The Double-Cross System in the War of 1939 to 1945
New York, N.Y. Avon Books, 1972. First Avon Printing [stated]. Mass market paperback. 287, [1] pages. Includes Foreword by Norman Holmes Pearson, Preface, List of Abbreviations, Conclusion, Appendix 1: Double-Cross Agents in the United Kingdom; Appendix 2: Tricycle's American Questionnaire; and Index. Also includes chapters on The Theory and Practice of Double Cross; Origins of the Double-Cross System; Autumn 1940; Organization for Controlling the Double-Cross System; The Agents' Traffic in 1941; Experimental Plans in 19041; The Agents' Traffic in 1941; Experimental Plans in 1941; The Agents in 1941; Developments in 1942; Work and History of the Agents in 1942; Activities in 1943; Deception to Cover the Normandy Landings and the Invasion of France; Use of the System in the Last Year of the War; and Conclusion. Sir John Cecil Masterman OBE (12 January 1891 – 6 June 1977) was a noted academic, sportsman and author. His highest-profile role was as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, but he was also well-known as chairman of the Twenty Committee, which during the Second World War ran the Double-Cross System, controlling double agents in Britain. When World War II broke out, Masterman was drafted into the Intelligence Corps. After investigating and producing a report into the evacuation of Dunkirk. Masterman was appointed as a Civil Assistant in MI5. Within MI5 he was the chairman of the Twenty Committee, which was a group of British intelligence officials, including wartime amateurs, who held the key to the Double Cross System, which turned German spies into double agents working for the British. The Double-Cross System or XX System was a World War II counter-espionage and deception operation of the British Security Service (a civilian organization usually referred to by its cover title MI5). Nazi agents in Britain – real and false – were captured, turned themselves in or simply announced themselves, and were then used by the British to broadcast mainly disinformation to their Nazi controllers. Its operations were overseen by the Twenty Committee under the chairmanship of John Cecil Masterman; the name of the committee comes from the number 20 in Roman numerals: "XX" (i.e. a double cross). The policy of MI5 during the war was initially to use the system for counter-espionage. It was only later that its potential for deception purposes was realized. Of the agents from the German intelligence services, Abwehr and Sicherheitsdienst (SD), some were apprehended, while many of the agents who reached British shores turned themselves in to the authorities; others were apprehended after they made elementary mistakes during their operations. In addition, some were false agents who had tricked the Germans into believing they would spy for them if they helped them reach England (e.g., Treasure, Fido). Later agents were instructed to contact agents who, unknown to the Abwehr, were controlled by the British. The Abwehr and SD sent agents over by parachute drop, submarine, or travel via neutral countries. The last route was most commonly used, with agents often impersonating refugees. After the war, it was discovered that all the agents Germany sent to Britain had given themselves up or had been captured, with the possible exception of one who committed suicide. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Counterespionage, Deception, WWII, Double-Cross System, Secret Agents, Enemy Agents, Normandy Landings, Invasion of France, MI5, XX Committee, Twenty Committee, Norman Holmes Pearson
[Book #82040]
Price: $25.00