The Feminist Was a Spy

Gloria Steinem, the renowned feminist activist, worked as a CIA agent in the 1950s and '60s for a front organization called the Independent Research Service, attending international youth festivals to promote American democratic values and counter Soviet influence abroad. Steinem defended her CIA relationship as "liberal, nonviolent and honorable," embodying an early form of soft power by representing the progressive nature of the U.S. youth movement globally. The article contrasts Steinem's characterization of the CIA with the agency's modern challenges, including documented abuses and overreach that have fundamentally changed its role and public perception.