{"product_id":"into-the-lions-mouth-isbn-9780593473979","title":"Into the Lion's Mouth","description":"\u003cb\u003eInternational bestseller!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames Bond has nothing on Dusko Popov. A double agent for the Abwehr, MI5 and MI6, and the FBI during World War II, Popov seduced numerous women, spoke five languages, and was a crack shot, all while maintaining his cover as a Yugoslavian diplomat…\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On a cool August evening in 1941, a Serbian playboy created a stir at Casino Estoril in Portugal by throwing down an outrageously large baccarat bet to humiliate his opponent. The Serbian was a British double agent, and the money―which he had just stolen from the Germans―belonged to the British. From the sideline, watching with intent interest, was none other than Ian Fleming…\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Serbian was Dusko Popov. As a youngster, he was expelled from his London prep school. Years later, he would be arrested and banished from Germany for making derogatory statements about the Third Reich. When World War II ensued, the playboy became a spy, eventually serving three dangerous masters: the Abwehr, MI5 and MI6, and the FBI.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e On August 10, 1941, the Germans sent Popov to the United States to construct a spy network and gather information on Pearl Harbor. He successfully made contact with the FBI in an attempt to warn the country, but J. Edgar Hoover blew his cover. Later, MI5 desperately needed Popov to deceive the Abwehr about the D-Day invasion, but they assured him that a return to the German Secret Service Headquarters in Lisbon would result in torture and execution. He went anyway...  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eInto the Lion’s Mouth\u003c\/i\u003e is a globe-trotting account of a man’s entanglement with espionage, murder, assassins, and lovers―including enemy spies and a Hollywood starlet. It is a story of subterfuge, seduction, patriotism, and cold-blooded courage. It is the story of Dusko Popov―the inspiration for James Bond.\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eInto the Lion's Mouth\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A sensational book, telling a remarkable true story that few know, even those in the intelligence business. Written in the style of the best spy thrillers, the book is impossible to put down. A must read.\"—Michael Morell, acting CIA Director (ret.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A work of non-fiction that's more thriller than biography…Well-researched.\"—USAToday.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Gripping...will keep you planted in your reading chair from start to finish.\"—Michael Connelly, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Who needs fiction. Truth is a thousand times better, and this true-life adventure has it all.  Action, history, secrets, conspiracies—a sizzling piece of entertainment that’s real.\"—Steve Berry, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"An intriguing and fascinating book describing the life of a real spy and Britain’s most successful double agent…Shocking.\"—James A. Lyons, Jr., Admiral, United States Navy (retired)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"One of the most fascinating things I've ever read, period. Gripping, thrilling, and too crazy to be true—except that it is. Reads less like a biography and more like a thriller.\"—The Real Book Spy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eCode Name: Lise\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A nonfiction thriller.\"—\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A great book! A remarkable story. I hope someone's bought the movie rights.\"—The TODAY Show\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Reading like a thrilling spy novel and the most exciting sort of  nonfiction—well researched, well written, and fast paced enough to keep  the pages turning—this will interest fans of the history of espionage,  World War II history, military history, women’s history, and  biography.\"—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"With evident sympathy, Loftis tells a well-researched, novelistic  story of a heroine and patriot…Swift and entertaining.\"—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger...A vivid history of wartime heroism.\"—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Larry Loftis, who seems to specialize in World War II espionage, relates [Odette Sansom's story] in thriller style.\"—\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Extraordinary bravery ... made this woman one of World War II's most  remarkable spies.  That she survived the war was almost miraculous.\"—\u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eLarry Loftis\u003c\/b\u003e is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e, and  international bestselling author of the nonfiction spy thrillers THE  PRINCESS SPY: The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith,  Countess of Romanones; CODE NAME: LISE: The True Story of the Woman Who  Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy; and INTO THE LION'S MOUTH: The  True Story of Dusko Popov—World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life  Inspiration for James Bond. His books have been translated into  numerous languages and can be found in Portugal, Holland, Serbia, the  Czech Republic, Taiwan, India, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout  the UK.1 \"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Forging the Anvil\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The word spy carries with it a certain pejorative connotation.      Soldiers serve with patriotism and courage. Admirals lead with      brilliance and heavenly wisdom. Field marshals and generals attack      gallantly and operate, as Rommel proved, within an ethical code of      conduct. Spies, on the other hand, thrive between the shadows of      deceit and skullduggery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Spies lie with impunity and lie with the enemy. They double-cross      without conscience and kill without confession. If a spy wasn't a      criminal before the secret service, he became one in the process.      As one intelligence officer put it, he \"must be prepared to be a      villain, to be ruthless and dishonest in one role while being      honest and tolerant in another. Second, he must be, or try to be,      a good showman.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Like none other, Dusko Popov was born for the role. With equal      measure he could and did wear all masks: villain and hero, killer      and lover, deceiver and patriot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But above all, he was a showman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Born July 10, 1912, in Titel, Serbia, Dusan “Dusko” Miladoroff      Popov was the second of Milorad Popov’s three sons-Ivan, Dusko,      and Vladan-and the grandson of Omer Popov, a wealthy banker and      industrialist who had built a sizeable empire of factories, mines,      and retail businesses. Dusko’s father continued the family      business, adding residential real estate to their investments.      Like many of Europe’s aristocrats, the family divided their time      between luxury homes-a winter residence in Belgrade and summer      retreat in Dubrovnik.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The boys grew up sailing the Adriatic, playing water polo and      tennis, and riding horses. Vladan, the youngest of Popov's sons,      was not as personally close as his brothers and would spend the      war years in college. Dusko's older brother, Ivan (\"Ivo\")-whom      Dusko idolized-was six-foot-two and handsome. An instinctive      leader, Ivo would become a surgeon and a courageous operative in      the Yugoslav resistance. Like Dusko, Ivo was intelligent,      charismatic, and intensely independent-traits which would endanger      their lives in the years to come.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Milorad Popov desired a first-rate education for his boys. Vladan      would attend the universities at Freiburg and Bologna, and later      medical school in Paris. Ivo would receive an undergraduate degree      at the Sorbonne, a medical degree at the University of Belgrade,      and a surgery degree from the University of Naples. Dusko would      travel to three countries before he finished. When he was sixteen,      his father enrolled him at Ewell Castle, a well-respected      preparatory school outside London. Housed in a castellated mansion      on the former grounds of Henry VIII's Nonsuch Palace, the      institution was the epitome of Gothic revival and pupil      refinement. Dusko's refining, however, was not to be; at least not      there. Three months after enrolling he confounded the staid      establishment with a belligerent independence not seen before, or      since. One day after missing a detention, Dusko was sentenced to a      cane whipping. Objecting that the adjudication was inappropriate      for the offense, Dusko snatched the cane from the teacher and      snapped it in two-in front of the class.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He was expelled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Popov transferred to the Lycée in Paris and managed to matriculate      without incident. Upon graduation he enrolled at the University of      Belgrade, where he received a law degree. Not particularly keen on      commencing a demanding legal practice, he decided to pursue a      doctorate in law at the University of Freiburg. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Graduate work in Germany seemed illogical; the country was      politically unstable and German was his fourth language. But      Germany dominated the cultural and economic realms of southeastern      Europe, he felt, and anyone seeking business success would do well      to learn its customs. Even now, some eighty years after Dusko's      decision, Germany's economic hegemony continues. \"Germany sits at      the heart of this vast economic and demographic domain,\" wrote one      Wall Street expert in 2014. \"Through its indirect control of the      ECB and the euro, it will dominate commerce, finance, and trade.\"      With limited knowledge of Hitler's power and plans, Popov's      decision in 1934 was nothing less than savvy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Of the numerous options within the country, Freiburg offered      charming allure. Beautiful and historic, the cozy town was nestled      in the shadow of the Black Forest, was close to ski slopes, and      was not too far from Belgrade. The school also offered an      internationally renowned academic tradition. Founded in 1457, the      University of Freiburg was one of the oldest colleges in Europe      and was known for outstanding critical thinking. Philosopher      Martin Heidegger taught here, and for two years had been rector.      What few outside Germany knew, however, was that Heidegger was a      committed Nazi.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dusko was aware that going to school in Germany would entail      certain disadvantages-Nazi propaganda, in particular-but he      figured the advantages of Freiburg outweighed the negative      political environment. Besides, he'd be in and out in two years.      What he couldn't see from Belgrade, however, was the national      system of indoctrination and terror being orchestrated and      implemented from Berlin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hitler became Reich chancellor on January 30, 1933, and within a      month passed the \"Ordinance for the Protection of the People and      the State.\" A month later, the first concentration camp was      established and two months later the Gestapo was formed. Under      Ernst Röhm, the Sturmabteilung (Storm Battalion, or SA) began      arresting, beating, torturing-in some cases murdering-thousands of      Berlin Communists, Social Democrats, and Jews. In 1934 henchman      Reinhard Heydrich became Gestapo chief and Heinrich Himmler      declared the SD (Sicherheitsdienst) the political intelligence and      counterespionage service of the Nazi Party. To that end Himmler      tasked the organization with discovering and stifling opponents of      National Socialism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On April 12 of that year the minister of the interior announced      the principles for \"preventive arrest\" and Schutzhaft protective      custody. Soon thereafter, the Gestapo consigned to concentration      camps all treasonists, Communists, and members of the      International Bible Research Association. In short order, those      liable for preventive detention included \"anti-social      malefactors\": beggars, homosexuals, prostitutes, drunkards,      brawlers, and even grumblers. By the time Dusko entered the      University of Freiburg in 1935, the term malefactors had been      expanded to cover anyone who opposed Nazi rule.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At universities throughout Germany the SD formed \"Working      Associations,\" each having local leaders and an army of      collaborators and informants. Those in associations included      academics, judges, businessmen, and scientists. Some in academia      served as \"reporters.\" When Dusko graduated in 1937, the SD      surveillance network had grown to three thousand full-time      employees, with another fifty thousand serving as informants. At      major universities like Freiburg, SD collaborators would have long      since infiltrated faculty and student clubs. Future Secret Service      chief Walter Schellenberg started with the SD in this fashion,      having been recruited by two professors while a student at the      University of Bonn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The malediction of the system was significant and swift; once      denounced by a Nazi collaborator, a victim was immediately      arrested. And Dusko was mistaken in his belief that foreigners      were exempt from prosecution and punishment. A thirty-one-year-old      American physician, Joseph Schachno, was a prime example. One      evening shortly after Hitler's rise to power a team of uniformed      men visited Dr. Schachno's home in Berlin. They were responding to      an anonymous tip that Schachno was a potential enemy of the state.      Though the Gestapo found nothing incriminating in his home, the      American was taken to headquarters, ordered to undress, and      whipped mercilessly. His entire body was flayed, leaving a mass of      raw, bleeding flesh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But the danger was just beginning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Two years after Hitler's election, the Reichstag passed the      anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws. When Freiburg stores were ordered to      post signs forbidding the entrance of Jews, the owner of a      favorite campus café-Mrs. Birlinger-refused. The Nazis responded      by picketing the restaurant and posting soldiers to collect names      of patrons. It was a less than subtle intimidation at which Dusko      took umbrage. One day he and his two closest friends-Johann Jebsen      and Alfred \"Freddy\" Graf von Kageneck-supported the recalcitrant      café by giving their names to the guards and taking a table by the      window for all to see.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dusko Popov, the foreign student, had caught the watchful eye of      the Reich.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As a handsome and charismatic doctoral student, he was also      catching the eyes of co-eds. Women and trouble invariably      commingled for Popov, and throughout his early years he was never      far from either. Sunning with a girlfriend one afternoon, Dusko      wrote in his memoirs, he was resting peacefully when another      suitor-Karl Laub-approached to pester the girl for a date. A      disagreement ensued and Laub challenged Dusko to Mensur-a saber      duel sometimes called \"academic fencing.\" Practiced in German      universities since the sixteenth century, Mensur was thought to      instill mettle and courage in young men. Hitler encouraged the      practice as a means of building up fearless soldiers. German      traditionalists, men like Walter Schellenberg, joined university      student groups specifically because they had \"a code of honor and      duelling.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The tradition was not favored by handsome foreigners, however,      since the object of the bout was to disfigure the opponent's face.      Mensur contestants wore a protective vest, neck armor, and a small      mask to protect the eyes and nose; the cheeks, forehead, and chin      were the principal targets, and a quick flip of the wrist would      lacerate anything the saber touched. The duel, which was      officiated, allowed no ducking, flinching, or dodging of an      opponent's blows.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mark Twain described a bout he witnessed in Heidelberg:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The instant the word was given, the two apparitions sprang forward      and began to rain blows down upon each other with such lightning      rapidity that I could not quite tell whether I saw the swords or      only flashes they made. . . . I saw a handful of hair skip into      the air as if it had lain loose on the victim's head and a breath      of wind had suddenly puffed it away. . . . The surgeon came and      turned back the hair from the wound-and revealed a crimson gash      two or three inches long. . . . The duelists took position again;      a small stream of blood was flowing down the side of the injured      man's head, and over his shoulder and down his body to the floor,      but he did not seem to mind this. The word was given, and they      plunged at each other as fiercely as before; once more the blows      rained and rattled and flashed. . . . The law is that the battle      must continue fifteen minutes if the men can hold out. . . . At      last it was decided that the men were too much wearied to do      battle any longer. They were led away drenched with crimson from      head to foot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Gruesome Mensur scars, Schmissen (\"smite\") the Germans called      them, adorned the faces of many World War II officers, including      SA cofounder Ernst Röhm, head of the political police (later,      Gestapo) Rudolf Diels, RSHA chief Ernst Kaltenbrunner, and      legendary commando Otto Skorzeny. No less an authority than Otto      von Bismarck was reported to have said that dueling scars were a      sign of bravery, and that a man's courage could be determined by      the number on his cheeks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dusko had neither the need for distorted courage nor the desire      for a deformed face. When the time for the duel arrived, he      demanded a different weapon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Pistols.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Laub and his second objected. Pistols had never been used in      student dueling, they complained to the referee. Johnny Jebsen,      who was Dusko's second, countered that the one being challenged      traditionally had choice of weapons, and that Dusko was duty bound      by his Yugoslav cavalry regiment to duel only with pistols. Laub      appealed to the student honor court, which found a middle ground:      Dusko was allowed a choice of weapons, but pistols had never been      used in a university duel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The bout was canceled and Laub lived on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On June 9, 1937, Dusko turned in his dissertation-”The Vivovdan      and the September Constitution of Yugoslavia”-and began wrapping      up his doctoral studies. By late summer he had finished his exams      and made preparations for a celebratory excursion to Paris. He had      been to the French capital many times and loved all that the city      offered: endless cafés, exquisite wines and cuisine, and-most      importantly-adventurous popsies. A few days before leaving he gave      a pro-democracy speech at the foreign-student club.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He never made it to Paris.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2 \"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Exiting Feet First\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A day or so after the speech Dusko was awakened by pounding at his      door. A team of Gestapo guards, looming in the hall like      black-and-gray gargoyles, ordered him to get dressed and follow      them to an awaiting car.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He knew why.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From the day he stepped onto the Freiburg campus in the fall of      1935, he had either ignored or ridiculed the Nazis. Birlinger      café. Articles for the Politika. Speeches at the foreign-student      club. Naively, he had assumed the social setting would allow free      speech. He also believed that his status as a foreigner would      exempt him from Kadavergehorsam-the zombie-like obedience Hitler      demanded. Dusko despised Nazism, and since he wasn't German, he      believed he owed no allegiance to Hitler or the state.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He was wrong.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By 1937 Hitler had been Reich chancellor for four years and had      spread Nazi doctrine and terror across Germany with fanatical      resolve. Heinrich Himmler, as de facto head of the Gestapo in 1934      and as Reichsführer-SS in 1936, had begun implementing many      reforms: Jewish professors were fired from university posts,      church leaders were forced to embrace National Socialism or lose      their parishes, and Konzentrationslagers-concentration camps-were      ordered to full development.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dusko Popov, a nonconformist foreigner, was another perfect      target. As a Polish jurist later wrote, the Nazi scheme was a      coordinated plan to pass laws \"that attacked the political and      social institutions of culture, language, national feelings,      religion and the economic existence of national groups, and [that      tended to] the destruction of personal security, liberty, health,      dignity, and even the lives of individuals belonging to such      groups.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Virtually around the clock, Gestapo agents interrogated him. The      first agent charged him with an unthinkable crime-dating a girl      who worked in a factory. Surely this was proof that Popov was a      Communist. Another agent followed. And another. Eight days. The      Gestapo questioned everyone he knew-students, professors,      merchants-and only von Kageneck and Jebsen defended him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Like Dusko, Freddy and Johnny had come from aristocratic      backgrounds. The von Kagenecks were one of the oldest and most      influential Catholic families in Germany; the Jebsens, one of the      richest. Freddy's noble heritage could be traced back to the      twelfth century, and Johnny's wealth, although invested largely in      ships, was almost beyond measure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Johnny's family was originally from Denmark, and his grandfather,      Michael Jebsen, Jr., had established a shipping company there in      1871. To open an Asia trade route, he moved his operations to      Hamburg, and the eldest son, Johnny's uncle Jacob, cofounded      Jebsen \u0026amp; Co. in 1895 in Hong Kong. It appears that the      youngest son, Michael III, was Johnny's father and had continued      the Hamburg business after Johnny's grandfather died in 1899. The      date of Michael III's death is unknown, but by the time Johnny      enrolled at Freiburg in 1935, both of his parents were dead. By      then Johnny had inherited not only a sizeable part of the shipping      empire, but other assets as well. Part of Jebsen's loyalty to      Germany, he would later say, was because he owned so much of it.","brand":"Dutton Caliber","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299825438949,"sku":"NP9780593473979","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593473979.jpg?v=1767730133","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/into-the-lions-mouth-isbn-9780593473979","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}