'Blinker' Hall: Spymaster The Man Who Brought America into World War I

by Ramsay, David

• ISBN13: 9781862274655
• ISBN10: 1862274657
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-03-01
• Publisher: Spellmount

Summary

Admiral Sir Reginald "Blinker" Hall, the Director of Naval Intelligence for most of World War I was one of the outstanding, if largely unrecognized, naval leaders of the war. Naval Intelligence's ability to read and analyze German naval and diplomatic signals on a daily basis was a significant factor in the Allied victory, as the Germans never realized that their codes had been broken. The revelation of the Zimmermann Telegram, depicted as one of the most exciting events in the history of intelligence, was astutely handled by Hall and served as the catalyst that brought America into the war in April 1917. The effective interface between intelligence and operations, instituted by Hall and the anti-submarine chief, Admiral Duff, together with the introduction of convoys resulted in the defeat of the U-boats. Hall's dynamic leadership, talent for lateral thinking, and force of personality were essential to these successes. Above all Hall was endowed with the guile and ruthlessness that kept him one step ahead of a formidable and determined enemy as well as their widespread espionage and subversion operations. This is a gripping study of this fascinating man and his invaluable legacy.

Author Biography

David Ramsay is the son of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, who was the Allied Naval Commander in Chief for the Normandy Invasion of June 1944. He is also the author of Lusitania: Saga and Myth.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 7
Acknowledgements	p. 11
List of Abbreviations	p. 15
1870-1914	p. 17
'The Miraculous Draught of Fishes' - The Endowment of Room 40 (1914)	p. 23
Director of Naval Intelligence (1914-1915)	p. 39
The Eyes and Ears of The Fleet (1914-15)	p. 55
Eastern Adventures (1915-16)	p. 75
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: the Sinking of Lusitania (1915)	p. 89
The Ides of May (May 1915)	p. 107
The Great Game I (Operations and intelligence in the US, Ireland and Spain (1915-17)	p. 123
Jutland - An Intelligence Failure (1916)	p. 145
Hall takes charge of Room 40 (1916-1917)	p. 161
Arthur Zimmermann Sends a Telegram (January-February 1917)	p. 177
War Comes to America: 'Alone I did it' (February-April 1917)	p. 195
All Change at the Admiralty (May-December 1917)	p. 225
The Great Game II (1917-18)	p. 247
The Road to Victory (1918-19)	p. 265
1919-43	p. 293
The Hall Legacy (World War II and after)	p. 301
Index	p. 317
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