Between silk and cyanide : a codemaker's war, 1941-1945
Marks, Leo1998
Book
In 1942, with a black-market chicken tucked under his arm by his mother, Leo Marks left his father's famous bookshop, 84 Charing Cross Road, and went off to fight the war. He was twenty-two. Soon recognized as a cryptographer of genius, he became head of communications at the Special Operations Executive (SOE), where he revolutionized the codemaking techniques of the Allies and trained some of the most famous agents dropped into occupied Europe. As a top codemaker, Marks had a unique perspective on one of the most fascinating and, until now, little-known aspects of the Second World War. This memoir provides a unique inside picture of the extraordinary SOE organization at work and reveals for the first time many unknown truths about the conduct of the war.Between Silk and Cyanide chronicles Marks's obsessive quest to improve the security of agents' codes and how this crusade led to his involvement in some of the war's most dramatic and secret operations. Among the astonishing revelations is his account of the code war between SOE and the Germans in Holland. He also reveals for the first time how SOE fooled the Germans into thinking that a secret army was operating in the Fatherland itself, and how and why he broke the code that General de Gaulle insisted be available only to the Free French.In 1942, with a black-market chicken under his arm, Leo Marks left his father's famous bookshop, 84 charing cross road, and went to war. He was twenty-two and a cryptographer of genius. In "Between silk and cyanide", his critically acclaimed account of his time in SOE, Marks tells how he revolutionized the code-making techniques of the Allies, trained some of the most famous agents, who dropped into France including Violette Szabo and 'the White Rabbit', and why he wrote haunting verses including his "The Life that I have" poem. He reveals for the first time the disastrous dimensions of the code war between SOE and the Germans in Holland; how the Germans were fooled into thinking a Secret Army was operating in the Fatherland itself; and how and why he broke General de Gaulle's secret code. Both thrilling and Poignant, Marks' book is truly one of the last great Second World War memoirs.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
New York, NY : Free Press, c1998.
Collation:
613 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
Notes:
Includes index.First published in 2007, reprinted with ammendments in 2013.
Contents:
Machine derived contents note: Contents -- List of Illustrations -- 1 A Hard Man to Place -- 2 The Pilot Light -- 3 A Collector's Item -- 4 'Merde Alors!' -- 5 All Things Bright and Beautiful -- 6 The Fifth Grouse -- 7 SOE-minded -- 8 The Plumber and His Mate -- 9 The Godfather -- 10 The Sixth Sense -- 11 The High-Pitched Bleep -- 12 A Shock Discovery -- 13 The Biter Bitten -- 14 The Last-Chance Month -- 15 The Bolt Hole -- 16 A Question of Y -- 17 Arquebus, Gunnerside and Golf -- 18 The Coding Cabaret -- 19 Summit Meeting -- 20 The Findings of the Court -- 21 Repercussions -- 22 The Launching of Plan Giskes -- 23 Special Devices -- 24 Judgement Day -- 25 Permission to Proceed? -- 26 Court Martial -- 27 Criminal Negligence -- 28 Green Ink -- 29 Best Read at Night -- 30 The War Dance -- 31 Accidents Will Happen -- 32 Pilgrim's Progress -- 33 The 'Hard Men' -- 34 Judicial Review -- 35 The Masterstroke -- 36 Desperate Measures -- 37 Punitive Expedition -- 38 The Secret Weapon -- 39 Appointment with Royalty -- 40 The Extended Briefing -- 41 Operation Gift-horse -- 42 A Terrible Gaffe -- 43 Operation Sidetrack -- 44 Beyond Belief -- 45 Parallel Action -- 46 The Club Rules -- 47 Lake Como's Bottom -- 48 'I Hereby Bequeath' -- 49 A Treat for the Natives -- 50 Homecoming -- 51 Stranglehold -- 52 Man with a Mission -- 53 Breaking Point -- 54 Who Stole Your Grace? -- 55 The Forty-Eight Mistakes -- 56 Unique in SOE -- 57 The Major Development -- 58 'If I Should Die, Etcetera' -- 59 The Invisible Presence -- 60 Fumigated -- 61 A Mere Squadron Leader -- 62 Without Precedent -- 63 Open Arrest -- 64 Misgivings -- 65 'The Life that I Have' -- 66 April Fool's Day -- 67 The New Boys -- 68 Inexcusable -- 69 For Your Ears Only -- 70 Neptune's Trident -- 71 Staying Power -- 72 'They Also Serve' -- 73 Self-Defence -- 74 Taken for Granted -- 75 The Day of Reckoning -- 76 Pockets of Resistance -- 77 Operation Periwig -- 78 Serial Number 47685 -- 79 For Services Rendered -- 80 Exemplary Conduct -- 81 The Last Mischief -- Epilogue -- Appendix -- Index.
ISBN:
06848642239780750948357
Dewey class:
940.548641940.548641940.5486
LC class:
D810.C88
Language:
English
Subject:
Marks, LeoGreat Britain. Army. Special Operations Executive -- HistoryWorld War, 1939-1945 -- CryptographyWorld War, 1939-1945 -- Secret service -- Great BritainWorld War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, BritishCryptographers -- Great Britain -- BiographyCryptographers -- Great Britain -- Biography
BRN:
146837
Electronic access:
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Melbourne Library | -History | HISTORY 940.5486 MARK | On loan - Due: 14 Aug 2026 |