The Secret World of Espionage

How much does pop culture get wrong about espionage? Meet some real-life figures who inspired fictional spies like James Bond. Gain insights into how spies work, the jobs they hold, and the organizations they belong to.

Spies are human beings, too. Dig into the many sources of intelligence information, including one we traditionally associate with spies: HUMINT, or intelligence gathered by people. What traits should a spy ideally possess? Which ones shouldn't they possess?

Travel back to the 1500s and consider how spies and espionage helped create governments, expand economies-and even overturn monarchies. Historical cases plunge you into heated political games involving Britain, Russia, India, and Afghanistan.

Examine the various roles women played throughout history as spies-from women in seemingly insignificant positions such as domestic help to those who were notably infamous, such as Mata Hari. See the many ways the female espionage network was able to exploit the misogyny of their times.

Take a deep dive behind the scenes of the time period leading up to, and during, World War II. Get to know some of the people and strategies that helped motivate America to join the war effort. Uncover covert and intelligence operations employed during WWII by different countries-and the various iterations of allies and enemies across this period of time.

Secret codes may be one of the most interesting and intriguing components of espionage. The experts reveal some of the earliest and also most complicated ciphers, including the Enigma machine, Native American code talkers, and even modern-day hackers. Plus, they'll divulge some insights into how codes can be-and are-deciphered.

Investigate the stories of specific characters in espionage history, such as The Cambridge Five. Meet key players, including Kim Philby and James Angleton, and see how their actions, accusations, and attempts at validation left huge scars on the intelligence community, specifically the CIA.

"One of the most effective secret agents in World War II was, in fact, a man who never existed." Take a look at Operation Mincemeat-an endeavor full of misdirections, fake-outs, and double-crosses that was so secret, even Prime Minister Winston Churchill didn't know about it. See how this sort of deceitful strategy was successfully repeated for other events, including the invasion of Normandy.

Take an in-depth look at how data and intelligence are used today-from protecting our country to hacking our systems. And gain an understanding of how and why intelligence endeavors can fail-leading to events such as the Arab Spring, the Iranian Revolution, and the 9/11 attacks by al-Qaeda. Consider whether timeless secrets exist anymore, in this age of technology.