Book and Dagger: How Academics Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II

Elyse Graham, Professor, Stony Brook University

At the start of World War II, the U.S. was in desperate need of an intelligence agency. Thus, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was quickly formed and began to recruit from academia to fill its ranks with experts. Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform investigative work and embarking on dangerous undercover missions abroad. Drawing on personal histories, letters, and declassified OSS files, this lecture presents the story of this small group of academics-turned-OSS spies who invented modern spycraft and helped turn the tide of the Second World War.

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Members may reserve a complimentary ticket for themselves and up to one guest. Proof of membership must be presented upon arrival.