| John the OFM | 29 Aug 2014 6:55 a.m. PST |
link If Eric Ambler or Graham Greene had written this life story, the publisher would have sent it back.
Greene's "Our Man in Havana" comes close, though. Was "Garbo" really as important as the story suggests? Who knows? I don't. But it is an entertaining story. I guess if I can believe up to 50% of Sidney Riley's or Kim Philby's stories, then anything is possible.  |
| John the OFM | 29 Aug 2014 6:56 a.m. PST |
The only reason that I did not crosspost to Pulp is that I kind of sort of believe that some or most of it is true. |
| thosmoss | 29 Aug 2014 7:01 a.m. PST |
Eddie Chapman, "Agent Zigzag", is also a heck of a read. |
 ColCampbell  | 29 Aug 2014 7:43 a.m. PST |
Sometimes truth (or mostly truth) is much stranger than fiction. The "XX" (or "20") Committee was the British organization that successfully ran the German spy networks established in WW2. link [includes many other links, such as to Garbo himself link ] John Masterman's The Double-Cross System in the War of 1939 to 1945 is a definitive study of their work and the double agents, such as Garbo mentioned above, who contributed to the befuddlement of the Germans. link Jim |
| John the OFM | 29 Aug 2014 8:34 a.m. PST |
Let's face it. No matter how authoritative a book on "real" espionage is, we are not required to believe any of it.
How much of Kin Philby's autobiography, or Sidney Riley's can I believe? Short answer? As much as I want to. |
| Gary Kennedy | 29 Aug 2014 8:40 a.m. PST |
Interesting read, spoiled a little by the constant reference to the British intelligence service as 'the MI5', presumably because the author assumes that's how you say it because it's 'the CIA' and 'the KGB'. Reminds me a bit of those NFL player intros, as coming from 'the Ohio State'… Gary (feeling a bit pedantic, obviously) |
| John the OFM | 29 Aug 2014 8:50 a.m. PST |
Nothing wrong with being a pedant. |
| Roman Walt | 29 Aug 2014 9:33 a.m. PST |
Can I then also point out that 'XX' stands for 'double cross' rather than 20 ;-) |
| ColCampbell | 29 Aug 2014 11:00 a.m. PST |
But the British called it the "Twenty Committee" while using the double X as a symbol for the doubling of the German agents. So we are both on the right track. Jim |
| Etranger | 29 Aug 2014 5:00 p.m. PST |
There's a very prosaic explanation for that. The committee met in Room 20 of the Admiralty Building, Hence 'Twenty Committee' The room door was numbered using Roman numerals, or XX …. |
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