The Secrets We Kept

by Lara Prescott

They’d tried to push the OSS gals out for years—they had no use for them in their new cold war. Those same fingers that once pulled triggers had become better suited for the typewriter, it seemed.

wanted to pay homage to some of the early women spies I’d read about in my research. Elizabeth "Betty" Peet McIntosh’s book SISTERHOOD OF SPIES first exposed me to a world of real-life heroines, including Virginia Hall [recommended reading: A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE], Julia Child (yes, that Julia Child!), and the author herself. These women got their start in the OSS (the precursor to the CIA) during WWII, and, after the war, some transitioned to the CIA, just as Sally does in the novel. Today, we may have had a woman reach the top of the CIA, but, back then, most women—even those who had served their country so courageously—were relegated to secretary or clerk positions.