A Brush with Espionage: The CIA Intelligence Art Collection
“First Sting,” Stuart Brown, 2008, Oil on Canvas. Donated courtesy of Richard J. Guggenhime and Donald Elster. Painting depicts the turning point in the Soviet-Afghan War with the first of…
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.)…
The Safari Club: Covert Operations in Cold War Africa
Adnan Khashoggi’s Mount Kenya Safari Club, from which the alliance derives its name. Attribution: Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures / CC BY-SA 3.0.…
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…
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…
Tracking Santa: How a Cold War Mistake Became a Holiday Tradition
NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center 2007. NORAD Public Affairs, Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braym. The NORAD Santa Tracker, a beloved holiday tradition, has its roots in the Cold War era.…
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…
Cary Grant: The Actor Who Spied for Britain
Photo of Cary Grant from the film “North by Northwest” (1959). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Cary Grant, the iconic British-born American actor known for his suave demeanor and classic films, led a life…