Many a man has been impressed by the ingenuity of secret agent operations, and intrigued by the subterfuge, gadgets, and disguises required to pull them off. Much of what we think about when we think about spies got its start as part of the Office of Strategic Services, the American intelligence agency during World War II.
Here to unpack some of the history of the world of cloak and dagger operations is John Lisle, author of The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare. Today on the show, Lisle explains why the OSS was created and the innovations its research and development section came up with to fight the Axis powers. We talk about the most successful weapons and devices this so-called “Dirty Tricks Department” developed, as well as its more off-the-wall ideas, which included releasing bat bombs and radioactive foxes in Japan. We discuss the department’s attempt to create a truth serum, its implementation of a disinformation campaign involving “The League of Lonely War Women,” and its promotion of a no-holds-barred hand-to-hand combat fighting system. We also talk about the influence of the OSS on the establishment of the CIA and controversial projects like MKUltra.
Resources Related to the PodcastWhy Your Memory Seems Bad (It’s Not Just Age)
Grid-Down Medicine — A Guide for When Help Is NOT on the Way
Skills Over Pills
The Power of Everyday Rituals to Shape and Enhance Our Lives
Walden on Wheels — A Man, a Debt, and an American Adventure
How to Create a Distraction-Free Phone
Want to Be Happy? Give Yourself Reasons to Admire Yourself
Tips From a Hostage Negotiator on Handling Difficult Conversations
Lessons in Action, Agency, and Purpose From Buying a Ghost Town
Get More Done With the Power of Timeboxing
How to Shift Out of the Midlife Malaise
The 3 Musical Geniuses Behind the Most Popular Jazz Album of All Time
A Butler's Guide to Managing Your Household
Down With Pseudo-Productivity: Why We Need to Transform the Way We Work
The 5 Factors for Crafting Simple (Read: Effective!) Messages
The Misconceptions of HIIT (And the Role It Can Play in Your Fitness Routine)
The Making of a Stoic Emperor
The Secrets of Supercommunicators
7 Journaling Techniques That Can Change Your Life
Busting the Myths of Marriage — Why Getting Hitched Still Matters
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free