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The continuing declassification of 1940s military-related documents is producing more stories of the people who were in the dark rooms, the corners, and, in some cases, the deep and dank basements behind the scenes during World War II. Many had never imagined they would be asked to focus their abilities on sly methods of mayhem and murder. A few of them were completely aghast at the very concept; others found they enjoyed this work and developed into devious dealers of death.
Over the course of the war, teams were formed to expand proficiency in forgery, disguises, back stories, and communication so agents could get into sensitive areas, gather intelligence, and get it (or themselves) out. The level of detail described in these endeavors was intense, and, when compared with similar efforts by Axis powers, completely amazing. OSS agents were exponentially more successful than any other nation’s spies. They lost only a fraction of their operatives, compared with Germany, Italy, Russia, and even the United Kingdom.
Unfortunately, those captured by the Nazi regime suffered brutal torture, especially if the combatant was a native European. The German military was especially harsh, and many did not survive. The records we have today are very hard to read because of the ferocity of maltreatment of these patriots.
Biological and chemical warfare were deliberated at all levels of government during these years. The logic for pursuing their use was compelling, even humane, depending on one’s point of view. This was very surprising to learn. Every top-level leader in the Allied coalition was uncomfortable with this aspect of war, but those toiling away in research had a single-minded goal: End this conflict. If a dirty plot would stop the madness and save American lives, they were to use it. In fact, not one person in this narrative had any misgivings about the eventual use of atomic weapons. Even though they did not know they were being developed, once deployed, they solved the problem.
This book was illuminating not only because of the examination of a nascent group that would eventually become the CIA, but also as a further testament to a completely different way of thinking than we employ now in the 21st century. One can only hope that by continuing to study and scrutinize these events, we can prevent a similar cascade of events from happening again.
Rated: Moderate. A single instance of strong profanity, a dozen uses of moderate profanity and crude physical terms, dozen uses of mild language, and five instances of Deity-based swearing. Some descriptions of torture were moderately graphic.
