Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II

這是一本揭露「學者如何成為 OSS 間諜、發明現代間諜技巧、並在戰爭中扭轉局勢」的未曾講述的真實故事。

第二次世界大戰初期，美國急需一個情報機構。於是 戰略情報局（OSS） 在短時間內成立——它也是今日 CIA 的前身。為了迅速補足人才，OSS 意外地向學界伸出橄欖枝：文學教授、圖書館員、歷史學者紛紛投入情報訓練，學習秘密行動與偵查技術，成為令人意想不到的諜報員。而這些「學術諜報員」隨後不僅改變了戰爭的走向，也深刻影響了美國文化與學術機構。

在《Book and Dagger》中，Elyse Graham 以個人書信、歷史檔案及解密資料為基礎，描繪一群人文學者化身情報員的非凡旅程。書中包括：

Joseph Curtiss：文學教授，負責追捕德國間諜，並成功將他們反轉成雙面特工。

Sherman Kent：口才犀利的歷史學者，後來成為 OSS 歐洲與非洲地區的情報分析主管。

Adele Kibre：才華洋溢的檔案學家，被秘密派往斯德哥爾摩替 OSS 取得關鍵文件。

這些難忘的人物不僅奠定了現代情報分析與間諜作業的基礎，也在戰後回到校園時，徹底重塑美國高等教育的格局。

節奏緊湊、研究嚴謹，《Book and Dagger》是一部關於一群學者如何協助擊敗納粹的驚心動魄真實故事——也是一部證明「人文學科足以改變世界」的深刻作品。


The untold story of the academics who became OSS spies, invented modern spycraft, and helped turn the tide of the war

At the start of WWII, the U.S. found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to today’s CIA, was quickly formed—and, 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 our cultural institutions with their efforts.

In Book and Dagger, Elyse Graham draws on personal histories, letters, and declassified OSS files to tell the story of a small but connected group of humanities scholars turned spies. Among them are Joseph Curtiss, a literature professor who hunted down German spies and turned them into double agents; Sherman Kent, a smart-mouthed history professor who rose to become the head of analysis for all of Europe and Africa; and Adele Kibre, an archivist who was sent to Stockholm to secretly acquire documents for the OSS. These unforgettable characters would ultimately help lay the foundations of modern intelligence and transform American higher education when they returned after the war.

Thrillingly paced and rigorously researched, Book and Dagger is an inspiring and gripping true story about a group of academics who helped beat the Nazis—a tale that reveals the indelible power of the humanities to change the world.