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Saboteurs: The Nazi Raid on America
In 1942, Hitler's Nazi regime trained eight operatives for a mission to infiltrate America and do devastating damage to its infrastructure. It was a plot that proved historically remarkable for two the surprising extent of its success and the astounding nature of its failure. Soon after two U-Boats packed with explosives arrived on America's shores–one on Long Island, one in Florida–it became clear that the incompetence of the eight saboteurs was matched only by that of American authorities. In fact, had one of the saboteurs not tipped them off, the FBI might never have caught the plot's perpetrators–though a dozen witnesses saw a submarine moored on Long Island.
As told by Michael Dobbs, the story of the botched mission and a subsequent trial by military tribunal, resulting in the swift execution of six saboteurs, offers great insight into the tenor of the country--and the state of American intelligence--during World War II and becomes what is perhaps a cautionary tale for our times.
As told by Michael Dobbs, the story of the botched mission and a subsequent trial by military tribunal, resulting in the swift execution of six saboteurs, offers great insight into the tenor of the country--and the state of American intelligence--during World War II and becomes what is perhaps a cautionary tale for our times.
316 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2004
24 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
Michael Dobbs
7 books215 followersTo distinguish myself from all the "presidential historians" out there, I have invented a new area of expertise: "presidential crisis historian." How a president confronts the gravest challenges of modern times, and how his decisions affect the rest of us, has been a recurring theme of my seven books.
One Minute to Midnight focused on possibly the gravest crisis ever, in October 1962, when John F. Kennedy stepped back from the nuclear brink at the last possible moment. The Unwanted looked at Franklin Roosevelt's handling of the Jewish refugee crisis that preceded the Holocaust. Six Months in 1945 examined how FDR and Truman negotiated the perilous transition from World War to Cold War. My latest book, King Richard: An American Tragedy, relates the Shakespearean tale of the self-made man who scrambled his way to the top only to see his dreams turn to nightmares because of tragic character flaws.
Before becoming an author, I was a journalist and foreign correspondent. After a stint in Rome as a correspondent for Reuters, and a tour of Africa, I lived in Yugoslavia during the twilight years of Marshal Tito. I moved to Poland for The Washington Post just in time to witness the extraordinary spectacle of workers rebelling against the "workers' state." I was the first western reporter to visit the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk in August 1980. As The Post's bureau chief in Moscow, I was standing in front of Boris Yeltsin in August 1991 when he climbed on a tank to face down Communist hardliners. In between these two events, I covered the imposition of martial law in Poland, the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, Gorbachev-Reagan summits, the Tiananmen uprising in China, and the 1989 revolution in Romania.
In addition to my work as a journalist and a historian, I have taught courses at the universities of Princeton, Michigan, and Georgetown, as well as American University. I also spent seven years at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where I organized conferences on the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, and researched and wrote The Unwanted. King Richard is my seventh book.
One Minute to Midnight focused on possibly the gravest crisis ever, in October 1962, when John F. Kennedy stepped back from the nuclear brink at the last possible moment. The Unwanted looked at Franklin Roosevelt's handling of the Jewish refugee crisis that preceded the Holocaust. Six Months in 1945 examined how FDR and Truman negotiated the perilous transition from World War to Cold War. My latest book, King Richard: An American Tragedy, relates the Shakespearean tale of the self-made man who scrambled his way to the top only to see his dreams turn to nightmares because of tragic character flaws.
Before becoming an author, I was a journalist and foreign correspondent. After a stint in Rome as a correspondent for Reuters, and a tour of Africa, I lived in Yugoslavia during the twilight years of Marshal Tito. I moved to Poland for The Washington Post just in time to witness the extraordinary spectacle of workers rebelling against the "workers' state." I was the first western reporter to visit the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk in August 1980. As The Post's bureau chief in Moscow, I was standing in front of Boris Yeltsin in August 1991 when he climbed on a tank to face down Communist hardliners. In between these two events, I covered the imposition of martial law in Poland, the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, Gorbachev-Reagan summits, the Tiananmen uprising in China, and the 1989 revolution in Romania.
In addition to my work as a journalist and a historian, I have taught courses at the universities of Princeton, Michigan, and Georgetown, as well as American University. I also spent seven years at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where I organized conferences on the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, and researched and wrote The Unwanted. King Richard is my seventh book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
September 16, 2022
Very well written book that is true. The pace was great. It would make a fine movie.
May 25, 2021
The 1942 mission, dubbed Operation Pastorius, landed two groups of four spies on two beaches in Long Island and Florida. They had civilian clothes, money, weapons, and explosives. They were meant to take out American energy and manufacturing centers, plant bombs in Jewish-owned department stores, and spread terror by bombing public transportation. Trained in Nazi Germany this operation was failure before it began. This is what happens when a government at war picks the wrong people as operatives, then turns them loose with a bunch of money and no supervision. There didn't seem to be any great urgency to get down to the business of "blowing things up" after they landed in America. In the meantime, the leader of the Long Island four, George Dasch, decided that they weren't up to sabotage and terror, and decided to call the FBI and turn themselves in and before you know it within a week the G-Men have everyone in custody. Dobbs spends the next 80 pages of the book dealing with the invaders' trial and punishment. Dobbs goes to commendable lengths to describe how the accused were denied the right of habeas corpus, an abridgement not seen since Abraham Lincoln suspended such during the Civil War. This part was needed but I dozed off several times reading this dry stuff. If you are looking for a tense spine tingling story of Nazi espionage during WWII this isn't the book. If you are looking for a fact based, fast paced historical recounting of a failed Nazi attempt to create chaos and disorder in the U.S. this is it.
December 28, 2009
I'm a relative of one of the people who was involved with the Saboteurs. When I was 12 years old, I read my relative's own, unpublished account of these events. But now that I've read Michael Dobbs' excellent novelized retelling of these historical events, I know for certain why my relative's "memoirs" (which I'm currently re-reading) have never been accepted by any publisher; they sympathize with the one and only real Nazi among the Saboteurs.
Naturally I knew the ending of the book from the memoirs, but despite that the book never gets boring. On the contrary - reading about how the FBI screwed this case up makes you doubt their entire credibility.
Six of the saboteurs were executed, two were imprisoned. Only one of them still believed in Nazi ideology, none of them had the slightest intend to fulfill their sabotage plans - they all viewed "Operation Pastorius" as a means to escape the corrupted fatherland and continue their former lives in the USA. But for publicity's sake they were executed nevertheless, and even those who ratted them out, those who were the only reason why the FBI even caught the saboteurs, were imprisoned instead of being treated as the heroes they should have been.
Naturally I knew the ending of the book from the memoirs, but despite that the book never gets boring. On the contrary - reading about how the FBI screwed this case up makes you doubt their entire credibility.
Six of the saboteurs were executed, two were imprisoned. Only one of them still believed in Nazi ideology, none of them had the slightest intend to fulfill their sabotage plans - they all viewed "Operation Pastorius" as a means to escape the corrupted fatherland and continue their former lives in the USA. But for publicity's sake they were executed nevertheless, and even those who ratted them out, those who were the only reason why the FBI even caught the saboteurs, were imprisoned instead of being treated as the heroes they should have been.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2015
3.5 stars
I was so nervous to dig into this one. I'm not usually the non fiction fan, but WWII....... That's right up my alley. I actually loved the way the author cited all of his research. There were ALOT of them, but if you're not a dim wit and turn back to the last pages to see the cite, you will enjoy this book. The progression was nice, he did drag on quite a bit, however, all in all it was a solid read, and I gave it 3.5 because I wouldn't recommend just any person to read it. If you love WWII history, grab it ASAP!!
I was so nervous to dig into this one. I'm not usually the non fiction fan, but WWII....... That's right up my alley. I actually loved the way the author cited all of his research. There were ALOT of them, but if you're not a dim wit and turn back to the last pages to see the cite, you will enjoy this book. The progression was nice, he did drag on quite a bit, however, all in all it was a solid read, and I gave it 3.5 because I wouldn't recommend just any person to read it. If you love WWII history, grab it ASAP!!
November 12, 2015
Very well researched and interesting book. My father was in Naval Intelligence in WWII and he told me about this event as he helped to investigate the landing on Long Island.
October 12, 2021
Very sympathetic look at 8 German saboteurs who landed on our shores early in the World War II. Dobbs has researched their escapades thoroughly, and then evidently thought he needed in this book to include every single piece of information he uncovered. The level of detail is excruciating at times. But the story is interesting enough to overpower this significant weakness.
The saboteurs' arrival turned out to be a total dud, thanks to the personality of those involved. In fact, this turns into a legal tale more than anything else--were these men enemy combatants (they all wore at least some German insignia upon arrival) or spies? In other words, did they deserve to go to a POW camp, or death row? The Supreme Court, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover appear prominently in this part of the book. Like I said, it's a very sympathetic take on the plight of these men, but they're all dead now, one way or another.
The saboteurs' arrival turned out to be a total dud, thanks to the personality of those involved. In fact, this turns into a legal tale more than anything else--were these men enemy combatants (they all wore at least some German insignia upon arrival) or spies? In other words, did they deserve to go to a POW camp, or death row? The Supreme Court, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover appear prominently in this part of the book. Like I said, it's a very sympathetic take on the plight of these men, but they're all dead now, one way or another.
November 17, 2019
Couldnt finish it. Interesting story, but the style is not very exciting.
June 17, 2016
When I visited Horseshoe Curve in Pennsylvania a few years ago, I was surprised to discover a exhibit in the small museum at the foot of the hill about a team of Nazi saboteurs who were delivered to the U.S. in a U-boat at the beginning of American involvement in World War II and whose targets, among others, included the railroad that passes through Horseshoe Curve. It was the main track over the mountains of Pennsylvania and destroying that line would have cut off a large percentage of rail traffic between the Eastern Seaboard and the Mid-West. So, when I saw this book I picked it up to learn more about that mission. The full story, however, was disappointing. It's not completely the author's fault. In fact, Dobbs did an excellent job of research and writing for the book. It's just that the story didn't live up to its promise. Far from being anything like a crack squad of the SS's best, the two teams were a rag-tag lot who had little commitment to their mission. Worse, J. Edgar Hoover spun the case, which the FBI had initially bungled, in order to build the FBI's reputation. The facts were more like the Nazis in "Hogan's Heroes" meet the Keystone Cops. And then, even worse, the fate of the saboteurs was put into the hands of a military tribunal that lacked any legal expertise. In some ways, the most significant part of the book was the story of how Roosevelt set up the tribunal to arrive at what was practically a pre-determined verdict for the men . . . and the U.S. Supreme Court gave him a pass. Dobbs mentions in passing that the Supreme Court's decision in the case was used to support the use of tribunals for the War on Terror captives, but it is a fairly brief discussion and doesn't come to any conclusion about an extremely difficult legal dilemma. It seems we are left with Chief Justice Rehnquist's assessment from a 1999 speech: "While we would not want to subscribe to the full sweep of the Latin maxim Inter Arma Silent Leges (In a time of war, the laws are silent), perhaps we can accept the proposition that, though the laws are not silent in wartime, they speak with a muted voice." I'm sure that a legal scholar somewhere has done more to help us know where to draw that line, but here it is raised without any conclusion.
May 31, 2010
It says a lot about the attractions of life in America in the 1930s that as traitors and saboteurs the Nazis were only able to muster this pitifully small troupe of half-hearted bunglers. The story of the saboteurs hits notes of farce, tragedy, and just about everything in between. The last few chapters, which deal with the saboteurs' trial by a military commission, have resonance for today.
March 30, 2019
Michael Dobbs’s “Saboteurs: The Nazi Raid on America” is a definitive account of an incident in World War II that’s both fascinating and a bit funny.
U-boats transported eight specially trained Germans across the Atlantic and secretly deposited them on American shores. They were trained to commit sabotage, in this case to cripple American war production (Dobbs gives a brief but interesting history of wartime sabotage in the U.S.). However, two of the eight turned informant and they were all tried in a controversial legal proceeding. Most were executed.
The funny part is that Operation Pastorius, as it was called, ended up being quite the bumbling affair, from the haphazard landing (the U-boat got stuck) to some of the agents delaying their mission to take in what a big U.S. city had to offer: namely, music, drink, and women (this also brought to mind the Sept. 11 hijackers and their patronage of strippers… it seems that people who come here to blow us up find that they don’t hate everything about America).
Dobbs is an exhaustive researcher, and he’s smart to keep “Saboteurs” the length it is. Even just slightly longer would’ve ruined the quick clip at which the story progresses. As it is it’s a near perfect mix of fast-moving story and interesting asides.
U-boats transported eight specially trained Germans across the Atlantic and secretly deposited them on American shores. They were trained to commit sabotage, in this case to cripple American war production (Dobbs gives a brief but interesting history of wartime sabotage in the U.S.). However, two of the eight turned informant and they were all tried in a controversial legal proceeding. Most were executed.
The funny part is that Operation Pastorius, as it was called, ended up being quite the bumbling affair, from the haphazard landing (the U-boat got stuck) to some of the agents delaying their mission to take in what a big U.S. city had to offer: namely, music, drink, and women (this also brought to mind the Sept. 11 hijackers and their patronage of strippers… it seems that people who come here to blow us up find that they don’t hate everything about America).
Dobbs is an exhaustive researcher, and he’s smart to keep “Saboteurs” the length it is. Even just slightly longer would’ve ruined the quick clip at which the story progresses. As it is it’s a near perfect mix of fast-moving story and interesting asides.
February 17, 2020
The well researched tale of eight would-be saboteurs who were, depending on your outlook, conflicted or completely incompetent. Dobbs provides an in depth view into the histories of the saboteurs, their training, journey via U-boat (complete with a crew member being treated with opium for suspected appendicitis), misadventures on shore (prostitutes, Macy's shopping sprees), the betrayal of the mission by one of its leaders, and the trial and aftermath.
In addition to detailing the motivations of the saboteurs (economic, familial), the latter half of the book focuses on the lack of cooperation and in-fighting between agencies during WWII and the legal battle faced by the saboteurs' court appointed counsel. Despite their appeal to the Supreme Court, the saboteurs' counsel were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt to circumvent FDR's executive order mandating use of a military commission. Dobbs' account highlights the challenges faced by the judiciary in times of war, and in particular, the balancing of external pressures by the executive branch against the commitment to legal precedent and the Constitution.
In addition to detailing the motivations of the saboteurs (economic, familial), the latter half of the book focuses on the lack of cooperation and in-fighting between agencies during WWII and the legal battle faced by the saboteurs' court appointed counsel. Despite their appeal to the Supreme Court, the saboteurs' counsel were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt to circumvent FDR's executive order mandating use of a military commission. Dobbs' account highlights the challenges faced by the judiciary in times of war, and in particular, the balancing of external pressures by the executive branch against the commitment to legal precedent and the Constitution.
May 3, 2023
I’ve read numerous books on Pastorius and this one is hands down the best! This is a well written account by an author with a meticulous attention to detail. However it is what Dobbs doesn’t say that I think sets his book apart from many of the others. His account is largely free of the misconceptions that plague the others. His source material includes interviews he conducted with individuals like John Cullen, the coastguardsman who stumbled upon the landing off Long Island. The majority of other books about Pastorius don’t even come close, with perhaps an exception to George Dasch’s account Entitled, “Eight Spies Against America”. I only say that because Dasch was one of only two surviving saboteurs. Having pointed out the obvious reason to acquaint oneself with his book you should realize that Dasch is a bit of an eccentric and he tends to embellish his story in a manner that makes it hard not to second guess some of the things he writes. Both are good reads but I would recommend one read The Saboteurs first.
February 1, 2023
A story I was fascinated to learn more about. I had heard about spies that landed on Long Island during WWII, but was surprised that they were captured right away. As you read the story, you learn more about the men who returned to Germany during the war and couldn't wait to get back to the United States (where they had spent most of their lives).
Traveling via submarine was already dangerous enough, then trying to get ashore in darkness without getting caught by a coast guard patrol. Michael Dobbs did a great job with his research and admits holes in is work where documentation was insufficient to make an informed opinion. The early chapters before the men are captured are very engaging and made it hard for me to put the book down. Overall a great read that shows a big difference between wartime life in Germany compared to the United States.
Traveling via submarine was already dangerous enough, then trying to get ashore in darkness without getting caught by a coast guard patrol. Michael Dobbs did a great job with his research and admits holes in is work where documentation was insufficient to make an informed opinion. The early chapters before the men are captured are very engaging and made it hard for me to put the book down. Overall a great read that shows a big difference between wartime life in Germany compared to the United States.
December 9, 2019
Interesting read on a tale I didn't know much about... The nazi plan to infiltrate the American War Machine... And FDRs response to them.
Almost surreal at time, yet all true as men turned on each other, all while living the high life in wartime NYC. The deeper tale, however, was FDR's blantent disregard for the Constitution. The author does an excellent job of presenting the facts and posing the question of was The President protecting the US from further attacks or acting as judge, jury and executioner?
Rich in detail and suspense, this book screams to be made into a film. The complex story of the motivation of the would be saboteurs, the miscarriage of justice and the importance to the country at the time is something everyone should see.
Almost surreal at time, yet all true as men turned on each other, all while living the high life in wartime NYC. The deeper tale, however, was FDR's blantent disregard for the Constitution. The author does an excellent job of presenting the facts and posing the question of was The President protecting the US from further attacks or acting as judge, jury and executioner?
Rich in detail and suspense, this book screams to be made into a film. The complex story of the motivation of the would be saboteurs, the miscarriage of justice and the importance to the country at the time is something everyone should see.
October 13, 2022
This is the second book I have read by historian / journalist Michael Dobbs, the first being "One Minute to Midnight, which was excellent.
In spite of being an avid reader of everything WWII, I was not familiar with the failed German plot to wreak havoc on the United States' industrical production via espionage and sabotage. So, the story was quite interesting, and Dobbs goes into great detail about the participants, the planning, the failed efforts and the ultimate trial, the latter being by far the most interesting aspect of the book.
An interesting read that sheds light on an almost forgotten part of WWII history.
In spite of being an avid reader of everything WWII, I was not familiar with the failed German plot to wreak havoc on the United States' industrical production via espionage and sabotage. So, the story was quite interesting, and Dobbs goes into great detail about the participants, the planning, the failed efforts and the ultimate trial, the latter being by far the most interesting aspect of the book.
An interesting read that sheds light on an almost forgotten part of WWII history.
July 22, 2019
What kept this from a higher rating wasn’t really the author’s fault (other than he did pick the event) - the criticism I have is the conclusion is anti-climatic as, despite the extensive planning and training, the so-called saboteurs sabotaged nothing. Perhaps their executions could have served as the climax, but the trial and execution is handled in a perfunctory manner. In the end, what I expected to be a deep tale of intrigue and WW II spydom instead details the historic account of a Nazi clown show. Interesting read but somewhat of a letdown.
September 30, 2023
Το χρονικό της επιχείρησης "Pastorius".
Μία ομάδα οκτώ Γερμανών πρακτόρων το καλοκαίρι του 1942 στάλθηκε με υποβρύχιο στις ΗΠΑ για να πραγματοποιήσει πράξεις δολιοφθοράς. Οι πράκτορες είχαν αποστολή να στοχεύσουν βασικές αμερικανικές υποδομές, όπως σιδηρόδρομους, εργοστάσια, υδροηλεκτρικά εργοστάσια και διυλιστήρια πετρελαίου.
Το βιβλίο περιγράφει λεπτομερώς την προετοιμασία και εκτέλεση της αποστολής και τα γεγονότα που οδήγησαν στην αποτυχία της με την σύλληψη και εκτέλεση των πρακτόρων.
Μία ομάδα οκτώ Γερμανών πρακτόρων το καλοκαίρι του 1942 στάλθηκε με υποβρύχιο στις ΗΠΑ για να πραγματοποιήσει πράξεις δολιοφθοράς. Οι πράκτορες είχαν αποστολή να στοχεύσουν βασικές αμερικανικές υποδομές, όπως σιδηρόδρομους, εργοστάσια, υδροηλεκτρικά εργοστάσια και διυλιστήρια πετρελαίου.
Το βιβλίο περιγράφει λεπτομερώς την προετοιμασία και εκτέλεση της αποστολής και τα γεγονότα που οδήγησαν στην αποτυχία της με την σύλληψη και εκτέλεση των πρακτόρων.
November 11, 2024
A well written account of the Nazi saboteurs who landed in the US following Pearl harbor in Juine 1942. I knew almost nothing about this piece of history and was enthralled by the story and how it played out. There is incompetence, luck, coverup and vengeance all running thoughout. The role of FDR is not a good look as he plays a critical role at the end when the fate of the saboteurs was decided by a military tribunal... a controversial move as civilian courts were still in session. Six were hung and two sentenced to prison. A short but very interesting story.
October 8, 2017
Very good book as far as the information. Well researched and informative.
March 9, 2018
Lots of history tied into this one, from the FBI to the German plot. Pretty quick read. Interesting post-script.
October 29, 2018
Interesting look at history that I wasn't aware of.
March 30, 2019
Far more boring than you would think.
December 16, 2019
A thrilling and at time deeply moving book that relates history with the same art as a novel.
January 2, 2021
Excellent reportage of an unknown event in American history.
Read
August 7, 2021An excellent book. Brings forth the story of the Nazi saboteurs in a thrilling novel.
December 4, 2021
Loved the first part, but the part about the trial and legal proceedings was not as interesting.
October 5, 2024
I would put this book among the likes of Erik Larson. Great narrative of an interesting story.
April 5, 2009
This book, written during the administration of Bush II, clearly demonstrated one of the great truths of history ("Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them."). In 1942, the Third Reich sent eight saboteurs to the east coast of the United States, landing them by Unterseeboot on Long Island and Florida, respectively. Each landing of four saboteurs each was accompanied by enough TNT to bring down major railroad bridges and the electrical infrastructure surrounding U.S. aluminum plants. Had the sabotage succeeded, it would have crippled aircraft production among that of other wartime materiel.
Yet, less than 1/3 of the saboteurs were firmly committed to the plan. Perhaps, only one of the eight was truly committed to the cause. The others were Nazi sympathizers of German descent who had become disillusioned with the regime in one way or another. Certainly, the leader of the group was the least committed of all and planned to sabotage the sabotage from the very beginning.
But the book teaches that no one likes a traitor, not even those who benefit from the treachery. In spite of the clear legal precedent that stated that even terrorists apprehended on U.S. soil should be tried in civilian courts (Ex parte Milligan -- based on an Indiana case during the U.S. Civil War or War Between the States), President Roosevelt ignored the precedent and ordered the saboteurs tried before a military tribunal. Indeed, as argued in Ex parte Quirin, the Justice Department and military ignored even military codes in trying the eight men and the U.S. Supreme Court was complicit in ignoring both constitution and legal precedent because of their fear of leaking any information valuable to the Germans. Sound familiar? It sounds tremendously like Bush's illegal treatment of the crop of terrorists caught not only on U.S. soil, but those captured elsewhere and kept in "black" prisons.
Reading this book was rather horrifying for me. I already had a low opinion of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, but I couldn't believe how low his actions were in dealing with a situation that his agency completely botched, a situation that was only contained because one of the men who became a defendant was his primary source--a source that the NY FBI office had totally ignored. Even though the FBI eventually made the arrests, nothing would have happened without the initial intervention of the Coast Guard. Yet, Hoover (Master of Deceit himself) managed to use enough PR to gain sole credit for the arrest.
Yes, reading this book helped me understand that the Shrub Administration wasn't completely blowing smoke when they claimed that FDR had set a precedent for ignoring "habeas corpus" with regard to terrorists. Of course, two wrongs don't make a right and multiple wrongs don't make a successful administration. Anyone who is fascinated by they way historical incidents and modern situations interconnect should read this book. I plan to send my copy to my lawyer son. I think he'll be intrigued by the legal wrangling and horrified at the arrogant actions of the U.S. Supreme Court (then and now).
Yet, less than 1/3 of the saboteurs were firmly committed to the plan. Perhaps, only one of the eight was truly committed to the cause. The others were Nazi sympathizers of German descent who had become disillusioned with the regime in one way or another. Certainly, the leader of the group was the least committed of all and planned to sabotage the sabotage from the very beginning.
But the book teaches that no one likes a traitor, not even those who benefit from the treachery. In spite of the clear legal precedent that stated that even terrorists apprehended on U.S. soil should be tried in civilian courts (Ex parte Milligan -- based on an Indiana case during the U.S. Civil War or War Between the States), President Roosevelt ignored the precedent and ordered the saboteurs tried before a military tribunal. Indeed, as argued in Ex parte Quirin, the Justice Department and military ignored even military codes in trying the eight men and the U.S. Supreme Court was complicit in ignoring both constitution and legal precedent because of their fear of leaking any information valuable to the Germans. Sound familiar? It sounds tremendously like Bush's illegal treatment of the crop of terrorists caught not only on U.S. soil, but those captured elsewhere and kept in "black" prisons.
Reading this book was rather horrifying for me. I already had a low opinion of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, but I couldn't believe how low his actions were in dealing with a situation that his agency completely botched, a situation that was only contained because one of the men who became a defendant was his primary source--a source that the NY FBI office had totally ignored. Even though the FBI eventually made the arrests, nothing would have happened without the initial intervention of the Coast Guard. Yet, Hoover (Master of Deceit himself) managed to use enough PR to gain sole credit for the arrest.
Yes, reading this book helped me understand that the Shrub Administration wasn't completely blowing smoke when they claimed that FDR had set a precedent for ignoring "habeas corpus" with regard to terrorists. Of course, two wrongs don't make a right and multiple wrongs don't make a successful administration. Anyone who is fascinated by they way historical incidents and modern situations interconnect should read this book. I plan to send my copy to my lawyer son. I think he'll be intrigued by the legal wrangling and horrified at the arrogant actions of the U.S. Supreme Court (then and now).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2016
Addictive this is how I would describe this book because every page of the book makes you want to read more of the book I couldn't put it down. The book definitely was a page turner because like I said, you never knew what would happen next in the book. The plot really makes the book keep going, the Sabtours will act as if they are going to do something but then they end up doing the exact opposite thing. The information was shocking that Michael Dobbs gave it really looked into the moral challenges and the ethics of law in the united states. The book changed the way I think about this topic from a very strong stance that the Saboteurs were terrorist to a stance that some of them weren't here to blow things up. I thought this book also did a good job of showing how they prepared for the operation and gave a good image of what they were doing to prepare a quiz lake.
I think that people who are into history books would enjoy this book because these are all true events in this book. Secondly, I think that people who like thrilling books would like this book because you never know if they are going to get caught or if they will make it. I think that people who like fantasy would not enjoy this book because it is very true and there is no change from the actual event that took place.
I think that people who are into history books would enjoy this book because these are all true events in this book. Secondly, I think that people who like thrilling books would like this book because you never know if they are going to get caught or if they will make it. I think that people who like fantasy would not enjoy this book because it is very true and there is no change from the actual event that took place.
November 13, 2015
One word that describes the book, Saboteurs: The Nazi Raid on America by Michael Dobbs, would be treachery. The eight saboteurs had all previously lived in America before they returned to Germany. They were then chosen to be a part of the mission to destroy the American production plants and forms of transportation. They had friends and family in the U.S. and they betrayed them by attempting the acts of sabotage. They also put their families and friends in America under stress by taking part in the mission. I have always been interested in WWII so this book sounded interesting to me. One thing I learned was that the Germans were able to successfully put saboteurs on American soil. Even though the plan failed they were able to get the men into the U.S. which was shocking. Another thing I learned was that security in the U.S. was pretty bad. They were not prepared to defend the country very well. The Coast Guard was especially bad and ill-prepared. They were often unarmed and the patrol stations were miles apart. When one of the coast guardsmen first encountered the saboteurs he could not do anything because he was outnumbered 4-1 and was unarmed. Learning about the saboteurs really changed my perspective on the American security and how poorly put together it was at times during World War 2. One of the saboteurs tried to turn himself into the FBI and they thought it was a joke until he began to tell his story. If he had not done that they probably wouldn't have found them even after they ran into one of the coast guardsmen. Overall though this book was really good and I really enjoyed it. The way the events were described and the point of views of each person made the book very interesting. The way the author wrote the book was also really good. He was good at giving the perspective of everyone involved in ways that were intriguing and that made me want to continue reading. He never went on too long and got to the important events relatively quickly leaving out the long boring parts. I feel anyone who enjoys World War 2 or history would enjoy this book.
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