“Why he had such blind faith”: Pujol and West, p. 73.
44 “With the British he was British”: Author interview with Xavier Vinader.
Federico was so taken with his new agent: The Calvo anecdote is recounted in Harris, p. 50.
“Oval face … fleshy”: KV 2/102.
45 “my own bizarre form of espionage”: Pujol and West, p. 74.
“[He] had no idea”: Harris, p. 51.
“What follows may seem unbelievable”: Pujol and West, p. 74.
46 This would later amaze Pujol’s handlers: Ibid., p. 121.
“The method of communication is good”: KV 2/63, message of July 29, 1941.
“I had become a real German spy”: Pujol and West, p. 90.
47 “Why, I kept on asking myself”: Ibid., p. 74.
48 “verbal equivalent”: Holt, p. 211.
“I do not wish to end”: Quoted in Harris, p. 95.
“I tried hard to introduce new information gradually”: Pujol and West, p. 90.
“in detail how I had grappled”: Ibid.
His subagent William Gerbers: KV 2/63 and Harris, p. 41.
49 “Try to find out the details”: KV 2/63.
An advertisement in a Portuguese paper: KV 2/63, “Translation of notes to letters 1 through 39.”
“very secret apparatus”: KV 2/63, appendix 2, letter no. 20.
50 “R.A.F. Pilot School situated near Sandwitch”: KV 2/63.
Pujol went to a local detective agency: Harris, p. 60.
When Tommy Harris later revealed: Ibid., p. 58.
“You refer by number”: KV 2/63, incoming letter no. 15.
“I am surprised at your announcement”: KV 2/63.
51 “It is unnecessary for you to send us proof”: Ibid.
“It can be said that from this point onwards”: Harris, p. 86.
“There are men here”: KV 2/63.
“She became highly excited”: Harris, p. 55.
52 “Talk to me about the baby”: KV 2/63, message of October 7, 1941.
“[Pujol’s] existence was precarious”: Masterman, p. 116.
“The farce was coming to an end”: Pujol and West, p. 92.
53 “[She] mystified the American”: Liddell, p. 253.
She also demanded $200,000: Harris, p. 64.
“LeClerc Fils of Paris reports”: Ibid., p. 65.
“Agent 172 of Chicago”: Ibid., p. 64.
54 “Here you are”: Ibid., p. 65.
“She never stepped back”: Author interview with Maria Kreisler.
“There is no doubt”: Harris, p. 65.
6. The Snakepit
56 Desmond Bristow was a tough-minded young man: For the intelligence officer’s early life, see Bristow, pp. 1–8.
“I watched in horror”: Ibid., p. 13.
In late October 1941: The account of Subsection V (d) is drawn from Bristow, pp. 16–44, and from an author interview with Bill Bristow.
57 Tim Milne, a former copywriter: Timothy Milne’s obituary, Sunday Times, April 8, 2010.
“This sounds very odd”: Bristow, p. 19.
58 “the British were going crazy”: Pujol and West, p. 91.
saying that the Caernarvon convoy: Bristow, p. 21.
“We know there is no bloody convoy”: Ibid.
“The Abwehr’s trust”: Ibid., p. 25.
59 The Germans planned to ambush: Pujol and West, p. 104.
MI5 chimed in with a theory: Bristow, p. 22.
it was even believed: Delmer, p. 39.
60 a Spanish national named Juan Pujol: Bristow, p. 33.
“If it was within Pujol’s power”: Author interview with Nigel West.
61 “discreet interview”: Bristow, p. 35.
Gene Risso-Gill, a well-bred Portuguese: Pujol and West, p. 94.
On an unseasonably hot February evening: The rendezvous is described in Bristow, pp. 36–37.
“My legs were shaking”: Pujol and West, p. 94.
“a wad of sterling notes”: Ibid., p. 96.
62 “I was suddenly acutely aware”: Ibid., p. 97.
“It seemed a miracle”: Harris, p. 66.
“It was crazy”: Juan Pujol, interview with Josep Espinas, Identities, Catalan TV documentary, date unknown.
7. A Fresh Riot of Ideas
65 On the morning of May 1, 1942: The details of Pujol’s debriefing are from Bristow, pp. 41–42.
66 “mischievous glint”: Ibid., p. 38.
whose nickname inside the agency: Ibid., p. 271.
67 “He is such a dreamer”: Ibid., p. 42.
One officer recalled a story: Recounted in Andrew, Secret Service, p. 443.
68 “in a gesture of resignation”: Ibid.
The sounds had actually been doors slamming: Ibid., p. 432.
“We are bred up”: Brown, p. 9.
“Don’t go near them”: Andrew, p. 217.
69 The cell—now office—doors: Ibid.
some of which were read: Holt, p. 170.
“newfangled business”: Wheatley, p. 39.
“a racket”: All the reactions are from Wheatley, pp. 39, 84.
“The very fact that the Allies”: Holt, p. 62.
Down the hall: Wheatley, p. 25.
Close to Wheatley’s office: The description is from the author’s visit to the war rooms.
70 “the lost section”: Wheatley, p. 54.
“smoked salmon or potted shrimps”: Ibid., p. 30.
“The day has brought forth nothing”: Ibid., p. 49.
Wheatley submitted a memo: The information on the Bote plot is from Wheatley, p. 50.
71 When they were desperately trying: The “burning sea” plot comes from Crowdy, p. 55.
72 In April 1942, the British secret service: Wheatley, p. 56.
73 “Obviously, [they] missed the whole point”: Ibid.
“reference books”: Crowdy, p. 75.
case officers sometimes hired prostitutes: Ibid., p. 71.
“appointed scribes”: Harris, p. 105.
74 “The running of doublecross agents”: Masterman, p. 70.
“to work out the crime”: Quoted in Macintyre, p. 62.
At more than 226 weekly meetings: Crowdy, p. 72.
75 Plan Machiavelli: Masterman, p. 83.
Plan Guy Fawkes: Ibid., p. 88.
In Plan Brock: Ibid., p. 126.
nearly causing the planners: Churchill, p. 293.
“How should we feel”: Masterman, p. 127.
76 At one point: Ibid., p. 102.
a dozen double agents: The relevant agents are listed in Holt, p. 150.
one branch, the Naval Intelligence Division: Andrew, Secret Service, p. 455.
“I can’t tell you what sort of job it would be”: Ibid., p. 472.
“playing casually with detonators”: Ibid., p. 473.
A Force, the Middle East deception unit: Delmer, p. 26.
“We were complete amateurs”: Levine, Kindle location 368.
77 When Winston Churchill toured: Andrew, Secret Service, p. 454.
“bubbled and frothed”: Philby, p. 68.
78 “whizzing up and down the corridors”: Ibid., p. 77.
“He smoked like a chimney”: Pujol and West, p. 224.
“a fresh riot of ideas”: Philby, p. 47.
“a casting director’s ideal choice”: Delmer, p. 76.
“There are many questions about him”: Bristow, p. 271.
“He’s like a runaway figure for me”: Author interview with Andreu Jaume.
79 they kept horses in stables: Oxford Mail, December 1, 1954.
“During my occasional visits”: Philby, p. 73.
The house next door: Author interview with Bill Bristow.
the basement served as a bomb shelter: Author interview with José Antonio Buces, nephew of Tommy Harris.
“These paintings do have an intriguing, disturbing vibrancy”: Review in the Scotsman, December 4, 1954.
80 “Pujol’s genius was Latin”: Author intervi
ew with Rafael Fraguas.
8. The System
81 “our best batsmen”: Masterman, p. 90.
“production teams”: Holt, p. 541.
82 “Lighting, Scenery, Costumes”: Ibid., p. 80.
Over his career: For a discussion of Pujol’s earning power, see Harris, “Appendix III: Financial Arrangements,” p. 335.
breaking for meals: Holt, p. 212.
entering into a new logbook: Pujol and West, p. 119.
83 “realistic enough to create a clear picture”: Harris, p. 78.
To flesh out the lives: Hesketh, p. 45.
their KLM pilot-courier: Harris, p. 87.
all of Pujol’s outgoing messages: The Pujol MI5 files at the National Archives at Kew retain the color codings.
84 “an extremely indiscreet”: Liddell, p. 40.
“and knew how to use it”: Holt, p. 232.
The code name might also confuse the Germans: Harris, p. 87.
“The beach here is mined”: KV 2/64, letter of October 24, 1942.
“Several large hangars”: KV 2/64, letter of October 18, 1942.
“The small port of Irvine”: KV 2/63, letter of September 4, 1943.
85 “You moisten a sheet of paper”: KV 2/65.
“Obviously, as an affectionate brother”: KV 2/64, letter of July 11, 1942.
“I have been asked”: KV 2/64, letter of November 30, 1942.
86 “the greatest burden of the work”: Harris, p. 77.
“It is … true to say”: Ibid., p. 79.
“according to him”: KV 2/63, letter of February 16, 1942.
“suited for the passing”: Hesketh, p. 51.
87 “If these two conditions exist”: Quoted in Holt, p. 58.
88 “Exact details and sketch”: Quoted in Masterman, p. 80.
“Can you get hold of a gas mask?”: KV 2/63, letter no. 14.
clearly the Germans wanted: KV 2/64, message of August 13, 1942.
“3¾ oz of Plain Nut Charcoal”: KV 2/64, message of August 28, 1942.
“I have been passing through a long period”: KV 2/64, page 13 of undated letter, allocated on August 28, 1942.
89 “pass from the notional”: Harris, p. 98.
Dream was a currency scheme: Plan Dream is outlined in Harris, pp. 98–100, and in the MI5 file K 2/64, especially the outgoing letter (no. 99) of September 29, 1942.
“I have a message”: KV 2/64, letter of September 9, 1942.
9. The Debut
91 “ten-hour second front”: Kahn, p. 471.
“The job I am going on”: Letter to Frederick Ayer, Patton, p. 92.
92 “If the assault failed”: Wheatley, p. 100.
“For him to remain there”: Harris, p. 105.
Tommy Harris had consulted a physician: Delmer, p. 100.
93 “Although I cannot confirm the rumor”: KV 2/64, message of November 10, 1942.
“There were also about the town”: KV 2/64, message of November 23, 1942.
“All radiators to be drained”: KV 2/64, message of September 23, 1942.
“Second front! Very important!!”: KV 2/64, message of October 14, 1942.
“No. 6 tells me that rumors are circulating”: KV 2/64, message of October 11, 1942.
94 “None of the troops with Arctic uniforms”: KV 2/64, message of October 29, 1942.
“It was impossible for me”: KV 2/64, message of November 1, 1942.
“Your last reports are all magnificent”: KV 2/64, message of November 26, 1942.
“We didn’t even dream of it”: Brown, p. 232.
95 “GERBERS. November 19 at Bootle”: Harris, p. 107.
“the poor girl is very broken up”: KV 2/66, message of July 15, 1943.
“Think about me a lot”: KV 2/63, message of May 25, 1942.
“She was alone with a new baby”: Author interview with Maria Kreisler.
96 “‘liquidate’ some of our agents”: Quoted in Macintyre, p. 83.
Harris obtained an 80-watt: Harris, p. 341. Harris indicates the radio was a 100-watt set, but the Abwehr suitcase sets given to its South American agents were typically 80 watts.
97 Madrid sent the cipher plan and codes: Pujol and West, p. 121.
By August 1942, all reports: Ibid., pp. 128–29.
Garbo and the operator: For ciphering, see Harris, Appendix XXXIII, “Cyphers and Transmitting Plans,” p. 343.
10. The Blacks and the Santa Clauses
98 formed the biggest: Farago, p. 205.
working under the auspices: Kahn, p. 278.
the Fakir of Ipi: Farago, p. 205.
They hired deaf-mutes: Brown, p. 205.
“What is that?”: Kahn, p. 277.
99 the staples in a typical Russian passport: Ibid., p. 283.
“very brilliant and lively”: Perrault, p. 55.
“In many ways”: Ibid., p. 57.
100 Worked into the beautiful mahogany desk: Ibid., p. 66.
To divine the whereabouts: Ibid., p. 127.
There was a running joke: Breuer, p. 20.
“must found itself upon a race”: Quoted in Kahn, p. 270.
101 “The Germans consider espionage”: Perrault, p. 153.
“ostracized officers who dealt with spies”: Kahn, p. 532.
He claimed he would never shake the hand: Farago, p. 17.
“In the future, you will use Jews”: Perrault, p. 136.
“No one among the staff”: Ibid., p. 167.
102 It was the Führer: Ibid.
“dumb as a carp”: Cameron and Stevens, p. 293.
“Everything you’ve written is pure nonsense”: Perrault, p. 166.
“He closed his mind against the truth”: Speer, p. 261.
“I don’t want any wretched spies”: Farago, p. 94.
103 “Send them into England as quickly as possible”: Ibid., p. 297.
“Arrived safely, document destroyed”: Ibid., p. 303.
104 “he looked like the man”: Ibid., p. 651.
105 “It is known that [he] is trembling”: KV 2/102, “Extract from Camp 020 interim report on the case of Ledebur.”
“His characteristic German lack of sense of humor”: Harris, p. 70.
“We are separated from England”: Cameron and Stevens, p. 101.
Roenne was the descendant of an old family: Breuer, p. 39.
106 “impossible to make friends with”: Holt, p. 100.
“the Western allies would protest”: Macintyre, p. 240.
107 Listening stations would write “Z reports”: Kahn, p. 181.
“worthless,” “swindle”: Ibid., p. 366.
“The fact,” Canaris boasted: Farago, p. 772.
11. The Rehearsal
109 “We should never resort to it”: Quoted in Holt, p. 72.
110 In a message marked “Urgent”: Harris, pp. 106–12.
111 the RAF had initiated: Ibid., p. 122.
“I saw my cannon shells”: Evening News (London), March 15, 1943.
others, veering away: Daily Sketch (London), February 8, 1943.
“The Germans’ tactics are apparently to shoot up”: Liddell, p. 47.
112 “my experience when traveling”: KV 2/65, message of February 23, 1943.
“It displeases me very much”: KV 2/65, message of February 27, 1943.
“I have been able to estimate”: KV 2/66, message of August 2, 1943.
“We beg you not to be impatient”: Quoted in Harris, p. 108.
His dispatches began showing up: Harris, p. 75.
from methylene blue to “tetra base”: Liddell, p. 110.
113 the spy had to cut his finger: Kahn, p. 290.
“the most important development in the case”: Harris, p. 132.
“Denys Page tells me that the information”: Liddell, p. 71.
No. 3 drove a hard bargain: KV 2/65, message of March 14, 1943.
“left [the] last days of January”: Harris, p. 130.
The dog was a toy: Liddell, p. 167.
114 the
two t’s in Odette: KV 2/65, message of March 4, 1943.
“Inside the cake you will find”: KV 2/66, message of June 9, 1943.
“We have received the cake”: KV 2/66.
“he had an agent in England”: Ibid.
“I would never have had the nerve”: Levine, Kindle location 470.
“[The] activity of Arabel”: Quoted in Harris, p. 75.
115 LESLIE HOWARD IS LOST: Quoted in the documentary Garbo the Spy.
116 Plan Bodega was a “most complex and elaborate” scheme: Bodega is described in detail in Harris, pp. 115–20.
117 From that, the Germans could deduce: In the MI5 files, Bodega is covered in KV 2/65, message of May 3, 1943, and many other reports of the period.
118 “He would … have been allowed”: Harris, p. 118.
“It was explained that by blowing up one of the trains”: Ibid., p. 117.
12. The Dry Run
124 “an elaborate camouflage and deception scheme”: Quoted in Holt, p. 477.
“a major amphibious feint”: Pujol and West, p. 137.
There was also a provision: PRO WO 106/4223, Encl. 29A COSSAC 43, dated May 24, 1943.
squadrons of seaborne commandos: Cumming, p. 6.
an “Armageddon-of-the-Air”: Ibid., p. 9.
125 These unfortunates were to be executed: Helm, p. 81.
condemned to have their necks placed on the block: Perrault, p. 78.
“I have now completed arrangements”: Andrew, Defend the Realm, p. 257.
“If there is any danger”: Ibid.
126 Back in Le Portel: Cumming, p. 48.
127 Some of them had been shanghaied: Ibid., p. 50.
“The effects of these operations”: AIR 20/4557 Annex, Final Draft, July 8, 1943.
128 “All the northern part of Southampton Common”: KV 2/66, message of August 12, 1943.
“where the enemy was known to be operating”: Harris, p. 150.
129 “This makes her all the more accessible”: KV 2/67, message of September 25, 1943.
“You must let me know”: Ibid.
“It appears that the situation has become worse”: KV 2/66, message of August 26, 1943.
“Agent 1b in Portsmouth reported”: KV 2/66, message of August 12, 1943.
130 Forty thousand tents were erected: Cumming, p. 27.
Notices were slapped on the walls: Ibid.
131 The French Committee of National Liberation told its members: Brown, p. 323.
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