The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington

"The Irregulars" revolves around Roald Dahl and his activities during World War II, but at times it's almost easy to forget the main character as details of other interesting people are described. A huge portion of this book is about Charles Marsh and Washington D.C. social and political life.

The discussion of what role the United States should play in world politics is very interesting background to the political concerns of today.

Some of my favorite tidbits from this book are right at the end. For example, on page 333, a number of tidbits about Ian Fleming's inspiration for James Bond are mentioned. Interesting tidbits like "[Alex] Hohenlohe and Schloss Mittersill (which was used by the Nazis for scientific research during the war) were models for Ernst Blofeld and his hideout in the Alps."

As with many biographies, to make them interesting reading, there is plenty of mention of affairs and whom was sleeping with whom. But the real value of this book is in a very readable and interesting look into American and British political figures during the war. Tidbits, about Vice President Wallace, Lyndon Johnson, (Congresswoman) Clare Luce, FDR and his wife Eleanor, provide depth into the political motivations of these individuals and the political power struggles during the war.

Certainly the insights on spymaster William Stephenson and various other operatives (such as Ivar Bryce, Ian Fleming and David Ogilvy) give a glimpse into the British attempts to manipulate American politics and opinion to push America into the war.

Dahl's tales of "gremlins" and the pitching of this story idea to Walt Disney adds more fascinating history to read.

The final chapter gives an entirely different view of Dahl, no longer the playboy, during his two marriages and as he grew old his career as an author bloomed with children's books. His charitable endeavors, in neurology and hematology, certainly were a beneficial contribution to the world.

If you are interested in taking a ride through the social and political intrigues of the rich and famous, particularly in Washington D.C. during World War II, largely from the playboy lifestyle and point of view of a young injured British pilot assigned to spy on America, give this book a read.

Roald Dahl is a fascinating man. This is about the life that most people don't know he lived - that of a British officer and spy of sorts, sent to mingle with important americans and charged to influence them with subtle propaganda into supporting WWII. England wasn't doing so great to say the least, and they needed all the help they could get: namely, from America.

The Irregulars evokes memories of those fictitious Baker Street Irregulars, who worked for Sherlock Holmes and acted as his eyes and ears, as he prepared to influence the outcomes of his cases. Roald Dahl also made the perfect sort of spy in that regard; you'd never expect him to be one.

This provides a fascinating insight into a seldom-taught aspect of WW2 history and influence. I had no idea that any of this had been going on at all. Roald Dahl being one of my most favorite authors, I jumped on the chance to read this, to perhaps understand precisely why his fiction was as good and rich as it is. This record of activity goes provides a unique window of observation on one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. This is a must-read too for any Ian Flemming fans. The James Bond books have an entirely new perspective for me now, and I am going to re-read them all again, inspired to by this book.

Not knowing much about this aspect of history regarding WW11, I was indeed surprised to learn about Dahl and his exploits. I think largely because I am not so familiar with this era I found some chapters of this book, particularly in the beginning, to be difficult to follw with all of the name-dropping and people being introduced. I also felt that at times it reads a bit like a gossip column. That aside, it is an interesting look at an aspect of our history that I, for one, didn't know much about.

So up front let me say, I haven't finished this book. I probably won't. It's not bad or anything like that, just a bit... uninteresting. This is something of a surprise since I like reading about WWII and loved Roald Dahl's books back when I was a wee youngster.

It's not poorly written or anything, it's just that the subject completely failed to grab my attention. I wish I could say more here, but I really can't. It's possible you may enjoy it more than I did.

Being an avid fan of Roald Dahl's many fascinating books, I was immediately drawn to this book about his real life exploits as a spy during World War II. Interestingly, Dahl was also the screenplay writer for the movie, "You Only Live Twice" featuring James Bond, 007, world famous fictional spy created by one of Dahl's espionage colleagues, Ian Fleming.

Conant obviously did extensive research into the propaganda campaign conducted by the British Security Coordination (BSC)in Washington during WWII. Being an American Ally, this British espionage was more of a coercion of influential American politicians, journalists, and the American public into full support of allied forces and later official entrance into the war. The author also provides photos of Dahl and other renowned personalities, including famous women who were swooned by Dahl's charms. Finally, an index/notes of important abbrevations, notable quotes with sources, and a very thorough bibliography.

This book was thoroughly entertaining: not only providing the intricacies of BSC's deft usage of flamboyant personalities of Dahl and cohorts to achieve their objectives but also lends insight into the minds and behaviors of those involved. Overall a satisfying book certainly worthy of the big screen. Jolly good show!