Sisterhood of Spies: The Women of the OSS (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth P. McIntosh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Sisterhood of Spies is a real-life James Bond story, double-X chromosome-style. Here, though, the heroines aren't sex kittens in black spandex, but rather upper-crust women risking their lives in the service of a country at war. Elizabeth P. McIntosh was a reporter in Hawaii when the Office of Strategic Services (the C.I.A.'s precursor) recruited her to aid in its campaign of wartime disinformation. Fifty-five years later, she's taken it upon herself to tell the story of the women who served with her undercover--some of whom have also achieved aboveground celebrity, such as Marlene Dietrich and Julia Child. The narratives contained in Sisterhood of Spies couldn't be any more gripping if they were written as fiction: Nazi interrogation ordeals, daring escapes across mountain passes, expeditions behind enemy lines, even Mata Hari-style affairs. Ms. McIntosh's book is a fond ode to these women and a bravery that has remained unsung too long.

From Publishers Weekly
Within the ranks of America's intelligence community retirees, former agent McIntosh is a legend. A one-time war correspondent, the young McIntosh joined the fledgling Office of Strategic Services in 1943 and plunged gamely into her assigned task of running morale operations against the Japanese in Burma and China. She went on to become a longtime employee of the CIA. After WWII, she wrote a rollicking account of her wartime experiences in Undercover Girl (1947), now long out of print but still spoken of admiringly by fellow former agents. In this new memoir, McIntosh includes others in the "sisterhood of spies." Recording the exploits of an international cast, she underscores how women were grossly underused in the wartime spy agency, often being relegated to mainly secretarial duties. But McIntosh doesn't skimp on the adventures of female combatants, such as the remarkable Virginia Hall, aka "The Limping Lady" because of the gait produced by her wooden leg. Hall was so daring she was dubbed by the French Gestapo as "one of the most dangerous Allied agents in France." Another notable female spy was the intrepid Betty Lussier, who was instrumental in forming an extensive double-agent network in France. Amid the tales, interesting nuggets of spy craft emerge?for instance, that Morse code transmission is like handwriting, individualized to the extent that trained recipients instantly recognize a change in the sending "fist." This is an enthralling tribute to the largely unsung Mata Haris who worked undercover to help win the war, told with aplomb by one of their own. 25 photos, not seen by PW.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557505985
• ISBN-13: 978-1557505989
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #478,144 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #13 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Royalty > Elizabeth II
  #24 in	Books > History > Military > World War II > Women
  #31 in	Books > History > Military > World War II > Intelligence Operations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing overview of OSS sisterhood, August 23, 1998

By	El Cutachero (MD USA) - See all my reviews

Some years ago while digging in the National Archives I met the author. At that time she was pursuing the research for this book. When she mentioned that she was the "Undercover Girl" I immediately thought, "AHA, Cynthia!" Well, she wasn't. You will have to read this book to find out who Cynthia was and a whole host of others whose exploits were not so "undercover" ; )! At the time we met Ms. McIntosh's original book "Undercover Girl" was scheduled to be reprinted in the TIME-LIFE WW II espionage operations series, but that was not to be. I finally got a copy of the original and found it to be a fascinating read. This one is obviously not so immediate as her original but still gives the flavor of the wartime experience. The fact that male chauvinism ruled in those days is evident in that they were not paid the same rates and were seldom promoted to their potential-- considering that most of the OSS women where well-educated bilingual (or more) cosmopolitan citizens of many nations of the world, as adept with European royalty as with the natives in the fetid jungles of Asia. Their story is well worth telling and is very interesting reading.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the most insightful books on the oss i've ever read, September 23, 1998

By A Customer

I have been an avid reader of espionage books for some time. I believe that Elizabeth McIntosh has written an excellent book covering the role of the women involved in the OSS's clandestine operations during WWII. This is an insightful account of how many women (most, if not all the OSS women were well educated, well traveled, and in many cases multilingual) repeatedly endured physical and mental hardships, and risked their lives to help the greater war effort. Unfortunately, the work of Amy Thorpe, Virginia Hall, Maria Gulovich, and others have not been acknowledged until now. I am proud and grateful that these women decided to serve their nation, and only hope others will follow. This book should be an inspiration to any female who wants to serve her country.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story that needed to be told..., June 13, 2000

By	meiringen "meiringen" (the Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sisterhood of Spies (Mass Market Paperback)

...and it is well done, by one of the "Sisterhood." Very engrossing, and goes to show how valuable their contributions were during wartime. They didn't just type and file papers--they were in the thick of it as well as the men. It's about time that their role was given the recognition it deserves!