In the 1950s, Anne Neill was an unassuming housewife in suburban Adelaide but secretly a key undercover agent for ASIO, Australia's security police. Starting her espionage career in her 50s, Neill infiltrated various communist organisations, including the Communist Party. She provided ASIO with critical intelligence while maintaining her cover as a loyal party member. Her remarkable dedication to espionage, despite health challenges, made her one of ASIO's most effective agents during the Cold War.

Read more about Anne here.

Mata Hari was an exotic dancer and courtesan who became famous in Europe during World War I. She was born in the Netherlands and moved to Paris, where she gained fame for her bold, sensual dance performances. Accused of being a spy for Germany, Mata Hari was executed by the French in 1917, though her guilt remains a subject of debate.

Read more about Mata Hari here.

The Romeo Spies were a group of East German secret agents who operated during the Cold War. They were sent by the Stasi, the East German secret police, to form romantic relationships with secretaries working in West German government offices. Through these relationships, the Romeo Spies gathered important political and military information, using love and affection as tools for espionage.

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Annette Wagner, born in Switzerland and having grown up in England, became a notable figure in Australian media in the late 1930s. She was a world traveller, fashion expert, and media personality on ABC and commercial radio between 1938 and 1939. Intriguingly, she was also identified as a Nazi spy. Her media presence, especially on radio stations like 2NC Newcastle, 2BL, and 2GB, provided her with a platform to potentially transmit coded messages. While in Australia, she quickly built a media profile, offering fashion advice and travel tips to listeners. However, her activities aroused suspicion, particularly her habit of reading out phony cables in French, which was thought to possibly include hidden messages for Nazi sympathizers. Despite the intrigue surrounding her, the full extent of her espionage activities remains somewhat unclear. She was under surveillance by Australian military intelligence and was taken off the air when World War II began. Wagner eventually returned to France in January 1940, where she continued to work for Nazi intelligence.

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Molly J. Sasson had a remarkable career in secret intelligence, working with intelligence organizations in Britain, the Netherlands, and Australia during the height of the Cold War. After World War II, she was responsible for the safety of a prized Soviet defector, Grigori Tokaty. She also headed an intelligence section at the Joint Air Photographic Intelligence Centre, monitoring Soviet activities in Eastern Europe. From 1954, she worked with the Dutch Domestic Security Service and in 1969 joined the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, where she served for fourteen tumultuous years​​.

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Verity Fitzhardinge, known as Verity Hewitt, was a notable figure in Canberra, Australia, recognized for her diverse roles as a bookseller, teacher, linguist, historian, and activist. Among her many achievements, she established the Verity Hewitt bookshop in Canberra and was an inspiring teacher to notable figures like Gough Whitlam and Evdokia Petrov. Her relationship with Evdokia Petrov is particularly noteworthy. Petrov was the wife of Vladimir Petrov, a Soviet diplomat who defected to Australia, sparking the infamous Petrov Affair during the Cold War.

As a linguist, Verity Hewitt became fluent in Russian and was known to have taught Russian at the Embassy of the Soviet Union in Canberra. During this time, she taught English to Evdokia Petrov and other officials. This connection placed her under the scrutiny of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO). Despite this, Verity maintained her teaching and linguistic interests and continued her work with various individuals from the Soviet Union. Her life, marked by her passion for diverse cultures and her involvement in progressive causes, reflects a deep engagement with the international community and issues of the time.

Read more about Verity here.

Telopea Park in south Canberra, Australia, was a known drop-off point for KGB spies during the Cold War. This activity was particularly highlighted during the 1954 Petrov Affair when a Soviet Union spy defected to Australia. The park, situated near the USSR Embassy, was under constant surveillance by ASIO agents based in the Kingston Hotel, which was located across the street.

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The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) monitored the Women's Liberation Movement in Australia due to concerns about the movement's potential to challenge the existing social order. ASIO's surveillance was driven by the belief that the movement's critique of societal norms could lead to communist activity. This perspective reflected the broader anxiety among authorities about the political implications of the personal becoming too politicized. ASIO's focus on the Women's Liberation Movement was part of its broader surveillance of various social movements that emerged in Australia during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Explore some of the ways in which ASIO would monitor the women's liberation movement here.

The Aboriginal Tent Embassy, established on January 26, 1972, is a significant site of protest and advocacy for Indigenous Australian rights and land sovereignty. Located in Canberra, it began as a peaceful protest against the government's refusal to recognize Aboriginal land rights and has since become a powerful symbol of the ongoing struggle for Indigenous rights in Australia. Pat Eatock, an Aboriginal activist and leader, was instrumental in this movement, dedicating her life to fighting for justice and equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, often highlighting issues of discrimination and working towards political and social change.

Read more about Pat here.

Evdokia Petrova, born on September 15, 1914, was a Soviet spy in Australia during the 1950s. She and her husband, Vladimir Petrov, were posted as diplomats in Canberra, where they worked as spies for the Soviet Union. Evdokia, holding the rank of captain, provided clerical, cypher, and operational assistance at the Soviet embassy.

The Petrovs defected to Australia in 1954 during the infamous Petrov Affair. This defection had significant global implications, revealing spy networks around the world and affecting political power in Australia for decades. Evdokia's role in the defection was dramatic and filled with personal conflict. Initially, she was unaware of her husband's plans to defect and was kept in the dark until the last moment. She was placed under house arrest at the Soviet Embassy and was escorted by Soviet couriers for her planned return to the Soviet Union. However, amidst a highly charged public demonstration and intervention by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), she decided to stay in Australia.

After their defection, the Petrovs were granted political asylum and later Australian citizenship. They lived under new identities in Melbourne to protect themselves. Evdokia worked as a typist under the name Anna Allyson. She was haunted by worries about her family back in Moscow but was eventually reconnected with them through the Red Cross. Evdokia passed away on July 19, 2002

Read more about Evdokia here.

Joyce Bull, an airline stewardess on BOAC, played a pivotal role in the Petrov Affair in 1954. She was on the flight carrying Evdokia Petrov from Sydney to Darwin. Bull witnessed the chaos at Sydney's Mascot Airport and provided comfort to a distressed Evdokia, even lending her shoes. Joyce relayed crucial information to the Captain about the guns carried by Evdokia's escorts, contributing to Evdokia's offer of asylum in Australia. Her actions and observations offer a unique insight into this dramatic Cold War episode.

Read more about Joyce here.