The Amateur Female Spies Who Boosted The CIA During WWII
Formed by the Joints Chiefs of Staff in the midst of World War Two, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) played a vital role in America’s intelligence efforts. It was responsible for planning acts of espionage, spreading propaganda, and even interrogating German prisoners. Approximately 13,000 individuals worked for the organization during the three years it was in action. But you will probably not be aware that nearly a third of this number were women.
General William Donovan
Soon after its inception in 1942 General William Donovan realized that the agency would benefit significantly from having female spies in its ranks. A trip to espionage training school Wanborough Manor had helped alert him to the fact that women were achieving great success in the field of espionage while posing as wireless operators and couriers.
This was attributed to their ability to generally integrate themselves better in foreign cultures compared to their male counterparts. The general’s assistant Maggie Griggs was subsequently given the task of recruiting the finest candidates available.
Gung-ho spirit
And Griggs’ job was made all the harder by the fact that she couldn’t tell any possible recruits about the true nature of the work. But pretty soon, about 4,000 women had agreed to sign up for the clandestine operations. Sadly, most of their stories of bravery, courage, and gung-ho spirit have since been overshadowed by those of their male counterparts.
And as you’re about to discover, their remarkable stories are definitely worth telling. From Nazi-outsmarting socialites to life-saving schoolteachers, here’s a look at eight women who risked it all for their country.
1. Gertrude Sanford Legendre
Gertrude Sanford Legendre’s story was already so remarkable before she joined the OSS that she’d been depicted on screen by none other than Hollywood legend Katherine Hepburn. Yes, in 1937 her South Carolina super-rich family, which also included socialite sister Sara Jane and polo-playing brother Stephen, were given the biopic treatment in Holiday.
The movie was adapted from the 1929 stage play written by the Sanfords’ friend Phillip Barry. But it’s fair to say that Gertrude gave him more than enough drama to pen a follow-up.
Taste for adventure
Gertrude developed a taste for adventure in her teens with a global hunting expedition which, as well as domestic destinations such as the Grand Tetons of Wyoming, also took in locations including Iran, Canada, and South-east Asia. New York City’s American Museum of Natural History benefited greatly from the numerous specimens that she caught along the way.
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And in between partying with the likes of Zelda Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway in the south of France, Gertrude also acquired a husband in the shape of Sidney J. Legendre, a fellow explorer.