38. The Man Who Never Was
When returning the letters to their envelopes, Spanish intelligence went to great pains to conceal any evidence that the envelopes had been opened. The letters were first soaked in salt water for 24 hours, then carefully returned to their envelopes, without breaking their seals. The Spaniards then dutifully handed Major Martin’s briefcase over to the British consul.
The Germans were ecstatic: the photographed letters contained valuable military information about upcoming Allied offensives in the Mediterranean. Little did they know that they had fallen victim to one of history’s most macabre deception operations. The officer whose corpse was identified did not exist. Royal Marines Major William Martin came to be known as The Man Who Never Was.