Customer Reviews

The Winking Fox: Twenty-Two Years in Military Intelligence

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rene Defournaux is an excellent writer who, unfortunately, has not been allowed to tell more than about 25% of the story, but that 25% is absolutely riveting. His life puts the fiction of Ian Fleming and W. E. B. Griffith in the shade. This book not only adds to the historical knowledge of the era but is a good read. I couldn't put it down and read it straight through one recent weekend. I recommend it for students of history and for those readers of novels who think that fiction is more exciting than real life, they will find that adventure tales take second place to this man's life.

The Winking Fox: Twenty-Two Years In Military Intelligence is Rene Defourneaux's first hand account of his years as an officer with the U.S. Army's intelligence service. A young Frenchman who came to the United States with his mother and sister to join his father shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Defourneaux joined the service in 1943. Trained as an intelligence specialist he was sent to England to join a unit as an interrogator. There he was recruited by OSS and trained as an agent. He was parachuted alone into occupied France to organize and train French resistance groups. With the liberation of Paris he was transferred to Asia where he served as the second in command of a team parachuted into Japanese held French Indochina in support of a group assembled by Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap. After WWII he served for the next twenty years as an Army intelligence officer with duty in Europe and Asia. The Winking Fox is a stirring, eye-witness account of military intelligence activities and his own decisions and efforts that were often misunderstood or simply ignored by his superiors who lacked the background and experience to adequately utilize his talents, experience and expertise. Enhanced for the reader with 75 photographs, illustrations and documents, The Winking Fox is a superb contribution to the growing body of World War II literature and offers a unique insight into the world of Army intelligence.

The Winking Fox compares favorably with Shibumi, except Shibumi is fiction, and the Fox is terrifyingly real. If you have read Behind the Lines-Hanoi by Harrison E. Salisbury of the New York Times, you might be prepared for the Winking Fox. Recently declassified by the CIA and NSA enough to publish, Rene J. Defourneaux writes his account of 22 years as a Secret Agent Man in all the hotspots of the last half century. What's terrifying is his first-hand accounting of the pol-pot the U.S. has stirred since WWII. Read it and weep. Some chapters are still half-censored, but you'll get the gist of it. Here's a man who started his career getting parachuted behind enemy lines and it just gets worse. The man himself is to be respected, but the horrible truth remains that no matter what intelligence he gleaned for the U. S. they steadfastly ignored or discounted his reports, and pushed on, making the same mistakes the French did in Indo China and Vietnam. This is the guy the U.S. never listened to. This is the guy who had the facts and lived the life. Check out the photo of Defourneaux and Ho Chih Minh. This is the man who lived Apocalypse Now and advised against all the things we went ahead and did. I couldn't put it down, it was history and entertainment all in one.

How did Ho Chi Mein come to power? With the help of the US and the author. The author recounts the incredible story of spying in workd war II. Incredible because it is all true. You learn how to get the enemy (Germany) to blow up their own bridge and slow their own retreat after D-Day. The author's nanrtive style leads one on a casual trip of the day in the life of a special agent. Rene tells how Ho Chi Mein came to power and the Vietnam War began, all with the assistance of the US govenment. A story that can only be told by the one who was there carrying out the mission. A very good read for any history buff.

Reading this book is like finding a man's diary and having access to his inner thoughts as he walks through his life as a man and U.S. Army Officer. Filled with refreshing insights into everyday life and historical information about his adventures in the U.S. Army and his role as an intelligence specialist, this book is an enjoyable read for any one who enjoys human interest stories.

From Whitney Gafford, A HS Student:
Rene,
I am very pleased to announce that I won 1st place at National History Day!!!!!! Thank you so very much for all your help. Yes, I did read both books. That's why I was wondering if you had finally been successfull in the location. The judges were like... "OSS?" How come we don't know much about this?" I was very proud to bring your history forward to the world.... maybe some more books will be sold!! You have been just the sweetest person to show interest in me. I know I would never have gotten this far without your help. Thank you! Thank you!

Yours in freedom and justice....
Whitney

Rene Defourneaux was a young Frenchman who came to the United States shortly before the outbreak of World War II. In 1943 he joined the American army, trained as an intelligence specialist, and was sent to England to join a unit as an interrogator. There he was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and strained as an agent. He parachuted alone into occupied France to organize and train French resistance groups. After the liberation of Paris he was transferred to Asia where he served as second in command of a team parachuted into Japanese held French Indochina in support of a group assembled by Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap. Shortly after World War II he was recalled to active duty and served twenty years as an Army intelligence office with duty in Europe, Asia, and the United States, finally ending his career at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana. The Winking Fox is a vivid account of some of his activities and explains why his efforts were often misunderstood or ignored by his superiors who lacked the required background and experience to adequately utilize his talents. Because of his ability to overcome adversity, hist phenomenal good luck, his associates dubbed him "The Fox". The Winking Fox is Defourneaux's true life story, told by himself, and a welcome, eye-witness, invaluable addition to the literature of both World War II and Cold War history.

Rene Defournaux is an excellent writer who, unfortunately, has not been allowed to tell more than about 25% of the story, but that 25% is absolutely riveting. His life puts the fiction of Ian Fleming and W. E. B. Griffith in the shade. This book not only adds to the historical knowledge of the era but is a good read. I couldn't put it down and read it straight through one recent weekend. I recommend it for students of history and for those readers of novels who think that fiction is more exciting than real life, they will find that adventure tales take second place to this man's life.