Friday

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗜𝗔 𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀.

Created in the aftermath of World War II, the Central Intelligence Agency relied on women even as it attempted to channel their talents and keep them down. Women sent cables, made dead drops, and maintained the agency’s secrets. Despite discrimination—even because of it—women who started as clerks, secretaries, or unpaid spouses rose to become some of the CIA’s shrewdest operatives.

They were unlikely spies—and that’s exactly what made them perfect for the role. Because women were seen as unimportant, pioneering female intelligence officers moved unnoticed around Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, stealing secrets from under the noses of their KGB adversaries. Back at headquarters, women built the CIA’s critical archives—first by hand, then by computer. And they noticed things that the men at the top didn’t see. As the CIA faced an identity crisis after the Cold War, it was a close-knit network of female analysts who spotted the rising threat of al-Qaeda—though their warnings were repeatedly brushed aside.

After the 9/11 attacks, more women joined the agency as a new job, targeter, came to prominence. They showed that data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape—an effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful effort to track down bin Laden in his Pakistani compound.

💬 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱?

AOTD: Catching up with friends for brunch and hopefully finishing Iron

Dinner

I am on a bit of a pizza kick this week so I am giving this Gouda, Bacon and Pumpkin Pizza from half baked harvest a try tonight. Instead of making my own pizza crust, I am using a store-bought premade, thin crust.