Summary

“The Typists” began with a strange October day at SR. The typists learned that the Russian satellite, Sputnik, had successfully been launched into space. Irina’s insider knowledge was apparent to the typists, and they wondered about the nature of it. The men on Capitol Hill and the Agency seemingly worked nonstop. Gail came into work the next week with a tape recording the “continuous beeping” of Sputnik in orbit (128). She used her degree to tune into its frequency but was scolded by Anderson for having meddled in the Agency’s affairs. As fall continued, Sputnik II was launched by the Russians with dogs as passengers. In Sputnik’s wake, the U.S. planned to use a propaganda scheme against the USSR “using art, music, and literature to advance its objectives” (130). The men had meetings to discuss...