A tale of two spies

Nathan Hale, Harriet Tubman and the perils of an undercover life

Deception and secrecy are underlying themes that run through recent news about everything from covert funding of right-wing influencers in the US to the remotely programmed detonation of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon.

The shadow world of spying may conceal the identities of people involved in operations like these for a time but eventually we will likely learn who directed them and more about how they were carried out.

In the meantime, there’s a rich history to explore of US intelligence efforts going back to revolutionary times.

This Sunday, September 22, marks the 248^th anniversary of the execution of Nathan Hale, the 21-year-old novice spy recruited by General George Washington’s army to help divine the intentions of the British expeditionary force in the early months of the Revolutionary War.  

In America’s founding mythology, Hale is often considered the nation’s first spy, though his career in intelligence lasted only a few weeks.

Hale’s mission is commemorated in a