Famous American Spies

Nathan Hale was an American Patriot, soldier, and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City, but unfortunately, he was captured by the British. Despite facing certain death, Hale showed courage and honor until the end, famously stating, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." His sacrifice and bravery have immortalized him as an American hero and symbol of patriotism during the Revolutionary War.

Clyde Anderson Tolson served as the second-ranking official of the FBI for over four decades, holding the position of Associate Director from 1947 until 1972. He was primarily responsible for overseeing personnel and discipline within the organization. Tolson was known as the protégé and close deputy of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, working closely with him for many years. Throughout his professional career, he played a significant role in the operations and management of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

E. Howard Hunt Jr. was an American intelligence officer who served in the Central Intelligence Agency from 1949 to 1970. He played a significant role in U.S. regime change in Latin America, including the 1954 Guatemalan coup and the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba. Hunt was part of the Nixon administration's White House Plumbers, tasked with preventing government leaks. He was involved in the Watergate scandal, where he was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping, resulting in a 33-month prison sentence. Hunt later resided in Mexico and Miami until his death in 2007.

Virginia Hall Goillot was an American spy who worked with the SOE and OSS in France during WWII. She was the first female agent to reside in Vichy France and created the Heckler network in Lyon. Hall excelled in supporting operations, organizing resistance movements, supplying agents, aiding downed airmen, and providing safe houses and medical assistance. Known as "Artemis" by the Germans, she was considered one of the most dangerous Allied spies. Hall operated as a wireless operator for the OSS in occupied territory, assisting French resistance groups and earning the nickname "The Limping Lady."

Sidney Gottlieb was an American chemist and spymaster known for leading the CIA's controversial Project MKUltra during the 1950s and 1960s. He played a key role in overseeing assassination attempts and mind-control experiments as part of the program. Gottlieb's professional life was marked by his involvement in covert operations and intelligence activities, where he utilized his expertise in chemistry to develop various techniques aimed at interrogation, psychological manipulation, and other clandestine operations. His work in Project MKUltra remains a subject of interest and scrutiny in the history of intelligence operations.

James Armistead Lafayette was an enslaved African American who served the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under the Marquis de Lafayette. As a double agent, he provided valuable intelligence to the Americans by reporting on the activities of Benedict Arnold and Lord Charles Cornwallis to help in the run-up to the siege of Yorktown. His role as a spy was instrumental in the American victory and he played a crucial part in the war effort by feeding the British false information while disclosing accurate details to the Americans.

Belle Boyd was a Confederate spy during the American Civil War, known for her intelligence-gathering skills and cunning tactics. Operating from her father's hotel in Front Royal, Virginia, she provided valuable information to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson in 1862. Boyd was nicknamed the Cleopatra of the Secession, Siren of the Shenandoah, and later the Confederate Mata Hari due to her shrewd espionage activities. Her professional life was marked by daring undercover operations and a significant impact on Confederate military strategies during the war.

Theodore Alvin Hall was an American physicist who was involved in the Manhattan Project during World War II. He provided detailed information to Soviet intelligence about the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb and purification processes for plutonium. His actions made him an atomic spy for the Soviet Union.

Ethel Rosenberg was involved in espionage activities for the Soviet Union, specifically aiding her husband Julius in passing top-secret information about American radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and nuclear weapon designs to the Soviets. She played a role as a recruiter and courier for the spy ring, including recruiting her brother David Greenglass. Ethel also performed clerical tasks such as typing up documents that Julius passed on to the Soviets. Her involvement in espionage led to her conviction and subsequent execution by the U.S. government.

Robert Philip Hanssen was an FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States from 1979 to 2001. Described as one of the worst intelligence disasters in U.S. history, he sold classified documents detailing U.S. strategies, military technologies, and counterintelligence programs to the KGB. His espionage activities spanned several years, and he remained anonymous to the Russians. Hanssen was eventually arrested in 2001 after leaving classified materials at a dead drop site and was sentenced to fifteen life terms without parole.

Edwin P. Wilson was a former CIA and Office of Naval Intelligence officer who became embroiled in controversy when he was convicted in 1983 for illegally selling weapons to Libya. However, his convictions were overturned in 2003 after it was discovered that the United States Department of Justice had relied on a false affidavit during his prosecution. Wilson's professional life was marked by his involvement in intelligence operations and later legal battles surrounding his conviction and subsequent exoneration.

Aldrich Hazen Ames is a former CIA counterintelligence officer convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union and Russia in 1994. Serving a life sentence without parole in Indiana, he compromised numerous highly classified CIA assets, making him one of the most damaging moles in US intelligence history. Ames' actions significantly impacted national security and led to the exposure and deaths of numerous intelligence sources. He was later surpassed in his betrayal by fellow spy Robert Hanssen, arrested in 2001.

Elizabeth Van Lew was an American abolitionist and philanthropist known for her crucial role in building and operating an extensive spy ring for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Despite facing false claims about her life, her professional legacy is most accurately documented in a 2002 biography by University of Virginia professor Elizabeth R. Varon. Through her espionage activities, Van Lew played a significant part in providing intelligence to the Union forces, contributing to the eventual Union victory in the Civil War.

Peggy Shippen played a significant role in the American Revolution as the second wife of General Benedict Arnold. She has been labeled as "the highest-paid spy" for her involvement in a conspiracy with the British. Shippen's actions led to the exposure of the planned surrender of a critical Continental Army base. After Arnold's death, she took on the responsibility of settling his business affairs and paying off his debts, demonstrating her resilience and determination in managing challenging situations.

Frank Sturgis had a diverse professional background, serving in various branches of the US military and participating in the Cuban Revolution. He worked as an undercover operative for the CIA and was one of the Watergate burglars whose actions led to the downfall of President Nixon. Sturgis was also implicated in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. His involvement in covert operations, military service, and controversial historical events shaped his complex and intriguing professional life.

Sam Davis was a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War. He gained fame as the Boy Hero of the Confederacy for his valor and sacrifice. Davis' story was popularized by editor J. B. Killebrew and later by Sumner Archibald Cunningham. His professional life was characterized by his service in the Confederate forces, ultimately leading to his execution by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee. Davis became a celebrated figure in Confederate memorialization, embodying themes of piety and masculinity that fit into the postwar South's "Lost Cause" mythology.

David Greenglass was an American machinist who worked on the Manhattan Project and served as an atomic spy for the Soviet Union. He was stationed at the Clinton Engineer Works uranium enrichment facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and later worked at the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico. Greenglass provided testimony that led to the conviction and execution of his sister and brother-in-law, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, for espionage. He served nine and a half years in prison for his involvement in the spy ring.

Miles Axe Copeland Jr. was an American musician, businessman, and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) founding member known for his involvement in covert operations such as the Syrian coup d'état in 1949 and the Iranian coup d'état in 1953. He was influenced by the ideas of James Burnham and associated with the National Review magazine. Copeland expressed conservative views on intelligence matters, advocating for more aggressive actions against anti-American governments and leaders in a 1986 Rolling Stone interview.

Nancy Morgan Hart was a prominent figure during the American Revolutionary War, known for her daring actions against Loyalists in northeast Georgia. Regarded as a tough and resourceful frontier woman, she outwitted Tory soldiers and engaged in acts of defiance and courage. Despite the lack of concrete contemporary evidence, her legacy as a rebel heroine has endured through folklore and tales of her bravery and cunning in the face of danger. Researchers have encountered challenges in separating historical fact from embellished accounts of her exploits.

Sarah Emma Edmonds claimed to have served as a man with the Union Army during the American Civil War, working as a nurse and spy. She was recognized for her service by the United States government, although some historians question the accuracy of her claims due to inconsistencies and lack of corroborating evidence. Despite the controversy surrounding her story, Edmonds remains a notable figure in Civil War history for her purported contributions as a soldier in the Union Army.

Lydia Darragh was an Irish woman known for her alleged involvement in delivering crucial information to George Washington and the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. She reportedly crossed British lines in Philadelphia to warn of an impending British attack. However, contemporary sources question the historical accuracy of her story. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, Darragh's actions have been remembered as a bold and potentially significant contribution to the American cause during the conflict.

Edward Bancroft was an American physician and chemist who served as secretary to the American commission in Paris during the American Revolutionary War. He became a double agent, secretly working for both the United States and Great Britain. Bancroft's role as a spy allowed him to gather valuable intelligence for both sides, providing crucial information that influenced the outcome of the war. His expertise in chemistry also contributed to his successful career as a scientist, further showcasing his diverse professional skills and capabilities.

Noshir Sheriarji Gowadia is a former design engineer who became embroiled in espionage activities, being arrested in 2005 for selling classified information to various countries, including China, Germany, Israel, and Switzerland. Convicted on industrial espionage-related federal charges in 2010, he was sentenced to 32 years in prison in 2011 by the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. Gowadia's professional life took a dramatic turn as he transitioned from a design engineer to a convicted spy involved in selling sensitive information.

Herbert Arthur Philbrick was a Boston-area advertising executive who worked closely with the FBI to infiltrate the Communist Party USA during the years 1940 to 1949. His cooperation with the FBI was instrumental in uncovering communist activities in the United States during the Cold War era. Philbrick's experiences and insights were later chronicled in his autobiography, which served as the inspiration for the popular 1950s television series called I Led 3 Lives.

Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a prominent Confederate spy during the American Civil War. She utilized her connections within political circles to pass crucial military information to the Confederacy. Given control of a pro-Southern spy network in Washington, D.C., she played a pivotal role in the South's victory at the First Battle of Bull Run. Despite facing house arrest and imprisonment for her espionage activities, she continued her work and later represented the Confederacy on a diplomatic mission to Europe. She tragically drowned in 1864 while attempting to escape a Union gunboat.

Ralph McGehee was a dedicated professional who served in the CIA for over a decade. He specialized in counterintelligence operations in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam. McGehee's work involved analyzing intelligence reports, supporting covert actions, and assessing the effectiveness of CIA operations in the region. After leaving the agency, he became a vocal critic of US foreign policy and the CIA's practices, eventually writing a book that exposed the agency's questionable tactics and activities.

Lafayette Curry Baker was a prominent United States investigator and spy known for his service to the Union Army during the American Civil War. He worked closely under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, playing a key role in intelligence gathering and counterintelligence operations. Baker's professional life was marked by his strategic acumen, resourcefulness, and dedication to protecting the interests of the Union. His work as a spy and investigator helped shape the course of the Civil War and post-war reconstruction efforts.

Benjamin Thomas Wolf is a retired FBI agent turned adjunct professor at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He is currently campaigning to become a congressman from the 5th Congressional District of Illinois. With a strong liberal stance, he advocates for gun-control measures and the legalization of cannabis. Wolf's background includes working in national security and as an American diplomat, where he traveled extensively to underdeveloped countries. His humanitarian efforts and open-minded approach have garnered him support, especially among liberal youth. He faces Democratic Party opponent Mike Quigley in the upcoming election.

John Honeyman was an American spy and British informant known for his crucial role in aiding George Washington during the Battle of Trenton. He specialized in spreading disinformation and gathering intelligence that proved vital to Washington's victory. Honeyman's professional life was marked by his adeptness at covert operations and his dedication to serving the American cause despite his British allegiance. His actions during the battle helped turn the tide in favor of the Continental Army, showcasing his strategic acumen and commitment to the revolutionary effort.

Robert J. Lamphere was a former agent of the FBI who played a significant role in major Soviet spy cases post-World War II until the mid-1950s. He was involved in the investigations of atomic spies such as Klaus Fuchs, Harry Gold, Julius Rosenberg, and Ethel Rosenberg, as well as British spy Kim Philby. Lamphere's work contributed to uncovering espionage activities and he was known for his involvement in various high-profile cases related to Soviet espionage during the Cold War era.