Espionage Archives - Infinite Women

Mary Hutchison

In the early days of the CIA, Mary Hutchison repeatedly warned her superiors about trusting the former Nazi intelligence officer Myron Matviyenko, a known murderer who had worked actively against the United States and its allies.

Hilda Matheson

The BBC’s first director of talks, who helped to establish radio journalism

Milicent Bagot

An intelligence officer and expert on Soviet Russia, she was the first to warn her agency about the Communist ties of Kim Philby, an MI6 officer who worked as a Soviet KGB double agent for almost thirty years. Her warning went unheeded, and he continued to work for British intelligence for more than a decade.

Odette Sansom

Member of the Special Operations Executive and POW during WWII

Pearl Witherington

The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.

Such attitudes are particularly infuriating in light of the battles women have had to wage just to be allowed into the armed forces, and recognised as such when they have served. Historically, women have been grouped into supposedly civilian roles even as they perform the same duties as men in the armed forces and are frequently sent into war zones. The women of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) who spied—and often died—in service to their country during World War II often received commendations that were explicitly designated for “civilians.” Even when the SOE as an agency recommended women like Pearl Witherington (who led an SOE network of around 2,000 fighters in France) for military commendation, the government was likely to change it to a civilian version.

Thargelia of Miletus

Ancient Greek courtesan

Gertrude Bell

Gertrude Bell (l. 1868-1926) was an archaeologist, travel writer, explorer, and political administrator.

Yvonne Rudellat

Using the cover name Jacqueline Gautier, the 45-year-old Rudellat worked as a courier, organized supply drops, and became skilled at sabotage after being deployed to France in July 1942.

Blanche Charlet

Blanche Charlet was an influential gallery owner in Brussels after World War I. Known as Agent Japonica and Ventriloquist, Charlet was recruited by the SOE in 1941 and became a courier for the French resistance during WWII.

Marie-Louise Dissard

WWII French resistance member Marie-Louise Dissard, code name Françoise or Victoire, was in her 60s when she took over the escape network known as the Pat O’Leary Line.