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

Presented by Elyse Graham, author of the New York Times bestseller Book and Dagger. 

Elyse Graham, Professor, Stony Brook University
At the start of World War II, the U.S. was in desperate need of an intelligence agency. Thus, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was quickly formed and began to recruit from academia to fill its ranks with experts. Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform investigative work and embarking on dangerous undercover missions abroad. Drawing on personal histories, letters, and declassified OSS files, this lecture presents the story of this small group of academics-turned-OSS spies who invented modern spycraft and helped turn the tide of the Second World War. 

This talk is presented as part of the Winter/Spring 2026 Lecture Series, which features a range of scholars with expertise on the art and design of Austria and Germany. 

About the Speaker
Elyse Graham is a historian and professor at Stony Brook University. Her research focuses on media studies, digital humanities, and the history of the English language. She holds degrees from Princeton, Yale, and MIT, and is the author of four books, including the New York Times bestseller Book and Dagger.