JENNIFER: YOU MAY NOT KNOW, BUT
BALTIMORE'S VIRGINIA HALL PLAYED
A ROLE IN THE INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY.
SHE CREW UP AT THE
FAMILY FARM IN
PARKTON.
DEBORAH: THE UPBRINGING HELPED
SHAPE HER FUTURE AS A SPY.
SHE RAN AN
AGENCY MAKING
HER A TARGET OF THE
NAZIS.
THERE WERE WANTED
POSTERS FOR HER CAPTURE.
THEY TELL THE STORY OF
VIRGINIA
HALL.
SHE DESCRIBED HERSELF
AS BEING
CANTANKEROUS
AND CAPRICIOUS.
HER CLASSMATES DESCRIBED
HER AS THE MOST
ORIGINAL.
REPORTER: A CERTAIN
MEMBER OF THE CLASS OF
1924 IS AS WELL KNOWN
TODAY AS SHE WAS TO THE
BALTIMORE SCHOOLS BACK
THEN.
SHE DID THINGS
LIKE
WEAR A SMALL GARDEN
SNAKE AROUND HER WRIST
AS A BRACELET AND WORE
IT TO SCHOOL.
SHE ALWAYS
TOOK THE MALE
ROLES IN THE PLAY.
THAT'S WHO SHE KNEW
GROWING UP.
BUT TO THE NAZIS.
THEY PUT OUT AN EDICT
AGAINST HER THAT SAYS
THE LIVING LADY.
WE MUST FIND
AND DESTROY
HER.
REPORTER: THE LIMPING
LADY IS VIRGINIA HALL.
FLUENT IN FIVE
LANGUAGES.
HALL WORKED FOR THE
STATE DEPARTMENT IN
PRE-WAR EUROPE.
AN ACCIDENT CUT
SHORT
HER PLAN TO BECOME A
DIPLOMAT.
SHE AND SOME FRIENDS
WENT SNIPE
HUNTING ONE
DAY.
SHE SOMEHOW CLIMBING
A
FENCE PULLED THE TRIGGER
AND SHOT HERSELF IN THE
FOOT.
MISSING A LEG BACK
THEN MEANT NO STATE
DEPARTMENT ABROAD.
SHE FOUND OTHER
WAYS TO
SERVE.
SHE VOLUNTEERED AS AN
AMBULANCE DRIVER
IN
FRANCE.
THEN THE BRITISH
SPECIALIST RECRUITED
HER.
SHE
WAS TRAINED IN
HOW TO LIVE AND
COMMUNICATE
CLANDESTINELY
AND HOW TO
USE A RADIO AND RUN AN
AGENT NETWORK, HOW TO
PICK
UP SURVEILLANCE,
CLASSIC ESPIONAGE TRADE
CRAFT.
ONE WAS POSING AS A
REPORTER.
THAT ALLOWED HALL TO
HELP SET US RESISTANCE
NETWORKS IN UNOCCUPIED
FRANCE WHILE
DOCUMENTS
WHAT SHE OBSERVED.
ONCE THE NAZIS FULLY
CONTROLLED,
SHE HAD TO
ESCAPE BY HIKING THROUGH
THE MOUNTAINS TO GET TO
SPAIN.
SHE WENT THROUGH THE
PASSES AT ABOUT 7,500
FEET.
IT IS MID NOVEMBER.
IT IS
UP IN THE
MOUNTAINS.
IT IS SNOWING.
SHE IS DOING THIS WITH A
WOODEN
PROTHESIS.
REPORTER: THE NAZI
SECRET POLICE WAS
HUNTING HER DOWN.
THEY THOUGHT
MALL'S
COVER WAS BLOWN.
SHE JOINED
A FORERUNNER
OF THE CIA TO GET BACK
TO ACTION IN FRANCE.
THE OSS MADE
HER, AS
I SAY, TURNED HER INTO
AN OLD WOMAN WITH THE
PADDED CLOTHES AND THE
WHITE HAIR.
THEY SENT HER BACK.
SINCE SHE HAD GROWN
UP ON A FARM HERE
OUTSIDE OF BALTIMORE,
SHE KNEW WHAT IT WAS
LIKE TO LIVE ON A FARM
AND LIVE THAT COVER AS A
MILK MAID.
REPORTER: WITH THAT
COVER, SHE COULD MAP OUT
DROP ZONES FOR MILITARY
EQUIPMENT AND
AGENTS AND
ESTABLISH SAFE HOUSES IN
PREPARATION FOR THE
D-DAY INVASION.
SHE WAS TRAINED
AS A
RADIO OPERATOR.
THIS WAS EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS WORK.
THE
GERMANS WERE ALWAYS
LOOKING FOR WIRELESS
OPERATORS TO CAPTURE,
RECRUIT, AND TURN BACK.
REPORTER: FORMER EFFORTS
THAT ALSO INCLUDED
ORGANIZING SABOTAGE
MOVEMENTS AGAINST THE
NAZIS ALL EARNED THE
DISTINGUISH SERVICE.
SHE'S
THE ONLY FEMALE
CIVILIAN TO RECEIVE THE
HONOR IN WORLD WAR
II.
HER CAREER CONTINUES.
TO THOSE AT AGENCY, SHE
LEAVES A
LASTING LEGACY.
VIRGINIA HALL FELT
HERSELF TO BE AN
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
FIRST, HOLDING THESE
STORIES CLOSE TO US AS
CIA
OFFICERS IN 2015
HELP REMIND US OF WHERE
WE CAME AS AN AGENCY AND
WHO
OUR HEROINS AND
HEROS WERE.
DEBORAH: MUCH OF HER WORK AFTER
WORLD WAR
II REMAINS CLASSIFIED.