The Untold Story of Agent A12 and the Solving of the Holocaust Code
by Jason Bell
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2024
352 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
The thrilling true story of Agent A12, the earliest enemy of the Nazis, and the first spy to crack Hitler's deadliest secret code: the framework of the Final Solution.
In public life, Dr. Winthrop Bell was a Harvard philosophy professor and wealthy businessman.
As an MI6 spy—known as secret agent A12—in Berlin in 1919, he evaded gunfire and shook off pursuers to break open the emerging Nazi conspiracy. His reports, the first warning of the Nazi plot for World War II, went directly to the man known as C, the mysterious founder of MI6, as well as to various prime ministers. But a powerful fascist politician quietly worked to suppress his alerts. Nevertheless, Dr. Bell's intelligence sabotaged the Nazis in ways only now revealed in Cracking the Nazi Code.
As World War II approached, Bell became a spy once again. In 1939, he was the first to crack Hitler's deadliest secret code: Germany's plan for the Holocaust. At that time, the führer was a popular politician who said he wanted peace. Could anyone believe Bell's shocking warning?
Fighting an epic intelligence war from Eastern Europe and Russia to France, Canada, and finally Washington, DC, Agent A12 was a real-life 007, waging a single-handed struggle against fascists bent on destroying the Western world. Without Bell's astounding courage, the Nazis just might have won the war.
"University of New Brunswick professor of philosophy Jason Bell presents a remarkable book about a remarkable man heretofore unknown...The author provides vivid, exciting descriptions of Winthrop Bell's often harrowing experiences, observational powers, and yeoman efforts to warn those in...A masterful profile of a significant historical figure." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"An extraordinary story of one man's efforts to stop the Nazi regime. Best for those who enjoy history, biography, and tales of espionage." —Library Journal (starred review)
"Even readers well-versed on the war will be surprised by the history Bell has pieced together. It's a significant new perspective on behind-the-scenes political machinations preceding WWII." —Publishers Weekly
"Fascinating. Cracking the Nazi Code is the result of many years of research, a magnetic and magisterial recounting of Winthrop Bell's heroic life. It is worth every word." ―The Winnipeg Free Press
"With the help of recently declassified documents, Jason Bell's book is the first to shine a light on the intelligence work of Winthrop." ―The Chronicle Herald
"Is Winthrop Bell the most—or least—obvious spy name? It's hard to say. As early as 1939, when he was working for Britain's MI6 as Agent A12, the Halifax-born Bell was already sounding the alarm about Hitler's plot to obliterate all non-Aryan people from the earth. Author Bell (no relation), a New Brunswick professor, posits that the intelligence his subject gathered may have been crucial to the Allies winning the war." ―The Globe and Mail
"I love books that promise 'untold stories.' This one does and it delivers. Who knew that a Canadian was the first to warn the world what the Nazis were up to, and to do it years before anyone else was even talking about Nazis? Winthrop Bell is a name you should know, and thanks to Jason Bell and his deep dive research you now will." ―Peter Mansbridge, former chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of The National
This information about Cracking the Nazi Code was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jason Bell, PhD, is a professor of philosophy at the University of New Brunswick. He has served as a Fulbright Professor in Germany (at Winthrop Bell's alma mater, the University of Göttingen), and has taught at universities in Belgium, the United States, and Canada. He was the first scholar granted exclusive access to Winthrop Bell's classified espionage papers. He lives in New Brunswick, Canada.
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