Elizabeth Sudmeier loitered outside a cafe in Baghdad one day in early 1954, taking care not to draw attention to herself. Sudmeier, one of the female intelligence officers who helped start the CIA, had just stolen Soviet secrets. In her hands were the blueprints for the MiG-19 jet fighter, just gifted by Moscow to the Iraqis to gain favor in the region. After the war, the mission of Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services was broadened and handed to the new Central Intelligence Agency, which was created 75 years ago this month. Many operatives, including women first hired by Donovan, continued in their roles.

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