{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"207. Book and Dagger: Yale Professors Become Successful WWII Spies","description":"   In her new book, Book and Dagger, How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of the World, Dr. Elyse Graham tells the story of academics, like Yale literature professor Joseph Curtis, who hunted down German spies and turned them into double agents, and Sherman Kent, a Yale history professor who rose to become the head of analysis for all of Europe and Africa.   At the start of World War II, the United States found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to today\u2019s CIA, was quickly formed\u2014and in an effort to fill its ranks with experts, the OSS turned to academia for recruits. Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform undercover operations and investigative work-and these surprising spies would go on to profoundly shape both the course of the war and the future CIA with their efforts.   This episode\u2019s guest is Dr. Elyse Graham, professor in the English Department at Stony Brook University and the author of four books. Dr.Graham is available for book talks-find the link to her website here:     https:\/\/www.elyse-graham.com\/   -------------------------------------------------- Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. Get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine, in print and digital editions now so you don\u2019t miss the Summer issue! https:\/\/www.ctexplored.org\/ Each issue offers a photo essay, feature-length stories you can sink your teeth into, and shorter stories you can breeze through\u2014plus lots of beautiful, large historic images. We include oral histories, stunning museum objects, must-see destinations, and more. From Colonial history to pop-culture, you\u2019ll find it all in this magazine This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O\u2019Sullivan at https:\/\/www.highwattagemedia.com\/    Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.   Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening! ","author_name":"Grating the Nutmeg","author_url":"http:\/\/gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com\/podcast","html":"