THE IRREGULARS: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington
Jennet Conant
Simon & Schuster, $34.99, hbk
Review by Clarke Isaacs
Most readers probably will recall Roald Dahl as the author of acclaimed children's books such as James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In 2007, 10 million copies of his books sold in the United States and abroad.
It was as a young man that Dahl cut a swath through Washington society, rubbing shoulders not only with rich American notabilities but also with the highest-ranking politicians such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with whose wife he had a strong friendship.
At the outbreak of World War 2, Dahl was a RAF fighter pilot who racked up his share of kills.
But after suffering severe injuries caused by a crash landing, the gallant pilot was discharged as unfit.
This highly readable book - replete with tittle-tattle and details usually considered inconsequential in solid history tomes - goes on to trace the remarkable exploits of the personable, strikingly handsome airman.
Dahl, as an assistant air attache possessing the aura of a war hero, from 1942 insinuated himself in the upper echelons of Washington's movers and shakers.
He had been assigned to the BSC (British Security Co-ordination) in America as an agent or, rather, benevolent spy, in an organisation with its headquarters in the Rockefeller Centre, New York, which achieved what it set out to do, push America to significant intervention in the war and so secure the defeat of Germany.
It was the task of the BSC, by marshalling propaganda forces and enlisting the help of leading sympathetic media figures, to aid Roosevelt in his efforts to support the British cause and also to harry American isolationists.
The dashing Dahl was considered a natural choice as an agent. He had a talent for asking questions without appearing overly inquisitive. A bon viveur, his sexual conquests were numerous.
The Irregulars is a meticulously researched, rich and rewarding account of a fascinating slice of World War 2 history that, in the whole scheme of things, might not have been too greatly important but certainly helped in the push to victory over the Nazis.
It is fascinating to learn how Dahl, a young man, not only rubbed shoulders with rich and powerful Americans but became close friends with some of them.
The book contains 26 black-and-white photographs.
- Clarke Isaacs is a former chief of staff of the Otago Daily Times.
