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History related topics => General history 1900 AD to present time => Topic started by: LISTR-93 on 04 September, 2021, 09:01:09 AM

Title: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: LISTR-93 on 04 September, 2021, 09:01:09 AM
Due to Bletchley Park being able to crack codes by the German enigma machines in WW2, the UK had a good idea as to when and where they were going to land spies.  Interestingly however, I was told by someone recently, that they did manage to get spies in the US without them knowing, but how was this possible?
Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: A.Jenery on 04 September, 2021, 10:57:23 AM
Various reasons come to mind, such as maybe the US didn't have something similar to Bletchley Park so as to decipher Enigma codes, and because being a much bigger nation would have made it very difficult to monitor all possible points of entry.  Germany also had many 'sympathisers' in the US.
Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: a.flynn on 06 September, 2021, 02:22:23 AM
Various reasons come to mind, such as maybe the US didn't have something similar to Bletchley Park so as to decipher Enigma codes, and because being a much bigger nation would have made it very difficult to monitor all possible points of entry.  Germany also had many 'sympathisers' in the US.
Probably a combination of all three of these with the last point being the biggest factor.  It would have been relatively easy for US collaborators to smuggle spies in. :-X
Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: blag-it Admin on 06 September, 2021, 05:36:15 AM
Due to Bletchley Park being able to crack codes by the German enigma machines in WW2, the UK had a good idea as to when and where they were going to land spies...
This would only have been true for messages sent and received using enigma machines of course. :-X   Interesting topic though.



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Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: Susan.W on 07 September, 2021, 02:48:06 AM
Due to Bletchley Park being able to crack codes by the German enigma machines in WW2, the UK had a good idea as to when and where they were going to land spies.  Interestingly however, I was told by someone recently, that they did manage to get spies in the US without them knowing, but how was this possible?
What?  Really?  Does this someone that told you have first-hand knowledge or is this more like hand-me-down hearsay?  I bet many were caught. :P
Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: LISTR-93 on 08 September, 2021, 02:19:28 AM
Due to Bletchley Park being able to crack codes by the German enigma machines in WW2, the UK had a good idea as to when and where they were going to land spies.  Interestingly however, I was told by someone recently, that they did manage to get spies in the US without them knowing, but how was this possible?
What?  Really?  Does this someone that told you have first-hand knowledge or is this more like hand-me-down hearsay?  I bet many were caught. :P
I didn't say no German spies were caught! :P
Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: ATH019 on 09 September, 2021, 09:03:23 AM
True, you didn't say no German spies were caught but your original post seemed to suggest this, hence Susan.W's observation.



Global Moderator
Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: LISTR-93 on 19 September, 2021, 08:58:40 AM
True, you didn't say no German spies were caught but your original post seemed to suggest this, hence Susan.W's observation.



Global Moderator
Sorry, disagree.  I didn't say in my o.p that no German spies got into the US, I simply asked how (according to someone that told me) some were able to get in without being caught.
Title: Re: How did Germany get spies into US in WW2
Post by: blag-it Admin on 19 September, 2021, 10:41:29 AM
This is going round in circles a bit...  Have to err with the g.mod on this one, in that your post did seem to imply that no German spies were caught, and on the same page, one could just as easily say how some were able to get into the UK without being caught, or any other 'allied nation' for that matter.



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