Overview

The full story of Josephine Baker's wartime and intelligence work in France and North Africa Before the Second World War, Josephine Baker (1906–1975) was one of the most famous performers in the world. She made her name dancing on the Parisian stage, but when war broke out she decided not to return to America. Instead, Baker turned spy for the French Secret Services. In this engaging, deeply researched study, Hanna Diamond tells the full story of Baker's actions for the French and Allied powers in World War Two. Drawing on previously unseen material, Diamond reveals the vital role Baker played throughout the war, from counterintelligence work for the Allied landings in North Africa to serving in the French Air Force in 1944–45. A woman of colour operating in a white male environment, Baker exploited her celebrity to enable her war work across France, Spain, Portugal, North Africa, and the Middle East. This groundbreaking account is the first to reveal the full significance of Baker's wartime contribution.

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9780300279986

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Reviews

“Josephine Baker for too long has been a fashion accessory in world history. She was an exotic and sad example of prewar Europe that othered her. Now Hanna Diamond seeks to set the record straight . . . [and] reveals why Baker is a hero of the twentieth century.”—Onyeka Nubia, author of England’s Other Countrymen   “A powerful and significant book. It takes a familiar person and tells a new story about her—Baker’s double life as a spy and later Second Lieutenant in the French Air Force, while continuing her showbiz career to raise money for the Free French.”—Robert Gildea, author of Fighters in the Shadows   “A gripping account of Josephine Baker, the formidable spy who used her celebrity to operate in plain sight. Based on extensive new research, Diamond brings to life Baker’s legacy on clandestine operations in France, North Africa and the Middle East. An inspirational heroine for our time.”—Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence

“A picture emerges of Baker’s unfailing bravery in the face of extreme danger and her fierce loyalty to her adopted country.”—Gioia Diliberto, Wall Street Journal “Hanna Diamond meticulously documents Baker’s clandestine war work for the Free French using previously unseen sources.”—Lucy Moore, Literary Review “Josephine Baker for too long has been a fashion accessory in world history. She was an exotic and sad example of prewar Europe that othered her. Now Hanna Diamond seeks to set the record straight . . . [and] reveals why Baker is a hero of the twentieth century.”—Onyeka Nubia, author of England’s Other Countrymen “A powerful and significant book. It takes a familiar person and tells a new story about her—Baker’s double life as a spy and later Second Lieutenant in the French Air Force, while continuing her showbiz career to raise money for the Free French.”—Robert Gildea, author of Fighters in the Shadows “A gripping account of Josephine Baker, the formidable spy who used her celebrity to operate in plain sight. Based on extensive new research, Diamond brings to life Baker’s legacy on clandestine operations in France, North Africa and the Middle East. An inspirational heroine for our time.”—Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence

Author Information

Hanna Diamond is professor of French history at Cardiff University. An expert on the social and cultural history of France during the Second World War, she is the author of Fleeing Hitler: France 1940 and Women and the Second World War in France, 1939–48.

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