Synopsis:
Nineteen months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR sent twelve "vice consuls" to Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia on a secret mission. Their objective? To prepare the groundwork for what eventually became Operation TORCH, the Allied invasion of North Africa that repelled the Nazis and also enabled the liberation of Italy. This spy network included an ex-Cartier jewel salesman and wine merchant, a madcap Harvard anthropologist, a Parisian playboy who ran with Hemingway, ex-French Foreign Legionnaires and Paris bankers, and a WWI hero. Based on recently declassified foreign records, as well as the memoirs of Ridgeway Brewster Knight (one of the twelve "apostles"), this fast-paced historical account gives the first behind-the-scenes look at FDR's top-secret plan. .
Review:
"A sometimes hilarious, always engrossing look at one of the most extraordinary, muddled but crucial episodes of World War II: the secret, underground operations of U.S. diplomat Robert Murphy and his twelve aides. Vaughan details the mishaps and misunderstandings that led to the one battle in which French and Americans fought each other, despite efforts to have the 1942 Allied landings in North Africa go off unopposed. Ironically, in the light of the extensive American preparations, only the help of a French admiral who would subsequently be reviled by the American and British press saved the Allies and the French from further casualties.Hal Vaughan's well researched and detailed account gives real meaning to the phrase 'the fog of war.'"--Charles L. Robertson, Smith College Professor Emeritus, and author of The International Herald Tribune: The First Hundred Years and International Politics Since World War II: A Short History "FDR's 12 Apostles brings together all the parts of a complicated process into a coherent whole. Historians are generally suspicious of conspiracy theory, but in this case the author cannot avoid coping with the elements of a vast conspiracy involving wartime North Africa: the espionage of the twelve consuls (FDR's 12); Polish intelligence networks; diplomatic and clandestine contacts with Frenchmen at a variety of levels; secret work with the Resistance--all tied in with Anglo-American plans for an occupation of Morocco and Algeria. There have been many books on the landings in North Africa, but no author has had command of so much material or has handled it so well. He has woven the complex story of the North African occupation around the activities of the twelve consuls, but his book is much more, not only a readable coverage of a vast enterprise but also the best presentation currently in print."Arthur Layton Funk, Author, The Politics of Torch, andProfessor Emeritus, University of Florida "FDR's 12 Apostles captures a forgotten chapter of history from sultry Axis spies like "Nikki" to the forgotten exploits of an anthropoligist turned spy who understood culture Arab culture and used it to help turn the tide of the war. This book is timely and relevent in light of the America's involvement in the Middle East. Through America's espionage past we can unlock the secrets and challenges of the present. I highly recommend it." Patrick O'Donnell, Combat Historian and Author of WE WERE ONE: Shoulder to Shoulder With the Marines Who Took Fallujah.""This valuable addition to the literature on World War II espionage is recommended for most collections, especially those specializing in WWII."--Library Journal "What a splendid movie could be made of this book by a competent crew. It has everything: a thrilling slice of history involving espionage and intelligence and a deadly mixture of French collaborators and German and Italian agents."--OSS Newsletter
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