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The Man Who Never Was

November 25, 2010 23:05:27.631

I guess I have to rethink the idea that most spy stories are yarns too unbelievable to be true. I just finished reading "Operation Mincemeat ", and trust me - this story definitely needs to be filed under "truth is stranger than fiction".

It's not just that the deception operation - using a dead man with false papers to convince the Nazis that Greece and Sardinia were being invaded rather than Sicily - was fantastic. No, it's the various weird things that happened along the way, and the fact that the entire Nazi hierarchy bought the deception, even given all of the holes in it.

The book is a great read - like a spy thriller, but with the added benefit of being real history. While Ian Fleming has a bit part in the tale (in case you ever wondered where his ideas came from), the real stars were Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley, along with the supporting cast of intelligence operatives around them. I won't spoil the story by telling you much more about it - just go grab the book and read it. You'll be glad you did.

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posted by James Robertson

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