OSS
How did OSS chase victory with sabotage, secrets, and silence?
4.7 (27)
55 mins
Explore the roots of American intelligence through the rise and fall of the Office of Strategic Services, a bold yet controversial agency that operated during WWII. Discover how the OSS shaped future institutions like the CIA while often blurring the line between innovation and overreach.
Ep 1:
Birth of America's Secret Empire
On a Halloween night in 1944, FDR and Wild Bill Donovan sketch America's first spy agency—then send raw recruits through brutal, deceptive training to become the OSS's earliest operatives.
Ep 2:
Camel Dung and Killer Flies
In North Africa, the OSS proves its worth with explosive camel dung against Rommel's tanks, while Stanley Lovell schemes a chilling fly-borne biological weapon that's narrowly never unleashed.
Ep 3:
Spies, Feuds, and Assassination Plots
Donovan and J. Edgar Hoover wage a shadow war of embassy break-ins and betrayal, even as evidence surfaces that the OSS quietly built its own assassination bureau.
Ep 4:
When Elite Units Fall Apart
Behind the daring myth lies chaos: OSS operational groups arrive in Burma unprepared and unproven, exposing deep cracks in Donovan's sprawling, undisciplined intelligence empire.
Ep 5:
Truman Pulls the Plug
President Truman abruptly dissolves the OSS, scattering its agents and gutting operations—yet the seeds sown here would soon grow into the CIA.
Discussions (19)
Reid
Level 3 · 8 mo agoDonovan digging up dirt on Hoover is pure gold.
Wilson
Level 4 · 9 mo agoRich kids playing spy
Zephyr
Level 3 · 9 mo agoExploding camel dung is actually genius.
