Sidney Dillon Ripley: The Spy Behind the Smithsonian

2020-05-21

"He was once airlifted to meet a Thai King. He jumps out of a plane. He is holding a machine gun and he has a tuxedo in his backpack." Sidney Dillon Ripley was a spy during WWII as part of the OSS (yes, he knew Julia Child - if you didn't know she was in the OSS, listen to our episode on her!). But mostly he used his time in the OSS to travel and collect bird specimens. This came in handy when he was appointed as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Support Tour Guide Tell All by becoming a patron: ...

"He was once airlifted to meet a Thai King. He jumps out of a plane. He is holding a machine gun and he has a tuxedo in his backpack."

Sidney Dillon Ripley was a spy during WWII as part of the OSS (yes, he knew Julia Child - if you didn't know she was in the OSS, listen to our episode on her!). But mostly he used his time in the OSS to travel and collect bird specimens.

This came in handy when he was appointed as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

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Comments or Questions? Or have an idea for future episodes? Email us tourguidetellall@gmail.com

If you're interested in in more information, we find these sources helpful:

Oral Histories with Sidney Dillon Ripley: https://sova.si.edu/record/SIA.FARU9591
New Yorker, Curator Getting Around
Washington Post, Smithsonian Visionary Ripley Dies

You're Listening To: Becca Grawl, Rebecca Fachner

The Person Responsible for it Sounding Good: Dan King

Technical & Admin Work Done During Naptime: Canden Arciniega

Intro/Outro Music: Well-Seasoned from Audio Hero

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