Last month, a professor and a graduate student from the Department of History traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in a conference at the International Spy Museum.

Rachel Midura, an assistant professor, and Kaylen Griles, a second-year graduate student, attended the Society for Intelligence History conference for the first time, though Midura had been following it for years. The event brings together a mix of intelligence professionals, independent researchers, and scholars from various disciplines. Midura described the group as “eminently distinguished and very welcoming.”

Midura presented “Trustworthy Messengers,” a paper which derives from her book Postal Intelligence. Postal Intelligence is about the rise of the Tassis family of postmasters and postmistresses to a pan-European dynasty of information managers. In her paper, she discussed her findings regarding the systematic interception and surveillance of correspondence in cooperation with the post office. 

Meanwhile, Griles focused her presentation on the Culper Spy Ring, which was the first organized, professional covert intelligence operation in the history of the United States. The Ring used various methods to conceal sensitive information they collected about the British Army. This included invisible ink and a complex code and cipher written in the Culper Code Book. 

“Kaylen did fantastic!” Midura said. “She was a graduate teaching assistant in my history of espionage and surveillance course her first semester. It has been a delight to see her come into her own as a scholar and presenter. Several attendees mentioned to me during the next two days that she had done an impressive job.” 

Both student and professor enjoyed their conference experience and gained valuable insights that will be useful for upcoming projects. Midura said, “I'll be going into my second book project on the history of early modern conspiracy, treason, and assassination with great context and basis for comparison across the centuries.” Griles had the opportunity to network and gained confidence in her skills as a presenter. 

To learn more about Kaylen’s experience presenting at the Society for Intelligence History conference, read our full Q&A with her below! 

student presenting at conference
Griles during her presentation on the Culper Spy Ring

Tell me about your presentation! 
My presentation argued that scholars should focus on the methods used to transport and conceal information. Shifting the analytical lens towards the history of these methods in the North American British colonies further solidifies the place that colonial Americans had in the increasingly connected intellectual world of the eighteenth century. 

How did you prepare for this presentation? 
I knew I was going to present on the Culper Ring, but figuring out what I wanted to talk about was a bit of a challenge. I wanted this presentation to be more than just an overview. I had a course with Dr. Midura last fall, and one of the books we read was Nadine Akkerman and Paul Langman's Spycraft. This book focuses on the tricks of the trade of early espionage. I also read Eve Tavor Bannet's Empire of Letters. 

Putting these two books together helped me think about the Culper Ring's letters as subjects to be studied rather than just pieces of paper that held information. Dr. Midura was also super supportive and always willing to talk things out with me. I'm really thankful she was there to help – I felt a lot more confident knowing that she was in my corner. 

What was the experience of presenting at a conference like for you? 
At first, I was extremely nervous. I've given a couple of presentations about the Culper Ring before, but never in this sort of environment. A million thoughts were going through my mind in the weeks leading up to the conference: Would people enjoy my presentation? What if someone asks me a question and I don't know the answer? Seeing professionals get a little nervous before presenting made me feel a bit more comfortable knowing that it wasn't just me. 

When it was time for me to speak, I grabbed my laptop with my script and walked up to the podium only to discover that my computer decided it needed to update right then! I didn't have time to be worried, and once I started talking everything just sort of flowed. The longer I was up there, the more comfortable I felt. By the time I reached my final slide, I was a little disappointed that I had to stop! 

What is your favorite memory from this trip? 
My favorite moment happened right after the Q&A session for our panel. A professor from the United States Merchant Marine Academy introduced herself to me and gave me her card. She told me that she was from Setauket, Long Island, where the Culper Ring operated, and encouraged me to get in touch with her to come and take a tour of the Culper trail. 

It felt awesome to know that someone took enough of an interest in my topic to introduce themselves and invite me to get in touch. I was really proud of myself and, since I'm a first-generation student, it was really exciting to share the news of this moment with my family, too!