Larry Loftis - Falmouth Museums on the Green

“Code Name Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became World War II’s Most Highly Decorated Spy” with Larry Loftis: Special Time: 1:00 pm

The most decorated spy of WWII wasn’t Dusko Popov, the guy who inspired the James Bond series. The spy wasn’t even a guy. In 1942, while the war was in full swing, Odette Sansom decided to follow in her war-hero father’s footsteps and become an SOE Agent. Britain’s super-secret organization aided the resistance movements and conducted espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance against the Axis powers in occupied Europe. After five failed attempts and one plane crash, Odette landed in occupied France, her homeland, and began life as a spy. Together, with her commanding officer, Captain Peter Churchill, they completed mission after mission. They were so successful, the German secret police hunted them relentlessly. They were captured, imprisoned and eventually sent to concentration camps in Germany where they were starved, beaten and tortured. Through it all, they fell in love. And, through it all, they never gave up hope or their colleagues. This true tale has it it all: drama, courage, patriotism, and a great love story to boot.

SPONSOR

Eight Cousins Books, our co-host, will have copies of this book at the talk. The book will also be available in the store at 189 Main Street in Falmouth.

Larry Loftis, “Into the Lion’s Mouth”

“Into the Lion’s Mouth: the True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot and the Real Life Inspiration for James Bond”

James Bond has nothing on British double agent Dusko Popov. As an operative for the Abwehr, SD, MI5, MI6, and FBI during World War II, Popov seduced countless women―including agents on both sides―spoke five languages, and was a crack shot, all while maintaining his cover as a Yugoslav diplomat…

On a cool August evening in 1941, a Serbian playboy created a stir at Casino Estoril in Portugal by throwing down an outrageously large baccarat bet to humiliate his opponent. The Serbian was a British double agent, and the money―which he had just stolen from the Germans―belonged to the British. From the sideline, watching with intent interest was none other than Ian Fleming…The Serbian was Dusko Popov. As a youngster, he was expelled from his London prep school. Years later he would be arrested and banished from Germany for making derogatory statements about the Third Reich. When World War II ensued, the playboy became a spy, eventually serving three dangerous masters: the Abwehr, MI5 and MI6, and the FBI.
On August 10, 1941, the Germans sent Popov to the United States to construct a spy network and gather information on Pearl Harbor. The FBI ignored his German questionnaire, but J. Edgar Hoover succeeded in blowing his cover. While MI5 desperately needed Popov to deceive the Abwehr about the D-Day invasion, they assured him that a return to the German Secret Service Headquarters in Lisbon would result in torture and execution. He went anyway…
Into the Lion’s Mouth is a globe-trotting account of a man’s entanglement with espionage, murder, assassins, and lovers―including enemy spies and a Hollywood starlet. It is a story of subterfuge and seduction, patriotism, and cold-blooded courage. It is the story of Dusko Popov―the inspiration for James Bond.

Sponsored by Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank

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