1 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: So it's no secret that here on Ridiculous History we 2 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: often explore the stories of con artists, people who make 3 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: their way through the world via subterfuge and deception. We 4 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: often talk about this uh in in uh in a 5 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: villainous sense. We talked about malicious con artists, you know, liars, fraudsters, 6 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: things of that nature. But today we're talking about a 7 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: good sort of con, a con for the greater benefit 8 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: of humanity. We're talking about one of the most well 9 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:07,759 Speaker 1: known and most successful spies of World War Two. Also, 10 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: I'm Ben Ben. You are Ben, If that's your real name, 11 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 1: I have many names. My name is Noel with the 12 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: one and only Noel Well, I'm gonna go by Noel 13 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: the fire Starter Brown today in honor of Keith Flint r. 14 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: I p. Keith Flint the Twisted fire Starter. And that 15 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: is Casey. That's our super producer, Casey Pegro. That's the one. 16 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: A little short aside my first concert ever Tabernacle Atlanta, 17 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: Georgia Prodigy with Meat Beat Manifesto as the opener. How 18 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: was How was the show? It was great? You know, 19 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: you never really know what to expect from like an 20 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: electronic show. Sometimes it's just dude standing behind a laptop. 21 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: But they really really put everything into that performance. They 22 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: had the dancers, which which was Keith's primary role, and uh, 23 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,279 Speaker 1: there was like a pit and it was really intense, 24 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: and it was a little scary as like a fourteen 25 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: year old or whatever. Oh man, I bet you were 26 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: almost afraid you were gonna get like steamrolled. Yeah, exactly. 27 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: Then there were a lot of big dudes there. Well 28 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: that's the thing too with with Keith and the Prodigy, 29 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: and like his vocals were almost more like punk rocks, 30 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: shouty kind of stuff, and that was the time in 31 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: the nineties where techno there was a pit. It was 32 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: almost more of like a punk rock aesthetic where if 33 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: you know the iconic fire Starter video where he's kind 34 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: of like mugging into the camera and he's all pierced up, 35 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: and it was like, we've never seen a dude like 36 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 1: that in the States at that point, short of like 37 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: the sex Pistols or something like that. And so he's 38 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: a very iconic looking guy, and his vocal style was 39 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: absolutely copied and even parodied because it became such an 40 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: iconic part of like the sound of like nineties electronic 41 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: It was percussive, almost until like his vocals were in 42 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: almost an instrument of punctuation and percussion. Speaking of iconic. 43 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: Before we get today's show, we do have an announcement 44 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: that will make uh, well, we'll make rough sense, but 45 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: we'll make even more sense if you are a member 46 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: of our community page Ridiculous Historians. So in a previous episode, folks, 47 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: Nolan I had kicked around the the idea of a 48 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: T shirt with Casey's face on it, and Casey will, uh, 49 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: you know, we're we're all actually friends even when we're 50 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: not on the air. So we asked Casey if it 51 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 1: was cool with it, and we got a hard man. Man. 52 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: It was a hard man. It was a hard man. 53 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: And uh, now we have an announcement. We had taken 54 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: a break earlier today and Casey, you you said that 55 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: you would be comfortable with us having having a photo 56 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: of you on a T shirt, but only a very 57 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: particular kind of photo. Now, I don't know if we 58 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: should spoil the surprise just yet, but but tune in 59 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: later because we have we have something very special coming 60 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: up for all our fans of Casey on the Case. Yeah, 61 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: we can just say that we're going to tie up 62 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: a loosen from earlier in the show's history. If you've 63 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: been listening for a while, Uh, there were certain things 64 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: that are promised earli early on and that will maybe 65 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: come to fruition now. I love it. I love how 66 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: this This feels like subterfuge. It feels like we're talking 67 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: in spycraft, right, it really does, Ben And way to 68 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 1: bring it back around at the actual topic of today's show, 69 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: a well, which you set up a very famous gentleman 70 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,160 Speaker 1: who wasn't at the time famous for much of anything. 71 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: He was kind of waffling in his life, in his career, 72 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: in his prospects. I think he ran kind of a 73 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 1: third rate motel in Spain. A man whose last name 74 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: you may know, uh, pougeol One, poujol Garcia. Yeah, born 75 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 1: in nineteen twelve on Valentine's Day. Fun fact, he was 76 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: one of those people who's sort of like a compass 77 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: swinging and searching for true north. As you said, no, 78 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: he ran a ran a motel. I believe he ran 79 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: in a movie theater as well. For a while, it 80 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: was going job to job. Um. He didn't feel like 81 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: the academy or higher education was his particular bag of beings. 82 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: But he lived in Spain and in n one he 83 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:24,359 Speaker 1: did his six months of compulsory military service in Spain. Uh. 84 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: And he hated working for the military, which would come 85 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: in handy later. Uh. He hated everything about it. He 86 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 1: specifically said, did you see this quote? He specifically said 87 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: that he lacked the essential qualities of loyalty, generosity, and 88 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: honor necessary to be a good member of the military. Yeah, 89 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: but something that he did have in spades was a 90 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,720 Speaker 1: vibrant imagination and an ability to kind of almost just 91 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: sink into the background and be simultaneously able to convince 92 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 1: people of things and also be completely a non quous 93 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: and unnoticed. Just a super important skill to have if 94 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: you are to be a spy. Let alone, what Peugal 95 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: became just one of the most famous double agents in 96 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: the history of military affairs? Right right? But how how 97 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: did this guy who was a relatively unhappy manager of 98 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: things and a relatively dissatisfied member of society, how did 99 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: he move from mediocrity to excellence? Also, I want to say, 100 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,160 Speaker 1: did we mention I think we mentioned this earlier on 101 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: the show in a previous episode. You hit on the 102 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: crucial definition of an effective spynal. An effective spy is 103 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 1: not James Bond. In fact, if you think about it, 104 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: James Bond is a terrible, terrible, terrible spy. He's drunk 105 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: all the time, he uses his real name. He is 106 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: super flashy, you know what I mean. A real A 107 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: real spy is the guy who's in the corner or 108 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,280 Speaker 1: the ladies in the corner, like ten ms away from 109 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: James Bond taking notes. You know, this guy was not 110 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: James Bond. This guy was not James Bond. And let's 111 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: look at how he became so successful. Let's go back 112 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: to the nineteen thirties. In ninety six, the Spanish Civil 113 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 1: War begins. He is managing a poultry farm. His sister's 114 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: fiance is captured by the Republican forces and then his 115 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: sister and his mother are arrested, their charged with being 116 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: counter revolutionaries, and he gets called up for service on 117 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: the Republican side of the war. But because the Republican 118 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: government treated his family so poorly, he says, I'm going 119 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,119 Speaker 1: to skip out, and he hides at his girlfriend's house 120 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: and then he's discovered and the police raid. He goes 121 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: to jail for a week. He's freed via a resistance group, 122 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: and then he hides with them until he can make 123 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: some false I D s really that show him to 124 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: be too old to be in the army. And so 125 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: he goes back to managing another poultry farm, but this 126 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 1: one's under control of the Republican government, and the inefficiency 127 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: of the farm and the inefficiency of the government, according 128 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: to his life story, makes him hate Communism even more 129 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 1: than you already hated it, that's right. Uh. And then 130 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: he ends up in said third rate motel in Madrid, 131 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: which was ever so ironically named the Majestic Fantastic Mental 132 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 1: philoss article goes through some of this history of this 133 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: fascinating man um. So he hates Communism at this point, 134 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: he is not living his best life. He is depressed. 135 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: He is just kind of you know, Spain is just 136 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,319 Speaker 1: crumbling around him with the civil war, uh that they 137 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: were doing. They were going so far as to like 138 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: turning bull rings into um theaters, I guess for like 139 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: public executions. It was not a happy place to be. 140 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 1: So he's already learned to kind of keep his head 141 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: down and blend into the background and be as onoxious 142 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: as possible as not to you know, catch a bullet 143 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: because he also he doesn't sympathize with either either side 144 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 1: of this conflict. He hates the communists and he also 145 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: hates the fascists right because he rejoined that Republican side 146 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:16,959 Speaker 1: using these false papers and he intended to get out 147 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: of the area they controlled to Dessert and he deserts 148 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: to the nationalist side of the conflict, and then they 149 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: treat him like garbage too, So he says, you know what, 150 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: I hate it. I hate the communist, I hate the fascist. 151 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: And then he is learning increasingly to try to keep 152 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: his head down. So through his post at this hotel 153 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 1: and through the just the ramshackled nature of Spain during 154 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: the Civil War, he ends up becoming kind of successful 155 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: at helping people procure things. He meets too pro Franco 156 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,679 Speaker 1: princesses who are aging and they really want to get 157 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: their hands on some scotch. So he decided, okay, I'm 158 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: going to smuggle in some scotch from over the border 159 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: in Portugal, and he's able to get papers. He doesn't 160 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: have a passport at the time, um and does this 161 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: job for these princesses and that gives him the papers 162 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: that he needs to then leave the country. So he 163 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: leaves the country, but there's terrible timing involved, because just 164 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: a few weeks earlier, in September of nineteen thirty nine, 165 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: England had declared war on Germany and German forces led 166 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 1: by Adolf Hitler. We're starting to eat up Europe. The 167 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 1: word about the concentration camps had had leaked to the public, 168 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: and Peujole found himself trapped. He found himself trapped, and 169 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: he found himself incensed, livid. He wrote about this later 170 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:56,680 Speaker 1: in a book called Operation Garbo, which came out in 171 00:10:57,760 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: and we have a quote, yeah, and this is from 172 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: that mental flow, this article that we highly recommend you 173 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,559 Speaker 1: checking out. He says, my humanist convictions would not allow 174 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: me to turn a blind dive of the enormous suffering 175 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: that was being unleashed by this psychopath Hitler, and he 176 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: um decided he wanted to do something about it. This 177 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 1: is so, this is so great because he had limited 178 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: military training, he wasn't very good at it, and he 179 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: hated he hated it. He basically defected and then now 180 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: he's like running booze for aged you know, princesses Um, 181 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: And all of a sudden he like he hears his calling. Yeah, 182 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: his his compass that was swinging wildly finds its true north. 183 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,080 Speaker 1: And this is the part that always cracks me up. 184 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: In January of n he was he strolls into the 185 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: British embassy, he moses in and he's he says, hey, um, 186 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:49,439 Speaker 1: do you guys do you guys want to like a 187 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:52,040 Speaker 1: do you want like a spy or something like? You know, 188 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: I I'm interested in contributing to the effort, but I 189 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,319 Speaker 1: don't think the military is for me. And then they 190 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: say you can't just walk in here and say make 191 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: me a spy. What are your qualifications? Do you know 192 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:09,199 Speaker 1: anything about spying? Do you hold an important government position? 193 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: Can't you do anything? What do you bring to the 194 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 1: table other than your desire to be sneaking? Yeah. The 195 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: Brits aren't exactly known for their like willingness to just 196 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: kind of like riff and just go with it and 197 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 1: roll with it right now. They want some They want 198 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 1: some bona fides from this guy. They want to be 199 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:27,440 Speaker 1: able to vet him and prove that he actually is 200 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: what he says he is and can do what he 201 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: says he can do. So they send him a pack 202 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: in so He's like, okay, okay, I know what my 203 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,079 Speaker 1: end game has. My end game is to help out 204 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 1: the Brits. But they don't need me right now because 205 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: I am nothing to them. What what am I? So 206 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: he decides to do the most insane thing, the most 207 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: insane turn about. I am going to make myself indispensable 208 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: and an asset to the Germans, the enemy of my friend, 209 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 1: or my perceived friend, the folks who I want to 210 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: be aligned with. So he goes to the Germans. They 211 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 1: are a little bit more willing to kind of like 212 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:06,079 Speaker 1: take what they can get and installed various spies of 213 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: various pedigrees, and so they more or less take him 214 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: at his word. And what's his cover story? Ben Oh? 215 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: So he he literally calls the German embassy and his 216 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 1: cover story is a list of absolute bs. He is 217 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: winging it, he's improvising, you know, I love good improvisation. 218 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:45,359 Speaker 1: And he meets a guy with a code name Federico. 219 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: So he meets this guy and this is total, this 220 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: is total, straight out of the movies kind of spy stuff. Right, 221 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: He's told this, there will be this guy Federico in 222 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: a light suit holding a raincoat in the back of 223 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: a cafe. This guy's trained to spot frauds, and Brujole says, 224 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,439 Speaker 1: first off, let me tell you this, and he starts 225 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: talking about how much he loves Hitler. He's very, very 226 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: pro Nazi, he loves their whole thing. And then he 227 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:19,880 Speaker 1: starts saying that he is friends with a ton of diplomats, 228 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: a ton of v I p s, very influential people. 229 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,720 Speaker 1: This impresses his contact that he meets and he gets 230 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: his callback, as you would phrase it in the world 231 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: of auditions. He gets his he gets his call back. 232 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: But there's one problem with these diplomats, isn't there No, 233 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: they're all bogus. That's true. They're not real, and neither 234 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: are the reports that he is giving them what he 235 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: refers to as chicken feed, little bits and bob's of 236 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: military supposed military intelligence, like the movement of troops and 237 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: battalions throughout England, et cetera. And he cobbles together these 238 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: facts that I guess he did. He make them up 239 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 1: off the top of his head. Yeah, but he makes 240 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: them up so they sound so convincing that even the 241 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 1: Brits start thinking they have a mole because someone is 242 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: like leaking this uh, even though they're vague and not real. 243 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: How how did he do that? Man? I'm I'm a 244 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: little kind I'm a little foggy on how this happened, 245 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: because apparently the Brits caught wind of some of this 246 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: intelligence that was being leaked to the Germans, and they're like, whoa, whoa, 247 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 1: We've got to put a cap on this league that 248 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 1: we have, right, Okay, So here's how it happens. The 249 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: contact that he meets says, look, we we don't need 250 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 1: any more Nazi spice in Spain. We need someone to 251 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 1: go abroad. And the guys like, cool, I've got a passport, 252 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: he says, go to Lisbon, get an exit visa. And 253 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: he goes to Lisbon. Looks like a dead end, looks 254 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 1: like he can't get the document he needs a diplomatic visa. 255 00:15:55,200 --> 00:16:00,240 Speaker 1: But he befriends a guy in Portugal who is is 256 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: able to help him get this visa. Well, he steals 257 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: the visa essentially by help him get the visa. He 258 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: befriends the guy and steals it, and then he forges 259 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: this document. He comes back to Spain, he shows he 260 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: shows his contact Federico, and the guy is impressed. So 261 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: he says, all right, I'll give you this stuff you need. 262 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: I'll give you invisible ink. Let'll give you the codes 263 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:29,120 Speaker 1: we use. Here's three grand and here's your code name, Arabelle. 264 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,520 Speaker 1: So ben I was looking desperately. I'm like, surely he 265 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: had some real intel that he was using to, you know, 266 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: make these reports that he was delivering to the Germans 267 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: seem more believable. But no, it just turns out he 268 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: was just so good at crafting what sounded like realistic 269 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 1: intel that even the Brits were concerned that they had 270 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: somebody funneling information to the Germans. And there's an amazing 271 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: interview with author Stephen Talti, who wrote a book entitled 272 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 1: Agent Garbo, The Brilliant, eccentric secret Agent who Rick Hitler 273 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 1: and Save D Day, and he describes the British response 274 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: to what they perceived as a very real threat in 275 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,120 Speaker 1: terms of information being funneled to the Germans. He says 276 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: the British were terrified. They were like, someone has sneaked 277 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:15,399 Speaker 1: past our lines and someone is in the heart of 278 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,239 Speaker 1: the beast reporting on us. Because Pugel's reports were so 279 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:21,760 Speaker 1: believable even to the people in the country that he 280 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: was supposed to be spying on. Yeah. Yeah, there's a 281 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 1: great article in big think dot com about this story 282 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: as well. The article is Juan pougeol Garcia, the w 283 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: W two double agent who secretly controlled the war. I 284 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: know it sounds like a hyperbolic claim, but here's here's 285 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:43,479 Speaker 1: what happened. He did fool everybody. He said, okay, I 286 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: will go to London. So his German spymasters think he 287 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: is in London. But as as we mentioned, he has 288 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: never been to London. He doesn't speak English, and he 289 00:17:55,840 --> 00:18:00,639 Speaker 1: just starts making stuff up using a tour guide, using 290 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: publicly available information from newsreels, and then he also starts 291 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: making a spy network in London. Again, he's still in Portugal. 292 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:14,200 Speaker 1: He's making a spy network in London with people who 293 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:19,119 Speaker 1: do not exist. And these reports sound so realistic that 294 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: they fool the British. They fool the British intelligence services, 295 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: and the British launch a man hunt to find this 296 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 1: mysterious Arabelle. Yeah, they've given him this name the Germans. 297 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: Germans answered Prairie and what a wiley fox this this was? Now, 298 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 1: he he didn't get everything right. The reports weren't perfect. 299 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: But at the time the British were panicking because they 300 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 1: were supposed to be no Axis spies in Britain. And 301 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,879 Speaker 1: there was one huge trick that made the British believe 302 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,920 Speaker 1: in his value as a spy. He invented an entirely 303 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 1: fictional armada of British armada in Malta, and based on 304 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,360 Speaker 1: the reports of this again fictitious armada, the Axis powers 305 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:16,120 Speaker 1: spent a ton of time and money trying to find them. 306 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: They responded in full force. They got there. There was 307 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 1: nothing there, of course, and they continued to still trust 308 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: his information. So finally, finally, finally, finally, in ninety two, 309 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: based primarily on that story of the armada, he was 310 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:36,119 Speaker 1: able to convince the British to hire him. Do you 311 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 1: think he was like, Hey, remember me, I'm back. I've 312 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,199 Speaker 1: got something for you that I think he'll make you 313 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,439 Speaker 1: want me. Please want me? The British, Um, No, but 314 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:48,440 Speaker 1: he They do want him, Boy, do they ever want him? 315 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 1: He is the Not only is he the Germans answered prayers, 316 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:53,119 Speaker 1: he's actually their worst nightmare. It turns out he is 317 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 1: the British is answered prayers. Um. And he is handed 318 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:01,160 Speaker 1: over to the Security Service for handling. Let's say, Um, 319 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: there he is. He's assigned an officer by the name 320 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: of Tama or Tommy Harris, who speaks Spanish. Because again 321 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 1: this is mind blowing to me. He doesn't speak English, 322 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,680 Speaker 1: you know, he does not speak English. Um. And then 323 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:17,719 Speaker 1: what followed was a partnership between the two men, um, 324 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,160 Speaker 1: who were very well matched. Um. And there's a really 325 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:24,199 Speaker 1: great article on the history of m I five m 326 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: I five dot gov dot UK slash Agent Garbos, the whole, 327 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,920 Speaker 1: the whole deal there, um. And they really complimented each other, 328 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 1: and they had this give and take relationship that allowed 329 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 1: them to be synergistically effective. I mean, really, really an 330 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 1: incredible pairing of these two guys. Yeah. Absolutely, And it's 331 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: strange to look back, with the benefit of all this 332 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: stuff being declassified later and see just how extraordinarily ambitious 333 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: and ballsy this stuff was. He eventually he invented twenty 334 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:02,520 Speaker 1: seven fictional sub agents, and he would assign various reports 335 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: to these people, so it would rarely be him finding 336 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: out something directly, would rarely be Arabel. Arabel became a 337 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: spy master as far as the Nazis were concerned, but 338 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,119 Speaker 1: his reports were We're mixed up in a very clever way. 339 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,920 Speaker 1: Sometimes it would be stuff that was true but didn't 340 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,200 Speaker 1: matter at all, you know what I mean, like oh, 341 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:26,920 Speaker 1: the um they're paving some road in London or whatever. 342 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: Sometimes it would be incredibly false stuff, right, something is wrong, 343 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: or it's in a different location, or the numbers are different. 344 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,920 Speaker 1: Sometimes it would be real stuff that was very valuable, 345 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: and that stuff just never made it to Germany on time, 346 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: and say like oh okay, a two week old report 347 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 1: says in a week this will happen. Well, because having 348 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: real access to m I five and to all of 349 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: this information obviously upped his game in terms of double 350 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: agent nous. Right before he was succeeding just by his 351 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 1: own you know, moxie. Right now he's actually got the 352 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: real goods to weave in some of those real true 353 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,720 Speaker 1: facts and make the Germans really believe he was still 354 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 1: on their side. So here's a cool example of that. 355 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:17,639 Speaker 1: He gave Germany accurate intel on Allied forces landing in 356 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:22,120 Speaker 1: North Africa. And the letter is postmarked before the landing, 357 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:27,120 Speaker 1: but timed to arrive after the landing. And so instead 358 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 1: of getting irritated with the guy, the Nazis apologize. They say, 359 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: this is great information and it's are bad that we 360 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 1: didn't act. Curse the post office, you stamps dot com 361 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 1: and stand yes, stamps dot com. That's our commercial for 362 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 1: stamps dot com. So so what what happens next? Like, 363 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: how is he able to successfully keep this rigamarole going? 364 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:55,919 Speaker 1: That's a really good question, Ben. Before we go there, 365 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: I want to backtrack ever socialized to show the Cohon 366 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,719 Speaker 1: asked the true kahone of our boy Peugeol when he 367 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,960 Speaker 1: went to the Germans and gave them this BS cover story. 368 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: It was all stuff they totally could have verified or 369 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: or you know, shot down. They just didn't do their 370 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: homework basically right because they had access to Portugal or 371 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: to to Lisbon, and they just didn't do it. For 372 00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: whatever reason. They were so thirsty for what he had 373 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: to offer, because he did such a good job of 374 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 1: like you know, doing kind of uh up close magic 375 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:29,200 Speaker 1: kind of misdirection right, So that is incredible. He could 376 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: have died instantly. They would have put him in a 377 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:33,760 Speaker 1: concentration camp lickety split if they had found out that 378 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: he was he was trying to play them. So, yes, 379 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,439 Speaker 1: how do they maintain this subterfuge ben as he has 380 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: now been gifted with the uh, the assistance of the Brits. 381 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: Um he they are still they are like upping their game. 382 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: They've got three D and fifteen documents they've sent back 383 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:54,919 Speaker 1: to the Germans, some of which are peppered with real information, 384 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 1: but too late, fake information that makes them think that 385 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 1: they're actually getting some help. How does this kind of 386 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 1: come to critical mass? Ben ah well uh he he 387 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: kept escalating his stunts his cons. We mentioned his imaginary spies. 388 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: They included traveling salesman, a waiter who lives in a cave, 389 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: a retired Welsh seamen, an Indian poet, someone with O 390 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: C D radio mechanic. Uh. These folks filed expense reports 391 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: and some earned salaries. They were their expenses were paid, 392 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:38,360 Speaker 1: and their salaries were paid by the Nazi Party. Bye. 393 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: He has become one of their favorite people, one of 394 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:44,399 Speaker 1: Germany's favorite people. As far as Bycraft is concerned. The 395 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: spy ring that Abo sends him new cipher's new vials 396 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: of disappearing inc And this just makes it easier for 397 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:56,200 Speaker 1: m I five to crack codes. The Nazis in one 398 00:24:56,280 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 1: memo compare him to an army of forty thousand in. 399 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:04,199 Speaker 1: He's that valuable, and he decides to cook up his 400 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 1: biggest lie yet. Is this Operation Fortitude, man that you're 401 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 1: talking about, Is this is Operation Fortitude? Lay it on us? Yeah? 402 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: So we've got January Nino. The Germans um believed that 403 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: the Allies were getting ready for a large scale European invasion, 404 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: and they passed this information on to Pougeol and they 405 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,080 Speaker 1: asked him to help keep them abreast of any developments, 406 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:34,879 Speaker 1: any new information. So, uh, this gave Pougeol what he 407 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: needed to really turn the tables and give the Allies 408 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,640 Speaker 1: the upper hand big time. Right, So, under the code 409 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: name Overlord, British and American forces planned to invade occupied Europe. Yeah, 410 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,439 Speaker 1: so the Germans were right. They they they thought they 411 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: knew what was going on, and they were absolutely correct. 412 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: So how is Pougeol able to give what would seem 413 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 1: like the upper handed Germany for Germany and flip it 414 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 1: back around and make D Day a guaranteed success? Right? 415 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:10,359 Speaker 1: We have to mention his code name was Arabelle to 416 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: the Nazis, but he had a code name to the 417 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,680 Speaker 1: British once they hired him. It was Agent Garbo, named 418 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 1: after Greta Garbow because they thought he was such a 419 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: good actor. And I will tell you if you see, 420 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:26,199 Speaker 1: he's got some pictures better, really funny head shot there 421 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,760 Speaker 1: like head shots. He's dressed in like a German military 422 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,840 Speaker 1: garb and he's just doing this real actors type grin 423 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,800 Speaker 1: and it really looks like somebody wearing a costume, uh, 424 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,040 Speaker 1: preparing to go into a role. And then you see 425 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: his passport pictures and he looks almost like a different 426 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: person exactly. He's a little disheveled. But yes, so Agent Garbo, 427 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 1: as he is known in the Allied Forces, in the 428 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:53,840 Speaker 1: Allied intelligence networks, he has a crucial role to play. 429 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: The German high command needs to be misled about the 430 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:03,560 Speaker 1: location of the landings. They decide on the actual point 431 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: of attack the beaches at Normandy, and their next move 432 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: is to persuade German forces that the invasion force would 433 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 1: be much much further north, confirming what Hitler had originally 434 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 1: thought was going to be the most likely point of contact. 435 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: Garbo's agents would report authoritatively that the Normandy landings were 436 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:29,040 Speaker 1: themselves a ruse and there was a much bigger attack 437 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:33,560 Speaker 1: to come. So on June nine, he sends a key 438 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,280 Speaker 1: memo and it just happened to be on a super 439 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 1: crucial day when Hitler and his cronies, his toady's, his 440 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: military high command, were trying to decide whether Normandy was 441 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: the real deal or whether it was some kind of subterfuge, 442 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: and they were trying to plan the movement of their 443 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,879 Speaker 1: troops and where they wanted to send the bulk of them. Um, 444 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 1: they had some in in Belgium, and they had some 445 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,480 Speaker 1: in France, and they what we're trying to decide whether 446 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: they should dive them down to Normandy and completely head 447 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:08,640 Speaker 1: off this invasion. Pugil sent this telegram saying, no, this 448 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 1: is fake. Seriously, you're wasting your time. Don't use those 449 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:15,880 Speaker 1: resources at Normandy. Send them elsewhere, because this is what's 450 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 1: really happening. And at the time those forces were already 451 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 1: on the move. So this was a clutch decision on 452 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: the Germans. And a telegram received right at the exact 453 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:28,359 Speaker 1: right time. If it had been a little later would 454 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:30,400 Speaker 1: have been too late, right, they would they they would 455 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: not have rediverted the troops, I imagine, because it would 456 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: have been taken too long. Time was of the essence, 457 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: they made their bed, they were gonna lie in it. 458 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: But it was this crucial time where a change of 459 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:46,200 Speaker 1: plan was possible, and the Panzer divisions were already moving 460 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,840 Speaker 1: toward Normandy, but Adolf Hitler sent in order based on 461 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: this telegram and turned them around uh sending them instead 462 00:28:55,160 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 1: to the northern point of contacts. In this sly was 463 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: so effective that through July and August of that year, 464 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:10,480 Speaker 1: the Nazi forces kept two armored divisions and nineteenth infantry 465 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: divisions in that northern point in anticipation of an imminent invasion. 466 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: So you would think after D Day, you would you 467 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: would imagine that after all this stuff goes down and 468 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: this house of cards collapses, that arabel A k. Garbo's 469 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: reputation would be ruined amongst the German intelligence circles. However, 470 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:42,000 Speaker 1: that was not the case. In fact, he won a 471 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,520 Speaker 1: very prestigious award, prestigious, if we would say it in 472 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 1: the British way, from the Germans, but from the Germans 473 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: they got the Iron Cross. The Iron Cross was rendered 474 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 1: for his extraordinary services to Germany. And the thing is 475 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:02,440 Speaker 1: this had to be a proved by Adolf Hitler himself, 476 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 1: so he was notified he had been awarded the Iron Cross, 477 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 1: and then he and Harris said, you know, thank you 478 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:16,080 Speaker 1: so much. It's such an honor, truly unworthy, but I'll 479 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,120 Speaker 1: take it. And this is such a like, oh, it's 480 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:22,320 Speaker 1: like a total f you type thing where they collaborated 481 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 1: on this message together Pugel and Harris. Harris was not 482 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 1: known to the Germans, obviously, Pugeol was exclusively their point 483 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: of contact, and they talked about offering you humble, thanks, 484 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:39,240 Speaker 1: humble thanks, such an honor. Stop keep going, but yeah, totally. 485 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:43,719 Speaker 1: And yet Pugel remained unexposed to the Germans. But by 486 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,720 Speaker 1: September forty four, there have been a few close calls 487 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: that uh, you know of of Pugel potentially being exposed 488 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 1: unmasked to the Nazis. Um didn't happen, but the British 489 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: Security Service was like, we're going to take extra care 490 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 1: to make sure that you are guarded against any potential 491 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,520 Speaker 1: retribution from the Germans. But that didn't even ultimately prove 492 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: to be necessary because the war ended, and they even 493 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:09,480 Speaker 1: were hoping that his background would allow him to get 494 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 1: into postwar Nazi Germany and continue to do some good work. 495 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: As you said, he feared reprisal from Nazi survivors. The 496 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:24,240 Speaker 1: Nazis never realized at this point that they had been fooled, 497 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: and as Agent Garbo, he received an MBE from the 498 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:35,200 Speaker 1: King on the twenty November, the most Excellent Order of 499 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:38,120 Speaker 1: the British Empire. So he is one of the few, 500 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 1: if not the only, person to receive prestigious awards from 501 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: both Germany and the Allies. That is most excellent. Here's 502 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:48,480 Speaker 1: an even cooler thing. I feel like this is the 503 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 1: ultimate bragging, right, What do you do when you're the 504 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:54,560 Speaker 1: spies pulled off everything? When you do one last one, 505 00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 1: last con, one big job on, one last one big job, 506 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:01,360 Speaker 1: one last ice uh. With the help of him, I 507 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:05,640 Speaker 1: five Brugol travels to Angola and fakes his death in 508 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: for the ultimate cover against the Germans. He dies of malaria. 509 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 1: He also moves to Venezuela and he starts managing his 510 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 1: story again. He runs a bookstory and gift shop. That's 511 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:26,080 Speaker 1: all I ever wanted, Quiet life of a shopkeeper m HM. Eventually, 512 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: though Thomas Harris is remember him his friend Anthony Blunt, 513 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:32,840 Speaker 1: who turned out to be a Soviet spy right, who 514 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,240 Speaker 1: had penetrated in my five. Eventually, this Anthony Blunt guy 515 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:39,160 Speaker 1: says that he met Garbo and knew him as either 516 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: Joan or Jose Garcia, and people started searching for this 517 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 1: guy in. A British politician named Rupert Allison was interested 518 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 1: in the case of Garbow and everyone he talked to 519 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 1: did not know Garbo's real name. That's how that's how 520 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: high the secrecy was the Soviets. By Blunt gives him 521 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 1: that lead on a Jose Garcia, and the guy is 522 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: still searching. He eventually hires research assistant to get this 523 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: call every j Garcia in the Barcelona Foam book, and 524 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:17,720 Speaker 1: eventually they get in contact with Pejol's nephew, and then 525 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 1: Rupert Allison finally meets Pejole in New Orleans in nineteen 526 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:28,840 Speaker 1: four and then Allison's like, dude, you're awesome. Thanks by 527 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: the way, thanks for thanks for d Day, thanks for 528 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:34,040 Speaker 1: all the cool stuff you did. Will you go hang 529 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,120 Speaker 1: out with Prince Philip because he'd loved to meet you. 530 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:40,400 Speaker 1: He goes, Okay, yeah, I'll go. What do they do 531 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: where they hang They have some tea? We don't know, 532 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:46,560 Speaker 1: We just knew it was a quote. Unusually long audience, 533 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,160 Speaker 1: so if you know, Prince Philippo is probably like, tell 534 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 1: me a wall stories, yes please, I want to hear those. Yeah, 535 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:57,480 Speaker 1: and then he he died in Caracas, where he lived 536 00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: pretty anonymously, like I said, quiet life of a shop keep. 537 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: Um who happened to be one of the most badass 538 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 1: and outlandish and uh effective double agents. And I'm telling 539 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:13,359 Speaker 1: the history of spycraft is certainly the one we know about, right, 540 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,680 Speaker 1: Definitely no James Bond, Bravado and this guy. He was 541 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:21,319 Speaker 1: simultaneously brazen and perfectly measured in the way he did. 542 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:23,480 Speaker 1: He pulled this stuff off because you have to have 543 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:28,759 Speaker 1: some kind of throwing caution to the wind kind of 544 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 1: attitude to even attempt some of this stuff. But you 545 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 1: can't just you can't be reckless, right, He had to 546 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: like kind of have a system and stick to it 547 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,640 Speaker 1: and have some discipline, you know, I mean, really really 548 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:42,839 Speaker 1: interesting character. Some of his fictional sub agents also met. 549 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:49,520 Speaker 1: They're in Agent one retired, in Agent six died, so 550 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:51,919 Speaker 1: he he followed up on their lives as well. Dude, 551 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:55,040 Speaker 1: some of these fictional agents had richer lives than than 552 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 1: I have had. So I mean, this is very very precise, 553 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:03,920 Speaker 1: detail oriented stuff. With this guy's building these fictional universes, 554 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:05,840 Speaker 1: I mean, his world building and his finest what this 555 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:07,919 Speaker 1: guy is doing. And if you'd like to read more 556 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:13,440 Speaker 1: about one Crugal Garcia, there is the book we mentioned Garbo. 557 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:16,319 Speaker 1: There's also a great article on Badass of the Week 558 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 1: dot com, which I think is is cool. If you're 559 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 1: ever listening to one of our pure podcasts, Behind the Bastards, 560 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,360 Speaker 1: which is an excellent show, and you're feeling down about 561 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:28,160 Speaker 1: life in general, then you can find out about some 562 00:35:28,239 --> 00:35:31,440 Speaker 1: historic good guys on Badass of the Week dot com. 563 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,160 Speaker 1: And it's funny you think of this guy is a badass, 564 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: and he certainly was. But a good spy probably doesn't 565 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,279 Speaker 1: have to kill very often, right, a good spot. You 566 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 1: only have to kill if you're either an assassin or 567 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,440 Speaker 1: your cover is blown right, right, and he didn't kill it. Well, 568 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:46,880 Speaker 1: he is responsible for death, absolutely, but you don't hear 569 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: any stories of him having to have you know, slipped 570 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:51,239 Speaker 1: someone on poison dart or something like that or a 571 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:55,399 Speaker 1: little no no. He's a way better spy than James Bond. 572 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 1: I agree. I agree, James Bond uh is is kind 573 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,800 Speaker 1: of a hack. Yeah, when you think about it, so 574 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:05,719 Speaker 1: hopefully we don't get too much hate mail about that. 575 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,400 Speaker 1: I will admit I do enjoy the films. I do, 576 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:10,480 Speaker 1: and they're all on Netflix now, by the way, even 577 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:12,960 Speaker 1: even like the Timothy Dalton ones and like the Roger 578 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:14,840 Speaker 1: all of them, I don't really want to dig back in. 579 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 1: You know what else is on on streaming? Now? What's that? 580 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,440 Speaker 1: It's a recommendation, I guess. Um. If we're doing that, 581 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,120 Speaker 1: I think wrapped up with the show. Um. On Amazon 582 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:29,000 Speaker 1: Prime you can find this insane cash of terrible eighties 583 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:32,520 Speaker 1: B movies in all of these genres like sword and sorcery, 584 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:37,000 Speaker 1: kind of slasher type genre movies, spy thrillers. But they're 585 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,279 Speaker 1: like the Sea Level ones. They're the ones that were like, 586 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:41,279 Speaker 1: so you had your Cone in the Barbarian, which is 587 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:43,640 Speaker 1: a big hit. Then you have this whole pile of 588 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 1: like kind of copycat movies that are very entertaining and 589 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: very They do not age well, but there are a 590 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:50,400 Speaker 1: lot of fun if you want to dig in. On 591 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:54,919 Speaker 1: Amazon Prime. I have a comic book recommendation. I may 592 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,040 Speaker 1: have said this before a matter of fact, that bet 593 00:36:57,080 --> 00:36:58,719 Speaker 1: I have, but I want to put the word out 594 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:01,360 Speaker 1: there because I just reread it. There is a comic 595 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:05,279 Speaker 1: series called Uber and it's follow up is Uber Invasion. 596 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: It's an historical account of World War Two if specific 597 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:16,239 Speaker 1: type of superpower were discovered. I don't want to say 598 00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: any more than that. I don't want to spoil it. 599 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,879 Speaker 1: It's amazing. You should You should check it out if 600 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 1: you are at all interested in good graphic novels. It 601 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:27,880 Speaker 1: is ongoing, so at this point, I don't know how 602 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 1: it ends either. I would love to hear your opinion 603 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,360 Speaker 1: about it. Uh, you can tell us about this. You 604 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,440 Speaker 1: can tell us about some of your favorite spy stories 605 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: on our Instagram, on our Facebook, on Twitter, on Facebook, 606 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:45,320 Speaker 1: we highly recommend you check out your fellow listeners opinions 607 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:50,480 Speaker 1: on our community page Ridiculous Historians. You can follow us 608 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:53,279 Speaker 1: and believe we're Ridiculous History Show on Instagram. That's right, 609 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:55,640 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History Show on Instagram. And I am personally at 610 00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:58,480 Speaker 1: Embryonic Insider. You feel like hanging out with me and 611 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:02,640 Speaker 1: I am at ben Boland if you feel like seeing 612 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:08,040 Speaker 1: some weird stuff. No spoilers here. Really, that's a good tease, man, 613 00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:10,080 Speaker 1: that's a good tease. I don't think you'll be let 614 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:12,839 Speaker 1: down either. Then gets up to some shenanigans. I'll tell you. 615 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 1: If you don't want to do that stuff, he can 616 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:17,080 Speaker 1: send us an email ridiculous at how stuff works dot com. 617 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:20,640 Speaker 1: Thanks to Alex Williams, who composed our theme. Yeah, thanks 618 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:24,120 Speaker 1: to Casey Pegram who composed our hearts. The theme of 619 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,520 Speaker 1: our Hearts, that's what he composed. If that's his real name, 620 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:28,759 Speaker 1: well I think it possibly might not be, but I 621 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:32,319 Speaker 1: am going to respect his privacy. Yes, yes, what if 622 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:34,400 Speaker 1: his what if his real name is just a clever 623 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:36,960 Speaker 1: switcheroo of the letters? What if his real name is 624 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,400 Speaker 1: like pac? I like that? That's pretty fun? And thanks 625 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:44,000 Speaker 1: to our research associate Gabe. Thanks to thanks to you know, 626 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:46,520 Speaker 1: this has been an absolute pleasure. And now I'm going 627 00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:50,759 Speaker 1: to spend the afternoon figuring out what what our cool 628 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:53,040 Speaker 1: spy nicknames would be. Will you be sure and let 629 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,680 Speaker 1: me know? Ben, you let me know if you've got one. Hey, 630 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:57,880 Speaker 1: let us know if you've got one. We'll see you 631 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:00,160 Speaker 1: next time, folks. O