The practise of espionage is not a new one; in fact it has been dubbed my many at the world's second oldest profession. Espionage had particular significance for the Allied forces during World War II. Those involved were a special breed of wartime contributors. They were extraordinary men and women who chose to fight, often alone and always in great danger, behind enemy lines. Many of these brave people were barely teenagers, who proved willing to strap on parachutes and jump into the unknown. Clandestine wireless operators in occupied France had an average life expectancy of six weeks, as their capture usually led to torture and execution. This is why these agents were advised to have on hand at all times suicide pills. Being a "spy" during this time was a thankless job, but many were drawn to it because of the excitement, and adrenaline rush that it provided, while others joined to escape other military duties, choosing instead to contribute to the war in a highly personalized way, while being masters of their own destiny.
[...] By March 1944, through Herculean efforts, de Gaulle managed to unite most of the resistance groups under the FFI.[15] France and all occupied governments in exile had their offices in London. More importantly for OSS, London acted as a base for their intelligence operations. To facilitate cooperation with FFI, OSS set up London support desks to handle counterintelligence, research and analysis, communications, Special Operations, and secret intelligence.[16] It was clear that this was a coordinated effort of espionage. However, OSS chose not to enter France through London, but rather through Algiers. [...]
[...] Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid, 95-96. Thomas N. Moon. This Grim and Savage Game: OSS and the [...]
[...] Him and Philippe (resistance leader) had managed to escape that situation by killing the Gestapo before they were killed first.[37] Brown and Philippe went their separate ways in Valence, but before parting, Philippe pleaded for Brown to tell the OSS to be sure to furnish supplies, and to be gentler with the French underground than they have been in the past. According to Brown's account, Philippe was killed ten days later by the Gestapo. Philippe had been the most respected underground leader in the Rhone Valley.[38] Frederick Brown pioneered OSS's first secret intelligence work in France, but after returning from his final mission he was accused of being a double agent. [...]
[...] Behind Enemy Lines: The Oral History of Special Operations in World War II. London: Secker & Warburg Moon, Thomas N. This Grim and Savage Game: OSS and the beginning of United States Covert Operations in World War II. Los Angeles: Burning Gate Press Polmar, Norman and Thomas Allen, Spy Book: The Encyclopaedia of Espionage. New York: Random House Riheldaffer, Commander John to Special Intelligence Section ONI, National Archives: Record Group 38, Box 1. Warner, Michael. Office of Strategic Services: America's First Intelligence Agency. [...]
[...] The United States has always prided itself on the fact that no spies were used and its intelligence officers accredited overseas have always kept their hands immaculately clean.”[49] When deciphered Japanese messages landed on his desk in 1929, Hoover administration Secretary of State Henry Stimson infamously remarked, “Gentlemen do not read other's mail.”[50] Appalled by what he perceived to be underhanded techniques, Stimson shut down the “Black Chamber,” a cryptographic service cracking Japanese codes.[51] This essay has given a good account of how espionage played a role for the Allied forces during the Second World War. [...]
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