The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare
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- Author：John Lisle
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Summary
John Lisle reveals the untold story of the OSS Research and Development Branch—The Dirty Tricks Department—and its role in World War II。
In the summer of 1942， Stanley Lovell， a renowned industrial chemist， received a mysterious order to report to an unfamiliar building in Washington， D。C。 When he arrived， he was led to a barren room where he waited to meet the man who had summoned him。 After a disconcerting amount of time， William “Wild Bill” Donovan， the head of the OSS， walked in the door。 “You know your Sherlock Holmes， of course，” Donovan said as an introduction。 “Professor Moriarty is the man I want for my staff…I think you’re it。”
Following this life-changing encounter， Lovell became the head of a secret group of scientists who developed dirty tricks for the OSS， the precursor to the CIA。 Their inventions included bat bombs， suicide pills， fighting knives， silent pistols， and camouflaged explosives。 Moreover， they forged documents for undercover agents， plotted the assassination of foreign leaders， and performed truth drug experiments on unsuspecting subjects。
Based on extensive archival research and personal interviews， The Dirty Tricks Department tells the story of these scheming scientists， explores the moral dilemmas that they faced， and reveals their dark legacy of directly inspiring the most infamous program in CIA history: MKULTRA。
In the summer of 1942， Stanley Lovell， a renowned industrial chemist， received a mysterious order to report to an unfamiliar building in Washington， D。C。 When he arrived， he was led to a barren room where he waited to meet the man who had summoned him。 After a disconcerting amount of time， William “Wild Bill” Donovan， the head of the OSS， walked in the door。 “You know your Sherlock Holmes， of course，” Donovan said as an introduction。 “Professor Moriarty is the man I want for my staff…I think you’re it。”
Following this life-changing encounter， Lovell became the head of a secret group of scientists who developed dirty tricks for the OSS， the precursor to the CIA。 Their inventions included bat bombs， suicide pills， fighting knives， silent pistols， and camouflaged explosives。 Moreover， they forged documents for undercover agents， plotted the assassination of foreign leaders， and performed truth drug experiments on unsuspecting subjects。
Based on extensive archival research and personal interviews， The Dirty Tricks Department tells the story of these scheming scientists， explores the moral dilemmas that they faced， and reveals their dark legacy of directly inspiring the most infamous program in CIA history: MKULTRA。
Reviews
Ben
，
Not a particularly elegant overview of the OSS， but more than made up for by the sheer number of interesting facts and stories。 A fascinating， sometimes frightening chapter in military intelligence。
isyrein
，
I’m pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book。 I picked it up bc the Chilluminati Podcast had the author in their recent episode。I’m not a WWII history fan so I thought it was gonna be a slog to get through and I will admit the beginning was a bit slow， but once we’re introduced to Lovell the book began to pick up speed。 It was so interesting to read/listen to the different departments， the people involved， the change in perception as the war progressed， and the impact the oss had in America I’m pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book。 I picked it up bc the Chilluminati Podcast had the author in their recent episode。I’m not a WWII history fan so I thought it was gonna be a slog to get through and I will admit the beginning was a bit slow， but once we’re introduced to Lovell the book began to pick up speed。 It was so interesting to read/listen to the different departments， the people involved， the change in perception as the war progressed， and the impact the oss had in America’s history。 。。。more
Janalyn Prude
，
From propaganda to Spies to an anime objects that delivered death Hitler was not short on tricks and he and those that would display them for the enemy。 He was full of eight and had many different departments that help them continue his reign of terror on poor Jews and disabled people in those not going his status quo。 He had many professionals equipped with the knowledge to bring even more terra to civilians and although some did it reluctantly some did it with a ferber that was scary。 This is From propaganda to Spies to an anime objects that delivered death Hitler was not short on tricks and he and those that would display them for the enemy。 He was full of eight and had many different departments that help them continue his reign of terror on poor Jews and disabled people in those not going his status quo。 He had many professionals equipped with the knowledge to bring even more terra to civilians and although some did it reluctantly some did it with a ferber that was scary。 This is a great book in any World War II saying or history buff should definitely read it。 I thought I knew all the words to know about Nazis and Hitler but learn so much reading this book it was not only informative but interesting a really great read。 I received this book from NetGalley and Saint Martin’s press but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review。 。。。more
Erica Robbin
，
Wow， what a page turner！ There is so much contained in this book。 I’d recommend it to anyone， particularly those who might be less familiar with the full story of different undertakings of U。S。 government agencies in carrying out strategic operations and experiments， especially those occurring during warfare， notably WWII， as well as those who are unfamiliar with the stratification and organization of intelligence used in war， those who read true crime， for a book report， as well as the human co Wow， what a page turner！ There is so much contained in this book。 I’d recommend it to anyone， particularly those who might be less familiar with the full story of different undertakings of U。S。 government agencies in carrying out strategic operations and experiments， especially those occurring during warfare， notably WWII， as well as those who are unfamiliar with the stratification and organization of intelligence used in war， those who read true crime， for a book report， as well as the human condition and character studies for an ethics or philosophy course。 Would also make for an interesting book club discussion。I would like to thank St。 Martin’s Press for providing me with this copy for free through the Goodreads giveaway program。The StoryUndercover appearance， currencies， propaganda， disinformation campaigns， sabotage， espionage， itching powder， incendiaries， signatures， and invisible ink to the grimness and underpinnings of profit and trade agreements， truth serums， various weaponry and agents， suicide swimmers， The Manhattan Project， Operation Paperclip， Unit 731， MKUltra， amongst many others。 As well as insight into the roles of women， baseball player Moe Berg， and even a look at President Roosevelt’s stamp collection。 Along with the rationalization， as shared within the organization， some formed by what was initially deemed as altruistic and utilitarian in notion， those stories as told by the various recruits carrying out such operations。 Operations that were carried out on the enemy， U。S。 military， civilians， and themselves alike。This reads so smooth， like a fictional spy， mystery-thriller with intensity and immersive quality， yet these operations are all unbelievably real。 Depicted and nicely curated， very thorough， read like a classic sense of adjacency to foundations of what you’d see in the stories of predate Sherlock Holmes and themes for James Bond， and even had me thinking back to the schemes of Max， 99， and the Chief from Get Smart。 Though unfortunately as revealed， the darker of schemes of tragedies and crimes against humanity。Tells deep perspective of assignment and duty in an emerging need turned tragedy that quite connects Stanley Lovell， colleagues， and informants， whether involved directly or indirectly， to their respective positions， agencies， branches， and all the undercover ways they… did what they did。 The turning points and advancement of technological advances through innovation， many of which were fascinating and clever， straddling the unknown to the known， many without an ethical oversight or accountability， whether on behalf of the agency or individual， leading to those of which that became horrific。 Under the umbrella， whether intended or unintended， directly or in collateral， all hidden from the public， the book welcomes the reader to the underworld of intel。It spans different operations across the globe， taking place within the mid-20th century， from point of origin and differing methodology。 What's derivative and adapted by the U。S。 amongst other interventions from Germany， British insight， The Soviet Union， China， Vietnam， and Japan in the race to win the war by completing the missions set forth。 With obscure and unconventional objectives to avoid defeat， with experiments turned unethical and criminal。 Conveys the outlook well， in that perspective of an inside job。 Will leave you asking who can you even trust？ At what point， in the thickness of details， went wrong？ What is trust anyway？ Reality？ Duties？ Intentions？ Consequence？ Morality？ Denial or searing of conscience， influence or coercion？ Justice？ Individual and group ethos？ Compromising principles？ Shame？The WritingThis was very well-written。 A great balance of narration in full detail， dialogue， written letters/passages that really added to the depth and breadth of each task and operation。Well-organized by category， while remaining semi-chronological， all without losing any plot， and stayed precisely focused on matters as conducted in their raw and vulnerable forms。 Well-researched， revealed in good pace， and told by character perspective simultaneously so it felt suspenseful， yet also informative throughout。Really clever use of time and setting to give personality and significance to the setting and atmosphere， in addition to personal characteristics of each recruit， including their backstory， initiations tests， and dynamics of PSYOPS assignments and toll of the emotion， psychological， and physical endurance as either witnessed or directly experienced， to orders carried out， sense of duty， outlook and conversations had， partnerships， social relations， and ramifications。A birth of subsequent government agency， namely the CIA。I’ll look forward to the next read。Blog post 。。。more
Sherwood Smith
，
The original leader of the OSS was Bill Donovan， about whom I've read other books。 This was the first time I also got a good look at chemist Stanley Lovell， who was told it was his job to be the Professor Moriarty of the OSS， something he took on with apparently gleeful enthusiasm。 This pair led a team of oddballs， science nerds， and determined experimenters to help out the war effort。As I was reading that， I kept thinking back to my teenage reading of Ian Fleming's James Bond yarns， and the tri The original leader of the OSS was Bill Donovan， about whom I've read other books。 This was the first time I also got a good look at chemist Stanley Lovell， who was told it was his job to be the Professor Moriarty of the OSS， something he took on with apparently gleeful enthusiasm。 This pair led a team of oddballs， science nerds， and determined experimenters to help out the war effort。As I was reading that， I kept thinking back to my teenage reading of Ian Fleming's James Bond yarns， and the trickster items like poison delivery systems （pens， etc）， harmless items that turn into bombs， surreptitious cameras， and using bats and other creatures to carry weapons to blow up。Lisle is clearly having fun writing about the The Dirty Tricks Department， their failures as well as their successes， so much fun that one could overlook the astounding amount of research he did。 Well over a quarter of the book is citations。I think I would have enjoyed this book more fully fifty years ago， before I was really aware of the fallout of such dirty tricks， especially against harmless bystanders。 The glee with which these people played around with destructive materials reminds me of the glee with which the atom bomb developers played around with terrible forces of destruction。 Brings home to me how our curious monkey forebears are not very far from us， are they？ Especially in men。 Though there were women on the team as well。 。。。more
Susan
，
From start to finish I found this book fascinating。 The Allies would stop at nothing to defeat the Germans and that meant they thought outside the box。 No idea was dismissed and reading about those that they thought up and put into action 。。。well， on one hand I laughed a lot but I also had to face the fact that they would lead to deaths and that the fate of the world was first and foremost the goal。 By any means necessary。 William "Wild Bill" Donovan decided that the scientist， Stanley Lovell， w From start to finish I found this book fascinating。 The Allies would stop at nothing to defeat the Germans and that meant they thought outside the box。 No idea was dismissed and reading about those that they thought up and put into action 。。。well， on one hand I laughed a lot but I also had to face the fact that they would lead to deaths and that the fate of the world was first and foremost the goal。 By any means necessary。 William "Wild Bill" Donovan decided that the scientist， Stanley Lovell， was the man for the job。 Gathering together a group of scientists to create imaginative weapons of war and they were very good at what they did。 These were not only things like bat bombs but valuable false papers needed by the agents dropped behind enemy lines - failure would mean their death。John Lisle has written an engrossing and entertaining read and I will happily read anything else he decides to write。 My thanks to the publisher St。 Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Julie Hudson
，
Thank you to LibroFM for the early listening copy。A pretty interesting read about the Office of Strategic Services in the US。 Deliberately obliquely named， this organisation was created in the second world war to come up with some innovative and occasionally barmy inventions to thwart the enemy in the second world war。We are introduced to the characters involved and walked through the various departments of the OSS to get a glimpse of some of the more outlandish methods of sabotage that were con Thank you to LibroFM for the early listening copy。A pretty interesting read about the Office of Strategic Services in the US。 Deliberately obliquely named， this organisation was created in the second world war to come up with some innovative and occasionally barmy inventions to thwart the enemy in the second world war。We are introduced to the characters involved and walked through the various departments of the OSS to get a glimpse of some of the more outlandish methods of sabotage that were concocted。In addition to James Bond style gadgets， we hear about white glowing foxes， unpleasant smells， cat bombs and gutter fighting。 I now know how to put someone off intent on strangling me！ 。。。more
Kathy
，
This was fascinating！ The “science” that went on behind the warfare inventions is mind boggling。 Straight up 007 gadgets。 I’m so thankful for the bravery from the men and women who worked behind the scenes and on the front。
Carin
，
During WWII， both the American and British governments decided that having a branch of the military devoted to inventing secret devices and forging documents and coming up with nefarious plots would be a good idea。 Thus was launched the OSS， the Office of Strategic Services。 They came up with some things that seem straight out of a James Bond movie like umbrellas that could shoot bullets， and other things that were actually more subtle and more useful， like multi-function timers for explosives。 During WWII， both the American and British governments decided that having a branch of the military devoted to inventing secret devices and forging documents and coming up with nefarious plots would be a good idea。 Thus was launched the OSS， the Office of Strategic Services。 They came up with some things that seem straight out of a James Bond movie like umbrellas that could shoot bullets， and other things that were actually more subtle and more useful， like multi-function timers for explosives。 The guy in charge knew right away that he wanted someone he compared to Dr。 Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes novels。 Lovell， who was recruited to be that “Moriarty，” was not so thrilled with being compared to a master villain， but the comparison makes weird sense。 Who is the “hero” and “villain” is often determined by who wins， so it’s mostly relative。 Just like how a lot of the things the OSS came up with and did would be immoral outside of wartime。This gives a wide range of fun experiments and inventions （without much of the actual confusing science behind them） and spycraft and WWII details without battles and much （unintended） death。 It’s a great read for WWII fans but also for more armchair war readers as you don’t need an in-depth understanding of the importance of certain islands or anything like that。 。。。more
John
，
This was an interesting book to read about the OSS and the clandestine operations they committed during World War II。 I was familiar with the OSS prior to reading this book， but I did not know much about them。 After Pearl Harbor， William Donovan wanted a Professor Moriarty to help his spy agency win the war。 He found what he was looking for in Stanley Lovell， a real life Q figure。 The gadgets the OSS came up with was absolutely fascinating to read。 For example， developing an exploding pencil， us This was an interesting book to read about the OSS and the clandestine operations they committed during World War II。 I was familiar with the OSS prior to reading this book， but I did not know much about them。 After Pearl Harbor， William Donovan wanted a Professor Moriarty to help his spy agency win the war。 He found what he was looking for in Stanley Lovell， a real life Q figure。 The gadgets the OSS came up with was absolutely fascinating to read。 For example， developing an exploding pencil， using bats to drop bombs， considering painting foxes in glowing paint and send them to Japan because that is an omen there。 The book was a fun read and it taught me thing I had not known about before。 I recommend this for WWII fans and fans of espionage。 。。。more
Dylan Simon
，
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The tools of the trade for the OSS have never really interested me even the peculiar gadgets。 However John Lisle has done a great job of putting a human face behind the creation of some of the most brilliant inventions and concepts of the Second World War。 I would highly recommend this to those who want to see the genius minds behind some of the War’s most intriguing moments。
Liz
，
I received this in exchange for an honest review。 I enjoyed the book because it provided a nice overview of OSS activities。 It was a bit disjointed towards the end because it bounced around a lot but definitely worth a read if you are interested in espionage。
Kayla Mathwig
，
“If I was doing the stuff today that I did during the war， I would be in jail for 56 consecutive life sentences without a chance of parole。” （Pg 222）。 This sentance absolutely blows my mind， but it also accurately captures why this book is so fascinating。 The schemes of the OSS are serious… the types of warfare that was invented and worked on are of the kind that make a person ask big questions about war， ethics， human nature/human rights。 There’s no doubt that there were some brilliant people t “If I was doing the stuff today that I did during the war， I would be in jail for 56 consecutive life sentences without a chance of parole。” （Pg 222）。 This sentance absolutely blows my mind， but it also accurately captures why this book is so fascinating。 The schemes of the OSS are serious… the types of warfare that was invented and worked on are of the kind that make a person ask big questions about war， ethics， human nature/human rights。 There’s no doubt that there were some brilliant people that worked behind the scenes of WW2。 It is fascinating to learn about， but also difficult to rectify （for me） from a morale perspective。 As a side note， the amount of research that goes into a book like this never ceases to amaze me。 。。。more
David Wineberg
，
Fear of missing out had numerous countries building dirty tricks departments in the lead up to World War II。 They developed spies， cover stories， secret weapons， tools and lots of code-named plans to annihilate each other。 So with USA。 Franklin Roosevelt authorized the creation of the Office of Special Services （OSS）， specifically to undermine Germany before it could undermine the USA。 The Dirty Tricks Department， by John Lisle is a recitation of that history， and the larger than life characters Fear of missing out had numerous countries building dirty tricks departments in the lead up to World War II。 They developed spies， cover stories， secret weapons， tools and lots of code-named plans to annihilate each other。 So with USA。 Franklin Roosevelt authorized the creation of the Office of Special Services （OSS）， specifically to undermine Germany before it could undermine the USA。 The Dirty Tricks Department， by John Lisle is a recitation of that history， and the larger than life characters it assembled to pull it off。The book covers the careerspan of Stanley Lovell， a chemist plucked from obscurity to build a laboratory of dirty tricks and weapons。 （Before he even accepted the job， General （Wild） Bill Donovan， a certified war maniac， started calling him Professor Moriarity）。 He had unparalleled freedom because no one had any idea what was needed or wanted at the time。 Lovell experimented， designed， built and tested innovative weapons of all kinds， turning a golf course into a bombing range and trying out new weapons in the wilds of southeast Asia。 Many became the stuff of fiction， like the L-pill made with cyanide for instant death to avoid torture。 Donovan admitted to no expertise in this， and Lovell’s instructions were to build it and show him， rather than propose it and ask permission。As the decades passed， Lovell， immersed in his mission， became oblivious of the implications of ever-increasing death machines。 He became a proponent of bioweapons and poisons。 He no longer cared how many civilians he took down in order to disrupt an enemy supply chain。 He rationalized everything as shortening the war。 The 1920s Stanley Lovell would have been mortified by the 1940s Stanley Lovell。Fortunately， FDR would have none of it， a hugely important check on the power of the OSS。 Then Truman shut it down completely。 Sadly， the Cold War meant the USA had to have some sort of such service operating， so it created the CIA。 The CIA wasted no paragraph of history and largely recreated the OSS， its labs， testing sites， and networks。 It is fair to say the CIA is the successor to the OSS。 For those who demonize the CIA， this book will explain exactly where it all came from， soon after World War I a hundred years ago。There is an interesting side trip with Harry Anslinger， the director of the Bureau of Narcotics in the same era。 He was so upset at the budget cuts for his agency in the 30s （there was a Depression going on）， that he took it upon himself to create a crisis only his agency could solve。 That crisis was marijuana， very little understood by white government officials。 He made up all kinds of stories about its nefarious powers and damaging illnesses。 It had to be banned outright， and his agency had to enforce it with arrests all over the country， assuming funds were provided。 And so the USA spent the last 90 years putting millions in prison for possession of marijuana。 Meanwhile， Anslinger became the go-to expert on marijuana （as a truth-inducing drug）， and appears in numerous roles advising or evaluating projects at the OSS。Lisle only barely touches on the great ironies。 First of all， there was the atomic bomb。 Although it was top secret， inside the beltway （as we say today）， it seems everyone knew they were working on it and that it was imminent。 This means all the intense efforts to develop umbrella guns， timed pencil bombs， exploding flour and bomblets of diseases carried by bats were microscopically trivial by comparison。 And pointless。Then too， there was the lingering suspicion， now fully proven， that all the spy networks changed nothing。 Net zero。 Assassinating a spy or blowing up a facility from the ground instead of from the air， ultimately made no difference。 And for all their ever-increasingly sophisticated， secret， code-named missions all over the world， the same is true of the CIA today。 If anything， they have made things worse as the embarrassing details become public knowledge。 The CIA has taken upon itself the mission to demolish any government that doesn’t sufficiently toe the US line。 It makes enemies， where the OSS fought them。A third irony is that for all their intelligence efforts， the OSS never leveraged the glaringly obvious: that Germany was always short of petroleum and relied on horses to transport supplies。 Beginning right with the invasion of Poland to kick off the war， horses were everywhere and critical to the effort。 As Himmler said at Nuremburg， if the Americans had looked for a way to sicken horses， the war would have been a lot shorter。 Instead， it invented self-attaching limpet mines and perfected forgeries the Germans lauded。The book is an easy， fast and entertaining read， in spite of， or more likely because it is simply a collection of fun anecdotes。 Good， old-fashioned stories of crazy-dedicated men and women。 Some are less believable than others， but all together they make for a fine look into the machinations of the nascent American spy business。 Every little story has a cited source， to the point where there are 600 endnotes in a book just 225 pages long。 That’s about three stories a page， so it never gets stale。However。 All of these stories are well known。 I have read them （and reviewed them） myself in other such volumes， such as 2019’s Poisoner in Chief， the story of the CIA’s Sidney Gottlieb， who basically recreated what Lovell had built， and then took it much farther。 For example he masterminded a mission to give massive doses of LSD to unsuspecting American and Canadian hospital patients in the fruitless search for a truth serum。 What I’m trying not to say is that there is nothing at all new here。 It is a remix of the legendary stories of the OSS and American spying。 Except it was in a time of war， not of peace。 This， for many， has given the CIA a terrible reputation， compared to the admirable heroics of the OSS。 The way things work in this culture is that everything past is forgotten。 From that angle， Lisle’s effort to rekindle these stories with this new book， is an important thing。 However， for those who have read into the OSS， the CIA and their British and German equivalents will find absolutely nothing new here。 There are no bombshell discoveries， no new insights and no controversial interpretations。 It’s another very human， character-driven re-look at a wild time。David Wineberg 。。。more
Brendan Dowd
，
"Darkly funny" is a term I do not throw around loosely and especially not when referring to war。 However， some ideas are so insane as to cross into the realm of hilarity。 When you are a scientist testing which excrement smell would work best on enemy soldiers， you must have to laugh once in a while。This is just one of the more tame examples of irregular warfare discussed in The Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle。 If this wasn't pulled from real war files， reading about a "cat-bomb" would caus "Darkly funny" is a term I do not throw around loosely and especially not when referring to war。 However， some ideas are so insane as to cross into the realm of hilarity。 When you are a scientist testing which excrement smell would work best on enemy soldiers， you must have to laugh once in a while。This is just one of the more tame examples of irregular warfare discussed in The Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle。 If this wasn't pulled from real war files， reading about a "cat-bomb" would cause a reader to shut the book and forget it ever existed。 Yet， here we are。 The story itself needs no particular storytelling acumen to be captivating。 The true test of an author for a book like this is to highlight the farcical elements without losing sight of the fact that many of these ideas are intended to kill。 The story of the OSS of World War II， the predecessor to the CIA， has some dark elements which are not funny at all。 Luckily， Lisle balances this masterfully。 I never laughed （and I laughed a lot） without losing sight of the greater tragedy in the background because Lisle quickly pulls the reader back to the real stakes when the dark humor reaches a fever pitch。 He also breezes through the content which makes this highly readable even for people who don't normally read history。 （This book was provided as an advance read copy by Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press。） 。。。more
Rob Pressel
，
Great overview of various aspects of the OSS during the war。 While the structure of the book makes it difficult to trace the chronological evolution of the organization， it allows for a topical dives into distinctive aspects of the hidden special forces， and insight into the post-war impact it played in the development of the CIA。 Entertaining， if somewhat short， read。 Thanks to the publishers for an ARC through Goodreads giveaways。
Debra Pawlak
，
I was given an advance reading copy （arc） of this book by NetGalley。com and the publisher in return for a fair review。 The Dirty Tricks Department was very well written and researched。 Author John Lisle detailed the lives of the men who created the OSS （precursor to the CIA） during World War II。 The Dirty Tricks Department was responsible for creating all of the spy regalia needed for espionage purposes。 There were exploding pens， Aunt Jemima flour （an explosive compound disguised as flour）， and I was given an advance reading copy （arc） of this book by NetGalley。com and the publisher in return for a fair review。 The Dirty Tricks Department was very well written and researched。 Author John Lisle detailed the lives of the men who created the OSS （precursor to the CIA） during World War II。 The Dirty Tricks Department was responsible for creating all of the spy regalia needed for espionage purposes。 There were exploding pens， Aunt Jemima flour （an explosive compound disguised as flour）， and Bat Bombs--exactly what they sound like。 Nothing was too far-fetched for this group。 There were also the ever-important false documents created to cover the men and women in the field should they be questioned。 The Dirty Tricks Department explored thousands of ideas and developed many to ensure the success of their spies and resistance fighters。 This book is not for the faint of heart and forget about being politically correct。 A world war was underway and there was nothing the Allies wouldn't do to ensure the win。 Lisle did a great job telling the story with humor and clarity。 At times， it was painful to read about these brave men and women who risked everything to defeat Nazism， but they were heroes and deserve to be recognized for what they did。 I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an unusual story about World War II and I certainly hope John Lisle has more books up his sleeve！ 。。。more
Janine
，
This book wasn't really what I thought it was going to be。 I'm not entirely sure what I thought it would be， though。 I think I had something more chronological in mind when I started。 It wasn't a bad thing that it was different。 It just wasn't what I expected。It was really interesting hearing how some of these things came to be。 Some of their methods for coming up with weapons almost sounds like cartoon character writers， not super secret， but very important government defense workers。 I also wa This book wasn't really what I thought it was going to be。 I'm not entirely sure what I thought it would be， though。 I think I had something more chronological in mind when I started。 It wasn't a bad thing that it was different。 It just wasn't what I expected。It was really interesting hearing how some of these things came to be。 Some of their methods for coming up with weapons almost sounds like cartoon character writers， not super secret， but very important government defense workers。 I also was surprised to see what a prominent role rats played in defense attempts。I think the most interesting part to me was learning about the undercover agents and every detail that went into creating a successful cover， even down to authentic underwear and shaving their teeth。 We all know when a spy is detected， the consequences are dire， but wow。 The woman spy they spoke about who was captured and tortured but survived is someone I won't soon forget。 What a horrifying experience she endured。 I don't think I would have the will to survive。 This was an interesting glimpse behind the curtain。 。。。more
Eli Hornyak
，
Great stories， easy read。
Bevany Smith
，
This was an entertaining read， including history that I'm sure many would like to forget。 There are indeed many dirty tricks unknown to many talked about in this book。 Some ideas are more well known than others， and some while reading， you shake your head， wondering how someone could honestly come up with something so idiotic and pose it to their superiors。 There were a lot of great stories included that were very enjoyable to read。 Others because of their nature were hard to read as it was a da This was an entertaining read， including history that I'm sure many would like to forget。 There are indeed many dirty tricks unknown to many talked about in this book。 Some ideas are more well known than others， and some while reading， you shake your head， wondering how someone could honestly come up with something so idiotic and pose it to their superiors。 There were a lot of great stories included that were very enjoyable to read。 Others because of their nature were hard to read as it was a dark time in our history。 I recommend this book to history lovers。 。。。more
Bevany
，
This was an entertaining read， including history that I'm sure many would like to forget。 There are indeed many dirty tricks unknown to many talked about in this book。 Some ideas are more well known than others， and some while reading， you shake your head， wondering how someone could honestly come up with something so idiotic and pose it to their superiors。 There were a lot of great stories included that were very enjoyable to read。 Others because of their nature were hard to read as it was a da This was an entertaining read， including history that I'm sure many would like to forget。 There are indeed many dirty tricks unknown to many talked about in this book。 Some ideas are more well known than others， and some while reading， you shake your head， wondering how someone could honestly come up with something so idiotic and pose it to their superiors。 There were a lot of great stories included that were very enjoyable to read。 Others because of their nature were hard to read as it was a dark time in our history。 I recommend this book to history lovers。 。。。more
Beverly
，
I won a copy of “The Dirty Tricks Department” on Goodreads First Reads。 I literally could not put this book down。 It went everywhere with me。 It’s the story of Stanley Lowell and the OSS， which became the CIA。 It tells how Stanley became the head of the OSS and all that was done to protect our country。 It’s non-fiction， but it reads like a novel。 It’s fascinating learning how it all came to be and the people who worked there。 I highly recommend this book。
Scott Schluter
，
A very enjoyable read。 Interesting topic。 Well written。 I'd be interested in more in depth stories about some of the events in the book。 A very enjoyable read。 Interesting topic。 Well written。 I'd be interested in more in depth stories about some of the events in the book。 。。。more
Angie Boyter
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4++Fascinating history of US intelligence， and， yes， many of the tricks were pretty dirtyMost histories of WW II focus on the military campaigns or major weapons like the atomic bomb。 The Dirty Tricks Department describes another aspect of our war effort that contributed to many of these traditional military efforts， both major and minor。An intelligence service requires intelligence but also creativity， and this talent became obvious immediately when the service was established。 After they finis 4++Fascinating history of US intelligence， and， yes， many of the tricks were pretty dirtyMost histories of WW II focus on the military campaigns or major weapons like the atomic bomb。 The Dirty Tricks Department describes another aspect of our war effort that contributed to many of these traditional military efforts， both major and minor。An intelligence service requires intelligence but also creativity， and this talent became obvious immediately when the service was established。 After they finished their training school， new recruits were tested by being sent out to steal classified material from American defense plants or other sensitive sources。 Success in these tests accomplished two goals: it showed the recruit had some desirable skills， and it uncovered weaknesses in the targets’ security systems。I expected to read about clever and sometimes bizarre ideas， like the Aunt Jemima project that disguised explosives as pancake mix， but I was not prepared for the amount of humor in the book， such as when Lytle Adams is trying to promote a project that would send bats loaded with bombs into enemy territory and comments that he has a sure winner with his project， but the authorities are working on trying to make bombs out of tiny atoms！ In addition to humor， clever ideas can produce great tools as well as failure， but it also can result in sad disasters， both for the enemy and our own side。 A test of the bat project in the United States， for example， totally destroyed an administration building， a control tower， and a barracks。There is more to intelligence than just devices， and the “dirty tricks” department also looked at things like biological and chemical weapons， truth drugs， and what kinds of precautions were needed to protect our own agents infiltrating enemy territory。 The amount of thinking and detail was amazing。 For example， clothing often had to be altered to provide additional pockets， and the sewing had to match the technique of the supposed country of origin， e。g。， German stitches used parallel threading instead of crisscross。 This book was unfailingly interesting and entertaining， but it was also sobering。 Many of the topics considered， such as the chemical and biological initiatives， disturbed me， and it was interesting to see which were controversial and which were simply accepted as necessary for our defense。 Whether you are a history buff or simply enjoy hearing about clever （and sometimes lamebrained） ideas， The Dirt Tricks Department is a book you will enjoy。I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher 。。。more
Natalie
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The Dirty Tricks DepartmentBy John LisleThis is a book about how the United States developed its intelligence services， starting with "Wild Bill" Donovan and the OSS through some of the post-World War II years to what is now known as the CIA。Mr。 Lisle presents a cast of characters – some who worked in R & D to develop new weapons previously unheard of; some who worked on developing identities for agents going behind enemy lines; some who worked on invisible ink and creating virtually perfect for The Dirty Tricks DepartmentBy John LisleThis is a book about how the United States developed its intelligence services， starting with "Wild Bill" Donovan and the OSS through some of the post-World War II years to what is now known as the CIA。Mr。 Lisle presents a cast of characters – some who worked in R & D to develop new weapons previously unheard of; some who worked on developing identities for agents going behind enemy lines; some who worked on invisible ink and creating virtually perfect forgeries; and some who experimented with biological weapons。In presenting these various people， Mr。 Lisle manages to hold the reader's interest by supplying background information about the histories， personalities and the forces which drove each of these men and women to do what they did to keep America secure。This is a must read for history buffs with an interest in how intelligence agencies evolve。 。。。more
Ann Margaret Cutler
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I won this book by entering giveaway。 Thank you！ Usually I don't go for Non Fiction， nor do I go for history， it took me a while to pick up this book， but once I started I found myself more and more interested。 There was a little bit of dry reading if you will but also some amazing facts， some humor is added as well so that's a plus :） I won this book by entering giveaway。 Thank you！ Usually I don't go for Non Fiction， nor do I go for history， it took me a while to pick up this book， but once I started I found myself more and more interested。 There was a little bit of dry reading if you will but also some amazing facts， some humor is added as well so that's a plus :） 。。。more
MarilynW
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The Dirty Tricks Department by John LisleStanley Lovell， the OSS， and the Masterminds of World War II Secret WarfareThis book was so difficult to read。 WWI， WWII， and Cold War historical fiction and non fiction are genres I read often。 For that reason I've known bits and pieces of things that are written about in this book and I've even read about some of the scientists， military men and woman， and spies written about in this book。 But getting down into the nitty gritty of the research and testi The Dirty Tricks Department by John LisleStanley Lovell， the OSS， and the Masterminds of World War II Secret WarfareThis book was so difficult to read。 WWI， WWII， and Cold War historical fiction and non fiction are genres I read often。 For that reason I've known bits and pieces of things that are written about in this book and I've even read about some of the scientists， military men and woman， and spies written about in this book。 But getting down into the nitty gritty of the research and testing on humans and animals that went into ideas that went nowhere and ideas that were eventually implemented was eye opening and disheartening。 Wars are never over， people are always trying to enslave and kill each other。 These are men （and some women） who are brainstorming and sometimes putting their own lives on the line to think up and develop "dirty tricks" of all kinds before the enemy can develop them and use them first。 These military men and scientists so often seem like kids playing with their toy science kits， seeing what might go boom。 But this is serious business and nothing is forever off the table。 Some men might not want this or that kind of killing but often that method gets worked on somewhere and ends up coming into play。 Men in power who were ethically against certain types of warfare change their minds as time goes on。There is a lot of detail here and a lot of vagueness。 For all we learn， I know there is so much more we don't learn about， and in some ways， I wish I didn't learn what I did。 At the same time， extensive Appendix， References and Notes will be leading me to read more about some of the people and events mentioned here。 Not all the people who worked on projects of mass destruction or tiny inventions that allowed spies to infiltrate the enemy sat back in a safe space while others put their lives on the line。 Many of these people knew the enemy first hand and put their own lives at risk to stop the enemy。 It's difficult to put this book out of my mind but all of this has been going on since man existed， in one way or another。 Realizing that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what has really gone on and is going on， it's never going to be over， war is always going on even if it's behind the scenes， in ways we don't see。 Pub March 7， 2023Thank you to St。 Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this history book on the varied activities of the Office of Strategic Services， the people involved and the tools they used to fight with during the Second World War。There is much talk about the rules of war， but to win a fight， to end it quickly， fighting dirty is sometimes the only way。 Fighting dirty means that everything is put into the battle to win， the beat the minds， the heart， the strength of the en My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this history book on the varied activities of the Office of Strategic Services， the people involved and the tools they used to fight with during the Second World War。There is much talk about the rules of war， but to win a fight， to end it quickly， fighting dirty is sometimes the only way。 Fighting dirty means that everything is put into the battle to win， the beat the minds， the heart， the strength of the enemy。 Propaganda， stealing secrets， sapping moral， destroying production， making the enemy and the people afraid of the dark and what might be lurking there。 Every plan has to be lucky， for every unlucky moment means a waste money， time， training， and a human life。 Every setback means more people dying somewhere。 To paraphrase the leader of the OSS to his chief thinker you need someone with "“hereditary tendencies of the most diabolical kind"， as Sir Arthur Conan once wrote about Professor Moriarty， the arch foe of Sherlock Holmes。 And in Stanley Lovell， William Donovan got his Moriarty。 Author John Lisle tells the story of these two men and much more in The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell， the OSS， and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare。 The book details their efforts to outwit America's enemies， the failures， successes， and the people involved。Stanley Lovell was a industrial scientist in the shoe industry with a ideas that were outside of normal science， and a strong sense of democracy。 Lovell was asked to go to Washington DC for a meeting with a group that was secret， and there he was introduced to a side of war that he was unfamiliar with。 William "Wild Bill" Donovan recently appointed Head of the Office of Strategic， a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency， placed Lovell in charge of designing the weapons that OSS agents could use to fight the war in the shadows。 These included silenced pistols， pencil detonators， suicide pills， and everything spies would need to fight behind enemy lines。 There were also weird weapons， bats with incendiary devices， or glow in the dark foxes。 Soon the OSS had forgers for documents， clothing designers for region specific outfits and more。 Lovell's legacy for tricks and tools continued after the war， a legacy the Central Intelligence Agency is still dealing with today。 A fascinating and well written account of the war in the shadows， and the tools that were used。 This book hooks readers from the first chapter and really never lets up。 The writing and the research are very good， with a handy appendix to explain terms more in depth。 This book not only talks about the devices， but about the agents involved， sharing their stories of heroism， and their stories of failure and pain。 Lisle is very good at communicating both the technical and human factor of the story。 Plus he goes into depth on the psychological toll， and how being in a war， a dirty war made everything including biological and chemical warfare against civilians fair game。 The book also covers a bit about Lovell's legacy going into the Central Intelligence Agency's Mk-Ultra projects and how what Lovell did was an inspiration for their work。 A very good history about a dark time， and a dirty war。 A very well written history， sure to be one of my favorites of the year。 Recommended for World War II readers and fans of espionage。 Also I would suggest this book for writers of science fiction or thrillers， because some of the ideas are really out there and deserve whole books about them， and to prove that the real world and academia is sometimes crazier than fiction。 。。。more
Amy
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Very informative book above the spying activities done during WWII。 I learned a lot including how they made， tested， and used the various devices through the war in both theater。 A little too textbook like for me but still very interesting。Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC。
Dave Taylor
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Warfare has always brought out the worst in institutional behavior。 Actions that during peacetime would be considered wildly inappropriate and immoral can be justified by the need to defeat the enemy， who might or might not be doing even worse things。 During World War II the US Gov't created the Office of Strategic Services （OSS）， which was then dissolved and reformed as the Central Intelligence Agency。 Head of the OSS was Bill Donovan， and the mad scientist of the team was chemist Stanley Lovel Warfare has always brought out the worst in institutional behavior。 Actions that during peacetime would be considered wildly inappropriate and immoral can be justified by the need to defeat the enemy， who might or might not be doing even worse things。 During World War II the US Gov't created the Office of Strategic Services （OSS）， which was then dissolved and reformed as the Central Intelligence Agency。 Head of the OSS was Bill Donovan， and the mad scientist of the team was chemist Stanley Lovell， who was told it was his job to be the "Professor Moriarty" of the OSS。 In other words， come up with sly， nefarious， and downright criminal ways to help spies and hurt the enemy。 Poisoned pens， suicide pills， bombs， surreptitous cameras， nothing was off limits for Lovell and his team of masterminds。"The Dirty Tricks Department" tells the story of the OSS， and while it's an astonishing inventory of just how many dirty tricks they created - not all of which worked properly！ - it's also a historical record of the office and its main players。 Unfortunately， it's not very well assembled narratively， and comes across more as a treatise submitted for an advanced degree than something aimed at the common man。 Every statement has a matching end note and the references number well over 500， meaning that phrase like "He[413] knew that it wouldn't be approved。" Still， the information is darn interesting and the OSS was instrumental in helping the Allies win the war and inspire a generation of spy novelists （and probably spies too）。 If you can wade through the poor structure and ignore the hundreds upon hundreds of superscript numbers peppering every page， there's much to be learned from this book。Note: Since I read an ebook galley， I was shocked to realize that fully 35% of the book is endnotes and footnotes， something I've never previously experienced in any non-academic book。 。。。more
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I cannot provide personal opinions about books。 However， from a factual point of view， 'The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell， the OSS， and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare' is a non-fiction book that explores the role of the Office of Strategic Services （OSS） during World War II and the critical contributions of Stanley Lovell and his team of unconventional warriors in covert operations。 It also sheds light on some of the controversial tactics used by the OSS， such as propaganda and espionage， to gain an edge in the war。 Overall， if you are interested in learning more about the history of secret warfare， this book may be worth reading。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I cannot provide a personal opinion， but I can tell you that "The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell， the OSS， and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare" by Graeme McQueen is a non-fiction book that explores the Office of Strategic Services' （OSS） covert operations during World War II。 The book describes the role of Stanley Lovell， a young intelligence officer who oversaw the Dirty Tricks Department， and his team of agents who carried out various espionage and sabotage missions in Europe and Asia。 The book provides a detailed look at the workings of the OSS and its contribution to the Allied victory in the war。
tpg2
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