The History ofEspionagefor the United States

Mr. MarkleUnited States History

George WashingtonSpymasterNot only the father of our country, Washington proved to be the father of our countrys spy systemWashington deployed numerous spies throughout the colonies during the war, valuing the information that they could provide himHe oversaw the vast network that was created, thus establishing himself as the spymaster

Espionage and the American Revolutionary War

The deeper Commander-in-Chief George Washington got in his war for American Independence, the greater became his conviction that espionage was an essential component of his outgunned and outnumbered Continental Army.

Washington contrived to allow a known British agent to steal a specially prepared document that put his Continental Army at twelve thousand strong. The boy who "could not tell a lie" had grown into a man who made deception a fine art. However, early in the war he functioned alone. His first attempt at creating a "professional" American espionage organization had ended badly, with the deaths of two of his elite "rangers," Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton and Captain Nathan Hale. Both men, though wise to the ways of the forests and fields, were alas unfamiliar with the particular tricks of spycraft.

By the summer of 1777, George Washington had evolved an elaborate system of spies and back-ups to spies, in order that he might cross-reference his intelligence data as well as avoid total disaster if the enemy captured more agents.

The Mechanics1st known intelligence network in the colonies (for the Patriot side)Also known as the Liberty BoysSprung from the Sons of Liberty that had grown in opposition to the Stamp ActSurveyed British troop movements and known ToriesStole British supplies and sabotaged their fortifications

Washington retained full and final authority over Continental Army intelligence activities, but he delegated significant field responsibility to trusted officers specially designated to assist him in conducting intelligence operations. The first to assume this role appears to have been Joseph Reed, who fulfilled the duties of Secretary, Adjutant General, and Quarter Master. A later successor was Alexander Hamilton, known to have been deeply involved with the Commander-in-Chief's intelligence operations, including developing reports received in secret writing and investigating a suspected double agent.

The Culper Ring was organized by Benjamin Tallmadge in the summer of 1778. The Ring's task was to send messages about British activities and sabatouge, and was active through 1781.

Hercules Mulligan, an Irish immigrant, was the first to alert Washington to two British plans to capture the American Commander-in-Chief and to a planned incursion into Pennsylvania. Besides being an American agent, Mulligan was an active member of the Sons of Liberty and the New York Committees of Correspondence and Observation.

Nathan Hale American folk hero and revolutionary war centerpiece Nathan Hale is widely regarded as the first American spy. Hes the man who said the oft-quoted line I only regret that I have but one life to give my country,

Major John Andr was captured on a mission for British Secret Intelligence, in which he was attempting to purchase the surrender of West Point from American General Benedict Arnold. Hes been called the British Nathan Hale, and was compared to the American while in captivity. He was found to be so likable in this way that the American guards themselves befriended him.

John Honeyman and the Battle of TrentonWas a spy recruited for specific purpose: to provide information on the British winter quarters at TrentonIn fall of 1776, moves to New Brunswick, NJ and begins life as a cattle farmerSells meat to British troops, so he is publicly viewed as a British supporter December 22nd, 1776: Washington arrests HoneymanWhile being detained, he reveals to Washington that the British had returned to New York City leaving only the Hessians, He also provided maps of the incomplete and weakly defended fortificationsHoneyman escaped from Washington and quickly reported back to the HessiansHe informed them that Washingtons army was in no way prepared to fight; lulled them into a sense of security

Espionage and the American Civil War

Belle Boyd has been called the Cleopatra of the Secession, and she gave information to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson during the war. Belle was turned against the Union army when a group of soldiers assaulted her mother and she was forced to fire upon and kill one in her defense. Since that moment, though she was later exonerated in court, she did not ever seem to get over the ordeal, and began eliciting information from the army officers using her feminine whiles. She would then ferry the information using slaves, as she was in Virginia at the time.

Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a rich, attractive, and outgoing widow, born in Maryland. She was a very popular member of Washington's social circle so most of her friends were former presidents, senators, and generals. Her job was to gather valuable information to report for Rebel Government. Allan Pinkerton was very suspious about Rose's activities so he arrested her in August 1861. They searched her house and found very detailed maps of Washington's fortifications. She was then sent to prison in January 1862.

After getting out of jail she had another assignment, she was forced to the sand bar. She was very scared someone would catch her and place her in prison again, so they took a small life boat. There was a large storm during the time she was gone, a few days later her body had washed up on shore.

Prior to his service with the Union Army, Allan Pinkerton developed several investigative techniques that are still used today. Among them are "shadowing" (surveillance of a suspect) and "assuming a role" (undercover work). Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Pinkerton served as head of the Union Intelligence Service in 186162 and foiled an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland, while guarding Abraham Lincoln on his way to his inauguration. His agents often worked undercover as Confederate soldiers and sympathizers, in an effort to gather military intelligence. Pinkerton served in several undercover missions under the alias of Major E.J. Allen. Pinkerton was succeeded as Intelligence Service chief by Lafayette Baker. The Intelligence Service was the forerunner of the U.S. Secret Service. He arrested Rose O'Neal Greenhow, an actress/Confederate spy, by looking through her window.

Espionage and the First World War

During the First World War, Sylvanus Griswold Morley gathered intelligence about and reported on the movements of German operatives in Latin America, information which was of keen interest to the U.S. Government. Morley was one of a number of Naval Intelligence operatives working in the region under the guise of conducting scholarly research. Their mission was to seek out evidence of pro-German and anti-American agitation in the Mexico-Central America region and to look for secret German submarine bases. Morleys archaeological work provided a ready excuse to travel the countryside armed with photographic equipment, and he himself traveled more than 2,000 miles along the coastlines of Central America in search of evidence for German bases.

The Security Service commonly known as MI5 (Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of the intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) The Security Service is derived from the Secret Service Bureau, founded in 1909 in a national climate of pre-war paranoia and possibly influenced by invasion literature to control secret intelligence operations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and overseas, particularly concentrating on the activities of the Imperial German government as a joint initiative of the Admiralty and the War Office. MI5, in essence, supplies the US with both intelligence and assisted in the training and establishment of an American intelligence organization, as well as creating a nearly perfect deep cover moles.

Born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, Mata Hari is one of the most widely known names in history. Beautiful, scandalous, sexy and shrewd, this exotic dancer and courtesan is believed to have worked her way into the fabric of World War I as a double agent. Mata Hari

Espionage and the Second World War

OPERATIVES, SPIES, & SABOTEURS: The Men and Women of World War II and the OSS

Well before D-Day, America was waging a covert war throughout the Nazi-controlled lands of Europea war of espionage, intrigue, and savage violence. Deep behind German lines, saboteurs blasted bridges and tunnels, spies ferreted out crucial information and relayed it back to the Allies, and uniformed soldiers parachuted from blacked-out planes to organize resistance movements (much as Special Forces soldiers did in Afghanistan and Iraq). Sometimes these "shadow warriors" fought pitched battles against the Axis foe; sometimes the killing was silent and targeted. In Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs, author Patrick K. ODonnell draws upon recently declassified archives and hundreds of interviews with OSS veterans to reveal the intricacies of this fascinating covert war.

Way back in the ancient times, before MI6 and the CIA, there was Scotland Yard. And from this old-timey British spy-hub, there was a man on a mission, and his name was Sidney Reilly. A Ukrainian born Jew, born Georgi Rosenblum, Reilly would come to be known as the Ace of Spies as he swaggered his way across Europe and Asia in the name of Crown and Country. His entire life was shrouded in mystery while simultaneously flaunted and recorded for posterity. He is the basis for Ian Flemings creation: James Bond. Amazing that today, we dont come across this extraordinary mans name unless weve got our noses buried in history books.

The Cambridge Five: While only four of the original group were ever discovered and captured, the group was always known to be five members at its core, and the Cambridge Five made waves during the great red-scare at the end of the second World War and into the 1950s by spying for the Soviets in the UK.

Espionage and the Cold War

Working concurrently to the Rosenbergs to get atomic bomb data to the Soviets, Fuchs was convicted in 1950 and sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment. They do things a bit differently in British courts, apparently. His confessions implicated a man who would just three years later become the chief witness against the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. He is largely credited with playing the largest role of all spies in the USSRs successful acquisition of nuclear bomb technology at break-neck speed something that had until that point baffled the American scientific and intelligence communities.

Making history by becoming the first civilians to be executed for espionage in the United States, the Rosenbergs had been accused and found guilty of divulging secrets of the atomic bomb to the Soviets in the early 1950s. They were both put to death by the Sing Sing electric chair at sundown on June 19th, 1953 in New York.

Spy Equipment Without reliable means of communication, any information gathered would be useless. Communication devices often preceded or at least equaled the most modern technology available.

Defense against the bad guy was an ugly, but necessary part of survival.

The most commonly-used espionage camera was the Minox; shown with a British camera that fit inside a match box.

List of codes to be used by a British agent, printed on silk, containing four letter codes for a large number of sentences. Time on the air was the greatest danger as the Gestapo direction finders could rapidly pinpoint transmissions

The Office of Strategic Services provided agents with a wide range of espionage tools, including silk maps; crossbows and arrows; miniature telescopes and compasses; barter kits; and a pipe that could be smoked without damaging the hidden compass and maps concealed inside.

This case displays a wide array of spy equipment, including cameras, garrotes, and various firing devices.Among the items shown: A woman's shoe with a concealed heel blade; a paratrooper hatchet used by the Resistance to cut telephone and electric lines; a sword blade with a dagger handle, made by the OSS and dropped to Filipino guerrillas; cigarette lighter cameras; and a full range of cameras, both from the U.S. and the Soviets