• Duško Popov
Dušan "Duško" Popov OBE was a Serbian triple agent who served as part of the MI6 and Abwehr during World War II, and passed off disinformation to Germany as part of the Double-Cross System and working also as agent for the Yugoslav government-in-exile in London.
Dušan "Duško" Popov was born to a Serb family in Titel, Austria-Hungary on July 10th, 1912. His parents were Milorad and Zora Popov. He had an older brother named Ivan ("Ivo") and a younger brother named Vladan. The family was exceedingly wealthy and owed its fortune to Popov's paternal grandfather, Omer, a wealthy banker and industrialist who founded a number of factories, mines, and retail businesses. Records from as early as 1773 describe them as the most affluent family there. Popov's father expanded the family's business interests to include real estate dealings. When Popov was an infant, the family left Titel and permanently relocated to their summer residence in Dubrovnik, which was their home for much of the year. They also had a manor in Belgrade, where they spent the winter months. Popov's childhood coincided with a series of monumental political changes in the Balkans. In November 1918, Austria-Hungary disintegrated into a number of smaller states, and its Balkan possessions were incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed Yugoslavia in 1929). The newly established, Serb-led state was plagued by political infighting among its various constitutive ethnic groups, particularly Serbs and Croats, but also Hungarians and Germans. The young Popov and his family enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle and were far removed from the political turmoil in the country. They boasted a sizeable collection of villas and yachts, and were attended by servants, even on their travels. Popov's father indulged his sons, building a spacious villa by the sea for their exclusive use where they could entertain their friends and host expensive parties. He was also insistent that they receive a quality education. Apart from his native Serbian, Popov was fluent in Italian, German and French by his teenage years. Between the ages of 12 and 16, he attended a lycée in Paris.
In 1929, Popov's father enrolled him into Ewell Castle, a prestigious preparatory school in Surrey. Popov's stint at the school proved to be short lived. After only four months, he was expelled following an altercation with a teacher. He had previously endured a caning at the teacher's hands after being caught smoking a cigarette. Another caning was adjudicated after Popov missed a detention, and so as to evade further corporal punishment, Popov grabbed the teacher's cane and snapped it in two before his classmates. Popov's father subsequently enrolled him at Lycée Hoche, a secondary institution in Versailles, which he attended for the following two years. At the age of 18, Popov enrolled in the University of Belgrade, seeking an undergraduate degree in law. Over the next four years, he became a familiar face in Belgrade's cafes and nightclubs, and had the reputation of a ladies' man. In 1934, Popov enrolled in the University of Freiburg, intent on securing a doctorate in law. Germany had only recently come under the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, but at the time, Popov paid little regard to politics. He had chosen Freiburg because it was relatively close to his native country and he was eager to improve his German-language skills. Germany was already the site of mass book burnings, the first concentration camps had been established and the systematic persecution of Jews had commenced.
Popov began his studies at the University of Freiburg in the autumn of 1935, and in subsequent months, began showing greater interest in politics and voiced his political opinions more vigorously. Around the same time, he befriended a fellow student, Johnny Jebsen, the son of a German shipping magnate. The two grew close, largely due to their raucous lifestyle and a shared interest in sports vehicles. In 1937, Popov began participating in debates at the Ausländer Club, which were held every other Friday evening. He was disappointed that many foreign students appeared to be swayed by the pro-Nazi arguments espoused there. Popov discovered that the German debaters were all hand-picked party members who chose the subject of each debate beforehand and vigorously rehearsed Nazi talking points. He persuaded Jebsen, then the president of the club, to inform him of the debate topics in advance and passed this information along to the British and American debaters. Popov himself delivered two speeches at the club, arguing in favour of democracy. He also wrote several articles for the Belgrade daily Politika, ridiculing the Nazis. In the summer of 1937, Popov completed his doctoral thesis, and decided to celebrate by embarking on a trip to Paris. Before he could leave, he was arrested by the Gestapo, who accused him of being a communist. His movements had been tracked by undercover agents beforehand and his acquaintances questioned. Popov was incarcerated at the Freiburg prison without formal proceedings. When Jebsen received news of his friend's arrest, he called Popov's father and informed him of what had occurred. Popov's father contacted Yugoslav Prime Minister Milan Stojadinović, who raised the issue with Hermann Göring, and after eight days in captivity, Popov was released. He was ordered to leave Germany within 24 hours, and upon collecting his belongings, boarded a train for Switzerland.
He soon arrived in Basel and found Jebsen waiting for him on the station platform. Jebsen informed Popov of the role he played in securing his release. Popov expressed gratitude and told Jebsen that if he was ever in need of any assistance he needed only ask. Upon his return to Dubrovnik in the fall of 1937, Popov began practicing law. In February 1940, he received a message from Jebsen, asking to meet him at the Hotel Serbian King in Belgrade. Popov was shocked to find Jebsen a nervous wreck, chain smoking and drinking exorbitantly. He told Popov that he had joined his family's shipping business after graduating from Freiburg and explained that he needed a Yugoslav shipping license to evade the Allied naval blockade at Trieste. Popov agreed to help Jebsen, and the latter travelled back to Berlin to collect the required documentation. Two weeks later, Jebsen returned to Belgrade, and informed Popov that he had joined the Abwehr, German's military intelligence service. Jebsen's ability to travel across Europe on business trips would remain unimpeded so long as he submitted reports detailing the information he had received from his business contacts. He told Popov he joined the Abwehr to avoid being conscripted into the Wehrmacht. Jebsen said military service was not an option because he suffered from varicose veins. The news came as a surprise to Popov, as his friend had previously expressed anti-Nazi views.
Popov informed Clement Hope, a passport control officer at the British legation in Yugoslavia. Hope enrolled Popov as a double agent with the codename Scoot (he was later known to his handler as Tricycle), and advised him to cooperate with Jebsen. Once accepted as a double agent, Popov moved to London. His international business activities in an import-export business provided cover for visits to neutral Portugal; its capital, Lisbon, was linked to the UK by a weekly civilian air service for most of the war. Popov used his cover position to report periodically to his Abwehr handlers in Portugal. Popov fed enough MI6-approved information to the Germans to keep them happy and unaware of his actions, and was well-paid for his services. The assignments given to him were of great value to the British in assessing enemy plans and thinking. His most important deception was convincing the Germans that the D-Day landings would be in Calais, not Normandy, and was able to report back to MI6 that they fell for this deception, which corroborated Bletchley Park's decryption of Lorenz cipher machine messages. Popov was famous for his playboy lifestyle, while carrying out perilous wartime missions for the British.
In 1944, Popov became a key part of the deception operation codenamed Fortitude. At the time of the operation, he was staying in Portugal. He stayed in Estoril once again, at the Hotel Palácio, between March 31st and April 12th, 1944. When Jebsen was arrested by the Gestapo in Lisbon, the British feared Popov had been compromised and ceased giving him critical information to pass along to the Germans. It was later discovered that the Abwehr still regarded Popov as an asset and he was brought back into use by the British. Jebsen's death at the hands of the Nazis had a profound emotional impact on Popov.
In 1972, John Cecil Masterman published The Double Cross System in the War of 1939 to 1945, an intimate account of wartime British military deception. Before its publication, Popov had no intention of revealing his wartime activities, believing that the MI6 would not allow it. Masterman's book convinced Popov that it was time to make his exploits public. In 1974, Popov published an autobiography titled Spy/Counterspy, "a racy account of his adventures that read like a James Bond novel." Miller describes it as "fundamentally accurate, if occasionally embellished". Several of the events described in the book were either entirely fictional, such as a fistfight Popov claimed to have had with a German agent, exaggerated for dramatic effect, or could not be substantiated through subsequently declassified intelligence records. Popov's wife and children were apparently unaware of his past until the book's publication. By the early 1980s, years of chain smoking and heavy drinking had taken a toll on Popov's health. He died in Opio on August 10th, 1981, aged 69. His family said his death came after a long illness. He was predeceased by his brother Ivo, who died in 1980. Popov was the subject of a one-hour television documentary produced by Starz Inc. and Cinenova, titled True Bond, which aired in June 2007. Two other documentaries recounting Popov's exploits, The Real Life James Bond: Dusko Popov and Double Agent Dusko Popov: Inspiration for James Bond, have also been produced.
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It has been a long hiatus, though to me it didn’t seem to be one. Time flies. June and July have flied by so fast, and I can’t keep up, shit things happening one after the other, and I’m still coping… But it’s a process. I’m functioning now enough to write and interact on this blog.
As I promised, this first post is a list of June releases (from June 3rd) and the reviews I found about them until now. You’re all welcome to let me know if you have a review that I forgot to add.
Since July is also over, I’m also sharing this month’s books and reviews.
As always, updating is constantly happening, if you know about a book or have a review, just let me know! 😉
Welcome back on Swift Coffee, everyone!
For the newbies (welcome 😘): if you don’t yet know what this is all about: I’m posting a list every Monday of the books that get released during the current week. I also include other people’s reviews about them! I try to do a blog hop from time to time and spread the word about this feature, but I obviously can’t find every review that’s related, so a sign that you have one would be very much appreciated! Every review is eligible that is written about a book published on the week in question, even if it was written before said week!
So… one question remains:
Would you like to join the ride?
It’s very easy!
These are the rules:
To be featured, you don’t have to do anything else, but to leave a comment below this post, or contact me by any other way, and let me know you have a review. A link to it makes it easier, but if you only say your review comes out on x day of the week, that’s okay as well, I’ll watch out for it! Following me is not a must, but I appreciate it very much, if you do! 🙂
I continuously update this post according to your infos/comments, and I share it again every time I’ve made an update.
The book you reviewed don’t have to be from the list here, if it’s not listed, but published this week, I’ll add the book, too!
You can also send me a review for next week, because these posts are scheduled! 😉
Books Published in June:
‘After the End’ by Clare Mackintosh mystery/thriller
‘All the Missing Girls’ by Megan Miranda mystery
‘A Merciful Promise’ by Kendra Elliot mystery/romantic suspense
‘A Nearly Normal Family’ by M.T. Edvardsson, Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translation) mystery/thriller
‘Ayesha at Last’ by Uzma Jalaluddin romance
‘Beyond Āsanas: The Myths and Legends behind Yogic Postures’ by Pragya Bhatt, Joel Koechlin (Photographer)
‘Bound to the Battle God’ by Ruby Dixon fantasy/romance
‘Briar and Rose and Jack’ by Katherine Coville middle grade
‘Bunny’ by Mona Awad horror
‘City of Girls’ by Elizabeth Gilbert historical fiction
‘Close to Home’ by Cate Ashwood M M romance
‘Dear Wife’ by Kimberly Belle mystery/thriller
‘Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life and Work’ by Victoria Ortiz non-fiction/middle grade
‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ by Taffy Brodesser-Akner contemporary
‘Five Midnights’ by Ann Dávila Cardinal horror
‘Fix Her Up’ by Tessa Bailey romance
‘Fixing the Fates: A Memoir’ by Diane Dewey non-fiction
‘Ghosts of the Shadow Market’ YA fantasy
‘Gun Island’ by Amitav Ghosh cultural/India/historical fiction
‘If Only’ by Melanie Murphy
‘Just One Bite’ by Jack Heath mystery/thriller
‘Like a Love Story’ by Abdi Nazemian YA/LGBT
‘Magic for Liars’ by Sarah Gailey fantasy/mystery
‘More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say)’ by Elaine Welteroth non-fiction
‘Mrs. Everything’ by Jennifer Weiner historical fiction
‘Mostly Dead Things’ by Kristen Arnett contemporary/LGBT
‘Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune’ by Roselle Lim contemporary/romance
‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ by Ocean Vuong poetry
‘Rapture’ by Lauren Kate YA fantasy
‘Recursion’ by Blake Crouch science fiction
‘Searching for Sylvie Lee’ by Jean Kwok mystery
‘Somewhere Close to Happy’ by Lia Louis romance
‘Sorcery of Thorns’ by Margaret Rogerson fantasy
‘Storm and Fury’ by Jennifer L. Armentrout fantasy
‘Summer of ’69’ by Elin Hilderbrand historical fiction
‘Sweet Tea and Secrets’ by Joy Avon cozy mystery
‘Teeth in the Mist’ by Dawn Kurtagich horror
‘The Accidental Girlfriend’ by Emma Hart romance
‘The Bookshop on the Shore’ by Jenny Colgan contemporary/women’s fiction
‘The First Mistake’ by Sandie Jones thriller
‘The Friends We Keep’ by Jane Green women’s fiction
‘The Friend Zone’ by Abby Jimenez contemporary/romance
‘The Girl in Red’ by Christina Henry fantasy/horror
‘The Haunted’ by Danielle Vega horror
‘The Holiday’ by T.M. Logan
‘The July Girls’ by Phoebe Locke mystery/thriller
‘The Last House Guest’ by Megan Miranda mystery/thriller
‘The Most Fun We Ever Had’ by Claire Lombardo contemporary/literary fiction
‘The New Achilles’ by Christian Cameron historical fiction
‘The Red Labyrinth’ by Meredith Tate fantasy
‘The Resurrectionists’ by Michael Patrick Hicks horror
‘The Rest of the Story’ by Sarah Dessen YA contemporary/romance
‘Ollie Oxley and the Ghost: The Search for Lost Gold’ by Lisa Schmid middle grade
‘The Space Between Time’ by Charlie Laidlaw
‘The Stationery Shop’ by Marjan Kamali historical fiction
‘The Summer Country’ by Lauren Willig historical fiction
‘They Called Me Wyatt’ by Natasha Tynes mystery
‘This Might Hurt a Bit’ by Doogie Horner YA
‘Time After Time’ by Lisa Grunwald historical/science fiction
‘Waiting for Tom Hanks’ by Kerry Winfrey contemporary/romance
‘We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir’ by Samra Habib non-fiction
‘We Were Killers Once’ by Becky Masterman mystery/thriller
‘Where The Story Starts’ by Imogen Clark women’s fiction
‘Wicked Fox’ by Kat Cho YA fantasy
‘Wild and Crooked’ by Leah Thomas YA contemporary/LGBT
‘Wolf Rain’ by Nalini Singh paranormal romance
Reviews:
‘Sorcery of Thorns’ by Stephanie at Between Folded Pages
‘The Rapture’ at Book Bound
‘The Resurrectionists’ by Jen at Shit Reviews of Books
‘The Haunted’ by Kris at Boston Book Reader
‘The Friends We Keep’ by Vicky at Women in Trouble Book Blog
‘This Might Hurt a Bit’ by Amanda at Between the Shelves
‘Wild and Crooked’ by Amanda at Between the Shelves
‘The Haunted’ by Mandy at Book Princess Reviews
‘We Were Killers Once’ by Vicky at Women in Trouble Book Blog
‘Five Midnights’ by Sian at Sci-fi & Scary
‘Wolf Rain’ by Corina at Book Twins Reviews
‘Just One Bite’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark
‘Where the Story Starts’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading
‘The Red Labyrinth’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading
‘Fixing the Fates’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading
‘Gun Island’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading
‘If Only’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading
‘Sweet Tea and Secrets’ by Rekha at The Book Decoder
‘Storm and Fury’ by Claire at bookscoffeeandrepeat
‘The New Achilles’ by Zoé at Zooloo’s Book Diary
‘Time After Time’ by Ashley at Ashes Books and Bobs
‘Recursion’ by Lilyn G at Sci-fi & Scary
‘The Space Between Time’ by Rekha at The Book Decoder
‘The Rumor’ by Vicky at Women in Trouble Book Blog
‘The Search for the Lost Gold’ by Lilyn G at Sci-fi & Scary
‘They Call Me Wyatt’ by Jen at Shit Reviews of Books
‘After the End’ by Linda at Linda’s Book Bag
‘Beyond Asanas’ by Shashank at Wonder’s Book Blog
‘The July Girls’ by Nicola at Short Book and Scribes
‘We Have Always Been Here’ by Kristin at Kristin Kraves Books
‘Close to Home’ by T. J. Fox
‘Dissenter on the Bench’ by Taylor at Tays Infinite Thoughts
‘Bound to the Battle God’ by Corina at Book Twins Reviews
‘Briar and Rose and Jack’ by Briana at Pages Unbound
‘Teeth in the Mist’ at Lori’s Bookshelf Reads
‘All the Missing Girls’ by Celine at Celinelingg
‘The Holiday’ by Zoe at Zooloo’s Book Diary
‘The July Girls’ by Joanna at Over the Rainbow Book Blog
‘More Than Enough’ by Jessica at Jess Just Reads
‘Somewhere Close to Happy’ at Jess Just Reads
‘The Accidental Girlfriend’ by Tijuana at Book Twins Reviews
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Books Published in July:
‘Along the Broken Bay’ by Flora J. Solomon historical fiction
‘A Stranger on the Beach’ by Michele Campbell mystery/thriller
‘A Whisker In The Dark’ by Leighann Dobbs cozy mystery
‘Dark Age’ by Pierce Brown science fiction
‘Depraved’ by Trilina Pucci romance/erotica
‘Deserve to Die’ by Miranda Rijks thriller
‘Drummer Girl’ by Ginger Scott YA romance
‘False Step’ by Victoria Helen Stone mystery/thriller
‘Girls Like Us’ by Cristina Alger mystery/thriller
‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia fantasy/historical fiction
‘Good Guy’ by Kate Meader romance
‘Gore in the Garden’ by Colleen J. Shogan cozy mystery
‘How to Hack a Heartbreak’ by Kristin Rockaway romance
‘Last Summer’ by Kerry Lonsdale contemporary
‘Life Ruins’ by Danuta Kot audiobook/mystery
‘Lock Every Door’ by Riley Sager mystery/thriller
‘Maybe This Time’ by Kasie West contemporary
‘Never Have I Ever’ by Joshilyn Jackson mystery/thriller
‘Never Look Back’ by Alison Gaylin mystery/thriller
‘Nightingale Point’ by Luan Goldie
‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Jenni Fletcher historical romance
‘Resist’ by K. Bromberg romance
‘Salvation Day’ by Kali Wallace science fiction
‘Season of the Witch’ by Sarah Rees Brennan YA fantasy
‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Susanne O’Leary
‘Spin the Dawn’ by Elizabeth Lim fantasy
‘That Long Lost Summer’ by Minna Howard
‘The Betrayed Wife’ by Kevin O’Brien mystery/thriller
‘The Bookish Life of Nina Hill’ by Abbi Waxman contemporary/romance
‘The Chain’ by Adrian McKinty thriller
‘The Gifted School’ by Bruce Holsinger contemporary fiction
‘The Golden Hour’ by Beatriz Williams historical fiction
‘The Guy on the Right’ by Kate Stewart NA romance
‘The Last Book Party’ by Karen Dukess historical fiction
‘The Marriage Trap’ by Sheryl Browne thriller
‘The Merciful Crow’ by Margaret Owen fantasy
‘The Miraculous’ by Jess Redman middle grade
‘The Need’ by Helen Phillips horror/thriller
‘The Nickel Boys’ by Colson Whitehead historical fiction
‘The Rogue King’ by Abigail Owen paranormal romance
‘The Seekers’ by Heather Graham mystery
‘The Silent Ones’ by K.L. Slater thriller
‘The Storm Crow’ by Kalyn Josephson fantasy
‘The Wedding Party’ by Jasmine Guillory romance
‘Three Women’ by Lisa Taddeo non-fiction/feminism
‘To Be Devoured’ by Sara Tantlinger horror
‘Truly Madly Royally’ by Debbie Rigaud YA romance
‘Under Currents’ by Nora Roberts romance
‘War’ by Laura Thalassa fantasy/romance
‘Whisper Network’ by Chandler Baker mystery/thriller
‘Wilder Girls’ by Rory Power YA horror/mystery
A fantastic review of…
‘Reclaimed by her Rebel Knight’ by Demetra at Demi Reads
‘The Merciful Crow’ by Clarissa at Clarissa Reads It All
‘The Bookish Life of Nina Hill’ at Flavia the Bibliophile
‘The Merciful Crow’ by Kaleena at Reader Voracious
‘The Guy On the Right’ by Astrid at The Bookish Sweet Tooth
‘False Step’ by Jordann at The Book Blog Life
‘The Guy On the Right’ by Angela at Reading Frenzy Book Blog
‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Joules at Northern Reader
‘Depraved’ by Demetra at Demi Reads
‘Never Have I Ever’ by Steph AT Steph’s Book Blog
‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Jennifer C. Wilson
‘That Long Lost Summer’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews
‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Joanne at Portobello Book Blog
‘A Whisker in the Dark’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark
‘The Rouge King’ by Ashley at Falling Down the Book Hole
‘Good Guy’ by Astrid at The Bookish Sweet Tooth
‘Drummer Girl’ by Astrid at The Bookish Sweet Tooth
‘The Need’ by T. J. Fox
‘The Seekers’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews
‘The Silent Ones’ by Steph at StefLoz Book Blog
‘Resist’ by Tijuana at Book Twins Reviews
‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Jess Bookish Life
‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Joanna at Over the Rainbow Book Blog
‘How To Hack a Heartbreak’ by Corina at Book Twins Reviews
‘Somebody Else’s Baby’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews
‘Life Ruins’ by Amanda at mybookishblogspot
‘The Miraculous’ by Chris at Plucked from the Stacks
‘The Betrayed Wife’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews
‘Salvation Day’ by Lilyn G at Sci-fi & Scary
‘The Marriage Trap’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews
‘The Chain’ at Jess Just Reads
‘To Be Devoured’ by Sam and Gracie at Sci-fi & Scary
‘Truly Madly Royally’ by Olivia at The Candid Cover
‘Season of the Witch’ by Jill at Jill’s Book Blog
‘Gore in the Garden’ by Rekha at The Book Decoder
‘Never Look Back’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark
‘Wilder Girls’ by Kathy at Pages Below the Vaulted Sky
‘Deserve to Die’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews
‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews
‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark
‘Nightingale Point’ by Amanda at mybookishblogspot
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See these beautiful covers? *.*
Which are your favorites?
I’m so happy to be here with you bookish guys again!!
Don’t forget to let me know if you have a review!
Oh, and in the near future comes another post with the releases of the beginning of August! You can send me reviews for that post, as well.
Have a wonderful time!
Hugs 🙂
I’m back! – A Master List of Book Releases of June and July + Reviews! It has been a long hiatus, though to me it didn't seem to be one. Time flies.
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