Agent 146
|
Title:
|
Agent 146
|
|
Author:
|
Erich Gimpel
|
|
Publisher:
|
St. Martin's Press, New York, NY
|
|
ISBN:
|
0-312-30797-7
|
|
Reviewed By:
|
Frank Fogg
|
|
Review Date:
|
May, 2003
|
|
Rating:
|
 1/2
|
Agent 146 is the true story of a Nazi agent in the United States during the Second World War. It was originally released in 1957 and in this reprint, covers the story of this spy as told by the spy himself, Erich Gimpel.
 Employed as a radio engineer in Germany during the mid 1930's, Gimpel was recruited to work in Peru for a German firm, a position that he found to his liking and one that left him plenty of free time each day to spend as he saw fit. Slowly, he began to be drawn into espionage by a friend in the German embassy as the clouds of World War II loomed on the horizon.
He eventually returned to the fatherland and was recruited to attend an exclusive Nazi spy school, then was assigned to duties in Spain because of his extensive knowledge of the Spanish language. His reputation grew and grew until finally he was chosen to lead the mission against the American atomic bomb effort.
After a long and eventful trip from Germany via submarine, Gimpel and an associate landed on the east coast of America and began their mission to infiltrate and sabotage the secret Manhattan project. A number of misadventures followed their path in wartime America, until finally, their luck ran out and they were captured by the FBI. As the story winds down, Gimpel describes his feelings as he was sentenced to die and his execution date approached.
This story is another real life spy tale that will grasp the reader's attention. Of particular interest is the way that Gimpel's first person telling of the tale provides insight into how a spy feels as they go about their work, and of their feelings when they are caught and prepare for the end. Any fan of real life adventure tales will find this book interesting.
|
