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

by John Lisle

Overview

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

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

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

Based on extensive archival research and personal interviews, The Dirty Tricks Department tells the story of these scheming scientists, explores the moral dilemmas that they faced, and reveals their dark legacy of directly inspiring the most infamous program in CIA history: MKULTRA.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250280244
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/07/2023
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	630,205
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

JOHN LISLE is a historian of science and the American intelligence community. He earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas and has taught courses on U.S. history, cyberspace, and information warfare at the University of Texas, Louisiana Tech University, and Austin Community College. His writing has appeared in Scientific American, Smithsonian magazine, Skeptic, Journal of Intelligence History, and Physics in Perspective. The Dirty Tricks Department is his first book.

Editorial Reviews

11/14/2022

Historian Lisle debuts with a knowledgeable and entertaining study of the R&D Branch within the Office of Strategic Services during WWII. In 1942, OSS chief William “Wild Bill” Donovan tapped Stanley Lovell, a renowned industrial chemist, to be his “Professor Moriarty” and direct the department’s efforts to “develop and deploy all of the dirty tricks that were needed to win the greatest war in history.” Lisle catalogs dozens of projects undertaken by department researchers, including truth drug experiments, matchbox cameras, and a study of whether bats could be captured, strapped with incendiary devices, and unleashed on Japan. Lovell increased the scope of R&D’s portfolio by creating subunits like the Camouflage Division, which could “transform any agent into a passable French miner, German soldier, Danish fisherman, or Dutch longshoreman at a moment’s notice.” Initially reluctant to create deadly weapons, Lovell “developed into a pragmatist... when faced with the devastating realities of war,” according to Lisle, and “came to view biological warfare as the ethical alternative to conventional warfare.” Though Lovell’s character remains somewhat obscure, Lisle stuffs the account with bizarre inventions, humorous anecdotes, and vivid sketches of researchers and agents. Espionage buffs will be enthralled. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"This enjoyable, picaresque and sometimes alarming book offers another good reason for maintaining careful oversight over the intelligence services: Spy-scientists tend to go rogue when left to invent their own devices." —Ben Macintyre, New York Times

“In John Lisle’s The Dirty Tricks Department, a darkly entertaining trawl through the outlandish exploits and misadventures of Lovell’s “Department of Dirty Tricks,” the spymasters of the O.S.S. treat the rules of war as minor annoyances.” —Air Mail

"The Dirty Tricks Department is a fascinating tale vividly told, full of sabotage and skullduggery, deviousness and invention, and populated by a cast of remarkable characters. James Bond meets Sherlock Holmes—but in deadly serious real life." —H.W. Brands, New York Times bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalists Traitor to His Class and The First American

"The Dirty Tricks Department is the best book about the OSS I've ever read. It's also one of the finest intelligence histories in recent years. Terrific research, razor-sharp writing, and a scintillating cast of characters—heroes, weirdos, con men, mad scientists—make this a must-read for anyone interested in the dark arts of espionage and secret warfare." —Tim Weiner, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and author of the bestselling history of the CIA Legacy of Ashes

“[A] knowledgeable and entertaining study … Lisle stuffs the account with bizarre inventions, humorous anecdotes, and vivid sketches of researchers and agents. Espionage buffs will be enthralled.” —Publishers Weekly

“[A] fascinating story … With careful research and a dry wit, Lisle finds much to say about the backroom war. A page-turning account of the scientists, inventors, and eccentrics of the OSS in a critical period of conflict.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Lisle has composed an absolutely engaging chronicle of the founding and WWII heyday of the OSS, the precursor of today’s CIA … How it all got started … is endlessly fascinating.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

2022-11-29
An engaging study of a secretive government group created “to develop and deploy all of the dirty tricks that were needed to win the greatest war in history.”

Stories about spy agencies are always intriguing, and there is still much to be explored about the work of the Office of Strategic Services. Lisle, an academic historian of science and the intelligence community, delves into the work of the Research and Development Branch of the OSS, which was responsible for the invention of new weapons and techniques for the military as well as for the resistance movements fighting behind the enemy lines. The key figure is Stanley Lovell (1927-2010), who was recruited by OSS director William “Wild Bill” Donovan to head the branch. Lovell was an industrial chemist with a good eye for innovation, and he brought a number of colorful characters into the group. Even before the U.S. was formally at war, the R&D branch was developing weapons for sabotage, such as silenced guns, time-delay fuses for explosives, and magnetic mines. One of the most useful inventions was “Aunt Jemima,” an explosive compound that could be camouflaged as pancake flour. The branch also provided fake documents, disguises, and cover stories for spies. Some of the ideas that the branch explored were merely fanciful—e.g., the plan to use bats to deliver incendiary bombs. Studies on biological and chemical warfare were more serious but raised difficult moral questions. The war ended before research in these areas came to fruition. Lisle believes that the work of the R&D branch made a critical contribution to the war effort, but he acknowledges that there is still controversy about the overall effectiveness of the OSS. Regardless, it’s a fascinating story, and with the use of newly unearthed documents and interview material, the author tells it well. With careful research and a dry wit, Lisle finds much to say about the backroom war.

A page-turning account of the scientists, inventors, and eccentrics of the OSS in a critical period of conflict.

Kirkus Reviews

In this oddly entertaining audiobook, narrator Pete Cross takes listeners through the many experiments and devices created by the R&D branch of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII. As Cross recounts in a sometimes-bemused tone, the department was headed by Stanley Lovell, an industrial chemist dubbed "Professor Moriarty" by his boss, William "Wild Bill" Donovan. Through their efforts, poison pills, invisible inks, exploding dough, and even mini-bombs to be tethered to bats were developed to confuse and even destroy the enemy. As the war progressed, more thought was given to biological weapons and, of course, nuclear bombs, and Cross's narration takes on a more serious tone. Listeners will be both transfixed and horrified by the decisions weighed, and taken. L.W.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

In this oddly entertaining audiobook, narrator Pete Cross takes listeners through the many experiments and devices created by the R&D branch of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII. As Cross recounts in a sometimes-bemused tone, the department was headed by Stanley Lovell, an industrial chemist dubbed "Professor Moriarty" by his boss, William "Wild Bill" Donovan. Through their efforts, poison pills, invisible inks, exploding dough, and even mini-bombs to be tethered to bats were developed to confuse and even destroy the enemy. As the war progressed, more thought was given to biological weapons and, of course, nuclear bombs, and Cross's narration takes on a more serious tone. Listeners will be both transfixed and horrified by the decisions weighed, and taken. L.W.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile