Dancer Mata Hari was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KEYSTONE Mata Hari and forgeries for US presidents This and other curious tales are told by Christopher Andrew and theater producer and circus director Julius Green in their newly published book, Stars and Spies: Intelligence Operations and the Entertainment Business. It comes as no surprise that the first head of Britain's foreign intelligence service MI6, Mansfield Smith-Cumming, bought his disguises from the same supplier as London's West End theaters. Undercover agents often find themselves in a kind of long-term role-playing," said Andrew. Fictional identities, learning a script and improvisational skills are central to both professions, which involve portraying someone else. "The ephemeral lifestyle of traveling entertainers is not at all dissimilar to that of spies, which is why they are very well-suited for undercover work. According to Andrew, Marlowe is a unique representative of the similarities between the worlds of entertainment and espionage. Your browser does not support the audio element.When the famous playwright Christopher Marlowe was recruited as a spy in 1580 at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, it marked the start of his rise toward becoming a celebrated writer, said professor Christopher Andrew, the doyen of espionage research. Listen to a recorded reading of this page:.Take a ten question quiz about this page. Two famous Norwegian spies, John Moe and Tor Glad, were called "Mutt and Jeff" by their British handlers.
Are secret agents real code#
Spies were usually referred to by special code names.The RSHA were constantly fighting with the Abwehr. The Nazi Party had its own intelligence agency called the RSHA.Ian Fleming, who wrote the original James Bond novels, worked for British naval intelligence during the war.Many of the members of the German Abwehr were anti-Nazi and even participated in attempts at assassinating Hitler.Interesting Facts about World War II Spies and Secret Agents The OSS recruited and trained a number of Austrians and Germans to become spies during the war including the spy Fritz Kolbe who provided details of the German defense prior to D-Day and information on the German rocket programs. OSS - United States - The OSS (Office of Strategic Services) was the U.S.They also placed many spies into France in order to frustrate the Germans and prepare for the Normandy Invasion on D-Day. One of their biggest successes was the Double Cross program which turned German spies into double agents. MI5 and MI6 - Britain - MI5 and MI6 were the British intelligence agencies.However, much of its information was ignored by the higher ups in the Nazi party making the agency largely ineffective. It was successful in infiltrating the Dutch Underground during the war. Abwehr - Germany - The Abwehr was the German intelligence agency.Here are some of the major agencies during the war: There were several British and French women spies who parachuted into France in order to help prepare the French Resistance for the Allied attack on D-day.Įach country had their own spy agencies. Yes, there were many women spies on both sides of the war. Other gadgets included bombs hidden in rats, messages in micro-dots, gun silencers, and shoes that left barefoot-looking footprints. Some spies had bicycle battery chargers they would use to power their radio sets. Many of these gadgets were used to hide secret messages including hollowed out corks, fake fence spikes, and plaster logs to hide messages. Yes, they did have some cool gadgets that helped them with their jobs. They could then use these spies to find out information about the Germans as well as to provide the Germans with false information. They were very good at this, turning more than 40 German spies into double agents. They would find German spies and then turn them into double agents. Others did it because they didn't agree with what their country was doing or because they secretly were loyal to another country.ĭuring World War II, the British developed the Double Cross System. They would hide things like secret messages or radio components.Įach spy probably had their own reasons for becoming a spy. The baseball, pipe, and brush all have secret compartments.
0 kommentar(er)
