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Books : The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime WashingtonIn association with Amazon.comby: Jennet Conant  List Price: $27.95 Amazon.com's Price: $18.45 You Save: $9.50 (34%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 940.5486410973 EAN: 9780743294584 ISBN: 0743294580 Label: Simon & Schuster Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 416 Publication Date: September 09, 2008 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Studio: Simon & Schuster Sales Rank: 1488 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: When Roald Dahl, a dashing young wounded RAF pilot, took up his post at the British Embassy in Washington in 1942, his assignment was to use his good looks, wit, and considerable charm to gain access to the most powerful figures in American political life. A patriot eager to do his part to save his country from a Nazi invasion, he invaded the upper reaches of the U.S. government and Georgetown society, winning over First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband, Franklin; befriending wartime leaders from Henry Wallace to Henry Morgenthau; and seducing the glamorous freshman congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce. Dahl would soon be caught up in a complex web of deception masterminded by William Stephenson, aka Intrepid, Churchill's legendary spy chief, who, with President Roosevelt's tacit permission, mounted a secret campaign of propaganda and political subversion to weaken American isolationist forces, bring the country into the war against Germany, and influence U.S. policy in favor of England. Known as the British Security Coordination (BSC) -- though the initiated preferred to think of themselves as the Baker Street Irregulars in honor of the amateurs who aided Sherlock Holmes -- these audacious agents planted British propaganda in American newspapers and radio programs, covertly influenced leading journalists -- including Drew Pearson, Walter Winchell, and Walter Lippmann -- harassed prominent isolationists and anti-New Dealers, and plotted against American corporations that did business with the Third Reich. In an account better than spy fiction, Jennet Conant shows Dahl progressing from reluctant diplomat to sly man-about-town, parlaying his morale-boosting wartime propaganda work into a successful career as an author, which leads to his entrée into the Roosevelt White House and Hyde Park and initiation into British intelligence's elite dirty tricks squad, all in less than three years. He and his colorful coconspirators -- David Ogilvy, Ian Fleming, and Ivar Bryce, recruited more for their imagination and dramatic flair than any experience in the spy business -- gossiped, bugged, and often hilariously bungled their way across Washington, doing their best to carry out their cloak-and-dagger assignments, support the fledgling American intelligence agency (the OSS), and see that Roosevelt was elected to an unprecedented fourth term. It is an extraordinary tale of deceit, double-dealing, and moral ambiguity -- all in the name of victory. Richly detailed and meticulously researched, Conant's compelling narrative draws on never-before-seen wartime letters, diaries, and interviews and provides a rare, and remarkably candid, insider's view of the counterintelligence game during the tumultuous days of World War II. Amazon.com Review: Amazon Best of the Month, September 2008: Long before Willy Wonka sent out those five Golden Tickets, Roald Dahl lived a life that was more James Bond than James and the Giant Peach. After blinding headaches cut short his distinguished career as a Royal Air Force fighter pilot, Dahl became part of an elite group of British spies working against the United States' neutrality at the onset of World War II. The Irregulars is a brilliant profile of Dahl's lesser-known profession, embracing a real-life storyline of suave debauchery, clandestine motives, and afternoon cocktails. If this sounds oddly familiar, it's no coincidence: both Ian Fleming (the creator of 007) and Bill Stephenson (the legendary spymaster rumored to be the inspiration for Bond) were members of the same outfit. Although "Dahl...Roald Dahl" doesn't quite carry the same debonair ring, there is no discrediting this fascinating look at the British author's covert service to the Allied cause during WWII. --Dave Callanan Average Rating:
 Rating: - British Spying on the USA and Society Gossip"The Irregulars" revolves around Roald Dahl and his activities during World War II, but at times it's almost easy to forget the main character as details of other interesting people are described. A huge portion of this book is about Charles Marsh and Washington D.C. social and political life. The discussion of what role the United States should play in world politics is very interesting background to the political concerns of today. Some of my favorite tidbits from this ... Read More Rating:  - The Willy Wonka You Never KnewRoald Dahl is a fascinating man. This is about the life that most people don't know he lived - that of a British officer and spy of sorts, sent to mingle with important americans and charged to influence them with subtle propaganda into supporting WWII. England wasn't doing so great to say the least, and they needed all the help they could get: namely, from America. The Irregulars evokes memories of those fictitious Baker Street Irregulars, who worked for Sherlock Holmes and acted as ... Read More Rating:  - history revealedNot knowing much about this aspect of history regarding WW11, I was indeed surprised to learn about Dahl and his exploits. I think largely because I am not so familiar with this era I found some chapters of this book, particularly in the beginning, to be difficult to follw with all of the name-dropping and people being introduced. I also felt that at times it reads a bit like a gossip column. That aside, it is an interesting look at an aspect of our history that I, for one, didn't know much about. Rating: - It is what it is.So up front let me say, I haven't finished this book. I probably won't. It's not bad or anything like that, just a bit... uninteresting. This is something of a surprise since I like reading about WWII and loved Roald Dahl's books back when I was a wee youngster. It's not poorly written or anything, it's just that the subject completely failed to grab my attention. I wish I could say more here, but I really can't. It's possible you may enjoy it more than I did. Rating: - Roald Dahl: more than just the author of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"!Being an avid fan of Roald Dahl's many fascinating books, I was immediately drawn to this book about his real life exploits as a spy during World War II. Interestingly, Dahl was also the screenplay writer for the movie, "You Only Live Twice" featuring James Bond, 007, world famous fictional spy created by one of Dahl's espionage colleagues, Ian Fleming. Conant obviously did extensive research into the propaganda campaign conducted by the British Security Coordination (BSC)in Washington during ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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