1917 - 1926 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARIES OF AN EXCEPTIONAL AMERICAN WOMAN SERVING HER COUNTRY DURING WORLD WAR I AS A FOREIGN SERVICE AGENT AND THEN AN OPERATIVE FOR THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY [CIA] WHILE HER HUSBAND SAILED WITH THE PACIFIC FLEET

On offer are two [2] absolutely super, original, World War I and post-War manuscript diaries handwritten by American Foreign Service agent and Central Intelligence Agency operative Grace Phillips Cogswell. A woman of many talents and accomplishments living a life one usually reads about in fiction. The diaries date from 1917 - 1926 [No.1, 1917-1920, 800+ entries; No.2, 1923-1926, 475+ entries] covering the World War I years and then while she was working for the O.S.S. and American CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). [It should also be noted that she was married to the famed naval commander, Captain Francis Cogswell whose diary we list separately.] She traveled abroad extensively and writes of being in many different countries / cities, including Venice, Constantinople, Rome, Edinburgh, Paris and many, many more. From the mundane daily activities to super expamples of her sparkling personality and keen eyed observations. Here are some snippets: "Annapolis - Dined at The McNairs, disgraced myself by eating too much. F. teasing me, Brklyn - Fleet due today minus destroyers. Went to Governors Island and watched the fleet come in. Mr. Blairs to watch land parade with Miss Hunt. Brklyn - celebrated today with a parade and welcome home cards in every window and all sorts of parties for Soldiers Francis home from Lisbon, brought me much laces and embroideries for my birthday. Regent Palace. Got military permit. Met Ambassador Davis. Saw the King drive out of the Palace Grounds on his way to the memorial services of the Princess of Denmark at Winchester . Chandler sailed at 1 p.m. Mrs Chandler and I left on 5:40 train for Paris London - Went to headquarters with Capt. Hellweg and Bones. Sat in Comdr. Brooks office and waited for dope. Met Mrs. Schuyler. Mr. Copehard and Brooke had our money changed for us at Guarantee Trust Co., took Capt. Hellweg and Brooke to lunch at Ritz Edwinburgh - Went aboard to sew on F's blouse. Mrs. Chandler came down for tea. Capt. Hellweg aboard most of time as his dog Spottie lives on board. In route Rome. Changed at Modane and had all my clothes stripped off by a horny handed female, she had the time of her life. Found 3 gold pieces of 5 ea. and was wild when the French official let me thru with them. Magnificent scenery, Mts. and scroll painted houses. Rome. Hotel Flora, saw bones of monks made into fanciful designs in vault of church. Constantinople Pera Palace - Mrs. Day birthday. Mrs Wetherby gave large dinner, Embassy crowd at Russian Club. Most remarkable violinist I've ever heard there, food perfect. Danced at Pera Palace later with Ital. officer and will never be the same after trying to dance with him Lunch at Harvid Beys house in Asia Minor. Met the Princess, his wife, who is a daughter of last Sultan and niece of present __ (?). She did not appear at lunch but rec'd the ladies upstairs afterwards. Remarkably carved easle birds supporting mirror. She gave me a rose heavy course rug, pred. cream color Constantinople - We are to lunch on the Scorpion with Capt. McCulloulgh and go for climb up mountain. Mr. Smith assoc. press man came with us .. Venice - Mrs. J___, wife of Ambassador of Rome called at 10:30 and we took her to the Ital. ship Scills (?) to see the war orphans . Comdr. Bryant told me that Francis is a hero. When a Calif. plane nose dived into the ocean near them, they swung out of column at a snappy speed and picked it up, it having turned bottom up and the aviators crawled around and sat on the keel. F. was afraid it would sink and wanted to back down to it, but the Capt. voted for a boat to be lowered which picked them off. The W. VA. crew cheered, the ___ cheered Francis, so Mr. Bryant said. Think he stretched that a bit." BIOGRAPHY: GRACE PHILLIPS COGSWELL (b. June 7, 1887, d. Dec. 21, 1971) was born Grace Woodman Phillips, the daughter of Lee Phillips and Clara Cushing. She married Lieutenant Henry Burnet Post (b. June 15, 1885, d. Feb 9, 1914, San Diego, CA) on 25 Jan 1907, at St Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, New York, NY. Henry Burnet Post was the son of Henry Albertson Van Zo Post (b. May 16, 1832, New York - d. January 1914) and Caroline Burnet McLean (b. July 14, 1843, Cincinnati, Ohio). In 1900, Henry A V Post was a Banker and they were living at 140 W 77th St, New York, NY. Henry Burnet Post was in the US Army Air Force, and died in an aircraft accident in 1914, aged 28, after establishing an American altitude record of 12,120 feet. Henry Post Army Airfield at Fort Sill, Oklahoma is named in his honour. Grace Phillips married for the second time in New York, NY on November 25, 1916 to Francis Cogswell. She served in the U.S. Foreign Service and later in the Central Intelligence Agency (O.S.S./CIA) 1917 - 1926. From her 1919 US passport application, she was living in Brooklyn, NY, and Francis Cogswell was residing on board the USS Chandler. In the 1920 census, she is living with her parents at 508 3rd St, Brooklyn, NY. From Oct. 4 - 10, 1922, she sailed on the SS President Cleveland from Honolulu to San Francisco, CA, and her US address was San Diego, CA. From her 1925 US passport application, Grace P Cogswell was living in New York, NY, and Francis Cogswell was residing with the US Pacific Fleet. From 1-10 Sep 1925, Grace Cogswell sailed from Auckland, New Zealand to Honolulu on the Aorangi. Grace P Cogswell died Dec. 21 1971, and is buried at SECTION 6 SITE 8709 next to Francis Cogswell in Arlington National Cemetery. 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