Previously I read and enjoyed Macintyre’s Agent Zigzag and The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief, so I was anxious to pick up Double Cross. The book does not disappoint. An excellent storyteller and cogent writer, Macintyre regales the reader with the complex and astounding tale of Great Britain’s espionage program, Double Cross. Double Cross was a program run by MI5 (the British equivalent to the modern FBI) during World War II. The basic goal was to convince spies working for the Germans in England to work for the Allies, against the Germans. In short, MI5 sought to turn
Abwehr agents (German Secret Service) into MI5 double agents.
Led by an eclectic group of talented individuals, the B1A section of MI5 was headed by Thomas “Tar” Argyll Robertson. Tar Robertson was a hard drinking, intelligent Scot, who championed Double Cross as a way to learn more about Axis plans and more importantly, misdirect the Nazis. As WWII dragged on, the role of Double Cross agents in planting false intelligence to aid Allied war efforts became the single most important element of the program. It culminated with the D-Day landing.
The spies of Double Cross were even more eclectic than their handlers. Macintrye focuses on a select group of spies whose accomplishments and antics make them especially interesting to the reader. Among his central protagonists are Elvira Chaudoir, code named “Bronx” (a Peruvian party girl) and Roman Czerniawski, a.k.a. “Brutus,” a former Polish air force pilot and former espionage agent in France. Possibly the most imaginative agent was Juan Pujol, who was known as Garbo because of his uncanny “acting” skills. Garbo fabricated an entire spy network, complete with detailed reports from all over Britain (again fabricated). There was also Dušan Popov, an Austrian playboy code named “Tricycle” and agent “Artist,” Johnny Jebsen, a friend of Popov’s, who while working numerous scams also was an Abwehr officer.
Many of these double agents shared common indulgences like numerous lovers, enjoyment of late night drinking, and a penchant for casinos. Their acceptance of risk and excitement seemed to make them all better candidates as spies, however, it also increased the responsibilities of the MI5 handlers (some of whom were willing participants, at least in the drinking). Spies and handlers worked in tandem to provide information to the Abwehr through wireless transmissions, letters written in invisible ink and face-to-face encounters. Communications were a combination of valid, but innocuous, fact (known as chicken feed) and fictitious information intended to deceive or at least confuse the enemy.
By 1944 Double Cross agents were feeding the Germans intelligence designed to give the impression that the main thrust of Allied forces would not be at Normandy. The goal was to keep enemy reinforcements from making the beach landing more difficult than it had to be. Double Cross agents maintained their deception beyond June 6, allowing the Allies to gain enough ground so that they could no longer be repelled. Despite the carnage of D-Day, the deception invented by the Double Cross team saved thousands of lives.
Double Cross is a fascinating read. Macintyre’s research is thorough and easily digested. If you enjoy WWII history and spy novels, you certainly will enjoy Double Cross.
Check the WRL catalog for Double Cross.
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