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# How Dolls Became Part of WWII Espionage
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/podcasts/mossback/2026/03/how-dolls-became-part-of-wwii-espionage/
- Published: 2026-03-25T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-07T18:05:05.000Z
- Description: Knute Berger digs into a remarkable WWII-era tale involving spies, Northwest shipyards and a New York City doll shop.
- Author: Knute Berger
- Tags: Mossback, #podcast, #dovetail_00c3e087-b737-4530-bf6f-09b77f15a2ae

One of the oddest cases of World War II espionage involved a woman, Velvalee Dickinson, who spied on Northwest shipyards for the Japanese. How did she do it? By writing coded letters about dolls. 

Cascade PBS’s resident historian Knute Berger told this story in a [**recent episode**](https://www.cascadepbs.org/show/mossbacks-northwest-2/episode/the-case-of-the-treasonous-doll-spy-zib6by/) of the *Mossback’s Northwest* video series, but there’s more left to examine. 

In this episode of *Mossback*, Berger joins co-host Stephen Hegg to discuss Dickinson’s remarkable story, how she was ultimately caught by the U.S.’s first female cryptanalyst and the Northwest’s unique role in international spy games throughout the 20th century. 

*For more on all things Mossback, visit* [***CascadePBS.org***](https://crosscut.com/mossback?ref=cascadepbs.org)*. To reach Knute Berger directly, drop him a line at* [***knute.berger@cascadepbs.org***](mailto:knute.berger@cascadepbs.org)*. And if you’d like an exclusive weekly newsletter from Knute, where he offers greater insight into his latest historical discoveries,* [***become a Cascade PBS member***](https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/134265/donate/1?ref=cascadepbs.org) *today.* 

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**Credits**

Hosts: [**Stephen Hegg**](https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/stephenhegg-crosscut-com/), [**Knute Berger**](https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/knute-berger)

Producer: [**Sara Bernard**](https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sara-bernard)

Story editors: [**Sarah Menzies**](https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/sarah-menzies)**,** [**Adam Brown**](https://www.cascadepbs.org/author/adam/)

Studio recording: **Roger Basquette**