-Caveat Lector- > First off, spy movies are very different from war movies; I was > not talking about spy-genre movies, only about the recent spate of > movies that are overtly 'war movies'... > > Secondly, I'd like you to name me ONE spy film made during the > 1950s; the genre did not take off until the first James Bond film > was made in the early 1960s -- during the Kennedy Administration > (Kennedy was an avid fan of Ian Fleming's books, BTW)...
> The cartoon-like hijinks of Bond and his ilk are very different > from stories involving soldiers fighting in the field... I knew someone would bring up 007. And I avoided doing it because it was not germaine to my point. If your perception of spies is like Bond, Smart, Flint, and the rest, well ... oh, well. The Cold War was not fought by uniformed armies; hence, the name, "Cold War". See bottom for a little something on the "Cold Warriors". Also, I didn't bring up the little McCarthy affair either, but all of these things were in the collective consciousness of the post-Second Great War era. Plot summaries from IMDb The first one (below) is just for kicks but it relates to a lot of what is provided in the media. Plot Summary for Animal Farm (1954) Page 10 of 19 Britain's first animated feature, which, despite the title and Disney-esque animal animation, is in fact a no-holds-barred adaptation of George Orwell's classic satire on Stalinism, with the animals taking over their farm by means of a revolutionary coup, but then discovering that although all animals are supposed to be equal, some are more equal than others... Plot Summary for Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1956) Page 11 of 30 Dr. Ben McKenna, his wife Jo and their son Hank are on a touring holiday of Africa when they meet the mysterious Louis Bernard on a bus. The next day Bernard is murdered in the local marketplace, but before he dies he manages to reveal details of an assassination about to take place in London. Fearing that their plot will be revealed, the assassins kidnap Hank in order to keep the McKenna's silent. Ben and Jo go to London and take matters into their own hands. Plot Summary for North by Northwest (1959) Page 11 of 32 Middle-aged Madison Avenue advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent by a gang of spies. He gets involved in a series of misadventures and is pursued across the States by both the spies and the government whilst being helped by a beautiful blonde. ~~~~~~~~~ This shows how prolific some spy writers were during the 1950ies: http://hem.passagen.se/orange/fleming.htm IAN FLEMING: This is Fleming's output, with year of publication, alternate titles (if any), and Swedish titles. JB = James Bond CASINO ROYALE 1953 (You asked for it) Casino Royale (JB) LIVE AND LET DIE 1954 Leva och låta dö (JB) MOONRAKER 1955 (Too hot to handle) Attentat (JB) DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER 1956 Döden spelar falskt (JB) FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE 1957 Kamrat mördare (JB) DR. NO 1958 Döden på Jamaica (JB) GOLDFINGER 1959 Goldfinger (JB) FOR YOUR EYES ONLY 1960 (JB) >From a view to a kill Den försvunna ordonnansen For your eyes only M:s privata hämnd Quantum of solace Risico Den riskiga affären The Hildebrand rarity Hildebrandrariteten THUNDERBALL 1961 Åskbollen (JB) THE SPY WHO LOVED ME 1962 007 - Älskade spion (JB) ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE 1963 I hennes majestäts hemliga tjänst (JB) YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE 1964 Man lever bara två gånger (JB) THRILLING CITIES 1964 (JB) 007 in New York THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN 1965 Mannen med den gyllene pistolen (JB) OCTOPUSSY AND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS 1967 (JB) © Christian Henriksson, 1997- ~~~~~~~~~~~~ > one rarely finds a war film that was made in the 1950s Stalag 17; From Here to Eternity; Mr Roberts; Bridge on the River Kwai; Run Silent, Run Deep; Up Periscope ... among who knows how many other rarities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A liitle known spy case from the 1950ies: >From http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists-spies-assassins.htm http://www.crimelibrary.com/rosen/rosenmain.htm }}}>Begin The Rosenbergs: A Case of Love, Espionage, Deceit and Betrayal by Russel Aiuto Prologue A network of spies, gleaning secrets of the atom bomb, a host of couriers and traitors, led by an insignificant man, assisted by a loyal wife, caught by the testimony of the wife's brother, culminating in the unprecedented executions of both husband and wife --- this is the setting for the most sensational espionage case of World War Two and its aftermath: The case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (AP/WWP) This death sentence is not surprising. It had to be. There had to be a Rosenberg Case because there had to be an intensification of the hysteria in America to make the Korean War acceptable to the American people. There had to be a hysteria and a fear sent through America in order to get increased war budgets. And there had to be a dagger thrust in the heart of the left to tell them that you are no longer gonna give five years for a Smith Act prosecution or one year for Contempt of Court, but we're gonna kill ya! Julius Rosenberg, as quoted by his attorney, Emanuel Bloch, September 22, 1953. Any consideration of the Rosenberg atom bomb spy case has to acknowledge several uncomfortable facts. First, almost all of the participants, including the accused, the accusers, the prosecution, and the defense often appear to be unattractive, unsympathetic, and sad people. Some, particularly those who used Ethel as a pawn in a futile attempt to force Julius to confess, behaved dishonorably, cruelly, and without pity. Still others display passions that are difficult to understand. With a few exceptions, the long cast of characters in this case do not inspire admiration. Second, as in the case of Sacco and Vanzetti, the Rosenberg trial took place in a Great Red Scare, but this time the paranoia was increased by the detonation of an atom bomb by Russia, the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North Koreans and Chinese, the numerous revelations and confessions of former communists and professed spies, and the intensity of the McCarthy mentality of the times. Layered on the political hysteria was the abhorrent circumstance of virulent anti-Semitism, intensified by the fact that virtually all of those concerned with this drama were Jewish. Third, the case is inescapably an accelerating tragedy. As it proceeds to its end, one is left with the feeling that it begins --- in hindsight --- inconsequentially and ends with an unnecessary and problematic pair of executions. If the central participants had been kings or queens or gods, it would be the stuff of Greek tragedy. As it was, it is a love story of two average people, caught in their time by their own misguided loyalties and inability to fully understand their peril, brought to a sad end by a cast of less than admirable associates. It may not be classic tragedy, but it is nonetheless high drama. ©2001 Courtroom Television Network LLC. All Rights Reserved. Terrorists spies and Assassins Archive - Crime Library End<{{{ http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/u2flight.htm Note: The year "1960" is technically the last year of the 50ies decade. }}}>Begin From: Eric Fettmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The National Defense University on Thursday held a seminar to discuss a newly declassified CIA report on the U-2 spy plane project. Here's an Associated Press story on the seminar and the report: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pilot Carmine Vito had a pocketful of lemon drops when he took off on July 5, 1956, on the first U-2 spy plane mission over Moscow. Accidentally mixed in with the candy was a cyanide tablet to be used if his situation grew desperate. Vito completed his mission -- but his sore throat nearly killed him. ``This dippy sergeant put the pill right in with my lemon drops,'' said Vito, who was at the National Defense University Thursday for a daylong seminar on the U-2 and the release of a declassified study of the famous spy plane. As old friends from Cold War days came by and clapped him on the back, Vito told of how five MiG fighters tried to shoot him down, only to exceed their own altitude and crash. Though apprehensive about violating Soviet airspace, he said he had been much more frightened flying combat missions during the Korean War. ``In Korea you were expendable. They wanted you to hit the target and if you didn't come home, well, that was too bad,'' Vito said. Reconnaissance missions were designed with survival in mind -- so that pilots could return with their precious cargo of film. The cyanide posed a new risk, especially in Vito's case, when it was tucked into the wrong pocket and he nearly popped it into his mouth. Back in Washington later that day, top officials were anxious to learn the results of Vito's mission and of the first U-2 flight into Soviet airspace, a pass over Leningrad, a day earlier. The 333-page declassified study, completed by CIA historians in 1992 and released Thursday, tells of then-CIA Director Allen Dulles' reaction when his reconnaissance chief, Richard Bissell, told him what routes the U-2s had flown. ``Oh my Lord. Do you think that was wise the first time?'' ``Allen,'' Bissell replied, ``the first is the safest.'' At the time of Vito's daring flight, U.S. knowledge of Soviet military installations was limited to a few German Luftwaffe photos dating from World War II. ``We desperately needed to know what Soviet intentions and capabilities were,'' said CIA Director George Tenet. ``In short, we were blind.'' The early U-2s played a crucial role in debunking Soviet claims of numerical superiority in bombers and missiles, saving U.S. taxpayers billions that might have been poured into matching purported Soviet strength, according to the CIA study. In the study by Gregory Pedlow and Donald Welzenbach, Eisenhower emerges as alternately enthusiastic and apprehensive about the U-2 flights. In November 1956, Eisenhower was shown U-2 photos taken as British and French bombers attacked an Egyptian airfield during the Suez crisis. ``Ten-minute reconnaissance -- now that's a goal to shoot for!'' Eisenhower exclaimed. Declassified U-2 photos showing the smoking airfield were displayed for the first time Thursday. Despite successes, Eisenhower was telling Dulles he had ``lost enthusiasm'' for the Soviet overflights and warned that if the world found out, ``the reaction would be drastic.'' Pressed by his military chiefs, who were trying to develop a detailed target list in case of nuclear war, Eisenhower reluctantly allowed flights to continue. In August 1957, U-2s passed over a Soviet nuclear test site just four hours before a test explosion. One photograph even captured the Soviet aircraft that was to drop the nuclear device. The CIA authors unearthed a highly classified memo to Bissell warning that the mission plan for Francis Gary Powers' May 1, 1960, flight was risky. ``This flight plan would permit alerting of SAM sites and pre-positioning of missile-equipped fighters in the Murmansk area, point of exit, thus enhancing the possibility of successful intercept,'' Bissell was warned. The warning was all-too accurate, the result, say the CIA authors, of U-2 program managers who ``had become overconfident and were not prepared for the 'worst case' scenario that actually occurred in May 1960.'' According to another highly classified document reviewed by the authors, U.S. officials later learned that when the Soviets shot down Powers, their SAMs also destroyed one of their own MiG fighters. Retired Soviet Col. Alexander Orlov, spent those years developing Soviet strategies to counter the U-2s and helped prepare the questions used in interrogating Powers. ``The missions were carried out at a time when the Soviet air defenses were relatively weak,'' Orlov told the gathering. But he said the many failed efforts to down U-2s ``were not in vain,'' as the results of the Powers mission showed. The study indicated that Powers, contrary to suspicions, did not give away secrets of the U2 program. He was freed in a prisoner exchange, ending one of the most embarrassing Cold War episodes for the United States. During a break in the conference, many of the Cold Warriors who built and flew the wispy spy planes went out to the quadrangle at Fort McNair on the Potomac River and watched as one of today's upgraded U-2s, among the busiest planes in the Air Force, made a low pass and a respectful dip of the wing before roaring up into the haze. Eric Fettmann End<{{{ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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