From the end of the Second World War to the fall of the Soviet Union, America and Russia engaged in a cold war, which both male and female veterans of the Korean or Vietnam conflicts would most probably consider to be very hot.  With the specter of nuclear war dominating the political, military, and domestic landscapes, the two super powers squared off around the globe and even in space, each trying to advance its particular ideology and way of life at the expense of the other.

As East confronted West, elaborately staged espionage missions became routine, with successes and failures, heroes and villains on both sides.  Some of the more notable clandestine activities came to define the era: headlines telling of the arrest and conviction of the Rosenbergs, the U-2 spy plane incident, and the Cuban Missile Crisis only hinted at the prevalence of intelligence and counterintelligence operations during the period.

Serving in administrative, support, technical, and operational roles, women intelligence professionals made innumerable contributions to the American cause as the Cold War unfolded.