All members are welcome to attend and there is no need to book. Put the date in your diary – 11.00 hrs Tuesday 11th April – and just come and take a seat at the Casa de Cultura in the Jávea pueblo (down the steps from the San Bartolomé de Jávea Church).
Learn about the unique personalities, and the secrets of men – and women – on both sides who risked their lives in the shadowy, and perilous game of wartime espionage. Sometimes artful, sometimes bumbling, but always nail-biting, Paul’s stories of 18th century spies who worked for both the American and British sides will leave you with a new appreciation for the craft of espionage:
- The spy who started the shooting war
- The spy who ended the war
- The spy who was the model for how not to spy
- The young and lovely female “James Bond”
- The spies who developed Sympathetic Stain and White Ink
- A surprise parting gift for attendees who want to carry on a covert correspondence with a secret admirer!
Paul will start with a brief discussion of the origins of the war (from an American point of view) followed by descriptions of 4 spies, 2 who spied for the British, and 2 for the Americans who were significant for different reasons. One was responsible for starting the war; one played a significant role in ending it and one demonstrated by his failure, the necessity of proper recruitment, training, and preparation. Paul will also talk about a young woman who spied for the British, who was probably the most intrepid and successful spy of the war
and touch on a highly sophisticated and successful spy group, the Culper Ring, who used very complex codes and signals and were the first spies to use invisible ink, or “sympathetic stain” as they called it, and the role of Sally Townsend in distracting the leader of the British effort to track them down.
Paul R. Misencik is an American aviator, historian, and artist, who graduated from the University of Akron in Ohio with a degree in history, focusing on the American Revolutionary War and Native American history and culture. In 1967, he was hired as a commercial airline pilot with Eastern Airlines, amassing over 30,000 hours of flight time over his career as a First Officer and then a Captain. He has flown around the world as pilot-in-command on nine categories of airliners. During his illustrious airline career, he was chief pilot, FAA designated check airman, and training check airman. In 1996, Paul was recruited by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and appointed Chief of the Air Carrier Accident and Incident Investigation Division. Paul led the team responsible for the investigation of airline accidents worldwide. During his airline and NTSB careers, he never lost his love of history, and is fortunate that his wife Sally shares that love.
Sally E. Misencik graduated from Bowling Green University in Ohio with a degree in Sociology and English Literature. Sally worked as a geriatric social worker in Cleveland where she was offered a fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in social work. In 1962 she married Paul and upon moving with her husband and two children to Reston, Virginia in 1970, she served as a docent for the National Wildlife Federation. Sally went on to earn a Secondary School teaching certificate from George Mason University in Virginia, and was employed by Fairfax County Schools until 1995, when she began working as Public Information Officer for Reston Community Center.
In 2012, Paul and Sally dusted off their research notes and began to write. Since 2013, they have published seven books with more in progress. In addition, Paul is an accomplished artist and draws all the images for his and Sally’s publications.
The presentation will last approximately 90 minutes, including time at the end for questions/comments, and will no doubt prove to be both interesting and informative.
If you would like information about the History Group and to be added to the mailing list for details of future presentations, please contact group leader Allison O’Brien: history@u3ajavea.com
