SPEAK TO ME SOFTLY: THE PERMANENT FASCINATIONS OF THE SPY STORY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000300090038-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 38
• Content Type: NSPR

.by, CURTtS CARROLL DAVIS
SPEAK TO ME ,SOFTLY-
THE
PER11UNENT
'ASGINA"lOS
OF
,THE
SPCC'
STORY
an -1 .7"
,
,president of Republic '$tei 1.ruetti.ly assured a7
gathering of business leadet'e tbit "the average
layman would rather read 4 mystery story about
a vanishing spy than` a book about the vanish-
ing purchasing power of his dollars." The presi-
dent-was doubtless right; the signs would indicate
that sinatn=infant "9n the activities of secret
CPYRGHT
CPYRGHT
agents has, froth the close of World War II,
reached a new height. Since most people never
meet secret agents, or never recognize them
when they do much of this interest fknds `play
in the, memoirs a few of -them have : published,
or-for a far larger audience'- -in nction'woven
'round the espionage theme. Most readers are
;unaware that this theme caught the Imagina-
d
vtton;of. American writers so long ago, &n has
that to
s
e
. .
nre
been pursued in such varying g
':talk of "spy stories" is to be much too .restric-
tive, "Espionage literature" would be 'a better
%
&a