Elizabeth Sudmeier
Elizabeth Sudmeier | |
|---|---|
 in 1944 | |
| Born | May 12, 1912 |
| Died | April 7, 1989 (aged 76) Washington, D.C. |
| Alma mater | The College of St. Catherine |
| Employer(s) | Central Intelligence Agency Central Intelligence Group |
Elizabeth Sudmeier (May 12, 1912 - April 7, 1989) was an American spy and founding member of the Central Intelligence Agency. Sudmeier was involved with The Petticoat Panel, a report about the status of women in the CIA.
Early life and education
Sudmeier was born in Timber Lake, South Dakota, close to the Great Sioux Nation.[1] Her father was fluent in the Sioux language.[1] She studied English literature at The College of St. Catherine and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1933.[1][2] Sudmeier returned to South Dakota in 1933, where she worked as an English teacher for five years.[2] She joined a bank in 1935, where she worked as a secretary.[1]
Career
In World War II Sudmeier joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps as a corporal.[3] She had assignments in Edmonton and Fairbanks. She was awarded the World War II Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal.[1] Sudmeier joined the Central Intelligence Group, where she worked as a stenographer in the Office of Reports and Excellence.[1] She became a charter member of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947, and then transferred there from the Central Intelligence Group in 1951.[1][4][5]
Sudmeier was one of few women in the Junior Officer Trainee program in the 1950s.[1][3][6] She worked as a reports operator, managing the Stations' Foreign Intelligence production.[1] She was responsible for collecting information about priority targets and relaying information to the Central Intelligence Agency.[1] During her first field assignment Sudmeier was involved in a counterintelligence operation. She was involved in a nine-year campaign in the Middle East where she coordinated an agent to assess Soviet military hardware.[1][2]
A report about the role of women in the CIA, which became known as the Petticoat Panel, was commissioned by Allen Dulles after a group of women employees questioned the gender pay gap.[7][8] At the time, men were paid considerably more than women, and comments such as "Women are not qualified to perform in those positions which they do not now occupy,” were commonplace.[1][7]
Sudmeier was nominated for the Intelligence Medal of Merit, which caused controversy amongst members of the intelligence community who thought it was not appropriate for woman to be awarded such a distinction.[1] She was supported by her colleagues in the Central Intelligence Agency North East region, and was eventually awarded the medal in 1962.[1][6] Her supervisors continued to support her, included arguing that her 'gender [should not] prevent her' in her promotion.[1] In 1966 Sudmeier was promoted to the GS-13 career grade. She was involved with raising the profile of the Reports Officers, making people recognise that it was more than "women's work".[1]
In 1972 Sudmeier took mandatory retirement.[1][2] She died in Washington, D.C. in 1989. In 2013 Sudmeier was nominated as one of the Central Intelligence Agency Trailblazers.[1] The award was received by her nieces, nephews and two grand-nieces.[2][9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Challenging the Status Quo: Elizabeth Sudmeier's Historic Legacy — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ a b c d e "Elizabeth Sudmeier '33: The spy who shattered the glass ceiling". St. Kate's. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ a b "Timber lake TOPIC" (PDF). Timberlake SD. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ "Chicago Tribune - We are currently unavailable in your region". www.tribpub.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ "CIA acknowledges legendary spy". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ a b "The CIA acknowledges the legendary spy who saved Hamid Karzai's life — and honors him by name". Gianpiero Spinelli Consulting (in Italian). 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ a b "From Typist to Trailblazer: The Evolving View of Women in the CIA's Workforce — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ "The Petticoat Panel: A 1953 Study of the Role' of Women in the CIA Career Service" (PDF). CIA. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ "AFIO Weekly Intelligence Notes". www.afio.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.