The Thrilling History of George Washington's 'Secret Six' That You Probably Didn't Know

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade began a journey over a decade ago to discover the truth behind the spies of U.S. President George Washington -- brave men and women without whom, he believes, the American Revolution would not have succeeded.

(Photo via Amazon)

That journey has come to fruition with the release of Kilmeade's latest book, George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution, and Kilmeade called into Glenn Beck's radio program Tuesday to discuss it.

"I believe, like you believe, that fundamentally Americans are good and have heroic qualities," Kilmeade told Beck. "It's not just about Michael Jordan in basketball and George Washington in history...I believe we all have that in us, and I believe this story backs up my belief."

He said of the spies: "One's a farmer. One's a tavern owner. One is a dry goods owner. A woman who's a socialite. One person's an editor. And they sit there behind enemy lines every day for four years, knowing that at any moment they will suffer the fate of Nathan Hale if they are uncovered."

The spies, whose identities were only uncovered within the last hundred years, used tools and tactics like invisible ink, encryption, and dead drops to communicate. Kilmeade said that some of those techniques are still used by the Central Intelligence Agency to this day.

Among other things, Kilmeade added, the spies helped prevent the British from capturing Westpoint and provided crucial intelligence that Washington used in a ruse to trick the British, enabling French reinforcements to arrive.

Glenn Beck and Brian Kilmeade discuss 'George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution' on Nov. 5, 2013. (Photo: TheBlaze TV)

"[And] we didn't even know who they were until 1930!" Kilmeade said. "And we're still uncovering what they did because that's how they wanted it. Washington knew it - I'll keep your secret, but I'll also keep your letters. And we built this book around Washington's own letters -- from Tallmadge, from the spies, to Washington. So we're not looking for any opinion. We're building the story around what happened."

Kilmeade said that he hopes to shine some light on the heroism of the spies, giving them the credit they didn't get in their own lives. He even provides their grave sites, mentioning one in particular that he said is falling into a state of disrepair.

The Fox News host also thanked Glenn Beck for helping make history a part of everyday news.

"If I didn't see a nationally-known host take history and weave it into the news, I would not have gone forward with this book," he remarked. "But when I saw you grab history and then anchor it to today, that's when I said to myself, 'There's a market for this.'"

Beck also commended Kilmeade for his work, saying when Kilmeade first told him the story five years ago, he couldn't believe he had never heard it. Beck called the book "tremendous" and "not just recounting" history, but "bringing the story forward."

You can watch the entire interview, below:

Complimentary Clip from TheBlaze TV

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