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The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington
Following her extraordinary, bestselling, and much-acclaimed accounts of the most guarded secrets of the Second World War, here is a rollicking true story of spies, politicians, journalists, and intrigue in the highest circles of Washington during the tumultuous days of World War II.
When Roald Dahl, a dashing young wounded RAF pilot, took up his post at the British Embassy in 1942, his assignment was to use his good looks, wit, and considerable charm to gain access to the most powerful figures in American political life. Better than any spy fiction, The Irregulars is a fascinating, lively account of deceit, double dealing, and moral ambiguity—all in the name of victory. Richly detailed and carefully researched, Conant’s masterful narrative is based on never-before-seen wartime letters, diaries, and interviews.
When Roald Dahl, a dashing young wounded RAF pilot, took up his post at the British Embassy in 1942, his assignment was to use his good looks, wit, and considerable charm to gain access to the most powerful figures in American political life. Better than any spy fiction, The Irregulars is a fascinating, lively account of deceit, double dealing, and moral ambiguity—all in the name of victory. Richly detailed and carefully researched, Conant’s masterful narrative is based on never-before-seen wartime letters, diaries, and interviews.
390 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
196 people are currently reading
3227 people want to read
About the author
Jennet Conant
20 books73 followersJennet Conant is an American non-fiction author and journalist. She has written four best selling books about World War II, three of which have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Asia and America, she received a BA degree in Political Theory from Bryn Mawr College in 1982, and double-majored in Philosophy at Haverford College. She completed a Master's degree in Journalism from New York City's Columbia University in 1983. She was awarded a John J. McCloy Fellowship to study politics in Germany.
Conant went on to work at Newsweek magazine for seven years, and wrote profiles for Rolling Stone, Spy magazine, and The New York Times. Additionally, she was a contributing editor for Esquire, GQ, and Vanity Fair, from which she resigned to write her first book, Tuxedo Park. Her profile of James Watson, the co-discoverer of the double-helix, was featured in The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2004.
Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Asia and America, she received a BA degree in Political Theory from Bryn Mawr College in 1982, and double-majored in Philosophy at Haverford College. She completed a Master's degree in Journalism from New York City's Columbia University in 1983. She was awarded a John J. McCloy Fellowship to study politics in Germany.
Conant went on to work at Newsweek magazine for seven years, and wrote profiles for Rolling Stone, Spy magazine, and The New York Times. Additionally, she was a contributing editor for Esquire, GQ, and Vanity Fair, from which she resigned to write her first book, Tuxedo Park. Her profile of James Watson, the co-discoverer of the double-helix, was featured in The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2004.
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April 24, 2009
How can a book be so very, very interesting and yet, at the same time, so eye-wateringly dull? Such is the sad state of The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant. There’s a lot of remarkable information in this book, but it often gets lost in details that may be of interest to a hardcore historian, but less so for the rest of us. So many times, I wanted to put this book down, never to return, only to come across a passage so fascinatingly brilliant that I had no choice but to plow on.
Those that do choose to tackle this tome will be rewarded with intriguing tidbits that will captivate the guests at any dinner party. If you’re up to the challenge, please consider a few humble suggestions:
Don’t expect Bond, James Bond: Mingling with the rich, famous, and influential? Absolutely. Hanky-panky? Oodles. High-tech gadgets? Not so much, although Ian Flaming did have a pen that ejected tear gas. Primarily, the spies in this book formed relationships with the right people, then kept their eyes and ears open (and occasionally seduced their sources) for information that would be valuable to Britain. Or they used gossip to destroy Britain’s enemies. True Bond-style action is rare, although the book does allude to a British spy training camp – Camp X, naturally – where spies were trained to “cripple police dogs by grabbing their front legs and tearing their chests apart, and to kill a man with…bare hands.”
Don’t expect too much Roald Dahl either: Contrary to the title, I don’t consider Dahl the main character in this book. There are entire chapters where he is barely mentioned. This book is really about the people and politics of wartime Washington. Dahl is useful to the narrative because as he wanders through Washington, he rubs elbows with many of the key players in the labyrinthine political scene and Conant can then introduce them to us in depth. The Irregulars doesn’t really suffer for this. Most of these other characters are vibrant and interesting in their own right.
Don’t feel like you have to remember everything: Especially all of the people and acronyms. Where it comes to all of the acronyms, just assume that each one stands for a clandestine government agency; its specific role generally isn’t important. As for the people, the ones you really need to know are mentioned so often that you’ll soon come to know them without too much effort.
Don’t be afraid to skim: A lot.
In the end, it takes a lot of effort to wade through this book. Most will probably choose not to, which is a shame. They will never witness the elaborate lengths a rich tycoon will go to in order to conceal his mistress’ pregnancy. They won’t laugh at Dahl’s boyish pranks or marvel at the tale of the fake map that convinced the U.S. that the Germans had American conquest in mind. Maybe, if we’re lucky, Reader’s Digest will publish a condensed version that everyone can enjoy.
Those that do choose to tackle this tome will be rewarded with intriguing tidbits that will captivate the guests at any dinner party. If you’re up to the challenge, please consider a few humble suggestions:
Don’t expect Bond, James Bond: Mingling with the rich, famous, and influential? Absolutely. Hanky-panky? Oodles. High-tech gadgets? Not so much, although Ian Flaming did have a pen that ejected tear gas. Primarily, the spies in this book formed relationships with the right people, then kept their eyes and ears open (and occasionally seduced their sources) for information that would be valuable to Britain. Or they used gossip to destroy Britain’s enemies. True Bond-style action is rare, although the book does allude to a British spy training camp – Camp X, naturally – where spies were trained to “cripple police dogs by grabbing their front legs and tearing their chests apart, and to kill a man with…bare hands.”
Don’t expect too much Roald Dahl either: Contrary to the title, I don’t consider Dahl the main character in this book. There are entire chapters where he is barely mentioned. This book is really about the people and politics of wartime Washington. Dahl is useful to the narrative because as he wanders through Washington, he rubs elbows with many of the key players in the labyrinthine political scene and Conant can then introduce them to us in depth. The Irregulars doesn’t really suffer for this. Most of these other characters are vibrant and interesting in their own right.
Don’t feel like you have to remember everything: Especially all of the people and acronyms. Where it comes to all of the acronyms, just assume that each one stands for a clandestine government agency; its specific role generally isn’t important. As for the people, the ones you really need to know are mentioned so often that you’ll soon come to know them without too much effort.
Don’t be afraid to skim: A lot.
In the end, it takes a lot of effort to wade through this book. Most will probably choose not to, which is a shame. They will never witness the elaborate lengths a rich tycoon will go to in order to conceal his mistress’ pregnancy. They won’t laugh at Dahl’s boyish pranks or marvel at the tale of the fake map that convinced the U.S. that the Germans had American conquest in mind. Maybe, if we’re lucky, Reader’s Digest will publish a condensed version that everyone can enjoy.
March 17, 2017
This is the little known story of the British Security Coordination (BSC) which was set up in the US by Winston Churchill, to help prod the Americans into joining the Second World War. This was run by William Stephenson, who used a number of different ‘agents’ to help undermine the isolationists, gauge public opinion and generally interfere in American policy and opinions. He cleverly used many people who were not traditional spies, but involved and recruited celebrities, such as Noel Coward and Leslie Howard, as well as anybody he felt could mix comfortably in Society. The BSC also ran a ‘Rumour Factory,’ which sent misleading stories out – whether through gossip columns, newspapers or dropped casually at dinner parties.
One of the those recruited by the BSC was Roald Dahl, obviously best known now as a children’s author. He was, we discover, sometimes viewed with suspicion because of his Norwegian background, but he was, in fact, very much patriotic, committed and loyal to England. Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl was invalided out of the war at the age of twenty five, after being injured in a flight accident. Longing to get back to active combat, he was not impressed when told that he would be sent to Washington as part of a diplomatic delegation, but was told that he would be doing an important job. Indeed he did. Young, attractive, amusing, he was sent out to befriend and influence those in power and he succeeded very well. One of his first confidants was the Texas oil tycoon and publishing magnate, Charles Edward Marsh. He also became friendly with Eleanor Roosevelt, and was soon familiar with many socialites and present at endless soirees and dinner parties – eavesdropping and encouraging confidences, which were passed back to Stephenson.
Stephenson is, himself, a fascinating character. A man involved in electronics and the early British film industry, as well as aviation. He passed information gathered on his travels to friends in prominent positions of influence and eventually came to the notice of Churchill, who was then First Lord of the Admiralty. When Churchill later appointed him head of British secret operations in the US it was with the brief to spread propaganda to strengthen the interventionist cause and undermine the isolationists.
In this book we have some very interesting tales of this fledgling branch of the secret service in action. Ian Fleming was one well known name who was involved. There are some funny scenes; such as the tale by Ivar Bryce who was sent to meet an agent in a bar. Unfortunately, on entering and searching for the man he was to meet, to be recognised by a folded newspaper under his arm, he immediately spied his cousin – who he certainly was not expecting to encounter. There then unfolded an embarrassing situation where Bryce attempted not to notice his cousin, the two men steadfastly ignoring each other at the bar, before finally realising that he was, in fact, the fellow spy he was meant to approach! Indeed, there are many such anecdotes, of typical British bungling, a lack of discretion and some pretty dodgy security. Still, all involved did their best to further British interests and they undoubtedly helped to influence public and political opinion. An interesting book about a little known part of WWII, with a fascinating cast of characters.
One of the those recruited by the BSC was Roald Dahl, obviously best known now as a children’s author. He was, we discover, sometimes viewed with suspicion because of his Norwegian background, but he was, in fact, very much patriotic, committed and loyal to England. Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl was invalided out of the war at the age of twenty five, after being injured in a flight accident. Longing to get back to active combat, he was not impressed when told that he would be sent to Washington as part of a diplomatic delegation, but was told that he would be doing an important job. Indeed he did. Young, attractive, amusing, he was sent out to befriend and influence those in power and he succeeded very well. One of his first confidants was the Texas oil tycoon and publishing magnate, Charles Edward Marsh. He also became friendly with Eleanor Roosevelt, and was soon familiar with many socialites and present at endless soirees and dinner parties – eavesdropping and encouraging confidences, which were passed back to Stephenson.
Stephenson is, himself, a fascinating character. A man involved in electronics and the early British film industry, as well as aviation. He passed information gathered on his travels to friends in prominent positions of influence and eventually came to the notice of Churchill, who was then First Lord of the Admiralty. When Churchill later appointed him head of British secret operations in the US it was with the brief to spread propaganda to strengthen the interventionist cause and undermine the isolationists.
In this book we have some very interesting tales of this fledgling branch of the secret service in action. Ian Fleming was one well known name who was involved. There are some funny scenes; such as the tale by Ivar Bryce who was sent to meet an agent in a bar. Unfortunately, on entering and searching for the man he was to meet, to be recognised by a folded newspaper under his arm, he immediately spied his cousin – who he certainly was not expecting to encounter. There then unfolded an embarrassing situation where Bryce attempted not to notice his cousin, the two men steadfastly ignoring each other at the bar, before finally realising that he was, in fact, the fellow spy he was meant to approach! Indeed, there are many such anecdotes, of typical British bungling, a lack of discretion and some pretty dodgy security. Still, all involved did their best to further British interests and they undoubtedly helped to influence public and political opinion. An interesting book about a little known part of WWII, with a fascinating cast of characters.
May 31, 2013
It's rather shocking to discover one of your favorite children's authors was a spy...against your own country.
Roald Dahl, most famously known as the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was a spy during World War II for England, which planted agents in the U.S. for the purpose of finding out information and influencing the nation. England badly needed help fighting Hitler and America was dragging its feet about joining the war effort.
Jennet Conant's book follows Dahl from his time as an RAF fighter pilot into his spy role and then very briefly through his post-war years as a successful author. Though his actions and importance should not be underrated, he was not a professional intelligence agent, nor did he rise high in the pre-MI6 organize that utilized him. Therefore Conant devotes a good deal of the book to others: the spy masters, politicians, socialites and others on the periphery of his elbow-rubbing circle. So with Dahl missing from so many pages, it feels slightly misleading to call this a book about the famous children's author. One feels, at least in the midst of a chapter long diversion, he may have been used to a small degree to ratchet up interest, casting a wider net over another genre's audience than would have been snagged with only a spy enthusiast-centered title. Still and all, that doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the fascinating stories that fill The Irregulars from cover to cover.
Roald Dahl, most famously known as the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was a spy during World War II for England, which planted agents in the U.S. for the purpose of finding out information and influencing the nation. England badly needed help fighting Hitler and America was dragging its feet about joining the war effort.
Jennet Conant's book follows Dahl from his time as an RAF fighter pilot into his spy role and then very briefly through his post-war years as a successful author. Though his actions and importance should not be underrated, he was not a professional intelligence agent, nor did he rise high in the pre-MI6 organize that utilized him. Therefore Conant devotes a good deal of the book to others: the spy masters, politicians, socialites and others on the periphery of his elbow-rubbing circle. So with Dahl missing from so many pages, it feels slightly misleading to call this a book about the famous children's author. One feels, at least in the midst of a chapter long diversion, he may have been used to a small degree to ratchet up interest, casting a wider net over another genre's audience than would have been snagged with only a spy enthusiast-centered title. Still and all, that doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the fascinating stories that fill The Irregulars from cover to cover.
July 31, 2009
Jennet Conant's book The Irregulars promises much but delivers little. You'd think that a book that chronicled the activities of a British spy ring in WWII Washington would involve exciting tales of clandestine missions and other cloak and dagger activities. Unfortunately, Dahl's activities were limited to spying on various Washington socialites who had political leanings that the British considered dangerous, and through his friend and benefactor Charles Marsh, reported on the Vice-President Henry Wallace, who was considered by both governments to be potentially harmful to Roosevelt's chances for re-election. Through his friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt he was able to spend occasional weekends at the White House and Hyde Park, all of which he reported back to his bosses. The majority of Dahl's reports were concerned with the allies post-war plans for civilian aviation routes, a topic so mind-numbingly tedious that you'll find yourself skimming large sections of the book just to get to the next party scene.
The information on the careers of Fleming and Stevenson doesn't go much beyond the surface and can be gleaned from other, better books.
Tedium aside, The Irregulars still succeeds on two fronts, as a Biography of Dahl's formative years, and as a time capsule of the social scene in the Capitol during WWII. If you are a fan of either Roald Dahl or gossip columns and society pages, you might find something in this book to hold your interest. Otherwise I suggest you look to 109 East Palace for an example of Conant at her best.
The information on the careers of Fleming and Stevenson doesn't go much beyond the surface and can be gleaned from other, better books.
Tedium aside, The Irregulars still succeeds on two fronts, as a Biography of Dahl's formative years, and as a time capsule of the social scene in the Capitol during WWII. If you are a fan of either Roald Dahl or gossip columns and society pages, you might find something in this book to hold your interest. Otherwise I suggest you look to 109 East Palace for an example of Conant at her best.
Read
January 7, 2009This book wasn't what I thought it would be. It was basically a list noting a slew of people (mostly famous or well known people) the main character, Roald Dahl, met and dealt with and detailed his known activities. I only made it to page 74 so maybe it picked up after that, but I found it quite boring. This was a very detailed piece of non-fiction that wasn't much fun to read - and maybe it wasn't meant to be, but you'd think a book chronicling the life of a spy would be.
From the 74 pages I read - I'd give this one a 1.5. It could pick up after that, but I won't be going out of my way to get this one back from the library.
From the 74 pages I read - I'd give this one a 1.5. It could pick up after that, but I won't be going out of my way to get this one back from the library.
September 23, 2009
Unlike several other readers who have reviewed this, I didn't find this book boring in the least. The pacing toward the beginning is a bit awkward, as the author makes the mistake of introducing the entire cast of characters in a big info-dump at the beginning which makes them all run together, but once you get past that, the book is a lively, wry, well-written, scrupulously honest account of Dahl's small part in Britain's top-secret spy agency and propaganda machine within the US during WWII. I picked this book up because I'm a fan of Roald Dahl's later writing, so it was great fun to learn about how intimately connected his spy and literary careers were. It's a bit mind-boggling to imagine the crusty-looking man in the open-toed sandals on the back cover of "The BFG" hobnobbing with the political elite, spending Independence Day with FDR at his private family home, and seducing heiresses and socialites, but really, that seems to be the whole purpose of the book. You'll enjoy this if you're a Roald Dahl fan, if not just for the exchange of blisteringly satirical letters exchanged by Dahl and his friend Charles Marsh mocking the British ambassador.
April 18, 2017
Not sure how to review this. It was quite readable.
Dahl and his ring of people are basically just big gossips. We don't whether he actually DID anything. But the British tried to move the Americans to war (during WWII) long before America was ready to go to war. Congress was, to a large extent, dominated by isolationists. And much of this book was more about a newspaper publisher from Texas named Charles Marsh (who doesn't ring a bell with me, but that may not mean much) and about William Stephenson, who tried to control William Donovan and the OSS. Now Donovan may have needed some help at the beginning, but Stephenson seemed to think it meant that he was in charge. And I really did not need to know who LBJ was having affairs with.
Dahl had been (briefly) an RAF pilot but was apparently injured quite early on. And after the war, Conant represents that he was still pretty much tied to his mother's apron strings. All of her children settled very near her. Of course, I don't know what her age was at this point.
I was essentially giving this 2 1/2 stars.
Dahl and his ring of people are basically just big gossips. We don't whether he actually DID anything. But the British tried to move the Americans to war (during WWII) long before America was ready to go to war. Congress was, to a large extent, dominated by isolationists. And much of this book was more about a newspaper publisher from Texas named Charles Marsh (who doesn't ring a bell with me, but that may not mean much) and about William Stephenson, who tried to control William Donovan and the OSS. Now Donovan may have needed some help at the beginning, but Stephenson seemed to think it meant that he was in charge. And I really did not need to know who LBJ was having affairs with.
Dahl had been (briefly) an RAF pilot but was apparently injured quite early on. And after the war, Conant represents that he was still pretty much tied to his mother's apron strings. All of her children settled very near her. Of course, I don't know what her age was at this point.
I was essentially giving this 2 1/2 stars.
March 19, 2017
Having read two of Dahl's memoirs earlier in the year, I was keen to read of his exploits during World War II. This warts-and-all presentation of Dahl proved to be something of an eye opener, though I found at times the account so meticulous in its painstaking chronicling of the political maneuvering of Dahl and his cohorts that it got bogged down.
October 14, 2016
I'm not really sure I've ever been so disappointed by a book. And let me be clear: nobody in the world loves this group of spies more than I do. And if you were to stand here and ask me, I would tell you to go write your own fanfiction about Ian Fleming and Christopher Lee and Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl sitting around the Beverly Hills Hotel laughing about what they've made American audiences believe this time. That's likely to be both more coherent and more entertaing. (If you do that, btw, please let me know. I'd love to read it.)
Here's the problem: The author didn't have nearly enough material about Roald Dahl working in espionage to fill up a book, but had too much information to do nothing. In addition, I'm pretty sure the book was really supposed to be about Charles Marsh, because he's the one the story seems to center around (indeed, after he dies, the book ends.). Most of the material seems to have come from Marsh's daughter (by one of his four wives, but I don't have any idea which one.). Except nobody but the author and the daughter know who Charles Marsh is, so that book would be a pretty tough sell. Indeed, had I known how much space he was going to take up in a book allegedly about Roald Dahl, I would have passed on it all together. I will save you the trouble: Charles Marsh started out as a Texan who owned a bunch of newspapers who made a bunch of money and moved to Washington in hopes of buying influence. Possibly unintentionally, the narrative makes it pretty clear that his efforts were wasted, as Roosevelt didn't want anything to do with him.
"But Rob," you're thinking "It's right there in the title: Roald Dahl AND the British Spy ring. It's right there."
Yeah. So we get like three appearances from Noel Coward, David Ogilvy (a name with which I was apparently supposed to be familiar but am not) slightly more often, the occasional dash of Ian Fleming, and then a cast of thousands I couldn't keep straight even after giving up in frustration and writing down their names.
Apart from the problem with pacing, there's a definite chronology problem. I nearly hurled my kindle across the Panera when, in the space of one page, we jumped from 1946 to 1952 to 1963 and then back to 1944. When the war was over and Roosevelt had died and the book STILL wouldn't end, Dahl and his wife go from being arguing newlyweds to the parents of three, two of whom weren't called out by name, in the space of three paragraphs. The death of that same wife and acquisition of a new wife are covered in one paragraph. I have no idea if their daughters didn't wish to be named or were legally excluded from being named, or what the deal was. It was just infuriating. The entire last chapter, in fact, should have been either completely cut out, or else expanded to explain who all these people were that suddenly reappeared in the narrative.
In a discussion of his post-war life, there is a sentence that says "Dahl returned to writing children's books...", except that we haven't really seen him writing any children's books up to that point. Not anywhere. Sure, there was Gremlins, which he wrote and sold to Disney, but he was in the business of propaganda, and Disney didn't publish many spy novels during that era. Dahl's writing efforts previous to this were short stories that were definitely not intended for children.
As another reviewer pointed out, there are chapters where Roald Dahl makes what amounts to a cameo appearance, because his story wasn't the focus. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Wallace, the VP to Roosevelt during Roosevelt's third term. Well after he became irrelevant, he kept popping up in the story.
The best thing I can say about this novel is that the foreward was far more entertaining than the rest of the book, and even it left out a bunch of things I would like to have seen discussed more. I had planned to read this same author's next book about Paul and Julia Child, but I'm so annoyed with this one, I'm probably just going to skip it. Mostly because I want to read a book about Paul and Julia Child, not whoever the author chooses to write about this time.
Download the sample, read the foreward, walk away. That's it. That's my recommendation.
Here's the problem: The author didn't have nearly enough material about Roald Dahl working in espionage to fill up a book, but had too much information to do nothing. In addition, I'm pretty sure the book was really supposed to be about Charles Marsh, because he's the one the story seems to center around (indeed, after he dies, the book ends.). Most of the material seems to have come from Marsh's daughter (by one of his four wives, but I don't have any idea which one.). Except nobody but the author and the daughter know who Charles Marsh is, so that book would be a pretty tough sell. Indeed, had I known how much space he was going to take up in a book allegedly about Roald Dahl, I would have passed on it all together. I will save you the trouble: Charles Marsh started out as a Texan who owned a bunch of newspapers who made a bunch of money and moved to Washington in hopes of buying influence. Possibly unintentionally, the narrative makes it pretty clear that his efforts were wasted, as Roosevelt didn't want anything to do with him.
"But Rob," you're thinking "It's right there in the title: Roald Dahl AND the British Spy ring. It's right there."
Yeah. So we get like three appearances from Noel Coward, David Ogilvy (a name with which I was apparently supposed to be familiar but am not) slightly more often, the occasional dash of Ian Fleming, and then a cast of thousands I couldn't keep straight even after giving up in frustration and writing down their names.
Apart from the problem with pacing, there's a definite chronology problem. I nearly hurled my kindle across the Panera when, in the space of one page, we jumped from 1946 to 1952 to 1963 and then back to 1944. When the war was over and Roosevelt had died and the book STILL wouldn't end, Dahl and his wife go from being arguing newlyweds to the parents of three, two of whom weren't called out by name, in the space of three paragraphs. The death of that same wife and acquisition of a new wife are covered in one paragraph. I have no idea if their daughters didn't wish to be named or were legally excluded from being named, or what the deal was. It was just infuriating. The entire last chapter, in fact, should have been either completely cut out, or else expanded to explain who all these people were that suddenly reappeared in the narrative.
In a discussion of his post-war life, there is a sentence that says "Dahl returned to writing children's books...", except that we haven't really seen him writing any children's books up to that point. Not anywhere. Sure, there was Gremlins, which he wrote and sold to Disney, but he was in the business of propaganda, and Disney didn't publish many spy novels during that era. Dahl's writing efforts previous to this were short stories that were definitely not intended for children.
As another reviewer pointed out, there are chapters where Roald Dahl makes what amounts to a cameo appearance, because his story wasn't the focus. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Wallace, the VP to Roosevelt during Roosevelt's third term. Well after he became irrelevant, he kept popping up in the story.
The best thing I can say about this novel is that the foreward was far more entertaining than the rest of the book, and even it left out a bunch of things I would like to have seen discussed more. I had planned to read this same author's next book about Paul and Julia Child, but I'm so annoyed with this one, I'm probably just going to skip it. Mostly because I want to read a book about Paul and Julia Child, not whoever the author chooses to write about this time.
Download the sample, read the foreward, walk away. That's it. That's my recommendation.
December 27, 2022
During the leadup to American's involvement in WWII, the English with the help of a few Americans established an organization (the BSC--British Security Coordination), whose job it was to promote Britain and its war needs to American politicians, tycoons and other decision makers. It was also to be aware of and prevent sabotage against Britain in this country. The employees of this group were actually spies in the aid of also sending information back to England that could then be used as propaganda by the Brits. The person who started the BSC was William Stephenson, who had a book written about him call Intrepid, and his organization was the model for William Donovan's eventual CIA. Spies included Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, and others whose names would be known to those versed in intelligence history.
I thought I would really like this book, as I really liked Conant's 109 East Palace (which was social history about Robert Openheimer and the bomb making community in Los Alamos.) I have read Dahl's autobiography of his early life Boy, which was very painful in parts, and of course, I have read some of his children's books when my sons were young. A new movie on his life is due out sometime in the future with Hugh Bonneville playing Dahl. This book provides much more information on his life, writing history, marriage to Patricial Neal, and of course, on his spying exploits.
Dahl is the one Conant most focuses on in the book, but there is much information on many of the rich and famous who were power brokers in DC at the time the BSC was in DC--1942 or so until the end of the war. Dahl was very close to and mentored in many ways by Charles Marsh, a rich Texas newspaperman who was also a friend to Lyndon Johnson when he first went to DC. Dahl, though, is the one Conant most focuses on throughout the book. Dahl was a playboy spy, partying and sleeping with lots of different people during his spying time, but then it seemed as if everyone was doing that.
I learned a lot about a lot of people, whose specific names I will not remember, but I did get a bigger picture of wartime relationships between the British and Americans, who were, of course, unwilling to get involved in the war initially. Marsh and Dahl were very good friends with Henry Wallace, Roosevelt's Vice President, and there was much of interest about him in the book. Overall, though, there was a lot of almost daily detail, so much so that one ended up feeling overwhelmed by some of it. It could have been edited down, I think. One of the reviewers said something about how could such an interesting book be so boring, and I guess that is what I kind of came away with.
Still, if you really are a Roald Dahl fan, this may be the book for you. I was going to give it 2 stars, but decided on 3 when I realized how much I did absorb from the details.
I thought I would really like this book, as I really liked Conant's 109 East Palace (which was social history about Robert Openheimer and the bomb making community in Los Alamos.) I have read Dahl's autobiography of his early life Boy, which was very painful in parts, and of course, I have read some of his children's books when my sons were young. A new movie on his life is due out sometime in the future with Hugh Bonneville playing Dahl. This book provides much more information on his life, writing history, marriage to Patricial Neal, and of course, on his spying exploits.
Dahl is the one Conant most focuses on in the book, but there is much information on many of the rich and famous who were power brokers in DC at the time the BSC was in DC--1942 or so until the end of the war. Dahl was very close to and mentored in many ways by Charles Marsh, a rich Texas newspaperman who was also a friend to Lyndon Johnson when he first went to DC. Dahl, though, is the one Conant most focuses on throughout the book. Dahl was a playboy spy, partying and sleeping with lots of different people during his spying time, but then it seemed as if everyone was doing that.
I learned a lot about a lot of people, whose specific names I will not remember, but I did get a bigger picture of wartime relationships between the British and Americans, who were, of course, unwilling to get involved in the war initially. Marsh and Dahl were very good friends with Henry Wallace, Roosevelt's Vice President, and there was much of interest about him in the book. Overall, though, there was a lot of almost daily detail, so much so that one ended up feeling overwhelmed by some of it. It could have been edited down, I think. One of the reviewers said something about how could such an interesting book be so boring, and I guess that is what I kind of came away with.
Still, if you really are a Roald Dahl fan, this may be the book for you. I was going to give it 2 stars, but decided on 3 when I realized how much I did absorb from the details.
September 2, 2022
'The Irregulars of Baker Street' were not only the street spies helping Sherlock Holmes in Doyle's work, but, also, a group of British spies sent by Winston Churchill to the USA, during WWII, in order to force the Americans to militarily intervene in Europe, and, after Pearl Harbour, to lobby in support of Britain for it to have a key role in the post-war world.
One of the few free bastions still standing in Europe, Britain was indeed then isolated, on its knees, and in desperate need of help. The thing was, even though most Americans were opposed to Hitler, British Imperialism didn't attract any more sympathy either, and, the anti-interventionist climate then prevailing was (again, before Peal Harbour) very strong. From the liberals supporting pacifist ideals to Republicans opposed to every aspects of Roosevelt's policies, non-interventionists were, in fact, so powerful that they had their own committees evolving within the upper echelons of the political spheres.
This is why the BSC (British Security Council), a group those activities were secret and led by a Canadian industrial (William Stephenson) was implemented, specialised in sabotage, political propaganda and subversion, and that Roald Dahl, charming intellectual, ex RAF pilot, will join in 1942.
The book here mostly focuses on the histories on these spies, and the conflict of interests they engaged in; involving officials, media barons, and wealthy philanthropists and politicians (Dahl will even succeed to become a friend of the Roosevelt family!). Yet it gives to see, also, the birth of a writer.
It was indeed at around this time that Dahl began to write -war stories at first, using his personal experience of being pilot- and, spotted by publishers, joined this flock of authors (A.A. Milne, Somerset Maugham, H.G. Wells...) engaged as propagandists for the press and the radio. Yet, he would also later demarked himself by building his very own, personal style, incorporating in his stories creatures from Norse mythologies. Success seemed to be so close, that a collaboration with Walt Disney was even envisaged...
'The Irregulars', then, is a book killing two birds with one stone: it will appeal to history geeks, as much as to the fans of Dahl the author. A engrossing read on both front.
One of the few free bastions still standing in Europe, Britain was indeed then isolated, on its knees, and in desperate need of help. The thing was, even though most Americans were opposed to Hitler, British Imperialism didn't attract any more sympathy either, and, the anti-interventionist climate then prevailing was (again, before Peal Harbour) very strong. From the liberals supporting pacifist ideals to Republicans opposed to every aspects of Roosevelt's policies, non-interventionists were, in fact, so powerful that they had their own committees evolving within the upper echelons of the political spheres.
This is why the BSC (British Security Council), a group those activities were secret and led by a Canadian industrial (William Stephenson) was implemented, specialised in sabotage, political propaganda and subversion, and that Roald Dahl, charming intellectual, ex RAF pilot, will join in 1942.
The book here mostly focuses on the histories on these spies, and the conflict of interests they engaged in; involving officials, media barons, and wealthy philanthropists and politicians (Dahl will even succeed to become a friend of the Roosevelt family!). Yet it gives to see, also, the birth of a writer.
It was indeed at around this time that Dahl began to write -war stories at first, using his personal experience of being pilot- and, spotted by publishers, joined this flock of authors (A.A. Milne, Somerset Maugham, H.G. Wells...) engaged as propagandists for the press and the radio. Yet, he would also later demarked himself by building his very own, personal style, incorporating in his stories creatures from Norse mythologies. Success seemed to be so close, that a collaboration with Walt Disney was even envisaged...
'The Irregulars', then, is a book killing two birds with one stone: it will appeal to history geeks, as much as to the fans of Dahl the author. A engrossing read on both front.
March 18, 2021
I have read a lot about WWII and the Roosevelt administration; however, I never knew that the United Kingdom orchestrated a propaganda campaign to get the United States to enter the war. Under the leadership of William Stephenson -- and with the tacit approval of FDR -- literary giants such as Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming, salon hosts and newspaper editor Charles Marsh infiltrated the highest-levels of the US political establishment. Their goal was to gather intelligence and circulate stories that would move isolationist America toward participation in the European theater.
While this story was fascinating, the book should have ended about 2/3 of the way through. Instead of making this a wonderful historical document, the author chose to fill at least 100 pages with meaningless tabloid gossip.
While this story was fascinating, the book should have ended about 2/3 of the way through. Instead of making this a wonderful historical document, the author chose to fill at least 100 pages with meaningless tabloid gossip.
June 19, 2022
Once upon a time there was a nice young man who wrote wonderful children’s stories. Janes and the Giant Peach. Charlies and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG and Matilda and almost wrote a movie for Walt Disney, The Gremlins (not those scary ones). A total of about 35 books. A friendly faced gentleman with little doggies to keep him and his family company. That he was a WWI fighter pilot and wounded hero can only add to his luster. In fact he left the oil fields to become a pilot and was shot down, almost sounds like a certain recent American President.
In 1942 he came to America, as a Royal Air Force officer assigned to the British Embassy in Washington. His task for the balance of WWII was to find as much secret information that he could about American politics and planning, and to do all he could to facilitate Pro British sentiment. Depending on how you write up these facts and its attendant details, Dahl was spying against America, in ways shameful and shocking or he was doing what was universally understood to be the job of any military officer assigned to an embassy.
Jennet Conant’s The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington Paperback – Illustrated, tends to split the difference. England had real reason to believe that America, along with the rest of the world needed a full-on propaganda operation to promote and develop pro-British sentiment. Beyond the immediate needs of the war, insider information could assist England many ways. In the case of Dahl, he provided hard to get info that aided British negotiations for over post war airline routes Not said by Ms. Conant, is that at the time it would have been remarkably innocent to think that England would not act openly or otherwise in its national interest. For England, and by the end of 1942, America, there was a common enemy in Germany. It was certainly the case that before and during WWII, Germany had covert operatives in the USA.
We have a modern taste for making ‘disclosures’ like this sound like a scandal. In the context of the time and place this was not so much so. Readers of books about Sir William Stephenson and William “Bull” Donovan have known for years about UK operations conducted on this side of the pond. Ten minutes of thought should be enough to make anyone at least consider that the position of Embassy Military Liaison, had to have at least a passing interest in intelligence. Further, a major purpose of any embassy is to promote the interests of the home country. To this England added several not in the open operations. Several of them also operated to help America create its own intelligence operations and special forces. Granted FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover hated these covert operations; but his concern was his personal ability to control the flow of information. That he could have any opinion is enough to suggest that those who needed to know about these British secret agents, knew about them.
What Roald Dahl brought to His Majesty’s Secrecy Service, was the fact that he was a real RAF fighter pilot at a time when this alone would open doors into society and the fact that he could be very charming, the ladies liked him. He made some very strategic friendships. He got a lot of insider information from a well to do Texas media magnate, Charles Marsh, and ultimately had a personal relationship with Elanor Roosevelt. He could be found carousing with junior congressman Lyndon Johnson, golfing with Senator Truman and late nights with among many others, a Standard Oil heiress and a long weekend that left him exceptionally tired with Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce. From this last assignment he asked relief only to be told to “close his eyes and think of England”. Of his much longer list of female companions, it was said that “he had slept with everybody on the east and west coasts that [was worth] more than $50,000 a year.”
Officially and other wise he made of himself a conduit of insider information. Mr. Marsh made a point of giving him many personal pointers about who to approach and how to make himself popular, but to him was also given insider information from Old Blighty. To an ear seeking to be scandalized this all sounds arch. It is just as possible that an already sympathetic America, and a very sympathetic administration knew everything they wanted to know about this glib playboy. Playboy a term of more affection then as opposed to now. Meaning that people told him things, either indifferent to the chance it would make its way across the pond or most certain that it would.
At bottom I think this is an interesting biography of a man who found himself in a very adult chocolate factory of women, parties and having an otherwise unearned seat at many tables. He was certainly used as often as he used. His was a very lovely war, certainly tiring, but never deadly.
By the end I found The Irregulars to be a well enough written biography with a fair amount of history. How much of the history was particularly new depends on the reader. Fans of author Roald Dahl will enjoy knowing more of his personal history. For me it was a relatively easy read, more a volume of fun facts and back-room tittle tattle. Hardly a must read, but not a bad one.
In 1942 he came to America, as a Royal Air Force officer assigned to the British Embassy in Washington. His task for the balance of WWII was to find as much secret information that he could about American politics and planning, and to do all he could to facilitate Pro British sentiment. Depending on how you write up these facts and its attendant details, Dahl was spying against America, in ways shameful and shocking or he was doing what was universally understood to be the job of any military officer assigned to an embassy.
Jennet Conant’s The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington Paperback – Illustrated, tends to split the difference. England had real reason to believe that America, along with the rest of the world needed a full-on propaganda operation to promote and develop pro-British sentiment. Beyond the immediate needs of the war, insider information could assist England many ways. In the case of Dahl, he provided hard to get info that aided British negotiations for over post war airline routes Not said by Ms. Conant, is that at the time it would have been remarkably innocent to think that England would not act openly or otherwise in its national interest. For England, and by the end of 1942, America, there was a common enemy in Germany. It was certainly the case that before and during WWII, Germany had covert operatives in the USA.
We have a modern taste for making ‘disclosures’ like this sound like a scandal. In the context of the time and place this was not so much so. Readers of books about Sir William Stephenson and William “Bull” Donovan have known for years about UK operations conducted on this side of the pond. Ten minutes of thought should be enough to make anyone at least consider that the position of Embassy Military Liaison, had to have at least a passing interest in intelligence. Further, a major purpose of any embassy is to promote the interests of the home country. To this England added several not in the open operations. Several of them also operated to help America create its own intelligence operations and special forces. Granted FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover hated these covert operations; but his concern was his personal ability to control the flow of information. That he could have any opinion is enough to suggest that those who needed to know about these British secret agents, knew about them.
What Roald Dahl brought to His Majesty’s Secrecy Service, was the fact that he was a real RAF fighter pilot at a time when this alone would open doors into society and the fact that he could be very charming, the ladies liked him. He made some very strategic friendships. He got a lot of insider information from a well to do Texas media magnate, Charles Marsh, and ultimately had a personal relationship with Elanor Roosevelt. He could be found carousing with junior congressman Lyndon Johnson, golfing with Senator Truman and late nights with among many others, a Standard Oil heiress and a long weekend that left him exceptionally tired with Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce. From this last assignment he asked relief only to be told to “close his eyes and think of England”. Of his much longer list of female companions, it was said that “he had slept with everybody on the east and west coasts that [was worth] more than $50,000 a year.”
Officially and other wise he made of himself a conduit of insider information. Mr. Marsh made a point of giving him many personal pointers about who to approach and how to make himself popular, but to him was also given insider information from Old Blighty. To an ear seeking to be scandalized this all sounds arch. It is just as possible that an already sympathetic America, and a very sympathetic administration knew everything they wanted to know about this glib playboy. Playboy a term of more affection then as opposed to now. Meaning that people told him things, either indifferent to the chance it would make its way across the pond or most certain that it would.
At bottom I think this is an interesting biography of a man who found himself in a very adult chocolate factory of women, parties and having an otherwise unearned seat at many tables. He was certainly used as often as he used. His was a very lovely war, certainly tiring, but never deadly.
By the end I found The Irregulars to be a well enough written biography with a fair amount of history. How much of the history was particularly new depends on the reader. Fans of author Roald Dahl will enjoy knowing more of his personal history. For me it was a relatively easy read, more a volume of fun facts and back-room tittle tattle. Hardly a must read, but not a bad one.
September 12, 2023
This was a bit of a slog. Maybe it's because it's hard to feel urgency over the British spying on their allies, the Americans. Maybe because the spying was done by going to parties and listening to gossiping politicians. Or that they're just as concerned over commercial air rights after the war and who will be the US Vice President as anything else. Or it could be the admiring tone the book took for Dahl, never mentioning once his anti-Semitism in a book about his activities during WW2. But I managed to finish!
December 25, 2010
I was unfamiliar with the life of the author of Charlie and Chocolate Factory etc before picking up this volume. It moves fairly swiftly through his war time service and focuses the vast majority of the book on his time in Washington with a couple chapters to after the war and the later endeavors he bent his life too. The focus is on the few war years in Washington D.C.
Apparently the British had a very active spy force in the United States and their goal at first was to get the U.S. to aid and join the war effort on the side of the British. They worked very hard to discredit conservative figures and organizations that worked to encourage public opinion to stay out of the war and not get involved. Many people may not realize that the Lend-Lease program that provided aid to England and other Allies was hotly debated and only narrowly passed Congress. It was the work of people that were considered progressives and liberals that frequently worked the hardest to aid England during this time.
One of the interesting stories was about a fake map cooked up by British agents showing how Germany was going to split up South America. They planted it at a German listening post that American Intel knew about and hinted to the Americans that they heard something important may be there. They raided and sent the map all the way to FDR convinced that it was the real deal. FDR spoke of it in a speech and Hitler hotly denied it was real and demanded that FDR provide a copy. He refused and German certainly looked more sinister because of this rigmarole. The Brits meanwhile were laughing up their sleeves.
Dahl spent a lot of time socializing. He was very affable, with dashing good looks, and had the impressive resume as a war hero shot down and no longer physically able to fly. He was also sarcastic with a fairly dark sense of humour that became more pronounced after the war and towards the end of his life. As part of his natural predilection and as part of his spy work he slept around. Pillow talk was and is a time honored way to gain information from sources. However, I will note that little effective intel from pillow talk is spoken of in this book. Most of the intel came from more direct chats or from copying of sensitive documents.
Dahl became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and chatted with FDR. Several times his intel went all the way up to Winston Churchill and was key in policy changes or the content of major speeches.
Other reviewers have mentioned that the book is in parts fairly dull and it could have been written in a more salacious manner. I'm sure it could have been, especially considering the many times it talks about affairs between important Americans. It does talk about Lyndon B. Johnson and his dalliances. There is an almost stereotype of the chivalrous uniformed member's of the greatest generation that perhaps you don't think of behaving this way. Truth is people were still just as much people then as they are now and tempted with the same things. Someone once remarked that one the factors most to blame for the good old days is a poor memory. There is some truth to that.
Dahl became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and chatted with FDR. Several times his intel went all the way up to Winston Churchill and was key in policy changes or the content of major speeches. He rubbed shoulders with fellow British agents, Noel Coward, and Ian Fleming. He met and socialized with almost all the important people in the Hollywood and D.C. He engaged in short story writing during this time but his greatest literary success was far in the future.
Overall it was an interesting read but not one I would recommend to everyone.
Apparently the British had a very active spy force in the United States and their goal at first was to get the U.S. to aid and join the war effort on the side of the British. They worked very hard to discredit conservative figures and organizations that worked to encourage public opinion to stay out of the war and not get involved. Many people may not realize that the Lend-Lease program that provided aid to England and other Allies was hotly debated and only narrowly passed Congress. It was the work of people that were considered progressives and liberals that frequently worked the hardest to aid England during this time.
One of the interesting stories was about a fake map cooked up by British agents showing how Germany was going to split up South America. They planted it at a German listening post that American Intel knew about and hinted to the Americans that they heard something important may be there. They raided and sent the map all the way to FDR convinced that it was the real deal. FDR spoke of it in a speech and Hitler hotly denied it was real and demanded that FDR provide a copy. He refused and German certainly looked more sinister because of this rigmarole. The Brits meanwhile were laughing up their sleeves.
Dahl spent a lot of time socializing. He was very affable, with dashing good looks, and had the impressive resume as a war hero shot down and no longer physically able to fly. He was also sarcastic with a fairly dark sense of humour that became more pronounced after the war and towards the end of his life. As part of his natural predilection and as part of his spy work he slept around. Pillow talk was and is a time honored way to gain information from sources. However, I will note that little effective intel from pillow talk is spoken of in this book. Most of the intel came from more direct chats or from copying of sensitive documents.
Dahl became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and chatted with FDR. Several times his intel went all the way up to Winston Churchill and was key in policy changes or the content of major speeches.
Other reviewers have mentioned that the book is in parts fairly dull and it could have been written in a more salacious manner. I'm sure it could have been, especially considering the many times it talks about affairs between important Americans. It does talk about Lyndon B. Johnson and his dalliances. There is an almost stereotype of the chivalrous uniformed member's of the greatest generation that perhaps you don't think of behaving this way. Truth is people were still just as much people then as they are now and tempted with the same things. Someone once remarked that one the factors most to blame for the good old days is a poor memory. There is some truth to that.
Dahl became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and chatted with FDR. Several times his intel went all the way up to Winston Churchill and was key in policy changes or the content of major speeches. He rubbed shoulders with fellow British agents, Noel Coward, and Ian Fleming. He met and socialized with almost all the important people in the Hollywood and D.C. He engaged in short story writing during this time but his greatest literary success was far in the future.
Overall it was an interesting read but not one I would recommend to everyone.
April 5, 2013
This was a fascinating book, in that it managed somehow to be incredibly interesting and remarkably dull at the same time. I think it succeeds far more as a biography of Roald Dahl's wartime years in Washington than it does as an exploration of the activities of the British Security Commission.
For all the title of this book, this is hardly a James Bond story, although Ian Fleming himself does make a guest appearance as another of the BSC's recruits. There is very little skulduggery, breaking-and-entering, safe-cracking, or any other kind of activity one might associate with wartime spies. This is spying as political intrigue, as rumour, gossip, propaganda and the currency of information. The BSC's main role in Washington was to manoeuvre America into taking on a more active role in the war, by demonising and vilifying the Nazis and playing up the role of plucky little Britain, fighting against the odds and needing all the help it could get. After Pearl Harbor, when America entered the war on the side of the Allies, the BSC's role shifted more into one of jockeying for post-war position alongside America and Russia.
I knew nothing of Roald Dahl other than the somewhat grandfatherly figure who wrote many of the books I remember as a child, so it was interesting to read about him as a young, dashing RAF pilot gadding about Washington society interacting with the great and the good. His role in the BSC seemed to consist of little more than passing on gossip and information, hobnobbing with the wealthy and influential and using that position to influence events. The role seems much more akin to a modern political lobbyist than a spy, not quite the role one might expect from the title.
For all the title of this book, this is hardly a James Bond story, although Ian Fleming himself does make a guest appearance as another of the BSC's recruits. There is very little skulduggery, breaking-and-entering, safe-cracking, or any other kind of activity one might associate with wartime spies. This is spying as political intrigue, as rumour, gossip, propaganda and the currency of information. The BSC's main role in Washington was to manoeuvre America into taking on a more active role in the war, by demonising and vilifying the Nazis and playing up the role of plucky little Britain, fighting against the odds and needing all the help it could get. After Pearl Harbor, when America entered the war on the side of the Allies, the BSC's role shifted more into one of jockeying for post-war position alongside America and Russia.
I knew nothing of Roald Dahl other than the somewhat grandfatherly figure who wrote many of the books I remember as a child, so it was interesting to read about him as a young, dashing RAF pilot gadding about Washington society interacting with the great and the good. His role in the BSC seemed to consist of little more than passing on gossip and information, hobnobbing with the wealthy and influential and using that position to influence events. The role seems much more akin to a modern political lobbyist than a spy, not quite the role one might expect from the title.
September 6, 2015
3.5 stars maybe? The Irregulars is both fascinating and completely boring at the same time. I suspect that is partially because Dahl never divulged much of what his actual spy work involved and so the author couldn't really tell the story of what he did. Perhaps what anyone did. This book is immensely sparse on actual spy work. It is filled with the colorful and larger than life characters that made up Dahl's life in Washington DC and New York during WW2 but not much about what his job or relationship with Stephenson was. Lots of "characters" are introduced but I had difficulty keeping track of who was important in Dahl's life and who were just passing figures.
The most interesting part of this book is the post-war chapter on Dahl's life. I suppose that could be better found in a normal biography on his life.
Not a bad book but not one I really recommend unless you already have some biographical knowledge of Dahl and just want another look at his life. This book is as much about England's reaction to FDR's VP pick as it is about Dahl's "spy" activities. In the end, there is just not enough information out to make a clean narrative.
The most interesting part of this book is the post-war chapter on Dahl's life. I suppose that could be better found in a normal biography on his life.
Not a bad book but not one I really recommend unless you already have some biographical knowledge of Dahl and just want another look at his life. This book is as much about England's reaction to FDR's VP pick as it is about Dahl's "spy" activities. In the end, there is just not enough information out to make a clean narrative.
August 3, 2021
I listened to this on Audible. Gossipy bio of Roald Dahl's spying for the British in Washington during WWII, which appeared to mostly consist of attending parties, befriending Eleanor Roosevelt, and hanging out with new best friend publisher Charles Marsh. There were a number of interesting tidbits but they didn't really hang well as a narrative. For one, I found the long section on negotiations over postwar international civil aviation to be a snoozer. The author buried the lede - in an earlier section FDR told Dahl how it would work out in a common sense compromise (which was largely adopted by the conference) but the author fails to note this in her interminable explanation of the American (Pan Am) and English (colonialist) positions.
March 21, 2018
I give up.
There is an interesting story buried in here somewhere, but I don't have the will to wade through all the excess detail. It's kind of like watching a movie with commentary that stops every 15 seconds to give you all the painstaking details of each frame. 145 pages in and I know that Dahl was an injured pilot made into an informant for a British spy ring that worked to convince America to join the war. Also he was a bit of a playboy and was on the in with a lot of fancy people - more than I can keep track of from one paragraph to the next. There, saved you 5 hours.
There is an interesting story buried in here somewhere, but I don't have the will to wade through all the excess detail. It's kind of like watching a movie with commentary that stops every 15 seconds to give you all the painstaking details of each frame. 145 pages in and I know that Dahl was an injured pilot made into an informant for a British spy ring that worked to convince America to join the war. Also he was a bit of a playboy and was on the in with a lot of fancy people - more than I can keep track of from one paragraph to the next. There, saved you 5 hours.
February 27, 2014
Sounds like an intriguing subject (in every sense) but the book is so poorly written than I found myself floundering and rereading sentences. There are actual typographical errors! And elementary grammatical mistakes. Plus the story is a dull one. The tone is all over the place: most of the time she writes in a literary history style, then suddenly she says that x was 'a real nutjob' (NOT a quote).
I gave up when she had Dahl 'FLAUNTING authority.'
I mean REALLY, Simon and Schuster!
I gave up when she had Dahl 'FLAUNTING authority.'
I mean REALLY, Simon and Schuster!
March 8, 2022
I must admit I found the style a little dull but that is not the reason I gave up on a book which I bought out of genuine interest both in Roald Dahl himself and this more obscure and forgotten bit of second world war.
However, I gave up because there were too many shoddy bits of research amongst the "colouring" that was supposed to provide context. They were often simply innacurate. Take for example - "....after the nightmarish winter of 1940, during which Mussolini joined forces with Hitler..." Well, Mussolini's Italy invaded France on 10th June 1940 (not even the coldest and rainiest British summer would place June in winter), the Italians joined the Germans in bombing the UK in October but had already fought the British in raids in Sudan and Kenya in June, had invaded British Somaliland in August and Egypt in September.
In discussing the plan for Disney to make a wartime propaganda film based on Dahl's story about gremlins Conant writes "Disney...whose top box officer performers were tiny creatures from old folk tales - that year Dumbo led all other Disney films in gross income". Again, Dumbo is about an elephant and is not based on an old folk tale, and the only feature film that Disney had made up to that time which might be said to be based on an old folk tale was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" which was actually a nineteenth century tale written in 1812 and "Pinocchio" which was written in 1883. Neither film includes tiny creatures from old folk tales.
Perhaps I am being picky and Conant simply didn't pay attention to the colouring and context elements of her book. But I find it irritating and it casts doubt on the research for the more central parts of the book.
I am sure that others will enjoy the book and find it interesting, clearly Conant's peers amongst the world of journalism do, although the world of journalism is not always noted for being entirely interested in accuracy.
However, I gave up because there were too many shoddy bits of research amongst the "colouring" that was supposed to provide context. They were often simply innacurate. Take for example - "....after the nightmarish winter of 1940, during which Mussolini joined forces with Hitler..." Well, Mussolini's Italy invaded France on 10th June 1940 (not even the coldest and rainiest British summer would place June in winter), the Italians joined the Germans in bombing the UK in October but had already fought the British in raids in Sudan and Kenya in June, had invaded British Somaliland in August and Egypt in September.
In discussing the plan for Disney to make a wartime propaganda film based on Dahl's story about gremlins Conant writes "Disney...whose top box officer performers were tiny creatures from old folk tales - that year Dumbo led all other Disney films in gross income". Again, Dumbo is about an elephant and is not based on an old folk tale, and the only feature film that Disney had made up to that time which might be said to be based on an old folk tale was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" which was actually a nineteenth century tale written in 1812 and "Pinocchio" which was written in 1883. Neither film includes tiny creatures from old folk tales.
Perhaps I am being picky and Conant simply didn't pay attention to the colouring and context elements of her book. But I find it irritating and it casts doubt on the research for the more central parts of the book.
I am sure that others will enjoy the book and find it interesting, clearly Conant's peers amongst the world of journalism do, although the world of journalism is not always noted for being entirely interested in accuracy.
December 27, 2019
The interesting story this book tells is insufficiently dramatic to make much of an impact. So it goes with reality; the best reason to read fiction. Roald Dahl, a tall, handsome, heroic RAF pilot (he crashed his plane on a transport flight,) is assigned to Washington where he is recruited into Britain's program to manipulate the U.S. into supporting and joining the war. Dahl lives a life of high-society parties, debutants, luxury apartments, art, chauffeured limousines, and hob-nobbing with celebrities. He, and others like him, pass on gossip and intelligence to their spymasters so the Brits can more effectively manipulate public opinion in the U.S. and subvert the political process by digging up dirt on congressmen who oppose them and promoting congressman who support them. The Brits efforts are quite effective, though not decisive. In modern times, this kind of tampering with our politics might be viewed negatively, but in 1940 it's just clever.
So the U.S. gets in the war when Hitler declares, solving the Brit's problem. The rest of the book, the majority of the book is so much less satisfying: the retelling of these interlocking society spies, their affairs, their businesses, their scandals. Meh.
So the U.S. gets in the war when Hitler declares, solving the Brit's problem. The rest of the book, the majority of the book is so much less satisfying: the retelling of these interlocking society spies, their affairs, their businesses, their scandals. Meh.
October 10, 2021
The concept of the book was much more interesting than the execution--and that is a shame because the topic and the players are fascinating. When Britain were pressed by the Nazis before America's entry into World War II, they desperately wanted the Americans to intervene on the behalf of the Allied Forces. But American sentiment was strongly independent and overwhelmingly uninterested in fighting in another European War. So our strongest allies covertly and even underhandedly manipulated key players with their own secret agents--including Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming to drum up American sentiment to fight the Nazis. While the concept is absolutely fascinating, if you are expecting James Bond, don't get your hopes up. There are mostly contacts with well connected ladies, a few key men, bureaucracy, and lots of dinner parties. But Roald Dahl was a bit of a ladies man.
May 23, 2024
I was most curious about Ronald Dahl and his being a part of Churchill's irregulars. Definitely much research went into the account of British officers and their ways of ingratiating themselves into the Washington DC social circles to learn intelligence to report back to Churchill. All in the effort to have the US join the war effort with Britain. This is not the kind of book I could plow through but I did enjoy the historical aspect of it.
July 24, 2024
The Irregulars by Jennet Conant was another enjoyable non-fiction book. While the name dropping throughout was a bit overwhelming and not altogether necessary, I learned a good bit. I was unaware of the British propaganda efforts in the US during WWII. While not surprising when you really think about it, I was still surprised to learn how much effort was put forth in Washington at the time and how high up the ranks it was directed.
While I think the book could have been more concise it was fun to learn about Dahl’s involvement in the war efforts and some of his more social escapades. The segments on Charles Marsh and William Stephenson were some of the most interesting to me and I’m glad there was such a focus on their lives as well Dahl’s.
3.5 stars for this one since it’s one I don’t anticipate reading again and I do felt it rambled a bit.
While I think the book could have been more concise it was fun to learn about Dahl’s involvement in the war efforts and some of his more social escapades. The segments on Charles Marsh and William Stephenson were some of the most interesting to me and I’m glad there was such a focus on their lives as well Dahl’s.
3.5 stars for this one since it’s one I don’t anticipate reading again and I do felt it rambled a bit.
January 15, 2022
i love how Jennet Conant illustrates the domino effect that essentially links a future beloved children’s author being ordered to fuck a republican congresswoman to the allied victory in world war 2. history is amazing
November 28, 2017
There were somewhat more parts of this books of which I would say "I liked it" than of which I would say "it was okay." So it gets three stars. But it's pretty close between the two.
Roald Dahl wrote the two favorite books of my childhood: "James and the Giant Peach" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." So there's a possible inherent interest in learning more about the early career of a creative writer. Moreover, the premise of "The Irregulars" sounds really interesting: Roald Dahl and a group of other young talented "dashing" British spies in wartime Washington DC! Moreover, one of those other young talented "dashing" British spies was Ian Fleming! But Dahl and Fleming had relatively little to do with one another.
And then you realize that the main focus of Dahl's "espionage" work involved collecting ordinary daily stories about the Vice-President, and also doing research on the post-war relationship of Britain and the United States regarding commercial international air travel. In other words, fairly mundane stuff. As author Conant admits, "A lot of what passed for espionage in those day could be described as enterprising reporting." [If you don't know what "cabotage" means and why it was important, you will learn about here.] Interesting up to a point, but not exactly page-turning material.
There's something rather limiting about the scope of the book: the really genuinely important British spies in Washington DC during World War II were working for the Soviets! [Most notably Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess, who are only mentioned here in a brief footnote.]
What I did like from the book was the unexpected insight it provides into some of the internal politics of FDR's administration between Pearl Harbor and the elections of November 1944, in which Roosevelt won a remarkable fourth term. Dahl was never part of FDR's inner circle, but he was an occasional guest at Hyde Park, and kept particularly close tabs on the President's relationship with his peculiar and independent Vice President Henry Wallace. The young Dahl socialized often with Wallace, and they shared a very close mutual friend in the wealthy generous and ambitious Texas newspaper magnate Charles Marsh. I gained a lot of insight into Wallace in this book, something I didn't expect going into it.
I also picked up some interest historical gossip/trivia/factoids that I hadn't known before. Sir William Stephenson, head of "British Security Coordination" in the United Stated during World War II, was a Canadian by birth. Raoul Dahl had an affair during the war with American Congressperson, playwright, and anti-communist crusader Claire Booth Luce. Charles Marsh's second wife Alice Glass was a long-time lover of future President Lyndon Johnson. And Patricia Neal, who became Dahl's first wife in 1952, had earlier been the lover of film icon Gary Cooper.
Roald Dahl wrote the two favorite books of my childhood: "James and the Giant Peach" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." So there's a possible inherent interest in learning more about the early career of a creative writer. Moreover, the premise of "The Irregulars" sounds really interesting: Roald Dahl and a group of other young talented "dashing" British spies in wartime Washington DC! Moreover, one of those other young talented "dashing" British spies was Ian Fleming! But Dahl and Fleming had relatively little to do with one another.
And then you realize that the main focus of Dahl's "espionage" work involved collecting ordinary daily stories about the Vice-President, and also doing research on the post-war relationship of Britain and the United States regarding commercial international air travel. In other words, fairly mundane stuff. As author Conant admits, "A lot of what passed for espionage in those day could be described as enterprising reporting." [If you don't know what "cabotage" means and why it was important, you will learn about here.] Interesting up to a point, but not exactly page-turning material.
There's something rather limiting about the scope of the book: the really genuinely important British spies in Washington DC during World War II were working for the Soviets! [Most notably Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess, who are only mentioned here in a brief footnote.]
What I did like from the book was the unexpected insight it provides into some of the internal politics of FDR's administration between Pearl Harbor and the elections of November 1944, in which Roosevelt won a remarkable fourth term. Dahl was never part of FDR's inner circle, but he was an occasional guest at Hyde Park, and kept particularly close tabs on the President's relationship with his peculiar and independent Vice President Henry Wallace. The young Dahl socialized often with Wallace, and they shared a very close mutual friend in the wealthy generous and ambitious Texas newspaper magnate Charles Marsh. I gained a lot of insight into Wallace in this book, something I didn't expect going into it.
I also picked up some interest historical gossip/trivia/factoids that I hadn't known before. Sir William Stephenson, head of "British Security Coordination" in the United Stated during World War II, was a Canadian by birth. Raoul Dahl had an affair during the war with American Congressperson, playwright, and anti-communist crusader Claire Booth Luce. Charles Marsh's second wife Alice Glass was a long-time lover of future President Lyndon Johnson. And Patricia Neal, who became Dahl's first wife in 1952, had earlier been the lover of film icon Gary Cooper.
May 31, 2010
The Irregulars is the latest book telling the story of the BSC or "British Security Coordination," a branch of MI6 that operated in the United States during World War 2. It's mandate was to develop strong relations with the American press and encourage their support of England and the Allies during the war, but it also specialized in identifying "isolationists" and those with pro-German sympathies, that they might be publicly humiliated or discredited.
Conant goes to great length describing the many books written on this subject before, many of which focused on Bill Stephenson, the Canadian director of the project. Her book, however, focuses on the younger men who actually carried operations out, like Ivar Bryce, advertising genius David Ogilvy, and especially Roald Dahl.
Conant tends to leave out the "operations" they pulled however, and focus almost exclusively on the social and political end of what they did, looking more at the gathering of information than what was done with it. At the heart of her book is the personal friendship between Dahl and Charles Marsh, a Texas oil baron who wanted nothing more than to be a Washington power broker. Conant seems to feel that this relationship not only summarized the social end of the BSC's work, and also seems to think that it had been given short shrift by all other books on the subject.
Unfortunately, the Dahl/Marsh relationship becomes more than the "crux" of the book, it becomes it "crutch." Conant spends huge amounts of time on this relationship, to the detriment of what the BSC actually did with all the information it was gathering. Many times Conant spends pages on Dahl and Marshes constant lunches, drinks, dinners, vacations, etc., then sums it up by saying that the information was sent on to London right away and drops the whole thing.
Interestingly enough, I accidentally ended up reading this and Ben MacIntyre's Operation Mishmash at the same time, and so ended up comparing two books about WWII British Intelligence very directly.
Of the two, The Irregulars is dryer and more academic. It's a good read, but is so focued on keeping a diverse and somewhat confusing cast of players straight that it never bothers to have much fun with some remarkably fascinating times. Still, Conant is very professional in her approach. She DOES keep that cast of characters straight very effectively. But the book would have been stronger with less Dahl/Marsh and more on Ogilvy, Bryce and their co-worker Ian Fleming, and with more on the impact of what they learned, and less on the social registry they had to charm to learn it in the first place.
Conant goes to great length describing the many books written on this subject before, many of which focused on Bill Stephenson, the Canadian director of the project. Her book, however, focuses on the younger men who actually carried operations out, like Ivar Bryce, advertising genius David Ogilvy, and especially Roald Dahl.
Conant tends to leave out the "operations" they pulled however, and focus almost exclusively on the social and political end of what they did, looking more at the gathering of information than what was done with it. At the heart of her book is the personal friendship between Dahl and Charles Marsh, a Texas oil baron who wanted nothing more than to be a Washington power broker. Conant seems to feel that this relationship not only summarized the social end of the BSC's work, and also seems to think that it had been given short shrift by all other books on the subject.
Unfortunately, the Dahl/Marsh relationship becomes more than the "crux" of the book, it becomes it "crutch." Conant spends huge amounts of time on this relationship, to the detriment of what the BSC actually did with all the information it was gathering. Many times Conant spends pages on Dahl and Marshes constant lunches, drinks, dinners, vacations, etc., then sums it up by saying that the information was sent on to London right away and drops the whole thing.
Interestingly enough, I accidentally ended up reading this and Ben MacIntyre's Operation Mishmash at the same time, and so ended up comparing two books about WWII British Intelligence very directly.
Of the two, The Irregulars is dryer and more academic. It's a good read, but is so focued on keeping a diverse and somewhat confusing cast of players straight that it never bothers to have much fun with some remarkably fascinating times. Still, Conant is very professional in her approach. She DOES keep that cast of characters straight very effectively. But the book would have been stronger with less Dahl/Marsh and more on Ogilvy, Bryce and their co-worker Ian Fleming, and with more on the impact of what they learned, and less on the social registry they had to charm to learn it in the first place.
February 20, 2023
Dahl was rather a jerk who led an interesting life during WWII. Ian Fleming is a prominant character and you can see where a lot of his ideas for his books came from. I wrote a longer review earlier but it seems to have disappeared.
July 21, 2010
It took a long time to get through this one. Thankfully it was a "no fine, return when done" book from the library.
The beginning of this book was really interesting. I didn't know anything about Roald Dahl really, so it was all new. And espionage--especially nonfiction--can be a really interesting subject. The parts of the book the centered on Dahl (let's face it, that's what we're reading for and that's why his name is first and big on the cover) were the most interesting. The workings of the British Spy Ring were also fascinating at times, particularly the intricate lengths they went to get America into World War II. And reading about all dinner party dealings of these rich and powerful people, obscure or otherwise, really makes you wonder about the people running the world behind the scenes today.
The book was really boring in the middle, though. What does new congressman LBJ having a longterm affair with a married woman have to do with Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington? If it had anything of consequence to do with the topic at hand, it was not mentioned in any meaningful way. The middle tended to veer off from Dahl, spies, the British, an even sometimes Washington.
I never really got to like Roald Dahl while reading this. By the end, I started to feel sorry for him, but then I stopped. I think in the end, he just wasn't that likeable to the ordinary person, although he was apparently full of charm and popular among the wealthy and influential set he lived among (though he wasn't wealthy himself until much, much later in life).
The beginning of this book was really interesting. I didn't know anything about Roald Dahl really, so it was all new. And espionage--especially nonfiction--can be a really interesting subject. The parts of the book the centered on Dahl (let's face it, that's what we're reading for and that's why his name is first and big on the cover) were the most interesting. The workings of the British Spy Ring were also fascinating at times, particularly the intricate lengths they went to get America into World War II. And reading about all dinner party dealings of these rich and powerful people, obscure or otherwise, really makes you wonder about the people running the world behind the scenes today.
The book was really boring in the middle, though. What does new congressman LBJ having a longterm affair with a married woman have to do with Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington? If it had anything of consequence to do with the topic at hand, it was not mentioned in any meaningful way. The middle tended to veer off from Dahl, spies, the British, an even sometimes Washington.
I never really got to like Roald Dahl while reading this. By the end, I started to feel sorry for him, but then I stopped. I think in the end, he just wasn't that likeable to the ordinary person, although he was apparently full of charm and popular among the wealthy and influential set he lived among (though he wasn't wealthy himself until much, much later in life).
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