Double Agent

May 5, 2014
Journalist Duffy (The Killing of Major Denis Mahon) recounts the first U.S. counterespionage success of WWII: the breaking of a German spy ring centered in New York. It combined “ideologues, opportunists, dupes, adventurers” and a core of agents who initially had a virtual free hand despite F.D.R.’s commitment to sustaining civil liberties. Under Republican pressure, the FBI was made responsible for internal security, and J. Edgar Hoover’s organization demonstrated a high learning curve—thanks in good part to double agent William Sebold. In 1939, Sebold, a German-born naturalized American, was approached by German intelligence, which provided him with elementary training in photography and coding. Returning to the U.S., Sebold contacted the FBI, who in turn offered observation and recording facilities. Sebold proved himself “an actor of consummate skill” in high-risk situations, and when the snare was sprung, 33 spies were arrested, 19 convicted, and the spine of Nazi espionage in the U.S. permanently broken. Hoover was lauded for his handling of the case while Sebold worked in defense plants before sinking back into obscurity. While Duffy’s digressions are distracting and Sebold’s character doesn’t quite hold the narrative together, this remains “one of the great spy missions of American history.”

June 1, 2014

Veteran journalist Duffy (The Killing of Major Denis Mahon) offers a well-written and well-researched account of espionage between Germany and the United States in the years leading up to the U.S. entry into World War II. William Sebold (1899-1970) was a naturalized American who returned to his native Germany in the mid-1930s and trained to be a spy for the Nazis. When he returned to the United States he turned against his Nazi trainers and became a double agent for the FBI, under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover. Setting up shop in downtown Manhattan, Sebold worked undercover to infiltrate a network of German spies who had no idea they were associating with an FBI agent. In August 1941, the bureau concluded Sebold's sting operation with the arrest and ultimate conviction of 33 German spies. The trial ended on December 11, 1941, the same day Hitler declared war on the United States. This sprightly book covers in detail Sebold's activities as well as those of his German contacts and adds an important chapter to existing histories of espionage during this period. VERDICT A fine contribution to the literature on 20th-century espionage worthy of consideration for most libraries. [See Prepub Alert, 1/10/14.]--Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
In the years preceding the U.S. entry into WWII, Germany had set up a sophisticated and productive espionage ring, effectively utilizing well-placed German Americans. They were able to infiltrate key military and industrial facilities, and succeeded in obtaining critical information, including plans for the Norden Bombsight. When William Sebold left New York City in 1939 to visit family in his native Germany, he seemed a logical target for recruitment by German intelligence officers. Threatened with arrest, Sebold seemingly agreed to work for the Germans when he returned to the U.S. But they woefully misjudged Sebold, who was a tough, hot-tempered 40-year-old who viewed his oath upon taking American citizenship as sacred. Returning to New York, he contacted the FBI and agreed to work as a double agent. Over the next two years he was instrumental in breaking up German spy rings and helping convict 33 agents. Duffy, a freelance journalist, tracks Sebold's efforts with a tense, exciting narrative filled with a motley collection of characters, some sinister and some unlikely as villains. This has all the elements of a fine spy novel, with the bonus that it is all true.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)