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

James J. Heaphey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2008

This is a true story of a barely trained and inexperienced Air Force undercover agent who is sent to Morocco to assist the nationalist movement in breaking away from the teetering French colonial system without the French being made aware. It was Operation Camelback, set in motion by President Truman to safeguard the SAC airbases in Morocco, vital to a bombing run on Moscow if necessary, and a continued maintenance of a secret storage of Atomic bombs, also unknown to the French.The author's mission takes him to the Atlas Mountain garrison of the Foreign Legion, through the bathhouses and alleyways of Casablanca, the exotic Arabian Nights-like Fair in Marrakech and the settings of the privileged in Cairo where he meets the young Anwar Sadat and the former Nazi commando Otto Skorzney. The story unveils the working of MI6, the CIA, French Security Force, Mossad and the KGB. This story brings to the reader an understanding of the Islamist mind, angry at their European colonial masters, and sets the stage for the Twenty First century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...captivating...causes reader to forget the story ...is reality and not fiction...an incredible, absorbing memoir." -- Rachel Laudiero, Old Musty Books, Featured Review

"...fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes machinations occurring when a false step could have set off World War III." -- Alan Caruba, Bookview.com

"...living history at its best...if you read only one book in 2008, make sure it is this one." -- Simon Barrett, Blogger News Network

"...the kind of history that you will only find in the deepest part of the archives in Washington,D.C." -- Herbert Werlin, World Bank

"Real-life Casablanca. Fascinating reading, something of which few of us are even aware." -- Peter Shultis, The Virginia Gazette

"Stupendous events are recounted in studied language and style, giving powerful authenticity to the story that unfolds." -- Peter Davies, World Politics

Finalist Book of the Year Award --Foreword Magazine

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

About the Author

James J. Heaphey was an undercover operative for the United States Air Force during the Cold War years of the Fifties. He is a Professor Emeritus, Rockefeller College of Public Policy and Administration, State University of NY. He has written three academic books and served as a consultant to various emerging governments. His PhD was taken U. of California, Berkeley.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: History Publishing Co LLC (January 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933909366
• ISBN-13: 978-1933909363
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,668,719 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.