“Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II”
Elyse Graham, professor of English at Stony Brook University, will present her new book “Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II.”
At the start of World War II, the United States found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to today’s CIA, was quickly formed—and, in an effort to fill its ranks with experts, the OSS turned to academia for recruits.
Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform undercover operations and investigative work. These spies profoundly shaped both the course of the war and our cultural institutions with their efforts.
Graham draws on personal histories, letters, and declassified OSS files to tell the story of a small network of humanities scholars turned spies. These unforgettable characters helped build the foundations of modern intelligence and, after the war, transformed American higher education.
The author will be available to sign books after the presentation. Books will be sold at the event, but participants are also welcome to bring books they have purchased in advance.