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

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.)