Ian Fleming, James Bond and the CIA
Bronze bust of the author Ian Fleming by the British sculptor Anthony Smith. Commissioned by the Fleming family to commemorate the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth in 2008. Photo: Fortheloveofknowledge…
Lucien Conein: From OSS to CIA
Lucien Conein with South Vietnamese general involved in 1963 coup against Diệm, Lucien Emile “Lou” Conein was born on November 29, 1919, in Paris, France. At the age of five,…
Mansfield George Smith-Cumming: The Man Behind the Birth of MI6
Captain Sir Mansfield George Smith-Cumming KCMG CB, born on April 1, 1859, was a British naval officer who served as the first chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also…
Peter J. Ortiz: A Hero in War and on Screen
Peter J. Ortiz. Peter Julien Ortiz, born on July 5, 1913, in New York City, was the son of a French-Spanish father and an American mother of Swiss descent. He…
James Armistead Lafayette: Hero Spy of the American Revolution
James Armistead Lafayette. Credit: US Army. James Armistead Lafayette was born into slavery around the year 1748 in New Kent County, Virginia. He was raised on the property of Colonel…
Captain Peter Mason: Official Assassin
Photo of Peter Mason, date unknown. Captain Peter Mason, a figure whose life was as intriguing as any spy novel, served in the British Special Air Service (SAS) during World…
F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas: The White Rabbit of World War II
RAF Wing Commander and SOE agent Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas, also known as F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, was born on June 17, 1902, in London, England. His parents were John…
Ernest Hemingway: A Hidden Spy Past
Hemingway in the cabin of his boat Pilar, off the coast of Cuba, c. 1950 Ernest Hemingway, a celebrated American author, is known for his novels and literary contributions. However, a…
Roald Dahl: Renowned Author and World War II Spy
Roald Dahl in 1954. Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Cardiff, Wales, to Norwegian immigrant parents. He experienced a challenging childhood, losing both his sister and father…
Adolf Tolkachev: The Billion Dollar Spy
Adolf Tolkachev Adolf Georgiyevich Tolkachev, born on January 6, 1927, in Aktyubinsk, Aktobe Region, Kazakh SSR, USSR, was Soviet electronics engineer who played a pivotal role in the Cold War.…