World War II is known to be the most destructive war in history. It took place between 1939 and 1945 (The National WWII Museum 2000). During World War II, America’s first national spy agency, the Office of Strategic Services, was established (Nix 2015). Not only were there spies in the war, but there were also traitors. There were many spies in the war we did not know about, including a famous baseball player and a famous dancer. There was also a British traitor who widely affected the morale of the people.
One spy in the war was actually a former Major League Baseball player. Moe Berg played for the Brooklyn Robins (Brooklyn Dodgers), Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, and Boston Red Sox. He was known as the “brainiest man in baseball.” After retiring in 1939, Berg joined the Office of Inter-American Affairs. He was sent to Switzerland to assassinate German Physicist Werner Heisenberg, who was suspected of making a bomb for Adolf Hitler (Nix 2015).
Another spy was Josephine Baker. Baker was a famous dancer who also toured the United States performing in Broadway shows. She became an iconic celebrity in Europe and became a symbol of the 1920s Jazz Age. During the war, Baker served as an operative for the French Resistance. She attended multiple parties to try to
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Joyce is known for his Nazi propaganda radio broadcasts. After learning about British plans, he fled Germany days before the Nazis entered Poland with tanks. Joyce was hired by the Nazis to write and deliver English-language propaganda radio broadcasts with inaccurate information to discourage the British people and English-speaking troops. His broadcasts were a factor that affected public morale. Joyce kept delivering broadcasts until the end of the war. After multiple broadcasts, British soldiers recognized his voice and finally arrested him. Joyce was tried, convicted, and executed for high treason (Klein
Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz was a “righteous gentile” who had a relatively normal life before World War II. He was born in 1904 (jfr.org). He worked with the international coffee trade (jfr.org), established a deep connection with the Danish people (forces-war-records.co.uk), and became friends with Werner Best (jfr.org). "Duckwitz was drawn to the Nazis’ ultranationalist propaganda and joined the party. However, as Hitler’s violent intentions came to light, he became disillusioned with the party (facinghistory.org)." He felt sorry for the Danish Jews and was disappointed that he had joined the Nazi party (facinghistory.org). Little did he know, his friend, Best, had overseen the murder of French and Polish Jews and well as requested (through
Sulick, Michael J.. Spying in America espionage from the Revolutionary War to the dawn of the Cold War., Georgetown University Press, 2012
In this paper, I will do a case study on the Bay of Pigs and why the United States tried to conduct this attack. I will find out what intelligence led to this invasion attempt as well as what intelligence failures were made which resulted in the failure of the invasion. I will discuss what impact the Bay of Pigs had on the United States Intelligence community and what changes was made. I will end this paper with any findings I have concluded to if the failure has any affect on how the U.S. conducts intelligence in today’s world.
1985 became branded as the Year of the Spy by American press as a result of a string of high-profile espionage arrests. One of the most notorious cases from this time period is that of Aldrich Hazen Ames. In his thirty year employment with the Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Operations, Ames compromised the second-largest number of CIA assets so far as is known; he was alleged to have disclosed virtually all of the CIA's active Soviet agents, many of whom were later executed or imprisoned. Ames received substantial payments for the information he provided- money that he had used years earlier to purchase a new Jaguar automobile and a $540,000 home, with cash, in Arlington. Apparently, these seemingly large expenditures by an employee making less than $70,000 a year had not raised questions at the CIA. For this research paper, I wanted to know how Aldrich Ames was so successful in engaging in espionage activities for almost a decade without attracting any attention whatsoever to himself, and also how this case in particular has transformed the counterintelligence practices of the United States Intelligence Community.
Aldrich Ames was one of the most notorious spys in United States history, single handily crippling the United States spy network in the Soviet Union, and compromising hundreds of Intelligence Operations around the world. Ames’ impact on the national security of the United States was devastating and the ramifications of his actions can still be felt today in the Intelligence Community. This paper will provide details into the background and the events surrounding Ames’ espionage and subsequent arrest for treason.
Codes and ciphers have played many crucial roles in the past 3000 years, protecting the secrets of caesars and laymen. In World War II numerous nations used cryptographic systems to conceal their secret intentions and plans from the spying eyes of enemies everywhere. Cryptanalysts, however, undeterred by the complexity of the crypto-systems, worked diligently, trying to find any sort of weakness that would allow a break into the cipher and expose the secrets contained within. During the late 1930s two nations, Japan and the United States, were in a state of intense negotiations regarding various political conflicts. The US trying to indirectly help the Allies set numerous conditions for Japan that prevented her from receiving crucial resources and embarking on its agreed upon mission with its European friends. In the midst of this, a machine cipher, codenamed Purple was performing a vital role in the war making policies for both Japan and the United States. A rarely told story about a secret operation in the US involved in breaking Japan's most secure crypto-system reveals a truly remarkable set of events that not only shaped the outcome of WWII, but also spearheaded the launch of numerous intelligence agencies for protecting the citizens of its nations and preventing surprise attacks such as the one on Pearl Harbor.
Frank Foley made a huge impact during World War II. Frank was born in Highbridge, Somerset, on November 24th, 1884. He was third of six children. His father was Andrew Wood Foley and his mother was Isabella Turnbull. He had a poor background and didn’t have a lot of money. He worked for Foreign Office and he was the head of British Passport Control Office in Germany. He moved to Berlin for a job, in 1920, where he found the job of a spy. Frank found out that he had to observe the Germans for political and social changes. “Foley is known to have saved an estimated 10,000 German Jews after Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933.” (Rescuer Story: Frank Foley. Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.) Frank Foley is recognized as a hero
Espionage is WWII was a factor that is commonly overlooked by the masses. Knowing how espionage was used will change the general thought on warfare during WWII. Espionage in WWII was the sole saver of D-Day and in the spies eyes the winning factor of the war. Spies during this time uncovered secrets of enemy nations as-well-as protected secrets of the nation they were backed by just as Juan Pujol Garcia did with the invasion of Normandy. Britain during this time of war had picked up a number of spies that Germany thought were in there own back pocket. The relatively unknown story of espionage in WWII is a huge event in the winning of the war it in many ways
While espionage was a legitimate issue during WWI, it was not to the extent that the US government made it seem.
One of Adolf Hitler's closest allies, Heinrich Himmler was the chief of the SS and perpetrator of genocide. Directly responsible for the deaths of six million Jews in German concentration camps and collectively responsible for the deaths of over 46 million Europeans, Heinrich Himmler became one of the most feared men in Nazi Germany.
The American Revolution saw the rise of the American spy, and the father of these spies was George Washington, commander in Chief of the Continental Army. The siege of New York demonstrated the importance and dire need for intelligence to General Washington. Unfortunately, the difficulty, at least initially, lies with finding people willing and able to serve in this manner. Upon recognizing the necessity for a network of subterfuge, Washington created the Culper spy ring. Housed in New York City under the command of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, its purpose was more than merely gaining intelligence.
Among the spies of the 20th century, Kim Philby was a master of his craft. “To betray, you must first belong,” Kim Philby once said. Philby betrayed his colleagues, his friends, his wives, and most of all his country. He did all this in the secret service of the Soviet Union. The effects of this master spy’s operations set the stage for post-World War II in Europe.
When people think of stereotypical spies, usually they are suave and sexy, and their lives are exciting adventures where the y always win and get the girl. This image of a spy comes from movies, TV shows, and books. In reality, spies work for a government or other organizations by secretly collecting information about enemies or competitors. Although the majority of the spies were discovered, they have helped countries win wars. During World War II, spies were sent to Germany and Japan to get secrets about the enemy, such as communication codes or plans for advancement. Spies were also sent from Germany and Japan to the United States. Spies were hidden as soldiers, commanders, and saboteurs. Although British spies determination had
The United States has involved itself in several covert operations throughout the nation’s short history. Operations, like the Iran-Contra Affair, and the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) role in Afghanistan are just two examples of these types of secret government missions, which have become divulged to the American public. Both of these operations occurred under President Regan, who listed strict executive goals to fight the Soviet social influence, Communism, from spreading across the world. Moreover, other similarities are observed between the two covert missions, like providing armaments and training to foreign rebel forces (National Security Archive 2006, Johnson 2011). Moreover, different agencies were used in the missions for distinct
Not until Josephine moved to racially integrated Paris did she gain real fame with La Revue Nègre. Her more exotic and erotic stylings began at this time as well. Her clothes were unheard of and her movements were uninhibited. One her most famous outfits was a feather skirt, and nothing else. The costume that cemented her celebrity status included a skirt that composed of 16 bananas strung together which she wore in La Folie du Jour at the Follies-Bergère Theater after La Revue Nègre closed.