of the modern intelligence community.…
Secrets of the Forest: The OSS Training Camp at Prince William Forest Park
Two wooden cabins shaded by a green summer forest Cabins in A Unit in Cabin Camp 3 All of the historic cabin camps located within the park were constructed by…
Tony Mendez: A CIA Master of Disguise and Deception
Then-President Jimmy Carter (right) congratulates CIA officer Tony Mendez (left) on his successful Argo operation during Iran Hostage Crisis, 1980. Central Intelligence Agency. All warfare is based on deception.” —…
Cuban Spies Among Us: The FBI’s Hunt for Castro’s Mole
South courtyard of the Harry S. Truman Building in Washington, D.C., headquarters of the United States Department of State, where Cuban spy Kendall Myers worked. Photo from Highsmith (Carol M.)…
Colonel “Mad Mike” Hoare: The Legendary Mercenary
Chris Hoare, left, with his father, Mike Hoare, and the biography he wrote on Mike Hoare. Durban, South Africa, June 2018. Photo by Roy Reed / CC BY-SA 4.0. Colonel…
Operation Sauerkraut: OSS’s Use of German POWs to Spread Propaganda
Collage of various gummed labels often carried and distributed by OSS agents All warfare is based on deception.” — Sun Tzu, “The Art of War.” Operation Sauerkraut was a series…