The Princess Spy

January 1, 2021
This spy wore Balenciaga. Loftis, a lawyer and author of nonfiction espionage thrillers who last wrote about a Frenchwoman who spied for Britain during World War II, turns his attention to Aline Griffith (1923-2017), an American OSS agent based in Madrid. Not trusting Griffith's multiple memoirs--including the romantically titled The Spy Wore Red and The Spy Went Dancing--which Loftis deems "historical fiction," he mined her OSS files as well as other agents' writings to create a brisk narrative filled with glamour, glitz, and mysterious characters. Having grown up in a small New York town, Griffith was eager for adventure. In 1943, at a friend's dinner party, she told a handsome new acquaintance that she wished she could help in the war effort like her two younger brothers. Shortly after, she was recruited to train at America's "first school of espionage," and within weeks, she was assigned to go to Spain. Beautiful, bright, and apparently unflappable, she became a valued agent, carrying out missions, filing 59 field reports, supervising other spies, and tangling with German agents, Nazi collaborators, and enigmatic women, such as Countess Gloria von Furstenberg. Elegantly dressed, Griffith infiltrated high society, escorted by a roster of attractive admirers, including a famous matador and a Spanish aristocrat whom she later married, making her the Countess of Quintanilla. She lived, Loftis writes, "an extraordinarily multi-faceted life as a small-town girl, a model, a spy, a wife, a mother, a socialite, a fashion icon, and a celebrity." She courted danger in order to serve her country, "then found the love of her life in a fairytale romance." The author re-creates verbatim conversations and sumptuous settings in a narrative that often reads less like a spy thriller and more like a fairy tale, complete with Griffith's many celebrity friends: Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, the Duchess of Alba, and the Windsors, among them. A lively history of a spirited woman.

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January 11, 2021
Historian Loftis (Code Name: Lise) delivers an entertaining biography of American fashion model–turned–spy Aline Griffith (1923–2017). Born in the small town of Pearl River, N.Y., Griffith moved to Manhattan after graduating from a Catholic women’s college and found work as a model for fashion designer Hattie Carnegie. Griffith’s life took a turn after a chance meeting with an Office of Strategic Services operative at a dinner party in 1943. Griffith joined the OSS and, following her training, was sent to Spain in 1944 to search for Nazi supporters among the region’s social elites. Amid her information-gathering activities, she met and married a Spanish nobleman and became a countess. She quit spying in 1947 to focus on raising a family, but resumed clandestine activities for the CIA in 1956, though those missions remain classified. Loftis’s fast-moving narrative includes plenty of colorful details about Griffith’s social life, including lavish cocktail parties and her friendship with bullfighter Juanito Belmonte , and he sketches the battles between German, American, and British spies for influence over the Spanish government with precision. Espionage buffs will be enthralled.

February 1, 2021

In 2019, Loftis follows up his best-selling Code Name: Lise with another little-known, but true story of a woman spy during World War II. In this case, she is an American-born Spanish aristocrat, a former model, and an OSS code breaker. Aline Griffith (1923-2017) eventually marries into Spanish nobility, becoming the Countess of Romanones. Similar to his previous work, Loftis presents an accessible, richly-detailed narrative full of twists and turns. Here, he effectively describes how Aline socialized with Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, and the Duchess of Windsor while also working as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II, and continuing to serve as a spy for the organization's successor, the CIA. The inclusion of family photographs and newspaper clippings provides more insight into Aline's life after marrying Luis Figueroa, a grandee of Spain. The book reads like both a thriller and a romance, with personal details offered throughout, but Loftis sticks to the facts and addresses and clarifies myths surrounding Aline. A comprehensive notes section provides more details on other spies who are introduced throughout. VERDICT A valuable addition to public library collections, the latest from Loftis will especially engage those interested in World War II history and espionage.--Beth Dalton, Littleton, CO

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