Did “A Russian Journal” author John Steinbeck offer to pass on information to the Central Intelligence Agency? According to a 1952 letter in the Agency archives from former Director of Central Intelligence Walter Bedell Smith, yes.
You can read a more thorough account of Steinbeck’s espionage at The Daily Beast, but, for our part, we were just amused by how refreshingly straightforward that was.
Image via Wikimedia Commons