Leo Marks
Leo Marks, who was codes and ciphers chief at the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the second world war, and worked closely with agents dropped behind enemy lines, has died aged 80. He also pursued a long and sometimes controversial postwar career as a writer for stage and screen, culminating in the film Peeping Tom, which hurt the reputation of its leading British director, Michael Powell.
Obeying Churchill’s order to “set Europe ablaze”, SOE, a parallel secret service run by a mixture of brilliant brains and bungling amateurs, sent spies into occupied Europe to gather information and work with resistance groups. Casualties were high, as when the Germans penetrated its Dutch network and executed some 50 agents, despite warning… Continue Reading (6 minute read)
