1 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: Diversion audio. A note this episode contains descriptions of violence 2 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: and torture that may be disturbing for some audiences. Please 3 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 1: take care in listening. This series is based on historical 4 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: characters and real events. Some dialogue has been imagined for 5 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: dramatic purposes when no primary source material is available. The 6 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: woman in the jail cell was proving to be a problem. 7 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: It was no and she arrived in San Juan de 8 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: las Avede Sauce the day before. She was discovered at 9 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: the train station with three strange men. When the Spanish 10 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: officer demanded to see their passports, none of them could 11 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: produce one. The woman was separated from the group and 12 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: thrown into a cold, isolated cell. The notes in her 13 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: arrest file only deep in the mystery of her identity. 14 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 1: Her Spanish was formal, her accent sounded French to their ears, 15 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: and her request singular, I want to speak to the 16 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: American consul in Barcelona. The response was also singular. Among 17 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: other notes in the woman's arrest report were her dirty 18 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: clothes and a general appearance that made it seem like 19 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: she hadn't slept or eaten well in days, and notably, 20 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: she couldn't move without displaying a bad limp. Whoever this 21 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: woman was, she certainly didn't belong in San Juan de 22 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: las Abadsas, a small mountain town in the far northeast 23 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: of Spain just over the border with France. With her 24 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: formal Spanish and slight French accent, the woman was obviously 25 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: not a Spanish citizen, so she was transferred to Miranda 26 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: del Abro prison, some forty miles away outside the town 27 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: of Pagaris, where her only comfort was a blanket as 28 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: dingy and tattered as her dress. Though they didn't know 29 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: it at the time, the Spanish Guard had managed to 30 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: achieve with the Nazis head not despite years of intensive searching, 31 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: they had captured Virginia Hall, a woman who would go 32 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: down in the annals of history as the greatest spy 33 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: of World War two. Virginia is unlike just about anybody 34 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: you've ever heard of good greed. She was really unstoppable. 35 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:56,119 Speaker 1: Every step of the way she was blocked, but every 36 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: step of the way she persevered. She had a dry 37 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: of inside of her that took her places that you 38 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: and I would not choose to go. I think she 39 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: understood that as a woman she could do things that 40 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: her male colleagues could not do. Yeah, she could fly 41 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: under the radar, and she knew that the Germans wanted 42 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: to hunt down the Limping Lady. Each time she went 43 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: back she was facing certain deaths. Being killed would be 44 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: the easy part, being tortured would be the hard part. 45 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: But for Virginia it was just such important work that 46 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: there was no way she was not going to do it. 47 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: As Virginia Hall sat in the corner of the small 48 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: Spanish prison cell, a thousand questions raced through her mind. 49 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: One question fought its way to the top. Would these 50 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: men turn her over to the Gestapo, the secret police 51 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: of Nazi Germany that had invaded and massacred so many thousands. 52 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: The Nazis were paying obscene prices for escaped French citizens 53 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: they considered the enemy, and they paid even more for spies. 54 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: There was one face she couldn't dispel from her thoughts, 55 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: that of Robert Alesh, the priest, with his leering glare 56 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: and cold smile, as he informed his superiors he had 57 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: done the impossible. He had finally apprehended the Limping Lady. 58 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: Although her desire to fight back at Robert Alesh burned 59 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: Virginia's thoughts soon bled into the horror stories she encountered 60 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: in Nazi occupied France in the weeks prior. She didn't 61 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: know if she'd be whisked away to one of the 62 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: concentration camps where she would suffer miserably alongside thousands of 63 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: other prisoners, or what a firing squad just execute her 64 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: at the prison wall and throw her body into the river, 65 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 1: as they done to so many of her compatriots. She'd 66 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 1: never been one to coward, but she had also never 67 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: been arrested. It was actually a great irony. Usually when 68 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 1: British or French spies found themselves in the custody of 69 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: the Gestapo, it had been Virginia who was tasked with 70 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,559 Speaker 1: breaking them free. But now she realized, being the best 71 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: by the service had to offer had his drawbacks, there 72 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: was no one else to break you out. Don't get comfortable, Signora, 73 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: I doubt you will be here alone. And as Virginia 74 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: Hall considered what she believed to be the end of 75 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: her journey as a spy, she thought back to the beginning. 76 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,839 Speaker 1: I'm Stephen Talty, an author and a journalist. I've written 77 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: a number of books about history, including Agent Garbo about 78 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 1: an eccentric World War Two double agent and the Good Assassin, 79 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: about the undercovers by mission to hunt down the Nazi 80 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: war criminal Herbert Zukers, the Butcher of Latvia. That was 81 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: the basis for season one of this podcast. You don't 82 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: need to have listened to season one to understand and 83 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: enjoy season two, but I would recommend listening. It's good so, 84 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 1: as you might guess, I'm a lover of all things espionage. 85 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 1: When I graduated from college, I even considered applying to 86 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: the CIA, but I became a newspaper journalist and then 87 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: an author, and instead I ended up writing about spies. 88 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: The world of spies intrigues me, the secret lives, the 89 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: dangerous missions, the thrilling exploits the idea of one man 90 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: or woman playing this invisible role in history. And that's 91 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: why I'm excited to bring you this season of Good Assassins. 92 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: This season, I want to tell you a story worry 93 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: about one of the most consequential spies in American history. 94 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: Her name was Virginia Hall, and for reasons we'll soon 95 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: get to, she was known to the Nazis as the 96 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: Limping Lady. Now it's difficult to express just how influential 97 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: Virginia was, the Nazis called her the most dangerous of 98 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: all Allied spies, from international spy to guerilla warfare leader. 99 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: Her story is a thrilling tale of a woman whose 100 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: efforts in the face of fascism, racism, sexism, and able 101 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: is um save thousands of lives. There's maybe no figure 102 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: of espionage in all of history like Virginia Hall. She 103 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: embodies a lot of what's amazing about fictional spies like 104 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: James Bond, or Ethan Hunt or Sydney Bristow if you 105 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: remember the TV show Alias. But unlike all those spies, 106 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: Virginia Hall is very real and she changed the course 107 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: of history. From diversion this is Good Assassin's Season two, 108 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: episode one, the greatest spy of World War Two. You know, 109 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,679 Speaker 1: if you're lucky, you might catch a tortoise at that pace. 110 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: I think you could be a little less enthusiastic about 111 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 1: shooting harmless animals, Virginia. You could be less enthusiastic about 112 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,199 Speaker 1: starving to death. Not long after she was born to 113 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: a well to do family in Baltimore, Maryland, in nineteen 114 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: o six, Virginia Hall fell in love with the idea 115 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: of travel. Her high school yearbook from her all girls 116 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: prep school, Roland Park Country School calls Virginia quote cantankerous 117 00:08:55,400 --> 00:09:01,560 Speaker 1: and capricious and the most original of her class. Do 118 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: you see it? Let's see it. I see that. It's 119 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: about five miles away. You really think you can hit that? 120 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:15,199 Speaker 1: Not if I had your attitude. Virginia's favorite studies consisted 121 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: mostly of learning other languages, and in her early twenties, 122 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: she flew to Europe, where she began working with the 123 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 1: American Embassy in Poland as a consular service clerk. Now 124 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: you have to remember this is the nineteen twenties and 125 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: an extpatriot woman traveling alone would have raised some eyebrows, 126 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,199 Speaker 1: but Virginia never gave much thought as to how she 127 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: would be perceived by others. By three, at age seven, 128 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,679 Speaker 1: Virginia still had a reputation for being a tomboy and 129 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 1: for her wit when she transferred to the consular office 130 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: in Smyrna, Turkey, where a December hunting trip with friends 131 00:09:55,320 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: would change her life forever. Well done, But you chased 132 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: it behind the fence, not to someone's promity. Well where 133 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: are you going? Maybe I got a wing Virginia. At 134 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,319 Speaker 1: this point in her life, Virginia had more confidence with 135 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: a gun than skill, and she was more interested in 136 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: impressing her friends than the actual sport of hunting. But 137 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:26,680 Speaker 1: as she climbed a wire fence in search of snipe 138 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: the small birds they were hunting, she tucked her shotgun 139 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 1: under her arm, slinging her right leg over the top. 140 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: Her left leg slipped, knee jutting upwards, burying it into 141 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 1: the Virginia fell back to the ground, now with what 142 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,560 Speaker 1: her friends referred to as a quote mangled mess where 143 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 1: her leg once was together. They quickly picked up Virginia 144 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: and brought her to the nearest hospital as she blacked 145 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: out from the pain. We didn't think. After hearing about 146 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: Virginia's injury, Dr Lauren Shepherd rushed to Smyrna from the 147 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: Istanbul American Hospital to help a fellow Yankee. Once there, 148 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: he inspected the infected and mangled limb. Well. Of course, 149 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 1: the nineties was before most antibiotics, and so if the 150 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:25,480 Speaker 1: wound got infected to begin with, it was it was 151 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: really hard to fight off that infection, and so wound 152 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: infections were a huge problem. That's Dr Justin Barr, chief 153 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: Resident in General Surgery at Duke University and the historian 154 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: of Medical military history. In the nineteen thirties, doctors could 155 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 1: try to stave off an infection with surgical debreedments or antiseptics, 156 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: but if those failed, there was only one course of action, amputation, 157 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: and as Dr Barr pointed out, depending on a close range, 158 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: high velocity hunting rifle, well, it's possible that it's issue 159 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 1: damage was just so severe that it was not salvageable, 160 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: regardless of whether got infected or not. And so when 161 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,040 Speaker 1: Virginia awoke in her hospital bed, she was greeted by 162 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:17,560 Speaker 1: the somber expression of Dr. Shepherd. Before Virginia could speak, 163 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: the doctor notified her of a grim reality. An amputation 164 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: had been performed while she'd been unconscious, and they'd removed 165 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 1: everything below her left knee. Virginia learns to live with 166 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: a new leg after the break m It's not a 167 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: particularly comftical procedure, as you might imagine patients around something 168 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,960 Speaker 1: that's Dr Justin Barrow again, presumably there in the hospital 169 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: for weeks, but it takes a while that stump to heal, 170 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: and then there's a lot of phantom limb pain, and 171 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: so it will be challenging the next few days. So 172 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: Virginia floating in and out of a nauseated and highly 173 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: medicated fog. Eventually, the doctors released her and she returned 174 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: to her family in Maryland to recuperate. There, she was 175 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:37,200 Speaker 1: outfitted with a prosthetic leg. Now the entire thing is 176 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: made of wood, miss Hall, so keep it sanded, keep 177 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: it away from extreme heat, because well I can imagine. 178 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 1: Now this model doesn't have a joint, so you won't 179 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: have the flexibility you're used to. And you'll wear this. 180 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 1: Here you over your stump before sliding the prosthetic on, 181 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: and then you'll hook the bottom of the leg to 182 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: this block here. Say, meet your new foot. See there's 183 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: a rubber soul, so won't wear out your shoes. You 184 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: twist like this, wa. It'll take you some getting used to. 185 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: I'd practice taking the entire thing on and off a 186 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: few times before you try walking. But you'll get the 187 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: hang of it. Don't look so glum, miss Hall. Everyone 188 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:43,560 Speaker 1: gets used to it. Eventually. It took months before Virginia's 189 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: confidence returned. Slowly, she found her way back into public circles, 190 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: making friendly conversation with old friends, but they only wanted 191 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: to talk about her now missing limb and it's fascinating 192 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:03,000 Speaker 1: a mechanical replacement, leaving Virginia hungry for more adventure. Virginia 193 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: trained on her new leg daily, doing her best to 194 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: hide the limp that came with her injury. After she 195 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: felt like she could move almost as well as her 196 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: past self, she wrote to the State Department, requesting posts 197 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: in either Spain, Estonia, or Peru. Instead, Virginia was offered 198 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,280 Speaker 1: a position at the U. S Consulate in Venice, Italy, 199 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 1: and by December of n she was back at work. 200 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 1: Stationed in Venice, she was twenty nine and quickly became 201 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: consumed with the clerical tasks that filled her days. She 202 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: was at the start considered a glorified secretary, or what 203 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: many would refer to now as an intern, but her 204 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 1: pension for detail eventually caught the eye of Consul General 205 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 1: Martin Stewart. Steward began to assign Virginia jobs that were 206 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: usually given to foreign service officers, and Virginia's knowledge of 207 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: the European geopolitical lands cape grew along with her duties. 208 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 1: The year's nineteen thirty three and nineteen thirty four, when 209 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,480 Speaker 1: Virginia was first working in Turkey and then Italy were 210 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 1: pivotal in the rise of Adolph Hitler and his Nazi Party. 211 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: Hitler had risen through the German government's ranks over the 212 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: previous decade. He leveraged a bunch of cultural and economic 213 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:29,600 Speaker 1: factors affecting nineteen twenties and thirties Germany. As his appetite 214 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 1: for power steadily grew, he emboldened his followers with cenophobic 215 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,680 Speaker 1: hate speech and violent nationalism, targeting a number of races 216 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 1: and religions, but most specifically Jews. In nineteen thirty three, 217 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: Hitler was appointed Chancellor, and when the following year the 218 00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: German president died, Hitler abolished the presidency altogether and became 219 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: the absolute dictator of Germany, declaring himself purer definitely. In 220 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 1: these years, France, Great Britain, and the United States claimed 221 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:33,359 Speaker 1: that Hitler was nothing more than a nuisance, turning a 222 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,160 Speaker 1: blind eye to his vicious treatment of Jewish people as 223 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,880 Speaker 1: long as their nations were unaffected. Virginia Hall didn't see 224 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:45,479 Speaker 1: the severity in Hitler's hate speech and new laws and 225 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: how they could slowly poison the continent at first, she 226 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: did her best to ignore the uprising, the shifts in 227 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: culture and politics, and the business of Panic statesman making 228 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:01,639 Speaker 1: hurried compromises, but eventually even her own mother beget to 229 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: write Virginia from America with concerns, Dear Virginia, there has 230 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: been much talk on the radio here that bounds of 231 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 1: immigrants are vacating Europe for the States. Some are socialists 232 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:29,880 Speaker 1: and others simply feel they've offended the Nazis and might 233 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: simply be prosecuted for it in the not too distant future. 234 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:41,119 Speaker 1: They don't feel safe remaining on the continent. What a 235 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: grave injustice it is to force someone from their homes 236 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:52,639 Speaker 1: merely because of their beliefs. And despite news items like this, 237 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 1: many Americans still view Hitler as a man with a 238 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: comical mustache who really doesn't hold a position of political power. 239 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: Now stationed in Venice, Virginia had become suspicious of Italy's 240 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 1: stake in the war. Prime Minister of Italy Benito Mussolini, 241 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 1: had set his sites and invading and occupying the East 242 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 1: African nation of Ethiopia, with hopes that conquering it would 243 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:27,400 Speaker 1: bring a boon to Italy's failing economy. And to national pride. 244 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: By six Mussolini had accomplished these goals, and Virginia began 245 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: to speak out against fascism at the consulate in Venice. 246 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 1: As you might expect, this attracted attention. Hoping to stop 247 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:47,600 Speaker 1: Virginia from making waves in a politically tumultuous country, one 248 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 1: of her superiors wrote up a report on her progress. 249 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:59,159 Speaker 1: Virginia Hall is a clerk of unbounded ambition, lack of 250 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 1: appreciation of her own limitations, and the most praiseworthy determination. 251 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: She also lacks common sense and good judgment. She overcomes 252 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: her physical disability and keeps up her spirits admirably. However, 253 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: she is not good material for a career service because 254 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: she lacks judgment, background, good sense, and discriminatory powers. She 255 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:32,960 Speaker 1: also talks too much and frankly out of turn. Her 256 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: clerking is satisfactory at best. You have to wonder whether 257 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 1: this guy would have had the same criticism for a 258 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:46,640 Speaker 1: male subordinate with the same quote ambition. When the time 259 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 1: came from Virginia to test for the Foreign Service, she 260 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: worried the negative report would be used against her. The 261 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: examinations were twofold, one written in one oral. If she passed, 262 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: Virginia would be granted more influence and latitude to operate internationally. 263 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 1: She would be a part of major decisions regarding expats 264 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: and government officials, and she would finally have more influence 265 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:16,679 Speaker 1: than her previous position as a glorified lackey. Virginia had 266 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: taken the exams twice before in her early twenties, and 267 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 1: twice before she failed, but now she was a woman 268 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,440 Speaker 1: with more experience, more knowledge, more savvaty, which made the 269 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 1: letter that appeared on her desk in all the more heartbreaking. 270 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 1: Regulation governing physical examinations to the Foreign Services prescribed that 271 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:48,440 Speaker 1: amputation of any portion of a limb, except fingers and toes, 272 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: is a cause for rejection, and it would not be 273 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 1: possible for Miss Hall to qualify for entry into the 274 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: service under these regulations. Virginia suspected that her disability was 275 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 1: not the major factor in her rejection, noting that of 276 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: the nearly fift career Foreign Service officers, they claimed only 277 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: six female operatives. She stayed in Venice for another year, 278 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: making several appeals, all rejected. Finally, in nine she resigned 279 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: from consul work and moved to Paris, France, which she 280 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: planned to mend her wounded pride. But the Paris that 281 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,680 Speaker 1: Virginia now called home wasn't the romantic city of legend. 282 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: It had become a powder keg of anti Semitism, spurred 283 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: on by the sudden appearance of Jewish refugees from Germany, 284 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: Austria and Czechoslovakia who escaped their home countries after the 285 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 1: horrific Crystal Knocked in November. Crystal Knocked or the Night 286 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: of Broken Glass, was a radical turning point for Europe. 287 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,840 Speaker 1: Two days after seventeen year old Herschel grin Spawn, a 288 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: German born Jew, assassinated German diplomat Ernst bron Rod in Paris. 289 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:13,159 Speaker 1: The Nazis used this as an excuse to launch a 290 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 1: full fledged assault on Jewish citizens across Germany. They left 291 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 1: the sea of blood and bodies in their wake. Here's 292 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: Herman's Erring and Lora Oppenheimer, former co presidents of the 293 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 1: Society of the Survivors of the Riga Ghetto, reflecting on 294 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:36,640 Speaker 1: their experiences of that horrific night. At the time there 295 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: we were in our house. We had a curfew. We 296 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: were not allowed to go out after certain times, after 297 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: nine o'clock, I believe and then the s a storm 298 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: toopers that they booke all the Jewish stores, lovely glass. 299 00:23:55,200 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: They took everything out they could. They start making fires 300 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,920 Speaker 1: in the synagogues. Not only were the stores all destroyed, 301 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: in the apartments of paintings and pictures, they just demolished everything, everything, everything, 302 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:13,360 Speaker 1: the pictures were cut, I mean everything. They just whatever 303 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 1: Jew owned was just. Business was closed. After that, nobody 304 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:23,800 Speaker 1: was allowed to do any more business. More on Crystal 305 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: Knocks and how it led to the Holocaust. When we 306 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: come back from the break, the doctor unt again. Over 307 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 1: the next two horrible days in late Jews were the 308 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: targets of an unprecedented attack throughout Germany, the program known 309 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,720 Speaker 1: as Crystal Knock or the Night of Broken Glass. So 310 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,639 Speaker 1: nearly a hundred Jewish bodies mutilate in the streets, and 311 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: thousands of Jewish homes and approximately businesses, hospitals, and places 312 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: of worship vandalized and destroyed. More than thirty thousand men, 313 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,399 Speaker 1: women and children were rounded up and shipped off to 314 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 1: concentration camps. Nas Team Approud brought to Britain two hundred 315 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:27,440 Speaker 1: Jewish children refugees from Germany. Many of these children all 316 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:32,639 Speaker 1: others have parisfit and concentration camps in Germany. The parts 317 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,919 Speaker 1: of the German cities that once housed vibrant and healthy 318 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:40,800 Speaker 1: Jewish communities were rendered ghost towns. As any survivors quickly 319 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,160 Speaker 1: made their way into France. So at last the one 320 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:50,840 Speaker 1: rust find rest in Lens, which cherished freedom. But after arriving, 321 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: the immigrating Jews weren't met with a welcoming party. The French, 322 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: who were Germany's enemies in World War One two decades earlier, 323 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: refused to see a distinction between the German Jews and Nazis. 324 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 1: To them, they were all Germans, and Germans were enemies. 325 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:13,880 Speaker 1: Several months after Crystal Knock, Virginia sent a postcard home, 326 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:21,160 Speaker 1: and so the catastrophe has come. I can't begin to 327 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: express the horror I feel at this useless slaughter being 328 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: embarked upon, caused by the usual enemies of the civilized world. 329 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:37,520 Speaker 1: Everything here is quiet. I am staying love to all Virginia. 330 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:42,719 Speaker 1: That's Brad Katling, Virginia's great nephew. Brad is currently working 331 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:45,680 Speaker 1: on a photo book about his great aunt's life and work, 332 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 1: and in the course of his research, he came across 333 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:53,880 Speaker 1: the postcard to Brad this note stands out. I think 334 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:59,120 Speaker 1: that it was really Virginia's first commitment to obviously staying 335 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:04,080 Speaker 1: in your during the course for the war, and by 336 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 1: recognizing how violent the usual enemies of the civilized world were, 337 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 1: She's really committing herself, you know, her life, to participating somehow. 338 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 1: She doesn't know how yet. These are today's main events. 339 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: Germany has invaded Poland and has bummed many times general mobilization. 340 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:35,760 Speaker 1: The following year, on September one, Hitler would launch World 341 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: War two with an attack on Poland. France and Great Britain, 342 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 1: which had mostly ignored Hitler's conquests up to that point 343 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: of Austria and Czecho Slovakia had effectively entered the war 344 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 1: with a promised to defend Poland from invasion. With that, 345 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: Virginia Hall found herself without Steady employed him in a 346 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:05,560 Speaker 1: hostile country, an American woman with European sentiments who pitied 347 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 1: the Jews and was forced to navigate French hostility. But 348 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 1: Virginia wasn't alone. She met other like minded progressives, including 349 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,919 Speaker 1: her best friend and neighbor Claire de Latour, who spurned 350 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 1: the war due to letters from her brother Jean Paul, 351 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: a soldier fighting on the imagine No line. The Imagineo 352 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 1: was a line of defense against the advancing German forces 353 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 1: created by the French and the Belgian and Swiss borders, 354 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 1: and it was considered France's impenetrable defense system. Virginia spoke 355 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:42,280 Speaker 1: fluent French, but we've asked our actor to speak English 356 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: with a French accent to imply the language they conversed 357 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 1: in says a German's fights backwards, and we have nothing 358 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 1: to be afraid of, Claire. They have been winning, or 359 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: they have not been winning, Virginia. They been attacking countries 360 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:05,680 Speaker 1: with no defenses, no armies. That is not winning, That 361 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: is bullying. They are gaining territory. I'm not general, but 362 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 1: I'm smart enough to know that's how you win was 363 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 1: That's how you killed the morale of your enemy. So 364 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: these victories are something we should think seriously. Don't you think? 365 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 1: I do think it seriously. You don't need to preach 366 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,040 Speaker 1: to me. Of you Americans will be the last foot 367 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 1: in the water. What do you plan to do, Virginia 368 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 1: with all your concern are you going to just talk 369 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 1: in circles and worry or are you going to step up. 370 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:42,520 Speaker 1: She didn't know it at the time, but her friend 371 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,920 Speaker 1: Claire had successfully lit a fire in Virginia's belly. Virginia 372 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 1: had every intention of stepping up and getting her hands dirty. 373 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 1: Coming up on this season of good Assassins, a devious 374 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: and double crossing Nazi priest, elaborate dental work and disguises, 375 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: and a dangerous trek across a mountain range to escape 376 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: the most terrifying villains in world history. We'll bring you 377 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:14,280 Speaker 1: daring sabotage plots that change the entire course of World 378 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: War Two, all led by a woman the Nazis were 379 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: determined to track down and exterminate. It's a season a 380 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: thrilling espionage and brutal war stories as we follow Virginia 381 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 1: Hall's ascent from clerk to international spy to guerrilla war leader. 382 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: One thing is for sure, you've never heard a story 383 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: like this. Listen to episode two right now. Sometimes they're 384 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,320 Speaker 1: actively getting shot at by the Germans, and so you're 385 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: dodging artilleries shelves yourself. And within just a few days, 386 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: the Germans have actually pierced through a natural barrier the 387 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:58,200 Speaker 1: forests of the Auden region, which no one was defending 388 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: you're going to London. Yes, I could use a breather 389 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 1: in a place where the airs and stiff. I have 390 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: encountered a most interesting prospect, a woman whom I believe 391 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: could make a valuable asset. If you have any questions 392 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: for us about Good Assassins, if you're curious about some 393 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 1: aspect of Virginia Hall story, or have any comments on 394 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,560 Speaker 1: the podcast, we'd love to hear from you. Please email 395 00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: us at Good Assassins at diversion audio dot com. Make 396 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: sure you spell assassins correctly. Again, that's Good Assassins at 397 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: Diversion Audio dot com. We'll try to answer your questions 398 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: on a future episode. Find us on Twitter, Facebook and 399 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:59,000 Speaker 1: Instagram at Diversion Pods. Good Assassins is a production of 400 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:04,000 Speaker 1: Diversion Audio in association with iHeart Podcasts. This season is 401 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 1: hosted by Steven Talti and written by C. D. Carpenter, 402 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 1: Produced and directed by Kevin Thompson for Real Jet Packs Productions. 403 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 1: Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman, 404 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:23,000 Speaker 1: additional research and reporting by Sophie McNulty. Theme music by 405 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: Tyler Cash featuring the voices of michaela Is Caerdo, Raphael 406 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:32,120 Speaker 1: cork Kill, Lenna Klingeman, John pier Case, Andrew polk or Lock, 407 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:37,560 Speaker 1: Cassidy Manoel Falciano, Sean Gormley, Matthew Amant and Steve Raupman. 408 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: Sound design, mixing and mastering by Paul Goodrich. Sound editing 409 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: by Justin Kilpatrick. Executive producers Jacob Bronstein, Mark Francis and 410 00:32:48,800 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 1: Scott Waxman for Diversion Audio SI Diversion Audio