George Washington's Secret Six

Set in the early stages of the Revolutionary War, George Washington’s Secret Six uncovers the clandestine operations of men and women who were tasked with infiltrating the British and delivering secrets back to revolutionary leaders. General Washington understood early on that the war would not be won by brute force and direct attacks against the British. His army was poorly trained, ill-equipped, and less organized than the British forces. Most of his army comprised volunteers with little to no military training. Washington’s mission was to regain control of the New York area, with its waterways and harbors that served as a critical port for resupplying his troops. And since the British clearly possessed the more formidable force, Washington understood that he had to switch up his tactics. Instead of fighting the British head-on, he would gather intelligence about British battle plans and troop movements to try to discover a weakness that would give him the advantage.

To aid him in this endeavor, Washington recruited Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge who was tasked with finding and training intelligence operatives. The first individual Tallmadge recruited was Lt. Nathan Hale. This new spy was untrained, however, and soon found himself at the mercy of the British gallows; a result of poor tradecraft. And yet, Hale would gain recognition as a national hero for his bravery. Centuries later, a statue of Hale would be erected on the grounds of the old headquarters building of the CIA campus in Langley, VA.

The book, co-authored by Brian Kilmeade, a morning cable television personality, and noted ghostwriter Don Yaeger focuses primarily on Tallmadge’s expeditions as one of George Washington’s top counter-intelligence operatives. Although much of Kilmeade and Yaeger’s book focuses on ground that has already been covered by earlier historians, this account is unique in that the authors’ access to television gives a platform to a younger audience who may not be aware of this facet of American history.



Learning from the mistakes of the Hale tragedy, Tallmadge had more significant success with subsequent endeavors. The lessons he learned lead to the successful formation of what is known in the intelligence community as the “Culper Spy Ring.” The operation comprised six operatives who were deployed to the New York metro area. Among them was Abraham Woodhull, who eventually took the cover identify “Culper Senior.” Woodhull went on to recruit Robert Townsend, a Manhattan Quaker, who eventually took on the name “Culper Junior.” Townsend would, in short order, prove to be one of the most effective counter-intelligence operatives in Washington’s employ. While Woodhull and Townsend were the two prominent figures in the Culper Spy Ring, there were others who served as couriers tasked with the job of carrying British secrets from Manhattan to Long Island, ending finally at a drop site in Connecticut where Tallmadge would retrieve the data.

Some of the successes of this elaborate spy organization included providing the revolutionary forces with information regarding British attempts to counterfeit revolutionary currency, and warning of an impending attack in Rhode Island where the French were slated to land to provide additional ground reinforcements for Washington’s group. The general and future president succeeded in frustrating the enemy while providing valuable insight into betrayal from within; such as the defection of Revolutionary soldier Benedict Arnold.

Kilmeade and Yaeger’s book also highlights the first known recorded use of undercover operatives posing as journalists. Townsend, the Manhattan Quaker, found himself at a disadvantage in the north. Although he was a native of New York, he did not have a justifiable excuse for roaming around New York asking questions. To solve this problem, Townsend tapped the expatriate Englishman and bookseller James Rivington. The Royal Gazette, a local publication run by Rivington, was known for its loyalty to the British crown; Townsend recognized this as the break he’d been looking for. He offered to write a few columns for Rivington’s paper, which gave him the cover he needed to begin asking questions without drawing the unwelcome attention of the British. He could freely pose inquiries about British troop movements and supplies, feeding those details back to Tallmadge and Washington. Additionally, Rivington’s own professed political views kept the paper – and Townsend’s columns – off of the British radar. Townsend and Rivington’s success would prompt, as one writer put it, “future appetites of intelligence agencies, in America and elsewhere, to deploy spies under journalistic cover.”



The authors offer additional context around the project’s title: “The Secret Six” as Tallmadge’s group was later called, got its moniker from the justifiable demand for secrecy required to fulfill its task. Not even the top echelon of the Revolutionary leadership – Washington and Tallmadge included – new the true identity of the six operatives. One such individual, the only known female member of the group, is to this day still known as “Agent 355.” Historians and authors alike are still clueless as to who she was and have uncovered very little about her life. Women played a particularly critical role in the war given their ability to woo British soldiers into revealing valuable information. The social settings in which these women operated provided the perfect opportunity to gain intelligence in an environment that would not arouse suspicion.

Critics of Kilmeade and Yaeger’s book have often highlighted the extensive dialog prevalent in certain sections of the narrative. While the authors themselves admit this dialog is fictional, they claim it is based loosely on conversations that actually took place. And yet, the book is designed to make history a bit more palatable for a new generation of readers. Misgivings aside, the book is a compelling narrative that offers a fresh perspective on a critical point in American history.