History Commons^™

Mata Hari: A Life Of Lies, Olivia Blessing

Olivia L Blessing

During the international scandal of her 1917 trial and subsequent execution, Mata Hari’s name became a universal title for a traitorous woman. Since then, spies like Tokyo Rose and Radient Jade were known respectively as the "Mata Hari of the airways" and the "Mata Hari of the East." However, unlike the other two women, Mata Hari was famous for being a woman who would do anything for a price years before the French accused her of treason, and this image hurt her during the trial as much as the accusations of treason did.