In a tale as twisted as any spy thriller, discover how three women delivered critical evidence of Axis war crimes to Allied forces during World War II: Mazzeo is a fascinating storyteller (New York Journal of Books).
What wasn\'t reported, however, was how three women--a Fascist\'s daughter, a German spy, and an American banker\'s wife--risked their lives to ensure the diaries would reach the Allies, who would later u In a tale as twisted as any spy thriller.
In 1944, news of secret diaries kept by Italy\'s Foreign Minister, Galeazzo Ciano, had permeated public consciousness.
In a tale as twisted as any spy thriller, discover how three women delivered critical evidence of Axis war crimes to Allied forces during World War II: Mazzeo is a fascinating storyteller (New York Journal of Books).
Drawing from in-depth research and first-person interviews with people who witnessed these events, Mazzeo gives readers a riveting look into this little-known moment in history and shows how, without Edda, Hilde, and Frances\'s involvement, certain convictions at Nuremberg would never have been possible.
Together, they succeeded in preserving one of the most important documents of WWII.
When American spymaster Allen Dulles learned of Edda\'s escape, he sent in socialite Frances De Chollet, an accidental spy, telling her to find Edda, gain her trust, and, crucially, hand the diaries over to the Americans.
When this failed, Edda fled to Switzerland with Hilde\'s daring assistance to keep Ciano\'s final wish: to see the diaries published for use by the Allies.
As the seducer became the seduced, Hilde converted as a double agent, joining forces with Edda to save Ciano from execution.
Hilde Beetz, a German spy, was deployed to seduce Ciano to learn the diaries\' location and take them from Edda.
To avoid the peril of exposing Nazi lies, Hitler and Mussolini hunted for the diaries for months, determined to destroy them.
In 1944, Benito Mussolini\'s daughter, Edda, gave Hitler and her father an ultimatum: release her husband, Galeazzo Ciano, from prison, or risk her leaking her husband\'s journals to the press.
What wasn\'t reported, however, was how three women--a Fascist\'s daughter, a German spy, and an American socialite--risked their lives to ensure the diaries would reach the Allies, who would later use them as evidence against the Nazis at Nuremberg.
In 1944, news of secret diaries kept by Italy\'s Foreign Minister, Galeazzo Ciano, had permeated public consciousness.
In a tale as twisted as any spy thriller, discover how three women delivered critical evidence of Axis war crimes to Allied forces during World War II: Mazzeo is a fascinating storyteller (New York Journal of Books)
