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The American school of spies : the archaeologists who fought the Nazis and saved the treasures of Ancient Greece / Stephan Talty.

Athenaeum of Philadelphia - Circulating Collection D810.S7 T3567 2026
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Van Pelt Library D810.S7 T3567 2026
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Talty, Stephan, author.
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
World War, 1939-1945--Military intelligence--United States.
World War, 1939-1945.
United States. Office of Strategic Services. Operational Group II.
United States.
Intelligence officers--United States--History--20th century.
Intelligence officers.
World War, 1939-1945--Greece--Antiquities.
Cultural property--Protection--Greece--History--20th century.
Cultural property.
Espionage--Greece--History--20th century.
Espionage.
Spies--Greece--History--20th century.
Spies.
Archaeologists--Greece--History--20th century.
Archaeologists.
Archaeologists--United States--History--20th century.
World War, 1939-1945--Secret service--Greece.
Genre:
Informational works.
Physical Description:
308 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Other Title:
Archaeologists who fought the Nazis and saved the treasures of Ancient Greece
Place of Publication:
New York : Dutton, 2026.
Summary:
In 1942, as head of the newly formed OSS, Wild Bill Donovan deployed spies across Europe and around the world to try to thwart the Nazis. In Greece, Nazis weren't just taking over territory; they were seizing and threatening to destroy some of the world's most important and valuable historical monuments and artifacts. So, Donovan tapped a young Ivy League-trained archaeologist named Rodney Young to assemble and lead a team of spies to collect intel. Young set about recruiting the most unlikely of spies--academics, classicists, epigraphers, and other specialists and scholars--who would come to be known as "the Greek Desk." These men and women, along with their Greek allies, went undercover and tried desperately to protect some of the world's most significant treasures. The archaeologists hid priceless artifacts in ancient caves, bank vaults, and even underneath the city of Athens itself. They created fakes to give over to the Nazis to appease their lust for these remarkable works. Ultimately, when it became clear the cat-and- mouse game on its own wasn't going to save Athens, they brought in an army of Greek American soldiers to beat back the Nazi regime and save their homeland.
Contents:
The Sanctuary of Zeus
The Italian Planes
The Curators
The Front
The Museum
The Greek Desk
The Farm
The Sanctuary of Artemis
The Apartment in Izmir
The Caïques
Helias
The Commandoes
Bodies
The Memos War
Giannaris
Operation Honeymoon
Platon
Cornelia
The Train to Istanbul
Salonika
Viea
The German Lieutenant
The Bombers
The Sheperdesses
The Microbes
The Triangulation Trucks
The Athens Plan
The Young Plan
The Negotiations
Going In
The Open City
The Kremlin
The Nocturnal Council
The storm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Local Notes:
Athenaeum copy: Beardwood Fund bookplate.
ISBN:
9798217044719
8217044711
9788217044710
8217044716
OCLC:
1594737780

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