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…
Sir Francis Walsingham: The Architect of Modern Espionage
Depiction of Sir Francis Walsingham, principal secretary to Elizabeth I. More commonly known as her spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, born around 1532, is a name that resonates through the annals…
Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale: The Real-Life Inspirations
A view of the Casino Estoril in Portugal, an inspiration for Casino Royale, showing the courtyard from the beach of Tamariz. The Casino Estoril was a gathering point for spies…
William King Harvey: America’s James Bond
Counterattack by Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces supported by T-34 tanks near Playa Giron during the Bay of Pigs invasion, 19 April 1961. Photo: Rumlin. CC BY 3.0 DEED. William King…
Bruce Dowding: The Aussie Hero of the French Resistance
An American officer and a French partisan in 1944. Photo: National Archives. “Throughout France, the Resistance had been of inestimable value in the campaign. Without their great assistance, the liberation…
The Master of Disguise: How Jonna Mendez Helped the CIA Outsmart the KGB
CIA seal in entrance of the CIA headquarters lobby. All warfare is based on deception.” — Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”. The Mission: Impossible franchise is famous for its…
Operation Anthropoid: the Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich’s car (a Mercedes-Benz 320 Convertible B) after the 1942 SOE Operation Anthropoid assassination attempt in Prague. Heydrich later died from his injuries. Photo: German Federal Archive. Operation Anthropoid…