Johnny: A Spy's Life

Author:   R. S. Rose ,  Gordon D. Scott (Independent)
Publisher:   Pennsylvania State University Press
ISBN:  

9780271035703


Pages:   512
Publication Date:   18 April 2013
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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Johnny: A Spy's Life


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Overview

Johann Heinrich Amadeus de Graaf, known as Johnny all his life, was born on May 11, 1894, in Nordenham, near Bremerhaven in northwest Germany. He died at age eighty-six on December 2, 1980, in Brockville, Ontario, where he and his wife ran a tourist lodge. That he lived as long as he did is miraculous, considering that he had spent many years acting as a double agent—pretending to work for Soviet intelligence while really functioning as an operative for Britain’s MI6. His life had many twists and turns, and murder, treachery, intrigue, and violence were never far from his doorstep. Eventually joining the Spartacus Bund (which evolved into the German Communist Party) in 1919, he later became a staunch anti-Communist and played a key role in undermining the efforts of Communists in Brazil to oust the government of Getúlio Vargas in 1935. After retiring from MI6, he even volunteered his services to the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover in 1950. Based on documents from multiple government archives as well as many interviews, the most important of which was a series that Gordon Scott conducted with Johnny in 1975–76, this story of the life of a spy who hid behind sixty-nine different aliases during the course of his colorful career is a gripping tale of espionage and counterespionage during a critical period of the political history of the twentieth century.

Full Product Details

Author:   R. S. Rose ,  Gordon D. Scott (Independent)
Publisher:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Imprint:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 3.60cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.703kg
ISBN:  

9780271035703


ISBN 10:   0271035706
Pages:   512
Publication Date:   18 April 2013
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations Explanatory Note Introduction 1 Wilhelmshaven 2 Merchant Marine 3 Conscripted 4 Osowiec 5 Germany in Chaos 6 Die KPD 7 The Moscow Student 8 Assignment Romania 9 British Missions 10 Berlin and Prague 11 Manchuria and China 12 Brazil One 13 Argentina 14 The Return to Moscow 15 Brazil Two 16 The War's First Years 17 The Montreal Nests 18 A Man from the Sea 19 To Catch a Submarine 20 The Control Commission 21 Home Epilogue . . . and the others Aliases Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

The book offers a raw narrative, rich in detail. --Diogo Schelp [in Portuguese], Veja


<p> The book offers a raw narrative, rich in detail. <p>--Diogo Schelp [in Portuguese], Veja


This is an engrossing story, well told from beginning to end. . . . I could not put it down until I reached the final pages. --Jim Gerwing, James Bay Beacon The book offers a raw narrative, rich in detail. --Diogo Schelp [in Portuguese], Veja Readers will be intrigued by the elaborate ruses the RCMP and Johnny devised to render Canada's pro-Nazis harmless at the height of the war. --J. Barry Gurdin, Vancouver Sun Johnny is a blue-collar spy whose real-life exploits are more daring than those of any fictional James Bond, and who is on the scene at more history-making events worldwide than Woody Allen's peripatetic 'Zelig.' His story is a primer on the spy's tradecraft as well. --Charles D. Ameringer, author of U.S. Foreign Intelligence: The Secret Side of American History In spite of the considerable research which went into it, Johnny retains many of the virtues and vices of an autobiography. Its story is a compelling narrative with the coherence that a single life brings; moreover, the frequent use of the subject's own words provides the specific insights which are often left out from more general histories. . . . [Johnny is] a superb contribution to the field of history, a well-researched piece of scholarship with an engaging story to tell. --Aaron Linderman, Canadian Journal of History Johnny fought against injustice and tyranny all his life. We are lucky to have had him in Brazil, and he is one of many unsung heroes in the 'silent service.' Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Cliff Harvison stated, 'Thank God he's on our side.' --Neil Pollock, former RCMP case officer and handler of Johnny de Graaf This book provides fascinating insight into the activities of an agent of Britain's foreign intelligence service (SIS or MI6) that historians of intelligence have long wanted to know more about. It should be read by anyone interested in intelligence history or the history of international relations. --Calder Walton, University of Cambridge


Author Information

R. S. Rose, an American, took his doctorate from the University of Stockholm. He teaches criminology and criminal justice at Northern Arizona University, Yuma. Gordon D. Scott, a Canadian author, resides with his wife on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

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