November 14, 2009
Plots, espionage and double agents...
A joint George Washington Birthplace + NNVHS event!
Announcement from the National Park Service and GWBNM:
On Saturday, November 14 at 3:00 p.m. the peaceful setting of Washington’s Birthplace will be shaken up with talk of dead drops, invisible ink and secret codes. David Robarge, chief historian of the Central Intelligence Agency will be discussing Espionage in the Time of Washington in the Visitor Center auditorium. This event is free and open to the public, and our Northern Neck Historical Society and the George Washington Birthplace National Memorial Association join the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in sponsoring it.
In a 1776 letter, General Washington expressed his reliance on espionage:
The necessity of procuring good Intelligence is apparent & need not be further urged -- All that remains for me to add is, that you keep the whole matter as secret as possible. For upon Secrecy, Success depends in Most Enterprizes of the kind, and for want of it, they are generally defeated, however well planned & promising a favourable issue.
"The word spy has such a shadowy connotation that we often forget that some of our greatest American heroes were spies for the cause of American independence," says George Washington Birthplace Superintendent Lucy Lawliss. "Think of Nathan Hale who had but one life to lose for his country and Paul Revere who used secret symbols to spread the word that the Redcoats were coming," she continued.
But many of the most interesting patriots have all been lost to history. James Armistead was a Virginia slave who helped Washington win the last battle of the American Revolution at Yorktown. Receiving 
leave from his owner, Armistead crossed enemy lines and convinced the British he was escaping. Planting him on the American side, the English thought they could get valuable intelligence. What they got was a false document delivered by the American loving Armistead. For his bravery, Armistead was awarded his freedom five years after he helped his nation receive its independence.
The mysterious Agent 355 was captured by the British shortly after Benedict Arnold became a traitor to the American cause. She gave birth on a prison ship, and neither her nor her child’s identity is known to this day.
David Robarge received his Ph.D. in American History from Columbia University. After teaching at Columbia and working for banker David Rockefeller and at the Gannett Center for Media Studies at Columbia, he joined CIA in 1989. Dr. Robarge was appointed Chief Historian of the CIA in 2005. He has taught intelligence history at George Mason University in Virginia and also has written a biography of Chief Justice John Marshall.
In recognition of Dr. Robarge’s talk, on November 14 only, the site’s bookstore will be offering 50% discounts on the book Washington’s Spies by Alexander Rose and the children’s items George Washington, Spymaster by Thomas B. Allen and reproduction Revolutionary War spyglasses.
George Washington Birthplace National Monument is located on Route 204, 2 miles off of Route 3, 38 miles east of Fredericksburg, VA and 11 miles west of Montross, VA (see map here). Admission to the Memorial Area is $4 per visitor 16 and older. Admission to Dr. Robarge’s talk on Saturday is free.
Additional information about George Washington Birthplace National Monument is available by phone at (804) 224-1732 or on the web at www.nps.gov/gewa.
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