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…
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…
John Ford: Hollywood & the OSS
John Ford with Oscar® statuette, circa 1946. He is the essence of classical American cinema. Any serious person making films today, whether they know it or not, is affected by…
The Real James Bond: An Unsung Hero of World War II
Sean Connery as James Bond during filming of “Diamonds are Forever” in Amsterdam, 31 July 1971. Dutch National Archives / CC BY-SA 3.0 NL DEED. Ian Fleming, the mastermind behind…
Sterling Hayden: Sailor, Actor, Author & Spy
Sterling Hayden in “The Killing” (1956) — trailer screenshot (United Artists). Sterling Walter Hayden, born on March 26, 1916, was a man of many talents. He was an accomplished American…
Alan Pinkerton: Private Detective and Civil War Spy
Alan Pinkerton on horseback on the Antietam Battlefield in 1862. Alexander Gardner – U.S, Library of Congress. Alan Pinkerton was a Scottish-American detective and spy who founded the Pinkerton National…