The Archaeologist Was a Spy: Sylvanus G. Morley and the Office of Naval Intelligence - Tapa dura

"This is an important book that breaks through the well-maintained silence surrounding the historic connections between anthropology and espionage and should be read by a wide audience." "This volume combines superior scholarship with a gripping study. . . ."The Archaeologist Was a Spy" is a real-life thriller set in a fascinating locale and time." "This book is brilliantly written and could well set the standard whereby all such partial biographies should be judged. For those interested in Maya archaeology and history, real-life spy thrillers, or the lives of the great American scientists, it is hard to beat." "In this engagingly written, informative book, Mr. Harris and Mr. Sadler set the archaeologists' mission within broader perspective of Washington's Latin American strategy, describe their adventures throughout the region, and help fill an important gap in the history of U.S. intelligence." "This fascinating book, which is quite difficult to put down once opened, chronicles and assesses not only Morley's contributions to archaeology and intelligence, but also the organization, methods, and ventures of ONI clandestine operations in World War I. It makes a significant contribution to the study of American intelligence operations." "Scholars will benefit from this book for decades to come." "It's an utterly fascinating historical account which has only recently become known. History enthusiasts won't want to miss it!" "Readers of this handsomely designed book will be rewarded with a fascinating look at the wartime travails of a man who was at once both a dedicated spy for the U. S. Navy and a renowned archaeologist." "As a result of careful, painstaking research, Harris and Sadler have uncovered and written a fascinating story. This is the account of the secret side of the life of the well-known archaeologist, Sylvanus G. Morley, an expert on the Maya and American spy during World War I." ""The Archaeologist was a Spy" gives long overdue recognition to some able agents and expands the public record on ONI World War I operations. It is well documented with copies of Morley's reports and primary source citations. . . This book is a valuable contribution to the intelligence literature." "This book is the product of extensive, groundbreaking research, masterful collation and expertise, truly 'suberb scholarship' as one reviewer put it. . . . "The Archaeologist was a Spy" is a rare example of an excellent read that brings to light an untold tale of selfless heroes and a great reference book that fills a gaping hole in a piecemeal historiography."

Sylvanus G Morley (1883-1948) is widely known as an influential Mayan archaeologist. This intriguing book shows that he was arguably the greatest American spy of World War I. Morley came to the attention of the Office of Naval Intelligence in 1916, when reports that German agents were establishing a Central American base for submarine warfare first surfaced. Morley's field research provided the ideal cover for reconnoitring throughout the region. He made several extended research/intelligence-gathering trips along the Caribbean coast of Central America starting in 1917 and forwarded detailed reports and maps to ONI. While he found no noteworthy German activity, his activities permit the authors of this book to reconstruct the way ONI identified, recruited, placed, and debriefed field agents, nearly 150 of whom, many with academic ties, were funnelling data to ONI by the close of World War I. In a final chapter, Sadler and Harris extend the story of academic participation in intelligence work through the 1930s into the founding of 'Wild Bill' Donovan's Office of Strategic Services (OSS) at the beginning of World War II.