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.
