Thread by @CIA

As a founding member of the Agency, Elizabeth Sudmeier helped usher in a new era of woman’s equality at CIA, going from typist to field ops officer at a time when few women were allowed to do so.

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Elizabeth was born in South Dakota & was fluent in the Sioux language. She earned a BA from @StKate in 1933

In March, 1947, Elizabeth joined CIA’s predecessor the Central Intelligence Group as a stenographer

Elizabeth became a founding member of CIA in September

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1951: Elizabeth joined Directorate of Ops & took an assignment in the Middle East.

Originally she wasn’t allowed to run local agents due to her gender, but during her assignment she proved women could operate securely in an intense counterintel environment.

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While in Middle East, Elizabeth recruited an agent w/details on USSR hardware, including MiG-19 & -21 fighters. These were high priorities for US intel

Elizabeth's Station Chief successfully lobbied for her to receive Intel Medal of Merit for recruiting the asset

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Despite success, Elizabeth was passed over for promotion for years because of her gender & job title: “reports officer.” The idea of female ops officers was still controversial

However, appreciation for reports officers grew over time due to the impact of officers like Elizabeth

Elizabeth retired in 1972. She died in 1989 at the age of 76.

Elizabeth’s quiet yet extraordinary work—one of the unheralded intelligence triumphs of the Cold War—helped change CIA’s culture for the better.

In 2013, Elizabeth was named a CIA Trailblazer.

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