The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare

The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare - Paperback

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The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare
  • The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare
The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare - Paperback

The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare - Paperback

by John Lisle
$21.00
$21.00

Book Overview

John Lisle reveals the untold story of the OSS Research and Development Branch--The Dirty Tricks Department--and its role in World War II.

In the summer of 1942, Stanley Lovell, a renowned industrial chemist, received a mysterious order to report to an unfamiliar building in Washington, D.C. When he arrived, he was led to a barren room where he waited to meet the man who had summoned him. After a disconcerting amount of time, William "Wild Bill" Donovan, the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), walked in the door. "You know your Sherlock Holmes, of course," Donovan said as an introduction. "Professor Moriarty is the man I want for my staff...I think you're it."

Following this life-changing encounter, Lovell became the head of a secret group of scientists who developed dirty tricks for the OSS, the precursor to the CIA. Their inventions included Bat Bombs, suicide pills, fighting knives, silent pistols, and camouflaged explosives. Moreover, they forged documents for undercover agents, plotted the assassination of foreign leaders, and performed truth drug experiments on unsuspecting subjects.

Based on extensive archival research and personal interviews, The Dirty Tricks Department tells the story of these scheming scientists, explores the moral dilemmas that they faced, and reveals their dark legacy of directly inspiring the most infamous program in CIA history: MKULTRA.
ISBN9781250838483
Author John Lisle
PublisherSt. Martin's Griffin
GenreBiography, News & politics, and History
FormatPaperback
PublishedFebruary 2024
LanguageENG- English
Pages352
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Biography & Autobiography History Nonfiction Political Science Wars & Conflicts

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More by John Lisle

The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare

The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare - Paperback

The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the Oss, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare - Paperback

By John Lisle

About John Lisle

JOHN LISLE has a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas, where he is now a professor of the history of science. His first book, The Dirty Tricks Department, tells the story of the scientists who developed secret weapons, documents, and disguises for the OSS during World War II. He has received research and writing awards from the National Academy of Sciences, the American Institute of Physics, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His work has been published in Skeptic, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, and elsewhere

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