WWII Spy – an “Undercover Girl” – To Be Honored as One of the 2012 Virginia Women in History

A former OSS and CIA intelligence agent will be honored as one of the 2012 Virginia Women in History. Elizabeth “Betty” Peet McIntosh, 97, will be recognized on Wednesday, February 29 at 2:00 p.m. during a public ceremony at Westminster at Lake Ridge, the Continuing Care Retirement Community in Prince William County, Virginia where she now lives. 

“Betty” McIntosh will receive the award from the Librarian of Virginia, Sandra G. Treadway, in recognition of her work as intelligence agent with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II.  Fluent in Japanese, McIntosh was one of the few women assigned to Morale Operations during the war. The OSS was the country's wartime intelligence agency whose ranks included actress Marlene Dietrich and chef Julia Child.  McIntosh worked in the Burmese, Chinese, and Indian theaters where she helped produce false news reports, postcards, documents, and radio messages designed to spread disinformation that would undermine Japanese morale during the war.

After the war, McIntosh continued in public service and worked on assignments for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Voice of America, the State Department, and the United Nations. In 1958 she joined the Central Intelligence Agency, successor to the OSS, where she worked until her retirement in 1973.  She is the author of her memoir of her OSS experiences, published in 1947 as Undercover Girl. She also wrote two children's books, Inki (1957) and Palace under the Sea (1959). Her book Sisterhood of Spies: The Women of the OSS (1998) describes the adventures of the brave women who served in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.

This free event is open to the public, however the public is asked to RSVP by calling 703-496-3440.  The award presentation begins at 2:00 p.m. in the Potomac Room at Westminster at Lake Ridge, 12191 Clipper Drive in Woodbridge, Virginia.  A reception will follow.