“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.
You are likely one of three types of people when it comes to Paris: A first time visitor, someone who loves the city and returns multiple times, or a person who has never been to Paris and probably never will. For those folks who return time and time again, they quickly determine it’s not necessary to re-visit the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, or any of the other well-known icons of Paris (in all fairness, I could visit the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay on each visit). What they begin to discover is a city full of French uniqueness that many first-time tourists never experience. Just by walking and keeping your eyes open, you’ll find the Wallace Fountains (read Wallace Fountainshere), the remaining pissoirs (read Please, No Pissoirs in Public!here), medieval carvings on the sides of buildings (read One-Eyed Kate here), the small shops, talk with the “pee ladies” (read The Pee Ladies of Parishere), the city’s original Roman amphitheater, and medallions imbedded in the concrete marking the location of a hidden river flowing below your feet (read A River Runs Through It and Under Ithere). They also learn to look up at the buildings so as not to miss the plaques, reliefs, and other unique aspects of the architecture.
Wallace fountain outside the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore on the Left Bank (4e). Photo by Sandy Ross (2017).Arènes de Lutèce (5e), a Roman amphitheater. Photo by Sandy Ross (2015).
One of the cultural icons you can’t miss if you walk along the Seine River are the bouquinistes (boo-keen-eest) or bookstalls where you can buy second-hand books, engravings, prints, magazines, collector’s stamps, and antique postcards.
Did You Know?
I’ve said this over and over. The world’s largest museum is likely twelve feet below the streets of Paris. Well, here’s another example. A medieval crypt has been discovered below an underground parking garage in the Latin Quartier. It is located on Rue Pierre-Nicole (I’m attempting to confirm the street number but I think it is either no. 14 bis or no. 11). The crypt is all that remains of the 7th-century church built by Saint Eloi—Église Sainte-Marie-des-Champs. It was here that the remains of the French kings were interred until that tradition shifted to the Basilique Cathédrale de Saint-Denis. Unfortunately, the medieval church was destroyed during the French Revolution. The recent floods have damaged the crypt and the city would like to begin restoration and then open the crypt up to the public. They are in negotiations now with the property owner. Let’s hope an agreement can be reached so that another excellent example of medieval Paris becomes available to us. Learn more here.
Inside the crypt. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
Medieval Origins: True or False?
The story has it that a ship carrying books sank in the Seine as it passed through the heart of the city. The books were recovered, taken onshore to be dried out, and then sold on the quais above the river. These books became known as bouquins or, small old bashed books. The name was derived from buch or, the German word for book (some think it originated from the Dutch word meaning small book, boeckin). Reportedly, this happened in the late 15th-century.
The bouquinistes established themselves on the Pont Neuf until they got kicked off the bridge (the established bookstores complained) and relocated to either side of the river where they were allowed to sell their books on holidays and hours when the bookstores were closed. Read More The Bookstalls of Paris
“Informative and entertaining, Stew Ross’ newest work evokes a difficult and frightening time in the history of the City of Light. The detailed descriptions of sites such as the Vél’ d’hiv’ or Gestapo headquarters reminds us of the choices people made during those years.”
Cynthia Bisson, PhD, Professor of History, Belmont University, French Resistant Expert
Paris Occupation History and Guide Book
This book presents three detailed walking tours and numerous metro station oriented short walks that identified significant occupation locations. Each location on the walk is fully explained. In addition, the author uses many sidebars to provide additional supporting information. The appendix provides a wealth of additional information and pictures that the novice and well read Occupation scholar will find helpful. Whether your first exposure to the Occupation or one of many books you have read, this book is a must read prior to visiting Paris. The format and size of the book make it easy to carry in your carry-on luggage. The book is the first of a three volume set. I can’t wait to see the information to be presented in Volumes 2 & 3.
Patrick from Albuquerque.
