American Women of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme is known as one of the bloodiest battles of WW 1. The British, French and their allies including Canadian soldiers were on one side of a 1000 km front across Belgium and France …
“The Fly” Purse
CIA and KGB Cold War espionage gadgets drew high bids recently in a Beverley Hills Auction. Peruse the list of interesting relics and their descriptions including women agents’ purses and …
Les Espionnes Racontent
In 2017, Chloé Aeberhardt, a French journalist, released a book entitled, “Les Espionnes Racontent” about the stories of six female intelligence officers. In this clip she talks about the …
The White Mouse
Nancy Wake, New Zealand born and SOE (Special Operations Executive) trained, was one of the few female agents who received wide acclaim for her WW 2 accomplishments. She was honoured with medals by …
A Brilliant Spy
Harriet Tubman has been inducted into the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame for her work as an intelligence operations specialist during the Civil War. (also see this Washington Post article …
Sexpionage
Last month the Indian Army warned its personnel against interacting with unknown Facebook and WhatsApp social media profiles, and specifically about being “honey-trapped”. They had …
The Female Gaze
Actor, Lorraine Toussaint, comments that it’s exciting to play the strong and clever Black female spy character, McCall in The Equailzer, a drama series reboot from the …
A Call to Action
Spies posing as journalists is not new in espionage especially in first-world countries where political and economic information is desired, but it still works — at least for awhile. Recently, …
Shadow Projections
Episode 4: In this episode, Diane explores Shadow Projection. And we'll hear Ayla's story. She was a young Jewish women who took incredible risks to provide intelligence for the Free French Army.
Double Identité
Although settling in the English countryside with three children and a husband, Ursula Kuczynski was a deep spy and colonel in the Red Army with a transmitter in her Cotswold outhouse. The stakes were …
OSS Spy Novelist
In 1944, Aline Griffith was sent to Spain by the OSS to search out Nazi sympathisers. She infiltrated Spanish society through high profile soirées and nightclubs. Post WW 2, it was unusual for a woman …
Civil War Sleuth
Before the CIA had women at the helm, a philanthropist and abolitionist, Elizabeth Van Lew (1818-1900), ran an underground spy network called the “Richmond Underground” which included clerks in the …
Liberating Marguerite
In 1918 when women were not considered as serious war correspondents, Marguerite Harrison, a journalist, linguist and adventurer turned to the U.S. Army Military Intelligence asking if she could …
Poetic Rhythm
Even prior to WW 2, Elizebeth Smith Friedman was indispensable to the U.S. government because of her unique perspective on patterns and language rhythms. At a time when the FBI was in its infancy and …
Badass Women
By 1944 and as the Nazis became more astute at discovering Allied male agents, the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) working in France began using women from the Free French Intelligence …
Fighting Fascists and Sexists
A powerful espionage agent from the WW 2 era, Lidia Menapace, who fought Fascists in Italy died in December 2020 at the age of 96 from Covid-19. She was a resistance soldier couriering bombs and …
Missing the Mark
Recently, I attended a virtual Smithsonian Institute seminar created by the American Women’s History Initiative called, Female Spies of World War II given by two CIA men. These presenters reviewed …
Propaganda
Episode 3: In this episode, the patriarchal monopoly on power is easily exposed in the Allied propaganda of the era. In juxtaposition to this power, Liliana’s story reflects her authentic …
Deep Cover Career Agents
Women made excellent spies in WW 2 partly because of western gendered projections about them not being astute, strategic or creative enough to be a threat. Stereotypically, women were believed to be …
Redefining Espionage
When mandatory spying, like mandatory military training is imposed on a country’s citizens, it has a direct impact on foreign countries and potentially the balance of power in the world. This …
Not Crossword
To do their job well, code breakers usually have different ways of perceiving and solving puzzles than most of us. The UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is consistently looking …
Honey Trapped
Some western countries are being flooded by short and long-term spies who are planted by their enemies into the political and technological fabric of a country. These women and men are astute, have …
Shifting Paradigm
Richard Moore, the new head of the UK’s SIS, the Secret Intelligence Service, has put out a call for those with disabilities to join the intelligence community. He is broadening the diversity of …
Out of the Shadows
From this article in the local Bowen Island newspaper, to listeners around the world. It’s gratifying to see the genuine and cross-cultural interest and enthusiasm in these women’s brave war stories. …