Domenico Vecchioni
Capricorn editions
pagg.166
The book "The ten spy women who made history" was published in the bookstores, published by Edizioni del Capricorno and written by Domenico Vecchioni, historian and essayist and former Ambassador of Italy to Cuba. He has collaborated on international political journals, history and intelligence. Collaborate with BBC History / Italy. There are about thirty informative and biographical works in the assets including The ten secret operations that changed the second world war (2018)
We met the author who told us how for centuries, the use of women in Spying has been held back by prejudices, taboos and clichés, which relegated her to roles that were entirely secondary or at most to that of a seductress. For a long time, in fact, espionage was expressed only in its military dimension, so it was thought that women were less able than men in the handling of weapons and in the "muscular" activities of the shadow world: reconnaissance in enemy territory, exfiltration, sabotage.
However, individual female figures of spies were not lacking, who were able to offer much more significant informational contributions than the simple dimension of seduction. But they were isolated figures, who acted sporadically, for completely contingent reasons. As was the case, for example, during the American Civil War with Sara Emma Edmonds or Belle Boyd.
The systematic use of women in espionage took shape only in the twentieth century for two main reasons: the evolution of the concept of espionage in the broader intelligence and the "genetic" mutations that the First and Second World Wars brought about activities aimed at the search for hidden truth.
The Intelligence is in effect collection, selection and evaluation of confidential information, but increasingly often also those from open sources, concerning the security of the state, to avoid a war, a terrorist attack, an economic-commercial defeat. Part of it is therefore based on studies, analyzes, interpretations, forecasts, technology, sectors where the woman began to be used like men, achieving excellent results and gradually opening the way to its use in all other fields of activity. Until you reach the highest levels of responsibility most recently. It is no coincidence that in Great Britain, where modern espionage was born in the days of Elizabeth Tudor, two women came to direct the MI5 (counterintelligence): Stella Rimington (1992-1997) and Eliza Manningham-Buller (2002-2007). But even in other countries similar situations have occurred.
It should also be considered that the First and Second World Wars were "total" conflicts, which forced the belligerents to commit themselves with all their strength, all their capacities and potentialities in the most varied sectors (technical, productive, economic, commercial, etc.). ...). In short, it was no longer enough to collect exclusively military news, but it became essential to understand the overall capacity of the enemy. The secret services consequently changed skin to adapt to new information needs, seeking unprecedented professionalism. During the First World War, espionage had to open up to the world of civilians: mathematicians, engineers, university professors, linguists, economists, joined the work of military experts, significantly improving the results. Through this opening, women also began to enter.
With the Second World War this trend became more pronounced. The special services were forced to adapt to the most sophisticated strategies: economic espionage, political propaganda, deception practices, radio transmissions, eavesdropping, deciphering messages, etc. Sectors where the woman came in perfect harmony with the men, with whom she now shared the same risks.
The "short century" will be so populated by great female figures that in the world of espionage / intelligence will play roles of increasing responsibility, up to the apex with Gina Haspel, recently appointed head of the CIA, the most powerful organization of Intelligence at world.
In the book are summarized the deeds of 10 great spies, become protagonists of the shadow world, even in the difference of their characters, their ways of acting, their deep motivations, their objectives ...
10 examples representative of how important the presence of women was in "parallel" activities, where - after centuries of male prevalence - they now enjoy the same opportunities, face the same difficulties, show the same courage of men.
Maria Grazia Labellarte
