5 Items Tagged

Secret Agent Women

Petra Herrera led troops into battle in the Mexican Revolution and later went undercover as a bartender to spy on the opposition.

The Mexican Revolutionary Who Fought for Freedom on the Battlefield and in the Barroom

Before she became a spy, Petra Herrera went undercover as a man.

April White March 11, 2022

Zheng Pingru was about 19 years old when she was recruited to spy on the Japanese forces that occupied Shanghai at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

A Socialite’s Plot to Assassinate a Corrupt Official in Occupied Shanghai

Zheng Pingru’s scheme involved a fabulous fur coat and ended in tragedy.

April White March 10, 2022

Marguerite Harrison was raised at the turn of the century to be a Baltimore socialite. Instead, she traveled the world as a reporter, filmmaker, explorer, and spy.

The Society Editor Who Just Walked Into Soviet Russia and Started Spying

Marguerite Harrison was the United States’ first female foreign intelligence officer.

April White March 9, 2022

Pauline Cushman masqueraded as a Southern woman in search of her lost brother to gain access to a Confederate camp in Tennessee.

A Struggling Actress’s Greatest Role Was as a Real Civil War Spy

Pauline Cushman’s contributions to U.S. war efforts earned her the honorary title of “Major.”

April White March 8, 2022

Josefine Guerrero carried a map of the minefields in the north of occupied Manila to approaching U.S. troops.

The Invisible, Afflicted Spy Who Led the U.S. Army Into Occupied Manila

As a woman with leprosy, Josefina Guerrero was ignored by Japanese forces as she carried messages of resistance in World War II.

April White March 7, 2022