Summary
Stephen Duffy (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the spy stories of St. Ermin’s Hotel in London. It includes links to SOE, MI6, Ian Fleming, and the Cambridge 5.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- The origins of the SOE
- MI6 and the SOE in the hotel during WWII (bad neighbors!)
- Incredible female spies of WWII
- St. Ermin’s Cambridge Five connection
- The history of the hotel
Reflections
- The stories a hotel could tell if it could talk
- Proximity to power
And much, much more …
Episode Notes
During World War II, the hotel was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive – a crucial element in his initiative to “set Europe ablaze.” Notorious spies Kim Philby and Donald Maclean were known to enjoy a drink at the hotel bar while sharing secrets with their Soviet handlers. And that’s not all – to learn the rest, you’ll have to listen to the episode.
Quotes of the Week
“That’s where Burgess, MacLean, and Philby at different times met their Russian handlers in plain sight and sat there and spoke normally. Didn't talk out the side of their mouths, didn't have red carnations and copies of the Financial Times under their arm. They just passed over their information, their paperwork or whatever, in plain sight to everybody.” – Stephen Duffy.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
*Beginner Resources*
Primary Sources
*Wildcard Resource*
- The cocktail menu at St. Ermin’s Caxton Bar features a number of spy-related references, including Bond’s signature drink. To learn more about this “shaken, not stirred” beverage, check out this article for a brief history of the Vesper Martini.
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