1776: George Washington
Father of American Intelligence
Newly-appointed General George Washington knew the Continental Army was outmatched by the British in weaponry, manpower and supplies. He became increasingly aware that the...
Read moreNewly-appointed General George Washington knew the Continental Army was outmatched by the British in weaponry, manpower and supplies. He became increasingly aware that the...
Read moreHarriet Tubman was already risking her life to rescue slaves on the Underground Railroad. Why not add warring armies into the mix? During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman and other...
Read moreJames Wormley "Jack" Jones was a World War I vet and former detective for the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He'd also served as an instructor in explosives and...
Read moreJames Amos worked for the Department of the Interior, the Customs Office, and as an investigator for the Burns International Detective Agency before becoming President Theodore...
Read moreStarting her career as secretary to William J. Donovan, head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) – the precursor to the CIA – Eloise Page became one of the CIA's first...
Read moreEvery WWII combatant appreciated the need for an unbreakable code that would help them communicate while protecting their operational plans. The U.S. Marines knew where to find...
Read moreHero or enemy? That was a question that the United States asked about Roy Matsumoto and thousands of other Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. Matsumoto and his family were...
Read moreWhen the U.S. joined WWII, Americans found unique ways to use their skills to support the war effort. For some, the skills they learned during the war shaped their future. Julia...
Read moreVirginia Hall had a knack for languages and finding adventure. After attending college and graduate school at tops universities in the U.S., she went on to study and travel in...
Read moreThe Cold War era brought a new set of challenges to the Intelligence Community. This new way of waging war required innovative ways to enhance intelligence collection and analysis...
Read moreWhen Raymond Weir started working at the NSA in 1951, he was the first African American polygrapher in the United States. In an era of segregation, he was also only allowed to...
Read moreFBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a firm rule: only men could be special agents in the FBI. But that rule changed shortly after his death in May 1972, paving the way for the first...
Read moreIn the 1970s, the workforce was changing rapidly, but not quickly enough for Renetta Predmore-Lynch. The Intelligence Community was still primarily comprised of male employees and...
Read moreOmego Ware was a trailblazer—he often found that he was the first African American to hold each of his positions at the CIA. While he received recognition, promotions and...
Read more