The Art of Double-Cross: writers in strategic deception during World War Two

Abstract

The success of British double-cross operations in World War Two is well-known. However, the techniques used by writers in MI5 to manipulate German intelligence officers and, through them, the German High Command have never been properly examined. This essay fills that gap of understanding, focussing on the most ambitious of the double-cross operations, the network of Juan Pujol, known as agent Garbo. As Michael Howard, Christopher Andrew and others acknowledge, the double-agent networks were crucial in disseminating disinformation to the enemy, including in the run-up to D-Day. As the article shows, however, they were also used more strategically, to wage a sustained campaign of manipulation against their opponents which ensured that deception plans were swallowed and acted on. By examining their tactics and strategies in detail, the essay highlights the historic contribution of writers in British intelligence during World War Two which has previously gone almost unrecognised.