Code Name Puritan: Norman Holmes Pearson, Super Spy Professor

Professor Buzzkill History Podcast

Norman Holmes Pearson actually did what a great many professors dream about doing. He was an expert in his field, but he also worked as an Intelligence Officer for the US military during World War II and the Cold War. And he wasn’t a desk jockey, but an active spy. Despite a major physical disability, he parachuted into Europe during the height of World War II for espionage reasons. Oh, and he was a literature professor too, by the way. So, as a spy, recruiter, and cultural diplomat, he connected the academy, the State Department, and even the CIA, all at the same time! Episode 568.