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
Kelly
，
As a self-proclaimed enthusiast of all things World War II and the Nazi regime， I am always happy to read a book that teaches me things I didn't know about。 In the case of The Dirty Tricks Department， there were more than a few new tidbits of information that I learned along the way。 The OSS， which would eventually become the inspiration for the CIA， had a lot of unique designs for thwarting the Germans and the Japanese's。 From injecting growth hormones in produce to painted foxes， this piece of As a self-proclaimed enthusiast of all things World War II and the Nazi regime， I am always happy to read a book that teaches me things I didn't know about。 In the case of The Dirty Tricks Department， there were more than a few new tidbits of information that I learned along the way。 The OSS， which would eventually become the inspiration for the CIA， had a lot of unique designs for thwarting the Germans and the Japanese's。 From injecting growth hormones in produce to painted foxes， this piece of history kept me engaged from start to finish。 Thank you St。 Martin's Press for gifting me a copy to review。 。。。more
Eric
，
TL;DRThe Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle is an excellent new additional to historical nonfiction。 This untold story of the Research and Development Branch of the Office of Strategic Services documents the sad， horrifying， and funny efforts to improve the craft of spying。 Highly recommended。 Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone。 Review: The Dirty Tricks Department by John LisleWorld TL;DRThe Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle is an excellent new additional to historical nonfiction。 This untold story of the Research and Development Branch of the Office of Strategic Services documents the sad， horrifying， and funny efforts to improve the craft of spying。 Highly recommended。 Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone。 Review: The Dirty Tricks Department by John LisleWorld War 2 （WW2） can be thought of as an industrial war。 The power of the combatants economy and industry contributed as much to the war effort as the soldiers on the field， if not to the same fatal degree。 Looking back the public sees the industrial efforts in Rosie the Riveter， the liberty ships， and of course， production lines。 World War 2 also featured a famous， focused research project on developing the weapon to end all weapons。 Of course， this is the Manhattan Project。 But little is known about the research， development， and production of spy equipment and practices as part of the larger industrial effort in WW2。 Until now， that is。 The Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle is the real life history of how the tools and techniques of American spycraft were developed in World War 2。 （Yes， the U。S。 had spies before then; however， this was an industrial effort to produce tools and practices for spies。） The Dirty Tricks Department tells the origin of the OSS’s Research and Development Branch。 From there， the gadgets of American spycraft flourish， but it’s also the origin of state sanctioned illegalities， such as forgery。 This fascinating history tells how the U。S。’s spies were supported and supplied during WW2， paving the way for the Central Intelligence Agency （CIA） to follow。The Office of Strategic Services （OSS） was the United States intelligence department during World War 2。 It was established and run by William Joseph “Wild Bill” Donovan， a World War 1 veteran。 Donovan approached Stanley Lovell， a chemist in Boston， for help。 He needed someone to figure out how to play dirty。 Lovell agreed， and so began the history of the OSS Research and Development Branch。 This group of scientists， criminals， soldiers， and others advanced the field of spycraft through creativity， deviousness， and， at times， insanity。 Their job was to aid U。S。 spies in any way possible and help bring about the end of the war。 The Dirty Tricks Department documents their efforts。 It also documents Lovell’s descent from being an everyday chemist to becoming Donovan’s Professor Moriarty。Lisle establishes the early days of the OSS well。 He begins， naturally， with Donovan， then proceeds to Lovell， and from there explores the OSS at large。 The OSS was seen as a more of a social club than a contributor to the war effort， and ironically Lovell reinforced this idea by setting up shop in the Congressional Country Club in Maryland。 However it was anything but social。 The scientists installed all kinds of research equipment， like vibration tables， humidity cabinets， and more。 The OSS had a laboratory where saboteurs gained new equipment， pyromaniacs developed new tools， and limpet mines were produced。Not all of the OSS’s ideas were a hit， though。 At one point， they tested out bat bombs。 Yes， you read that correctly。 They had a plan to turn bats into bombs。 The idea was that the bats would roost （nest？） in the eaves of Japanese buildings， and then， at a predetermined time， the devices attached to the bats would set fire to the buildings。 A lot of work went into researching the bat bomb， and Lisle’s telling of it is excellent。 It’s intriguing， funny （in a horrible/morbid sort of way）， and yet still plausible。 Despite the outlandish nature of the idea， they truly believed it would work， and Lisle makes you believe that it just might。The Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle is a historical retelling of the OSS’s research and development division。 Lisle extensively researched this book and provides excellent sources and notes。 Each chapter is well organized into stories that recount that history。 Lisle’s writing is excellent and makes for a fast read。 The material is at times funny， sad， horrifying， and always compelling。 The EndingLisle spends 17 out of 18 chapters on the OSS research division， their mission， and their achievements。 As the book nears the end， Lisle discusses the less savory topics of war， such as biological and chemical weapons and drugs。 He also devotes a chapter to Lovell’s post-war life and how he adjusts。 These are all excellent chapters， and I think the book would have had a stronger ending if it left off with the retired Lovell。 Yet， Lisle looks at one of the more controversial legacies of the OSS Research and Development Division， MKUltra。The last chapter didn’t fit well with the rest of the book because MKUltra wasn’t an OSS operation; no， it was strictly the work of the CIA。 While Lisle draws a line from the OSS to MKUltra， it feels out of place in a book dedicated to the OSS。 The argument for MKUltra being strongly tied to the OSS’s legacy are a bit weak。 Surely there are many other legacies of the research division that could be tied back to the inventions in the book with the same strength。 Why not Agent Orange or the napalm used in Vietnam？ Why single out MKUltra？ It feels like a setup for Lisle’s next book more than an appropriate stopping point。Obviously Lisle and his publishers disagree with me。 If you’ve read this book， what do you think？ Did the final chapter fit the book for you？ Let me know in the comments。 Fantastic WritingAs someone who enjoys history books， I find that often they’re dry reads。 There’s a distance put between the author and the subject， which in turn puts a distance between the reader and the subject。 History is about dates， times， places， ideas， movements， and， of course， wars。 But boil all of those things down to their common denominator， and you’ll find humans。 History is ultimately about people and the things we do。 Historians that focus on the people tend to be the writers that I like the most。 Lisle is that type of writer。 Even when talking about a gadget， he never loses sight of the person testing， devising， proposing， or using the gadget。 He’s got the craft of a fiction writer and the research skills of an academic。 Reading this book was less like a lecture at a university than a chat between friends， or maybe a really cool podcast。Actually， the podcast idea has grown on me as I write this because each chapter does feel like an episode with a beginning， middle， and end that advances the overall story of the OSS Research and Development Division。 This is a book that’s easy to read， and it’s filled with fantastic information about my country’s past。 It’s a win-win for me。 Lisle’s writing in this book puts him on my author watchlist。 I’ll be following his authorial career with interest。 ConclusionJohn Lisle’s The Dirty Tricks Department is an excellent history of the OSS Research and Development Branch。 The books takes a sympathetic view of Stanley Lovell and his efforts to shorten the war effort， even if it meant crossing ethical boundaries。 Lisle shows us the inventions and spycraft developed during war time that paved the way for the CIA and espionage American-style。 The Dirty Tricks Department is an excellent read and introduces us to a new voice in historical nonfiction。 I can’t wait to read what Lisle does next。 Highly recommended。The Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle is available from St。 Martin’s Press now。 。。。more
Shana Yates
，
3。5 stars
Pamela Liljeberg
，
Thorough research of primary and secondary resources enabled John Lisle to explore the background and development of the OSS “dirty tricks department。” Lisle provides a unique perspective of the development of the weapons and devices used by World War II spies and resistors and carries the research into the Cold War。Brig。 General William “Wild Bill” Donovan head of the OSS， recruited chemist Stanley Lovell to lead the development of an arsenal of unconventional weapons and devices to kill， sabo Thorough research of primary and secondary resources enabled John Lisle to explore the background and development of the OSS “dirty tricks department。” Lisle provides a unique perspective of the development of the weapons and devices used by World War II spies and resistors and carries the research into the Cold War。Brig。 General William “Wild Bill” Donovan head of the OSS， recruited chemist Stanley Lovell to lead the development of an arsenal of unconventional weapons and devices to kill， sabotage， and destroy。 Lovell reconciled his conscience to the moral dilemma of using science to destroy lives instead of saving lives， although the lives he was saving were Allied lives。 Some of the ideas were practical and effective， others were outlandish and funny， and several resulted in serious consequences during the developmental phase。 Most of these ideas might make even Q scratch his head。Lisle not only educates the armchair historian he also gifts historical fiction authors as well as serious historians with an unparalleled resource。 This book is an interesting read， full of surprises and facts that show just how creative， resourceful， and determined these men were to defeat the German and Japanese in WWII。I appreciate the advanced copy of this book provided by St。 Martin’s Press and NetGalley in return for an independent review 。。。more
Linda
，
I learned a lot from this book。 Very little of it made me happy。 （The part that made me happy: thanks in part to the Dirty Tricks， the Allies won WWII。）The R&D department of the OSS was tasked with coming up with ideas/gadgets to help the war effort。 Why this seemed to turn into “Okay， men， we have to win this war， but while we’re at it， why don’t we see how many animals we can kill， too”， I do not know。 But it was not safe to be a bat， a fox， a cat， or a rat around these guys。As the years passe I learned a lot from this book。 Very little of it made me happy。 （The part that made me happy: thanks in part to the Dirty Tricks， the Allies won WWII。）The R&D department of the OSS was tasked with coming up with ideas/gadgets to help the war effort。 Why this seemed to turn into “Okay， men， we have to win this war， but while we’re at it， why don’t we see how many animals we can kill， too”， I do not know。 But it was not safe to be a bat， a fox， a cat， or a rat around these guys。As the years passed， and the OSS eventually morphed into the CIA， the focus shifted to drugging people without their knowledge or consent， in Project MKUltra。 I’m not talking about slipping a mickey to an enemy agent， I’m talking about throwing a party and dosing the attendees with LSD without telling them。Disturbing content aside， this book was well-written， engaging， and highly readable。 If my history textbooks over the years had been half as interesting， I wouldn’t have hated those classes so much。 The book also gave me the bonus of a new vocabulary word: limpet。 I’d never heard of a limpet mine before， and now the title of the 1964 movie The Incredible Mr。 Limpet makes so much more sense。 。。。more
Dipra Lahiri
，
Incredible stories of spy-craft and skulduggery， populated by a cast of geniuses or lunatics （a thin line）， playing with very high stakes， literally life and death。 India， specifically Calcutta， feature prominently in the American spy masters' locales。 Incredible stories of spy-craft and skulduggery， populated by a cast of geniuses or lunatics （a thin line）， playing with very high stakes， literally life and death。 India， specifically Calcutta， feature prominently in the American spy masters' locales。 。。。more
Emory
，
I feel like I learned a lot while simultaneously wishing I had learned more！ I wish this had actually been more dense and/or detailed。 My only real problem is that I was expecting MKULTRA to be talked about a little more/earlier/alongside the main story of the OSS and not just briefly mentioned at the end of the book。 Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control is probably more of what I'm looking for。I was also reading Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Seco I feel like I learned a lot while simultaneously wishing I had learned more！ I wish this had actually been more dense and/or detailed。 My only real problem is that I was expecting MKULTRA to be talked about a little more/earlier/alongside the main story of the OSS and not just briefly mentioned at the end of the book。 Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control is probably more of what I'm looking for。I was also reading Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War at the same time， and Bill Donovan and Carl Eifler are mentioned in that book as well， so it made for a fun little companion piece。 。。。more
Wesley Hansen
，
An interesting look inside the early development of the OSS， the reasons behind its creation， and the men and women that made it effective， especially during World War II。 I really enjoyed the behind the scenes stories and legends that made it the first step towards the CIA of the future。
Donna Huber
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It started off a little slow as it introduced all the players in the early days of the OSS。 But once it got more into anecdotes and some of the crazier ideas they tested it became quite interesting。 Read my full reviews at Gilr Who Reads。 It started off a little slow as it introduced all the players in the early days of the OSS。 But once it got more into anecdotes and some of the crazier ideas they tested it became quite interesting。 Read my full reviews at Gilr Who Reads。 。。。more
Austin Moore
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90/1005 stars - 90/1004 stars - 80/1003 stars - 70/1002 stars - 60/1001 star - 50/100
Ben
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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"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
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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
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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
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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
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Great stories， easy read。
Bevany Smith
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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
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions， but I can provide a short description of the book you suggested。 'The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell， the OSS， and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare' is a non-fiction book that tells the story of the dirty tricks department of the Office of Strategic Services （OSS） during World War II。 Stanley Lovell was the mastermind behind some of the most daring and effective covert operations of the war， such as Operation Paperclip and the plot to kill Hitler。 The book delves into the challenges and risks faced by Lovell and his team in secret warfare， as well as their impact on the outcome of the war。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I cannot provide a personal opinion， but I can provide a brief summary of the book。 'The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell， the OSS， and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare' by Giles Milton is a nonfiction book that explores the secret warfare tactics of the Office of Strategic Services （OSS） in World War II。 Specifically， the book focuses on Stanley Lovell， the head of the OSS's Operations Branch， and his team of masterminds who were responsible for developing and executing covert operations， including sabotage， deception， and espionage。 The book includes previously classified information from the OSS's archives and interviews with surviving members of the team。 It provides a detailed account of the Allies' use of dirty tricks and unconventional tactics that eventually helped them win the war。
tpg2
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