“The Foundations of American Intelligence in WWI” – with Mark Stout

Summary

Mark Stout (X; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss his new book, World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence. Mark Stout is a former intelligence analyst and former SPY Historian. 

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• The first American intelligence “agencies”
• Codebreaking during WWI
• The American Protective League and spy paranoia 
• WWI’s effect on American culture and politics

Reflections

• Challenging common historical thought 
• Studying the “forgotten” wars 

And much, much more …

Quotes of the Week

“[After World War I] there will never be a time again when the United States won't have squadrons in the Army Air Corps, later the U. S. Air Force, and similarly the Navy. We would never again be without aerial reconnaissance squadrons. There would never again be a time when the United States didn't have at least one code-breaking organization.” – Mark Stout.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*Spotlight Resource* 

• World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence, Mark Stout (University Press of Kansas, 2023) 

*SpyCasts*

• Rise of Devils: The Origins of Modern Terrorism with James Crossland (2024)
• Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023)
• The Lion and the Fox – Civil War Spy vs. Spy with Alexander Rose (2023) 
• The Birth of American Propaganda – A Conversation on Manipulating the Masses with John Hamilton (2021)

*Beginner Resources*

• World War I, Explained in 5 Minutes! YouTube (2023) [5 min. video]
• The Journey of the Intelligence Community, M. Thomas, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (2023) [Timeline of the US IC]
• The United States in the First World War, National Park Service (2021) [Short article]

DEEPER DIVE

Books

• Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda, J. M. Hamilton (LSU Press, 2020)
• Codes, Ciphers and Spies: Tales of Military Intelligence in World War I, J. F. Dooley (Copernicus, 2016)
• The Zimmermann Telegram: Intelligence, Diplomacy, and America's Entry into World War I, T. Boghardt (Naval Institute Press, 2012) 

Primary Sources 

• Treaty of Versailles (1919)
• Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points Speech (1918)
• Telegram Announcing Armistice (1918)
• Sedition Act (1918)
• The Zimmermann Telegram (1917)
• Espionage Act (1917) 
• Woodrow Wilson Third Annual Message, Warns of Espionage (1915) 

*Wildcard Resource*

• 12 Step Method to Reveal Secret Writing (ca. 1913-1924) 
• Germany was particularly fond of invisible ink as a tactic of spycraft during World War I. If you came across a document suspected of secret writing, you might use these 12 steps to reveal the hidden message …  

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