The Unknown History of United States Intelligence | Professor Jeffrey Steinberg | Heroes' Path

The American Revolution was not a foregone conclusion. It was eight years of freezing encampments, shattered supply lines, battlefield defeats, and a Continental Army that nearly dissolved more than once. From the catastrophic retreat across New York to the starvation winter at Valley Forge, the fight for independence was long, desperate, and closer to failure than most Americans will ever know. What kept it alive, beyond raw endurance, was something the history books have largely erased: George Washington's systematic intelligence campaign — a web of spies, deception operations, and covert networks that outmaneuvered the most powerful empire on earth at the moments it mattered most.Most Americans have never been told that story. Professor Jeffrey Steinberg reveals the hidden intelligence operations that made American independence possible. Drawing from his university course "The Unknown History of United States Intelligence," Steinberg takes us inside the networks, tradecraft, and systematic deception that the Founding Generation used to defeat the British Empire. As we approach America's Semiquincentennial, 250 years since the founding, this isn't ceremonial history. It's a mirror. What does it mean to keep a republic when the original victory was built on vigilance, judgment, and the ability to tell truth from noise?Jeffrey Steinberg has worked in national security policy for over forty years in partnership with Congress, the military, and the intelligence community. He serves as Executive Vice President of PTB Global Advisors and teaches national security affairs at Florida Atlantic University and Florida Gulf Coast University.Heroes' Path Foundation develops character-based leadership through story-driven curriculum.Support the showLearn • Serve • Lead • Remember 🎧 Never miss an episode—subscribe on YouTube or grab the RSS.Follow & join the conversation ➔ @HeroesPath on X, Instagram, LinkedIn • #HeroesPathPodcast