Spy story

Why a 100-Year-Old Spy Might Get a Congressional Medal

A deceased World War II-era spy is one step closer to getting an honor she was long denied.

The Army has opened a full review into the case of Stephanie Rader, who was nominated for the Legion of Merit in 1946 after a successful tour as an undercover intelligence operative in post-war Poland. It's a key step to securing an award that Rader's friends and supporters have been seeking on her behalf for years.

Rader’s superior officers praised her “unusual coolness and clear thinking” in life-threatening work and recommended her for the award following an especially daring border crossing, in which she managed to evade capture by Russian forces.

But Rader, who at the time was only one of two Polish-speaking operatives working in the country for the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency, was denied the honor, likely because of military bias against intelligence officers and the fact that Rader was a woman, historians say.