The Double-Cross System by J.C. Masterman
The incredible factual account of how British intelligence successfully infiltrated and ran Nazi Germany’s spy network within the British Isles is told in THE DOUBLE-CROSS SYSTEM. The British were successful in identifying Nazi operatives, persuading many of them to defect, and giving Germany wholly false information about bombs, fights, and even the D-Day invasion.
THE DOUBLE-CROSS SYSTEM, narrated by the man who himself oversaw the entire astonishing four-and-a-half-year program, is a testament to Britain’s mastery of counterespionage. It is also replete with dazzling nuggets and extraordinary stories. There is also an appendix with a list of the 120 double-cross agents’ responsibilities, a thorough index, and a glossary of military acronyms.
The Double-Cross System by J.C. Masterman
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It was authored by John Masterman, an academic and historian from Worcester College, Oxford, who later rose to the position of provost. He oversaw the Double-cross Committee during the Second World War, which was a sophisticated joke because two Xs equal 20 in Roman numerals. When German and other Axis spies were intercepted, their main job was to figure out how to utilize them as double agents. They were all collected and given the rather binary option of cooperating or carrying out. The unlucky 14 decided on trial and death. A crucial aspect of the fight was the fact that everyone else volunteered to act as double agents.
There simply cannot be a greater book about British Intelligence during World War II. The XX, or Double-Cross, committee’s work by John Masterman makes for a fantastic read. In fact, the intelligence establishment thought it was so excellent that it was subject to the strict British Official Act and prevented Masterman from publishing his narrative. Masterman, who had employed 120 double agents, was not to be outdone, though.
This group, which decided what the Germans may safely eat, was under Masterman’s direction. They mixed truthful material that was fundamentally non-nutritious with a little amount of outright misleading information that would send them in the wrong way to create what they called “chicken feed.”
The canonical account of the double-cross system is written by Masterman, and despite its somewhat dry writing style, it is utterly fascinating. Because it was a comprehensive revelation and the head of MI5 did not want Masterman to publish this still-highly classified information, it caused a lot of controversies when it was published…
