A Memorable History of Deception and Spy Capers

A Memorable History of Deception and Spy Capers

Khalid Elhassan - June 7, 2020

A Memorable History of Deception and Spy Capers
Juan Pujol Garcia was decorated by both the Germans and British. Barbara Picci

1. Getting Medals From by Both Sides

Juan Pujol Garcia, he was decorated by both sides. He received an Iron Cross from Germany, plus a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) from Britain. After the war, fearing reprisals from the Nazis, he faked his death in Angola in 1949, then moved to Venezuela, where he ran a gift shop and book store.

A Memorable History of Deception and Spy Capers
Juan Pujol Garcia in old age. Pintrest

Pujol led a quiet life until 1984, when he agreed to be interviewed for a book about agent GARBO. Its publication finally brought his exploits to the light of day. He was received at Buckingham Palace, and was lionized in Britain. On the 40th anniversary of D-Day, Pujol traveled to Normandy, where he paid his respects to the dead. He then returned to Venezuela and died in Caracas four years later.

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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading

Cave Brown, Anthony – Bodyguard of Lies (1975)

Defense Media Network – Dusko Popov, Real Life James Bond, Ran Afoul of the FBI

Encyclopedia Britannica – Arminius, German Leader

Fuller, John – The Generalship of Alexander the Great

Green, Peter – Alexander of Macedon: A Historical Biography

Hesketh, Roger-Fleetwood – Fortitude: The D-Day Deception Campaign (2000)

History on the Net ­- Dusko Popov, the Triple-Agent, Real-Life James Bond Who Warned the US About Pearl Harbor

Holt, Thaddeus – The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War (2004)

Howard, Michael – Strategic Deception in the Second World War (1996)

Latimer, Jonathan David – Deception in War (2001)

Livy – Ab Urbe Condita, 21-22

Loftis, Larry – Into the Lion’s Den: The True Story of Dusko Popov, World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration For James Bond (2016)

Macintyre, Ben – Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies (2013)

Macintyre, Ben – Operation Mincemeat (2010)

History Collection – These Well-Known People Were also Spies or Intelligence Agents

NPR – Dead Man Floating: World War II’s Oddest Operation

Plutarch – Parallel Lives: The Life of Alexander the Great

Toll, Ian W. – Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy (2006)

Wikipedia – Juan Pujol Garcia

Wikipedia – Operation Mincemeat

Wikipedia – USS Philadelphia (1799)

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