Episode Two
camp x

Following training, North American spies were sent around the world to take on enemies from Germany and Japan in a deadly chess game of move and counter move that lasted the entire war. Told through the incredible stories of these real-life James Bonds, this film traces the evolution of espionage in North America, and explains how the men and women who were the world's first modern spies were vital in helping the Allies to victory... Starting at the opening of Camp X, it uses first hand accounts from WW2 spies to explore all the key skills required to conduct WW2 espionage, including demolitions, codes and ciphers, cover stories and close combat, all of which are intimately detailed in the Camp X training manual. It then ends with the dramatic key role that Camp X played in helping to reveal the threat posed by the Soviets in the earliest days of the Cold War, and the revelation that one of the writers of the manual was secretly a Soviet mole, who would later become one of the most infamous defectors in history - Kim Philby.

Duration: 44 minutes and 44 seconds

Episode Number: 102

About Camp X:

The story of North America's first secret agent training school, the role it played in defeating the Axis during World War Two, and in the world of modern espionage - investigated through the first archaeological dig of the site; demonstrations of its training techniques; first person accounts of those who trained; and dramatic recreation of their exploits behind enemy lines.

Dubbed the school of 'mayhem and murder', Camp X and the schools it spawned, trained over 25,000 secret agents during the war.

The investigation uncovers the camp's secret agent training manual and the role it played in forging the world of espionage, including the foundation of the CIA.

Ian Fleming claimed to have trained there and the notorious Soviet mole, Kim Philby, wrote its secret training manual.




NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

Explore - 11.2

World - 11.3

Create - 11.4

Kids - 11.5

All of our channels and NHK World Japan are streaming LIVE ONLINE and on the PBS App, available on most devices.

Learn More


 

Community Impact

NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

This Old House | E4 | Carolina Comeback | Waterproof Work
Ask This Old House | E4 | Washer Dryer Relocation | Ask This Old House
Maigret | Episode 1: The Lazy Burglar, Part 1
The Gold | Episode 1
Austin City Limits | FINNEAS
Sacred Planet with Gulnaz Khan | Reclaiming Peru's Glaciers
Antiques Roadshow | Vintage Raleigh 2025, Hour 2
Brian and Maggie | Episode 1
Great Performances | The Magic of Grace Bumbry
The Caverns Sessions | Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Big Cats 24/7 | New Beginnings
Hispanic Heritage Awards | 38th Hispanic Heritage Awards
Cook's Country | Georgia Food on My Mind
America's Test Kitchen | Make-Ahead Masterclass
American Experience | The Presidents: FDR (Part 2)
Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect | Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect
Opportunity, Access & Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs | Opportunity, Access & Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs
POV | DRIVER
Unforgotten | Episode 2
The Marlow Murder Club | Episode 2
The Great American Recipe | The Grand Finale
Pompeii: The New Dig | House of Treasures
Professor T | Overboard
The Last Ecstatic Days | The Last Ecstatic Days
The Carnival of More Animals | The Carnival of More Animals
Atomic People | Atomic People
Cinema Nomad | Bosnia & Herzegovina
Wisdom Keepers: Healing a Divided People | John Vervaeke - Finding Meaning Through our Common Connections
The Future of Farming | The Future of Farming
Kerry: Tides of Time | Episode 1
VOCES | Slumlord Millionaire
Impossible Town | Impossible Town
American Masters | Marcella [Extended Audio Description]
Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty | Rivalry
Doc World | Call Me Dancer