"Hale needs no introduction. He is the "martyr-spy" of the American Revolution and the patron saint of the American intelligence establishment; his statue stands today just off the main lobby of CIA headquarters in McLean, Va. As a 21-year-old captain in the Continental Army whose spotless moral character was universally admired, Hale courageously volunteered in September 1776 for the dangerous mission of reconnoitering British army positions in the New York City area; he was captured and hanged on Manhattan Island on Sept. 22, 1776. Ardent patriot writers of the 19th century depicted Hale's death in theological tones, describing how the young hero, alone amidst a sea of hostility, established a moral superiority over his tormentors and died triumphantly, uttering the imperishable sentiment: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." - The Library of Congress: Nathan Hale Revisited