Archive for April 7th, 2020

Spymistress. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of WW II. William Stevenson.

Spymistress. William Stevenson. 2011. ISBN 9781611452310.  The story of Vera Atkins the person who ran multiple agents for the British SOE prior to , during and after WW II.  It reads like a thriller , but its all real. You will despair at the utter incompetence of the individuals in charge of Britain at this time, chosen because of the old school tie affiliations rather than any talent. Rampant antisemitism ran through much of this group and the Royals. You learn the real effects of the Soviet penetration of the British secret agencies and how Stalin plotted  to extend the war to allow his armies to lock up much of Eastern and Central Europe. The old boy network went to freat lengths to tie up much of this material until the 2000s. So many familiar names in this book of real heroes who went on to continue to do great things as well as other heroes who often were left to be executed in Europe through machinations by the British Central Office and the OSS. Great read.

Category: History

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