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

Historian Graham (digital humanities, Stony Brook Univ.; You Talkin’ to Me??) reveals how intelligence collected by academics in the United States’ Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, guided military decisions that helped defeat the Axis powers. Graham describes how, with no intelligence agency in place and a desperate need to gather information, the United States created the OSS. Academic experts were asked to leave their teaching careers and apply their analytical skills to the war effort, and these newly minted OSS agents collected information to help win the war. By analyzing the shipping news, railroad lines moving heavy munitions were identified; society pages revealed the movements of enemy personnel. A book-buying ruse allowed access to hundreds of scientific journals and books, and old maps produced intelligence about the location of factories. Graham has researched extensively, using government records, diaries, and personal accounts to craft this exciting story. Saskia Maarleveld narrates, bringing her exceptional vocal skills to bear as she offers a crisp and even performance. Her timing is excellent, and she makes even the facts and figures interesting as she allows listeners to connect the dots in a complex web of intrigue.