Clark County Historical Museum Speaker Series — “Double Crossed: The American Missionary Spies of World War II”

Clark County Historical Museum and historian, author and Guggenheim Foundation Fellow Matthew Avery Sutton present “Double Crossed: The American Missionary Spies of World War II” from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 5, the final installment in the museum’s 2023 Speaker Series. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

What made a good missionary also made a good spy, or so thought American intelligence agencies in World War II. These religious men and women carried out covert operations, bombings and assassinations—confident that their nefarious deeds would eventually help them achieve their mission by expanding the kingdom of God. Sutton tells the extraordinary story of these missionaries, priests and rabbis who played an outsized role in leading the United States to victory in World War II. This talk is an untold story of wartime spy craft and an account of the compromises and doubts that war forces on those who wage it. Sutton is the Berry Family Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and the chair of the Department of History at Washington State University. He has authored several books, the most recent of which is ”Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War.” He has written for the New York Times and Washington Post.

For more information, contact the museum at 360-993-5679 or outreach@cchmuseum.org.