Legerdemain: The President's Secret Plan, The Bomb and What The French Never Knew [Hardcover]

James J. Heaphey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

Legerdemain is the true story of a young undercover operative for the U.S. Air Force during the Truman-Eisenhower Administrations who was sent on a mission to wrest French Morocco from the French colonial system and bring it into the American sphere of influence. The purpose was to insure Moroccan air bases for the Strategic Air Command which was vital for a retaliatory strike against the Soviet Union. The story underlines President Truman's disregard for French friendship and is willing to risk it for the sake of U.S. security. The disregard is further illustrated by the secret storage of atom bombs in French Morocco which was completely unknown to Charles DeGaulle, President of France. The story unveils the working of undercover operatives of Britains MI6, Israel's Mossad, America's CIA, France's Security Services, the Soviet Union's KGB as well as the French Foreign Legion set against the exotic backdrop of the alleyways, coffee houses and bathhouses of Casablanca, the exotic fairs of Marrakech, the settings of privilege in Cairo and the mountainside villages of Cypress. The author's experience also takes him through Berber villages in the Atlas Mountains and Foreign Legion outposts on the apron of the Sahara. Through it all, the author unfolds Islamic thinking of that period and sets it as a prelude to the affairs of the Twenty First Century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'...Legerdemain' is one of those rare, enthalling books that I feel completely unqualified to describe well enough to do it justice. Do you like history? It's worth rushing right out to buy, in my humble opinion." -- Nancy Horner, Bookfool.com

"The exotic settings of Casablanca, Marrakech, Cairo and Cyprus amid all the intrigue make for a very interesting book. I found the fact that nuclear weapons were stored on foreign soil without either the French or Moroccan government aware of this to be very disturbing.This is the type of book that will warrant a re-read as I am sure that I will absorb even more information a second time." -- Aceandhooserblook.blogspot.com

Finalist for Book of the Year Award --Foreword Magazine

Nominated for Best Book Award for national security issue during the Truman Administration. --Harry S. Truman Library

About the Author

James Heaphey is professor emeritus, Graduate School of Public Affairs, State University of New York. In addition to teaching and writing he directed political development programs in Brazil, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Egypt, Lebanon and South Korea from 1961 to 1992, and gave seminars on the politics of developing countries for American military officers stationed in Europe and the Far East from 1968 to 2003. He has a B.A., summa cum laude, from Western Reserve University, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley. He served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1954.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: History Publishing Co Llc (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933909358
• ISBN-13: 978-1933909356
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,753,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An utterly fascinating glimpse into historical power-wrangling and high-stakes diplomacy., February 2, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legerdemain: The President's Secret Plan, The Bomb and What The French Never Knew (Hardcover)

Legerdemain: The President's Secret Plan, The Bomb, and What The French Never Knew... is the true-life memoir of former U.S. Air Force undercover operative James J. Heaphey, who was charged with carrying out the President's secret plan when he was stationed in French Morocco during the 1950s. The French colonial empire was crumbling, with Indo China lost and North Africa soon to follow, so the United States opted to initiate a dangerous game of the Cold War. The goal: to influence Morocco away from the French colonial system and into the American sphere of influence. From the secret storage of atom bombs at some American Air Bases, to the workings of Britain's M16, Israel's Mossad, America's CIA, France's Security Services, the Soviet Union's KGB, and the French Foreign Legion, Legerdemain shines a light on intrigue more complicated than the most intricate spy fiction, as supported by recently declassified files. An utterly fascinating glimpse into historical power-wrangling and high-stakes diplomacy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a tremendous story!, February 9, 2008

By 

Martyn Ryan (County Kildare, Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Legerdemain: The President's Secret Plan, The Bomb, And What The French Never Knew (Paperback)

A tremendous read. This book moves along at a blistering pace. And it all actually happened. James Heaphey tells his story with great enthusiasm and really illuminates the inner workings of Government Agencies. I hope he has more stories to tell.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Historical Vignette, May 3, 2008

By 

G. Panter, M.D. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legerdemain: The President's Secret Plan, The Bomb, And What The French Never Knew (Paperback)

James J. Heaphy has provided the perfect picaresque historical account of daring and brio and spying in a Morocco which is struggling for its independence from the French. Heaphy is the perfect tour guide for the labyrinthine route; he provides an operational narrative of entwined complexities with delightful intricate details of privity that can only be supplied by someone uniquely qualified because he was an active participant in the intrigue of the time.
But history is infinite, and for me the most important function of this historical memoir is that it enables one to appreciate all the more the subsequent metamorphosis to the modern moderate Morocco, guided by the brilliance and inspired leadership of Mohammed VI, the present king of Morocco. With Morocco poised to lead in assuaging the many factions of the Middle East, Legerdemain contrasts for us in bold relief what we hope that rational leadership can accomplish.