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Beverly Hills Spy

The Double-Agent War Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbor

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"A beguiling tale of espionage and double-dealing in the years leading up to World War II. ... Strap in for a narrative that demands a suspension of disbelief—and richly rewards it." Kirkus Reviews (starred review); Best Books of February Selection

The untold story of the World War I hero who became a fixture of high society in Golden Age Hollywood—all while acting as a double agent for the Japanese Empire as it prepared to attack Pearl Harbor

Frederick Rutland's story is a rags-to-riches coup for the ages—a lower-class boy from England bootstraps his way up the ranks of the British military, becoming a World War I pilot, father of the modern aircraft carrier, cosmopolitan businessman, and Hollywood A-list insider. He oversaw this small empire from his mansion on the fabled Bird Streets of Beverly Hills. Snubbed for promotion in the Royal Air Force due to little more than jealousy and class politics, Rutland—to all appearances—continued to spin gold from straw, living an enviably lavish lifestyle that included butlers, wild parties, private clubs, and newswor­thy living . . .

. . . and it was all funded by the Japanese Empire.

Beverly Hills Spy reveals the story of Rutland's life of espi­onage on behalf of the Axis, selling secrets about fleet and aircraft design to the Japanese Imperial Navy that would be instrumental in its ability to attack Pearl Harbor, while col­lecting a salary ten times larger than the best-paid Japanese admirals. Based on recently declassified FBI files and until-now untranslated documents from Japanese intelligence, Ronald Drabkin brings the scope of this unforgettable tale into full focus for the first time. Rutland hides in plain sight, rubbing elbows with Amelia Earhart and hosting galas and fundraisers with superstars like Charlie Chaplin and Boris Karloff, while simultaneously passing information to Japan through spy networks across North and Central America. Countless opportunities to catch Rutland in the act are squandered by the FBI, British Intelligence, and US Naval

Intelligence alike as he uses his cunning and charm to mis­direct and cast shadows of doubt over his business dealings, allowing him to operate largely unfettered for years.

In the end, whether he fully intends to or not, Rutland sets in motion world events that are so monumental, their consequences are still being felt today.

Beverly Hills Spy is a masterpiece of research on spy craft, a shocking narrative about an unknown but pivotal figure in history, and brings new information to light that helps us understand how Pearl Harbor happened—and how it could have been prevented.

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    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2023

      The first pilot to take off and land on a ship, Frederick Rutland was a decorated British World War I hero. But after the war, he was not promoted within the new Royal Air Force, likely owing to class politics, and he angrily became a spy for the Japanese. Drabkin's interest is personal; both his father and grandfather served as spies in Los Angeles. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 22, 2024
      Drawing on recently declassified files, historian Drabkin debuts with a riveting account of Frederick Rutland (1886–1949), a British WWI hero who spied for the Japanese on the eve of WWII. As a celebrated naval aviator—he was the first Royal Navy pilot to take off and land a plane from a ship in battle—Rutland developed a taste for publicity and a lifestyle beyond his reach. Overlooked in the peacetime British military, he offered his services to the Japanese Navy, who needed his technical knowledge to develop a carrier strike force. The Japanese later helped Rutland relocate to Los Angeles to spy on the U.S. Navy and develop an agent network. With the Japanese government funding his lavish lifestyle, he rubbed elbows with the most famous English actors in Hollywood at the time, including Alan Mowbray and Boris Karloff, who out of concern over Rutland’s behavior eventually contacted the FBI, and Charlie Chaplin, whose former butler Toraichi Kono became a key player in Japan’s espionage network. Shortly before the Pearl Harbor bombing, Rutland turned coat again, but his warning about the impending attack went unheeded by a distrustful FBI. Drabkin writes with a novelist’s flair, roving between far-flung ritzy settings (Hollywood, London, Tokyo) and notable personages (from J. Edgar Hoover to Amelia Earhart). Readers will be swept up.

    • Booklist

      February 1, 2024
      Government secrecy is a catchall term, guarding against the revelation of embarrassing incidents, criminal acts, and intelligence operations. Thanks to recently declassified FBI files, Drabkin discovered why the UK, U.S., and Japan would prefer to keep their dealings with Frederick Rutland, aka "Agent Shinkawa," secret forever. In the British Royal Navy, Rutland distinguished himself in WWI for acts of bravery and grace under fire, but class elitism kept him mired in the lower ranks. So, proficient in airplanes and electronics, he took his expertise to the Japanese Navy. He became a useful asset as he relayed information on British aircraft and later, the U.S. defense industry, after he relocated to California in the 1930s. As the world marched on to WWII, Rutland seesawed in his allegiances, becoming a threat to Allied and Axis powers alike. The life of a spy has never seemed so addictive or harrowing. Drabkin takes an evenhanded approach, portraying Rutland as complicated--equal parts hero and villain. This winning and dramatic biography pierces the veil of secrecy surrounding historical events.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from January 1, 2024
      A beguiling tale of espionage and double-dealing in the years leading up to World War II. He was known as Agent Shinkawa, a spy for the Imperial Japanese Navy. His real name was Frederick Rutland (1886-1949), a hero of early British aviation. As Drabkin relates, Rutland turned to Japan for work after having been passed over for promotion as one of the proletariat, even as another pilot "of a superior class...realized his skills were no match for Rutland's." Rutland had worked out practical solutions to launching warplanes from aircraft carriers, and, as early as 1920, the Japanese were both planning on using that new technology to forge a Pacific empire and preparing for war with the U.S. Rutland was particularly useful once he set up shop in Beverly Hills, plying pilots, aircraft manufacturers, and military officers with booze and letting them do the talking. Drabkin's cast of characters is surprising: The bon vivant Rutland got actionable intelligence out of Amelia Earhart and had dealings near and far with the likes of Charlie Chaplin (the target of a Japanese assassination attempt), Boris Karloff (an unlikely but real counterspy), Graham Greene's brother, and Yoko Ono's father. It wasn't long before the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence caught on to Rutland, who became a double agent to save his own skin, gaining protection from J. Edgar Hoover's FBI in the bargain. Both ONI and the FBI missed out on a trail of clues that might have prevented the attack at Pearl Harbor, in which Rutland was implicated enough to spend time in a British prison. Drabkin's expertly narrated yarn, based on a trove of recently declassified documents, is constantly surprising, and it's just the thing for thriller fans who enjoy kindred fictions of the Alan Furst variety. Strap in for a narrative that demands a suspension of disbelief--and richly rewards it.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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