Gertrude Bell, a Masterful Spy and Diplomat

by Jamie Tarabay, NPR

The extraordinary British diplomat and spy Gertrude Bell was buried 80 years ago today. After World War I, she was almost single-handedly responsible for the founding of modern Iraq, where her grave is still located.

Bell was the first woman to graduate with a history degree from Oxford and became one of the country's leading Arabists. She rode camels with the Bedouin in the Arabian desert and dined on sheep's eyes with tribal sheikhs.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, July 12, 2006