Virginia Hall: Legendary Female American Spy In Baltimore on April 6, 1906, Virginia Hall was born into the affluent family of Edwin Hall, who owned a local theater. Even though women were not popular in the intelligence profession, Virginia would persevere to set the standards early for women in American’s intelligence. She would become one of the most hunted spies of all times and assist in training multiple warfare groups against the Germans. Setting those high standards for women on September 27, 1945, she received the Distinguished Service Cross award from General William Joseph Donovan. She was recognized as the only civilian woman for her efforts in France during World War II (United states: Faces of defense intelligence: Virginia …show more content…
Determined not to stay in one place for long, she joined the Special Operations Branch of the United States Office of Strategic Services. She entered France by a British Motor Torpedo Boat in the dark, since her prosthetic leg (Cuthbert) kept her for parachuting. She disguised herself as a farmhand, Marcelle Montagne, to continue her espionage callings and her colleagues used the codename, Diane. She also taught herself to walk without a limp. After moving through Paris, she set up operations in a village south of Paris, monitoring and reporting on German troop movements. With the Germans having sophisticated radio detection equipment, the job of an undercover radio operator was incredibly dangerous. When the Gestapo drew near, she moved deeper south and continued her operations. With the Allied invasion of France drawing near, OSS agent Diane received new orders to organize the local French resistance forces. Having already completed this type of operation not too long ago, she started contacting the French resistance network and arranging for weapons, supplies, and other agents to be dropped behind enemy lines (Virginia Hall: The Courage and Daring of "The Limping Lady", …show more content…
Foreign Service one last time. However, she was turned down again due to budgetary cutbacks. So, Virginia ended up working as an intelligence analyst on French parliamentary affairs in the Special Activities Division of the Central Intelligence Agency of America. After she returned to the United States, she worked for the CIA's National Committee for Free Europe in New York City where she lived with her husband, Paul Goillot. Even though she wanted to stay out in the field, the CIA placed her as an analyst in the Office of Policy Coordination in Washington in December 1951. Working a variety of jobs at the agency, Virginia was the first woman to become a member of the CIA's Career Staff in 1956. Ten years later, she left when she reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty and was forced into retirement in 1966 (Binney, 2004). After retirement, she lived on a farm in Barnesville, Maryland with her husband and passed away at the age of 76 in 1982. She was never caught by the Gestapo, even though there were many attempts to find and destroy
The spies of the civil war worked hard and did what they could to help their side. The Union spies were not just made of the women this essay talked about. There were often men and other types of women working to gain information. The job of being a spy can be risky and tough. Most of the spies were behind their enemies lines. The overall goal of their job is to obtain knowledge of what the Confederate Army’s strategy was in order to protect the Union Army. The four spies that played a tremendous aspect during the Civil War were Elizabeth Van Lew, Pauline Cushman, Sarah Thompson, and Sarah Emma Edmonds.
Rosie the riveter was the face of recruiting women into the Armed Forces during WWII. The increasing demand for soldiers was not being filled fast enough by just males. As a result, between the years 1940 and 1945, the percentage of female service members increased from 27% to 37%. Even on the civilian side of things, the ratio of married working women outside of their homes increased to one out of every four. The population of women that did not join the war was prompted by Rosie the Riveter’s iconic image to work in one of the many munitions industries throughout the US. In 1943, not only had the female population contributed exponential numbers in support of the war; but women had begun to dominate. Reports indicate that more than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry; this made up more than half of the total workforce. Prior to this moment in history, women’s involvement in the aircraft industry was merely one percent.
Female spies were a great help in the war. Men did not expect innocent women to be involved in such dangerous activities so they often were not found out at first. Men easily trusted the women spies and told them important military secrets. The spies would get information then write it on paper or material and sew it into their clothes or put it in their hair. With bigger stuff they would attach it to the hoops on their skirts and hide the stuff in dolls. People started to suspicious when the women spies started to do “inappropriate” actions “such as allowing men into their homes at all hours of the night, arranging meetings with men in various locations and riding on horses and in buggies unaccompanied.”
Beginning with the aggressive recruiting methods utilized to bring them in, and ending with the return of men from the war -- especially veterans -, women became extremely active in the working force during World War II. This was evident at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where four thousand and six hundred women were employed. Even though they remained employed for up to six months after the war, eventually men did return to their positions, leaving only women veterans still qualified to hold a position there. However, the focus of a speech on this matter by Dr. Sparr was the activity that occurred during these women's employment.
“There was much more to women’s work during World War Two than make, do, and mend. Women built tanks, worked with rescue teams, and operated behind enemy lines” (Carol Harris). Have you ever thought that women could have such an important role during a war? In 1939 to 1945 for many women, World War II brought not only sacrifices, but also a new style of life including more jobs, opportunities and the development of new skills. They were considered as America’s “secret weapon” by the government. Women allowed getting over every challenge that was imposed by a devastating war. It is necessary to recognize that women during this period brought a legacy that produced major changes in social norms and work in America.
This led them to believe that she was also acting as if she were a spy. “Let the generations know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom.” (Women in
World War Two was the period where women came out of their shells and was finally recognized of what they’re capable of doing. Unlike World War One, men weren’t the only ones who were shined upon. Women played many significant roles in the war which contributed to the allied victory in World War Two. They contributed to the war in many different ways; some found themselves in the heat of the battle, and or at the home front either in the industries or at homes to help with the war effort as a woman.
The role of women in American history has evolved a great deal over the past few centuries. In less than a hundred years, the role of women has moved from housewife to highly paid corporate executive to political leader. As events in history have shaped the present world, one can find hidden in such moments, pivotal points that catapult destiny into an unforeseen direction. This paper will examine one such pivotal moment, fashioned from the fictitious character known as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who represented the powerful working class women during World War II and how her personification has helped shape the future lives of women.
fighting in the war alongside the men these women did make an impact on the war.
"Women in WWII at a Glance." The National WWII Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Zeinert, Karen. Those Incredible Women of World War 2: The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Connecticut 1994
...and in 1961 he re-appoints her to the United Nations, but as chair of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. In 1962, she furthers her Civil Right’s crusade by monitoring and reporting on the efforts and progress of the fight for civil rights in the United States. On November 7th 1962, she died at the age of seventy-eight of an extended illness. Many attended her funeral, President Kennedy, as well as Eisenhower and Truman attended. She was buried next to her husband at Hyde Park (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ar32.html).
Women helped in the American Revolution by working with the Culper Spy Ring to provide
Williams, Rudi. "United States Department of Defense." Defense.gov News Article: Civilian Women Played Major Role in World War II Victory. 30 May 2004. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. .
Great people often arise from unlikely places. During the civil war women were barred from serving in the army; however, women did sometimes disguise themselves as men and enlisted in both the Confederate and Union armies. During the Civil War years of 1861 to 18-65, soldiers under arms mailed countless letters home from the front. There are multiple accounts of women serving in military units during the Civil War, but a majority of these incidents are extremely hard to verify. Nevertheless, there is the one well-documented incident of the female Civil War soldier by the name of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman.