Ciphers, Disguise, and Invisible Ink: Tools of the Trade with Pete Langman & Nadine Akkerman

Summary

Pete Langman and Nadine Akkerman join Andrew to discuss espionage in Elizabethan England. Pete and Nadine are authors of the new book Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration. 

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• Spymasters of the Elizabethan era 
• Techniques in forgeries, invisible inks, and seal-making
• The impact of spies on important historical events like the Spanish Armada
• The connections between espionage and religious tension

Reflections

• Creativity & Innovation
• The risks and dangers of early espionage

And much, much more …

Episode Notes

This week’s episode is a journey back to the 16th century to explore the spies and tradecraft of the Elizabethan era – A time when spymasters like Sir Francis Walsingham were organizing some of the earliest forms of centralized intelligence, and creative minds like Arthur Gregory were brainstorming new and innovative ways to deceive their enemies.  

Andrew was joined by Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman, authors of the new book Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration. From ciphers and codes to disguise and distraction, Pete and Nadine cover it all and the clever masterminds behind their early usage. Tune in to learn more! 

And… 

How many people in this world have both a PhD on Francis Bacon and rock star level talent on the guitar? Well, probably not many, but our guest Pete is one of them! Check out his latest project Dancing With Architects here, produced in support of SpotlightYOPD – A UK-based charity that aims to raise awareness and support individuals impacted by Young Onset Parkinson's Disease. 

Quotes of the Week

“Spies are involved with bribery. They cheat and they lie, so it’s immoral, and often there are things that are just illegal in other instances, such as forgery of documents. Other people would get their ears clipped or their noses slit if they forged documents.If you are a spy, you are being asked to do that on the job. So it's a dangerous game and the lines are very thin.” – Nadine Akkerman. 

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*Spotlight Resource*

• Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration, N. Akkerman & P. Langman (Yale University Press, 2024) 

*SpyCasts*

• The British Monarchy and Secret Intelligence with Rory Cormac and Richard Aldrich (2024) 
• Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023)
• The Information Battlespace – Foreign Denial and Deception with Bill Parquette (2022)
• So, You Want to Be a Codebreaker? with Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh (2021) 

*Beginner Resources*

• Queen Elizabeth’s Secret Agents, PBS (2018) [2 min. video]
• A beginner’s guide to the Babington Plot, M. Mayhew, The History Press (n.d.) [Short article]
• Language of Espionage, International Spy Museum (n.d.) [Glossary of terms]

DEEPER DIVE

Books

• The Walsingham Gambit: Deception, Entrapment, and Execution of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, R. K. Tiernan (Lexington Books, 2022)
• The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I, S. Alford (Bloomsbury Press, 2012)
• Elizabeth’s Spymaster, R. Hutchinson (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

Articles

• A Brief History of Secret Communication Methods, From Invisible Ink to Tattooed Heads, K. Macrackis, MIT Press (2023)
• 3 amateur codebreakers set out to decrypt old letters. They uncovered royal history, R. Treisman, NPR (2023)
• Intelligence Lessons from the Spanish Armada, J. E. Sims, Decision Advantage (2022)
• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, A. Turnham & A. Clarke, Medieval Manuscripts Blog (2021)
• Queen Elizabeth I’s Vast Spy Network Was The First Surveillance State, N. Zarrelli, Atlas Obscura (2016)
• Sir Francis Walsingham, Spymaster General, J. Brain, Historic UK (n.d.) 

Video

• Let's Crack Historical Ciphers #1: Mary Queen of Scots - with Dr. George Lasry, David Oranchak, YouTube (2023)
• Spies and Spymasters Happy Hour - Sir Francis Walsingham, International Spy Museum, YouTube (2020)

Primary Sources 

• Natural magick, Smithsonian Digital Library (1658)
• Page of Ciphers Used by Mary Queen of Scots, UK National Archives (1586)
• Letter from Mary, Queen of Scots in Sheffield Castle to Elizabeth I, British Library (1582)
• Mary, Queen of Scots to Sir William Cecil, UK National Archives (1570)
• De Furtivis Literarum notis (1563)

*Wildcard Resource*

• Use this invisible ink recipe from the UK National Archives to send your own secret messages. 
• You may recognize this heat method from one of Erin’s favorite movies, National Treasure (2004), where a secret message is revealed on the back of the Declaration of Independence.