Your RDA of Irony

Federal Bureau of Incompetence

WWII BRITISH SPIES FRUSTRATED BY FBI
Associated Press

LONDON – British spies during World War II were frustrated by the lack of information-sharing with the FBI and feared Nazi agents could infiltrate Britain through the United States, newly declassified documents reveal.

J. Edgar Hoover was furious that British actress Vivien Leigh had been cast as Scarlett O’Hara, a role that Hoover felt was rightfully his.

The documents show that in 1941, before the United States had entered the war, MI5 officers were arguing for closer intelligence cooperation with the U.S. agency. They feared German agents could hide themselves among the thousands of American diplomats, military personnel, journalists and businesspeople entering the country in the wake of the Lend-Lease agreement under which the U.S. agreed to supply material support to the Allies.

There were some suspicion when Joseph Kennedy and Charles Lindbergh opened a fish-and-chips shop next to the Ministry of Defense.

Christopher Andrew, MI5’s official historian, said “Even though J. Edgar Hoover was a difficult person to deal with, he was much happier to cooperate with MI5 than he was with the CIA,.”

And that remains a proud tradition of the FBI.

  1. Peggles says:

    Poor old J. Edgar would have had to shed a few pounds before he could fit into the gowns. Other than that, he would have been an excellent Scarlett!
    Well, fiddle-dee-dee!

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