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The British Kardashian Sisters

 

I introduced you briefly to the famous (some would say infamous) Mitford sisters several years ago in my blog, British Fascists and a Mitford (click here to read the blog). It was the story of an English noble, Sir Oswald Mosley, and his wife, Diana who were staunch supporters of Hitler, Nazi Germany, and fascism. Diana Mosley was one of the six Mitford sisters.

Like the modern-day Kardashians, the Mitford sisters were well-known, extensively covered by the press, and considered to be “socialites.” I suppose today they would be called “celebrities.” As war with Germany approached during the 1930s, the antics of several sisters were widely covered in print and photos by the English press (no social media or television back then). In fact, the press branded one of the sisters as “Hitler’s girlfriend.” Unity Mitford wore that label proudly. Several of the other sisters held extremist views and were just as controversial.

Unity Mitford and Adolf Hitler in Bayreuth, Germany about one year after meeting. Photo by anonymous (c. 1936). TheDailyMail.co.uk. PD-Author release.
Unity Mitford and Adolf Hitler in Bayreuth, Germany about one year after meeting. Photo by anonymous (c. 1936). TheDailyMail.co.uk. https://www.thehistoryreader.com/military-history/when-hitler-took-cocaine-hitlers-english-girlfriend/ PD-Author release.

Did You Know?

Did you know that the last survivor of the Führerbunker recently passed away?

Johanna Ruf (1929−2023) was fifteen when she entered the bunker in April 1945. Hitler used the bunker as his last headquarters and residence beginning 16 January 1945 and by April, Joseph Goebbels and his family had moved in. Read More The British Kardashian Sisters

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Cynthia: World War II Mata Hari

“She Used the Bedroom the Way James Bond Used A Beretta.”

That was the headline of a 2016 Daily Mail article (and a 1963 Time magazine article), and it grabbed my attention (just like any good headline should).

“She” was American-born Betty Pack a.k.a. “Cynthia,” one of British Secret Intelligence Service’s (SIS) and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) most productive spies during World War II.

Cynthia used her charm, beauty, and intelligence to extract top secret and vital information from diplomats, military personnel, and any man targeted by SIS and MI6. Cynthia’s weapon wasn’t a gun. It was sex, and her office was a bed, divan, blanket, or any other suitable platform. After seducing a Polish foreign office official, she said, “Our meetings were very fruitful, and I let him make love to me as often as he wanted, since this guaranteed the smooth flow of political information I needed.”

So, who was this dangerous woman and why do we remember Mata Hari from World War I but not Cynthia from the second world war?

Betty Pack. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Reprinted with the permission of the Baltimore Sun Media Group/Courtesy Harper Collins.
Betty Pack. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Reprinted with the permission of the Baltimore Sun Media Group/Courtesy Harper Collins.

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