The myth of Mata Hari would have us believe that she was a turn-of-the-century super-spy. She has been celebrated as a master of the “honey trap” tactic, where a beautiful spy seduces her mark and extracts sensitive information over pillow talk. But, in reality Mata Hari was a remarkably ineffective spy. In short time dabbling in the world of espionage, she did very little that could be considered “spying.” Her career as a “secret agent” lasted just over a year. There is very little evidence that in that time she managed to learn any information that was useful to either the German or French intelligence services. Despite this Mata Hari still managed to get collared by the French, who were convinced she had betrayed secrets to their enemies. Did Mata Hari deserve her fate in front of French firing squad? Tune-in and find out how smokescreens, broken codes, and a secret base inside the Eiffel Tower all play a role in the story.

Works Cited

Craig, Mary W. A Tangled Web: Mata Hari: Dancer, Courtesan, Spy. The History Press, 2018.

Hanson, Helen, and Catherine O’Rawe, editors. Femme Fatale: Images, Histories, Contexts. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Keay, Julia. The Spy Who Never Was: The Life and Loves of Mata Hari. Isis Large Print, 1989.

Shipman, Pat. Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari. Phoenix, 2008.

Wheelwright, Julie. Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage. Collins & Brown, 1993.