The Secret History of Women at the CIA – Liza Mundy

The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast.  I’m your host, Paul Vogelzang, and today we delve into a riveting chapter of espionage history with our Smithsonian Associates Interview Series. Our special guest is Liza Mundy, an acclaimed journalist and author, who brings us her groundbreaking work, “The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA.”

Liza Mundy will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up, so please check out our show notes today for details on Liza Mundy’s presentation at Smithsonian Associates, titled. 

“The Secret History of Women at the CIA.”

We’ll be talking with Liza Mundy today about her upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation and her new book, The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA , about a hidden narrative at the CIA about the post-World War II role of women. These women, often relegated to roles like sending cables, making clandestine ‘dead drops,’ and meticulously maintaining the agency’s secret files, faced a ceiling of discrimination. Yet, perhaps it was this very underestimation that carved their path to becoming some of the CIA’s most astute operatives, including clandestine trips to a morgue in the Mediterranean. That, of course, is our guest today, Smithsonian Associate Liza Mundy,  her new book, The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA 

Further, Liza Mundy will tell us today, and she compellingly argues that as the CIA grappled with its identity post-Cold War, it was a tightly knit network of female analysts who first perceived the rising threat of al-Qaida, though, tragically, their cautions were repeatedly dismissed.  Unlikely spies, yes, but perfect for the role. Seen as inconsequential, these pioneering women navigated the espionage hotbeds of Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, even the capture of Osama bin Laden, and adeptly swiping secrets right from under the noses of their KGB counterparts. Back at the CIA headquarters, they were the architects of the agency’s critical archives, transitioning from manual to digital, always perceptive to details unnoticed by their male superiors.

Please join me in welcoming Smithsonian Associate Liza Mundy, who takes us through these untold stories, revealing how these women not only helped shape the modern intelligence era but also how their marginalization made our world more vulnerable. Stay tuned for a journey into the secret corridors of history, where the unsung heroines of the CIA finally get their due.

My thanks to Smithsonian Associate Liza Mundy, whose new book, The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA it’s available now…please check it out.  You can check out Liza Mundy at Smithsonian Associates coming up, so please refer to our show notes today for details on Liza Mundy’s presentation at Smithsonian Associates, titled. “The Secret History of Women at the CIA.”  My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show, and my thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience on radio and podcast.  Please be well, be safe, and Let’s Talk About Better©.  The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast.  We will see you next week.