I'm delighted to have Anne Greene on Seriously Write today. From the first time I read one of her blogs on female spies I found the idea intriguing and wanted to learn more. I know you will too.
- Terri
Did you
know both the Union and the Confederate armies during the Civil War employed
woman spies? And America had her lady spies during the American Revolution as
well. But today I want to talk about America’s lady spies during World War II.
Japan’s
surprise aerial assault on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7,
1941, highlighted America’s spy gathering weakness during those years.
President Franklin Roosevelt, a longtime advocate of clandestine work, ordered
the creation of this country’s first true intelligence service in June 1942.
During World War II, two main oversight organizations were
responsible for intelligence activities for the Allies. These were the American OSS, or Office of Strategic Services and the
British SOE, or Special Operations Executive. In addition to traditional spies,
these organizations employed many ordinary men and women to covertly provide
information about strategic locations and activities while leading apparently
normal lives.
The OSS was active in every country in Europe, aiding
resistance groups and monitoring enemy activity. They had spies in enemy
countries as well as in the Pacific theater. Headed by Major General William J.
Donovan, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) staged thousands of covert and
guerilla activities. The sprawling organization also researched and drafted
reports concerning a wide spectrum of political, social, cultural, and economic
issues affecting the war.
Women played major roles in OSS missions. Of the thirteen
thousand employees who served, forty-five hundred were women. One-third
fulfilled overseas assignments. The OSS placed spies in Germany and Japan and
every enemy-occupied country in Europe and in the Pacific, aiding resistance
groups and monitoring enemy activity.
Eventually the OSS became the CIA, Central Intelligence
Agency.
During World War II, the woman considered American’s
greatest female spy, Virginia Hall of Baltimore, Maryland, flew into occupied
France as an undercover OSS operative. A Spy.
Many other women served America during World War II. Woman
like Barbara Lauwers, Amy Elizabeth Thorpe, Nancy Wake, Josephine Baker, Mary
Louise Prather, film star Hedy Lamarr, and American’s favorite cook, Julia
Childs.
I’m basing my next Women
of Courage book, working title SPIES LIKE HER on these real-life American
heroines.
Leave a comment below and let me know if you are acquainted
with any woman currently employed by the CIA. I met one such lady while I was in
college.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the world of women
spies and look for my book, SPIES LIKE HER, when
it release in 2017.
QUESTION: Do you admire the women
who served at the risk of their lives for our country as much as I do? Do you
know any of these heroic women? Also, I’d love to know what part of spy
work appeals to you, or what part of spy work would you find most difficult to
perform? These women often lived a lie to perform their duty.
ANNE
GREENE delights in writing about alpha heroes who aren’t afraid to fall on
their knees in prayer and about gutsy heroines. She and her hero husband, Army
Special Forces Colonel Larry Greene, have visited forty countries. A visit to
Scotland resulted in her award-winning Scottish historical romances, Masquerade Marriage and Marriage By Arrangement. A Texas Christmas
Mystery also won awards. Her Women of Courage Series spotlights
heroic women of World War II. The first book, Angel With Steel Wings, is available on Amazon. The
second series, Handcuffed In Texas has
the first book, Holly Garden, PI, Red Is For Rookie, now available on Amazon. Her newest release is novella, The Marriage Broker and The Mortician, in The California Gold Rush Romance Collection. Anne makes her home in
McKinney, Texas. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader
to an awesome new world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual
relationship with the Lord Jesus. To learn more of Anne, visit her at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. and http://www.facebook.com/AnneWGreeneAuthor. She
writes a novel teaching class on her blog www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com.
You can
buy Anne’s books at Amazon or any on-line store.
