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Hoover's Secret War against Axis Spies: FBI Counterespionage during World War II
The world was at war, America precariously poised on the sidelines. But already a second secret war was well underway with the United States very much in the thick of it. While he fought on the home front to consolidate the FBI's intelligence gathering power, J. Edgar Hoover was conducting an all-out campaign to make his agency America's first foreign espionage service--a campaign that would lead to an uneasy alliance with British intelligence in a brilliantly successful operation to undermine Germany throughout the Second World War. While pieces of the story have been told before, only now, in this work by FBI historian and former agent Raymond Batvinis, does this crucial chapter in the history of World War II, and of the FBI, received its full due.
Taking up the tale begun in his acclaimed Origins of FBI Counterintelligence , Batvinis mines a wealth of heretofore untapped resources to expose Hoover's remarkable connivances and accomplishments in concert—and occasionally contention—with the Allies in outsmarting German intelligence. Hoover's Secret War opens up a world of spy rings, secret and double agents, surveillance, codes and ciphers, wire taps, microdots, mail drops, invisible ink, radio transmissions, and deception and disinformation as it tracks the warring nations spreading their intelligence tentacles throughout Europe and North and South America. As it documents the rocky evolution of the FBI's relationship with Britain's vaunted M15 and M16, the book brings to light the feud between Hoover and William Stephenson, director of the British Secret Intelligence Service's U. S. operation, BSC.
Batvinis reveals how the agency gained access to ULTRA intelligence, thanks to the British decryption of the ENIGMA code, along with the strenuous efforts to keep the Germans in the dark about it. He uncovers eye-opening details of the FBI's participation in the famed "Double-Cross System, which effectively "turned" German agents against the Fatherland, among them a flamboyant, larger-than-life playboy, a world famous French flyer, and a lecherous Dutchman. Batvinis tells for the first time how the Bureau manipulated these agents, and how it transmitted deceptive information critical to the Normandy landings, the Allied invasion of the Marshall Islands, and the atomic bomb program, among other matters. Rich with secrets and surprises worthy of the finest spy fiction, this true story of espionage and counterintelligence gives us our first clear look at the secret second world war, and a significant moment in history—for the FBI, for America, and for the world.
Taking up the tale begun in his acclaimed Origins of FBI Counterintelligence , Batvinis mines a wealth of heretofore untapped resources to expose Hoover's remarkable connivances and accomplishments in concert—and occasionally contention—with the Allies in outsmarting German intelligence. Hoover's Secret War opens up a world of spy rings, secret and double agents, surveillance, codes and ciphers, wire taps, microdots, mail drops, invisible ink, radio transmissions, and deception and disinformation as it tracks the warring nations spreading their intelligence tentacles throughout Europe and North and South America. As it documents the rocky evolution of the FBI's relationship with Britain's vaunted M15 and M16, the book brings to light the feud between Hoover and William Stephenson, director of the British Secret Intelligence Service's U. S. operation, BSC.
Batvinis reveals how the agency gained access to ULTRA intelligence, thanks to the British decryption of the ENIGMA code, along with the strenuous efforts to keep the Germans in the dark about it. He uncovers eye-opening details of the FBI's participation in the famed "Double-Cross System, which effectively "turned" German agents against the Fatherland, among them a flamboyant, larger-than-life playboy, a world famous French flyer, and a lecherous Dutchman. Batvinis tells for the first time how the Bureau manipulated these agents, and how it transmitted deceptive information critical to the Normandy landings, the Allied invasion of the Marshall Islands, and the atomic bomb program, among other matters. Rich with secrets and surprises worthy of the finest spy fiction, this true story of espionage and counterintelligence gives us our first clear look at the secret second world war, and a significant moment in history—for the FBI, for America, and for the world.
- GenresEspionageWorld War II
312 pages, Hardcover
First published April 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 31, 2022
Another remarkable and helpful resource for learning and writing about the FBI and what happened behind closed doors during WWII. It shared some very interesting information, and I find this part of the books' description to share what I thought about the book: "Hoover's Secret War opens up a world of spy rings, secret and double agents, surveillance, codes and ciphers, wire taps, microdots, mail drops, invisible ink, radio transmissions, and deception and disinformation as it tracks the warring nations spreading their intelligence tentacles throughout Europe and North and South America. As it documents the rocky evolution of the FBI's relationship with Britain's vaunted M15 and M16, the book brings to light the feud between Hoover and William Stephenson, director of the British Secret Intelligence Service's U. S. operation, BSC."
Highly recommend as a resource to learn from and gather more valuable understanding.
Highly recommend as a resource to learn from and gather more valuable understanding.
August 25, 2014
A review by Anthony T. Riggio of Raymond J Batvinis’ “Hoover’s Secret War Against Axis Spies” August 25, 2014
I purchased this book through Amazon and was interested in reading it because of my love of both history and the FBI. I try to read every book written by a retired FBI agent but I find that this group is so prolific in their writing of both history and exciting novels that it is difficult to keep current. Ray Batvinis’ book was a surprise to me and I learned he had written a book prior to this one entitled
“The origins of FBI Counterintelligence”. I have put this on my reading list. For full disclosure, I met Ray in Cleveland Ohio where we were both first office agents and I must confess that he probably does not remember me. While I know little of his skills as an FBI agent, after reading this book, I found him to be an excellent writer, a well-researched historian and scholar.
The …Secret War… takes the reader to the period immediately prior to World War II and the struggles of the FBI to develop a most needed counterintelligence program. The FBI followed the lead of several British intelligence services namely MI5 and MI6 but also BSC (British Security Coordination). The British had been at the game of counterintelligence for much longer than any agency in the U.S. During these early years of World War II, Hoover realized that the FBI had to do a lot of catching up in this critical area.
Hoover tried to gain the confidence and assistance of the British, who were already operating in the U.S. gathering intelligence and developing counterintelligence approaches. The British had already developed the ability to turn German spies into double agents and the FBI was compelled to take over these vulnerabilities to protect American interests in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. To describe the FBI’s tasks as an uphill battle would be an understatement but Hoover knew that it would be just a matter of time when the United States would be joining England as an ally against the Axis powers. During these early years in the mid 1930’s the British intelligence services paid lip service to the idea of cooperation with the FBI and there were significant personality conflicts on both sides of the Atlantic.
Through pure doggedness of both Hoover and its Agents, the FBI, was able to develop a counterintelligence capability to ferreting out spies and saboteurs within this country. The Bureau did develop several very successful double agents, against both the Germans and the Japanese and towards the end of the war in Europe the relations of British and American intelligence services did begin to thaw and greater cooperation’s were achieved.
I found this book hard to put down and it read like a novel to me, with very good descriptions of all the historical players. I believe that anyone who enjoys World War II history or history itself will enjoy reading this well written and researched book. I gave this book five stars (5 Stars) and highly recommend this book.
I purchased this book through Amazon and was interested in reading it because of my love of both history and the FBI. I try to read every book written by a retired FBI agent but I find that this group is so prolific in their writing of both history and exciting novels that it is difficult to keep current. Ray Batvinis’ book was a surprise to me and I learned he had written a book prior to this one entitled
“The origins of FBI Counterintelligence”. I have put this on my reading list. For full disclosure, I met Ray in Cleveland Ohio where we were both first office agents and I must confess that he probably does not remember me. While I know little of his skills as an FBI agent, after reading this book, I found him to be an excellent writer, a well-researched historian and scholar.
The …Secret War… takes the reader to the period immediately prior to World War II and the struggles of the FBI to develop a most needed counterintelligence program. The FBI followed the lead of several British intelligence services namely MI5 and MI6 but also BSC (British Security Coordination). The British had been at the game of counterintelligence for much longer than any agency in the U.S. During these early years of World War II, Hoover realized that the FBI had to do a lot of catching up in this critical area.
Hoover tried to gain the confidence and assistance of the British, who were already operating in the U.S. gathering intelligence and developing counterintelligence approaches. The British had already developed the ability to turn German spies into double agents and the FBI was compelled to take over these vulnerabilities to protect American interests in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. To describe the FBI’s tasks as an uphill battle would be an understatement but Hoover knew that it would be just a matter of time when the United States would be joining England as an ally against the Axis powers. During these early years in the mid 1930’s the British intelligence services paid lip service to the idea of cooperation with the FBI and there were significant personality conflicts on both sides of the Atlantic.
Through pure doggedness of both Hoover and its Agents, the FBI, was able to develop a counterintelligence capability to ferreting out spies and saboteurs within this country. The Bureau did develop several very successful double agents, against both the Germans and the Japanese and towards the end of the war in Europe the relations of British and American intelligence services did begin to thaw and greater cooperation’s were achieved.
I found this book hard to put down and it read like a novel to me, with very good descriptions of all the historical players. I believe that anyone who enjoys World War II history or history itself will enjoy reading this well written and researched book. I gave this book five stars (5 Stars) and highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews