Penny Powers, Covert Hero of the Twentieth Century

Ms. Penny Powers, a covert British Intelligence Officer during most of the twentieth century and (perhaps) memorialized as Miss. Moneypenny in the James Bond film series, was one of the most unrecognized saviors of children in danger in modern world history. Ms. Powers covertly organized and ran the Kindertransport and Operation Pedro Pan, two shining examples of the British intelligence service's efforts to save thousands of children from danger. Ms. Powers used the same repeatable model twice to save children in danger. Specifically, she helped save 10,000 Jewish children in the Kindertransport and 14,000 Cuban children in Operation Pedro Pan by transporting the children to a safe location, organizing temporary care for the children, planning to reunite the children with their parents when the danger had passed, and using private donations instead of government funding to help the plan appeal to the host countries. In 2016, US Representative Mike Honda proposed to replicate her model to help save children in danger in the Syrian civil war. Now, 25 years after her death, it is high time for Ms. Powers to be recognized for helping save 24,000 children.