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Invisible Women

Invisible Women

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    • Patti Allan
    • Eileen Barrett
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    • Diane E. Greig
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Black and white photos of Nancy Wake taken in 1945

The White Mouse

February 23, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreThe White Mouse
Sepia tone photograph of Harriet Tubman

A Brilliant Spy

February 20, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreA Brilliant Spy
Illustration of a smart phone with various social media apps open

Sexpionage

February 16, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreSexpionage
Close up of a woman's dark brown eyes

The Female Gaze

February 16, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreThe Female Gaze
A reporter holding a page and phone

A Call to Action

February 12, 2021 by Diane Greig

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, …

Read moreA Call to Action
old fashioned short wave radio

Double Identité

February 4, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreDouble Identité
notepad, old camea, glasses on a desk

OSS Spy Novelist

February 4, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreOSS Spy Novelist
old photograph of Elizabeth Van Lew

Civil War Sleuth

February 3, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreCivil War Sleuth
hands typing on a vintage typewriter

Liberating Marguerite

January 30, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreLiberating Marguerite
black and white phoo of Elizebeth Smith Friedman

Poetic Rhythm

January 30, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read morePoetic Rhythm
illustration of many different women's faces

Badass Women

January 23, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreBadass Women
Lidia Menapace at a microphone at a press conference.

Fighting Fascists and Sexists

January 23, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreFighting Fascists and Sexists
Woman watching man on a screen

Missing the Mark

January 14, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreMissing the Mark
Four women of differetn ages looking at the camera

Deep Cover Career Agents

January 8, 2021 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreDeep Cover Career Agents
sketch of woman and man being surveilled

Redefining Espionage

December 21, 2020 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreRedefining Espionage
man looking at articles on a bulliten board

Not Crossword

December 21, 2020 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreNot Crossword
womena in coffee shop with laptop

Honey Trapped

December 18, 2020 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreHoney Trapped
woman in wheelchair at a study table in a library

Shifting Paradigm

December 18, 2020 by Diane Greig

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 …

Read moreShifting Paradigm
pie chart with download data

Out of the Shadows

December 13, 2020 by Diane Greig

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. …

Read moreOut of the Shadows
movie poster from A Call To Spy with 3 women in front of Eiffel Tower

Increasing Inroads

December 7, 2020 by Diane Greig

A Call to Spy, releasing this week, is a movie about three Special Operations Executive (SOE) women agents in WW 2 who were initially selected to spy behind enemy lines because they easily passed …

Read moreIncreasing Inroads
femal protestor holding up sign that says "women"

Petition to Admit Women

December 4, 2020 by Diane Greig

“Female barristers say men-only club is symbolic of diversity problems within legal profession” and it is condoning an “invisible pattern of networking between male colleagues” …

Read morePetition to Admit Women
Episode 2 logo: Spy Craft

Women’s Spy Craft

December 1, 2020 by Diane Greig

Women’s Spy Craft in WW 2, as discussed in Episode 2 (releases Dec. 11. 20), includes how women were selected, how they were trained and what types of espionage work they performed at home and …

Read moreWomen’s Spy Craft
sketch of women with men on stage with US flags on either side

Women Agents in High Command

November 26, 2020 by Diane Greig

President-elect Joe Biden has announced two women to the highest positions in U.S. intelligence, Avril Haines will be the director of national intelligence while Gina Haspe will head up the CIA. These …

Read moreWomen Agents in High Command
abstract circle shapes

Sapphire Circles: SOE Woman to be Honoured

November 21, 2020 by Diane Greig

As in WW 2 when women were invited into work usually reserved for men, today women’s contributions are receiving greater acknowledgement through the English Heritage’s plaques. On the streets of …

Read moreSapphire Circles: SOE Woman to be Honoured
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