WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Undetected: Aline Griffith

Episode Date: April 21, 2024

This week Megan and Alessia share the story of Aline Griffith, the model and spy turned Spanish countess during World War II.

Welcome to Undetected on Radio Free Hillsdale. Go undercover with your hosts, Alessia Sandala and Megan Lee, as they uncover the stories of spies from every country and time. The most thrilling, yet the most secret of lives in history. Welcome back. I'm Megan. And I'm Alessia. This week, we are shifting back to the Second World War, only in Spain. Alessia, what are we doing in Spain during World War II?

We are diving into a country brimming with secrets and looking at a woman who know would have imagined to be a spy, Aline Griffith. Griffith was born in Pearl River, New York on May 22, 1923. She earned a degree in literature, history, and journalism from the College of Mount St. Vincent. After college, Griffith worked as a model for Hattie Carnegie's modeling agency, one of the most prestigious in the United States, until she was eventually presented with the opportunity of a lifetime at a dinner party in By a stroke of luck, her blind date for the night was a man named Frank Ryan.

Ryan was actually in charge of running operations for the Iberian Peninsula for the Office of Strategic Services, or the OSS. After hearing how badly Griffith wanted to do her part in the war effort, he helped to get her in contact with the OSS. Eventually, Griffith was sent to what is known as the farm in Langley, Virginia, to complete her training. She was one of two women amongst 30 men. She learned the basics of espionage, including coding, weaponry, and close combat. Wow, imagine the kind of pressure she must have felt in that kind of situation. Yeah, Alessia, I would not have lasted a day. After completing her training, Griffith was sent to Madrid, Spain,

to pose as a part of a team selling oil with the American oil mission. Despite Spain being considered a neutral country during World War II, the fascist government often collaborated with the Nazis and was a hotbed of espionage. Madrid especially was teeming with spies, front companies, and hidden microphones, so every move Aline made had to be carefully calculated to avoid detection. Codenamed Tiger, Griffith's real mission was to code and decode messages that passed through her and to form a circle of agents that kept tabs on the Spanish government. Later, she would be tasked with infiltrating Spain's glamorous high society. Aline and her partner coded messages that were cabled to them regarding Nazi positions. in France. She was tasked with uncovering Nazi sympathizers and agencies, a difficult yet extremely

important role. There are many stories about Griffith's work during this time. However, many of them have either been proven false or appear extremely unlikely to have actually happened. While living it up with the Spanish aristocracy after the war, Griffith met the Count of Quintanilla in 1947 and fell in love. The two eventually married and had three children. They gained the title of Count and Countess of Romanones later. That's a beautiful story. I'll bet Griffith had no idea that her spying career would lead her to become a countess later. The Count attempted to convince Griffith to give up the world of espionage, but to no avail.

Griffith continued to occasionally carry out spy work when needed for the newly formed CIA. On the outside, she was a wealthy sociolite who threw lavish parties at the couple's three estates. Her guests included world leaders, celebrities, and other aristocrats. Among the most famous being Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Donald and Ivana Trump. Griffith wrote several books, which she claimed were stories of her times as a spy. However, the books were not accurate. Larry Loftus' recent book, The Princess Spy, captures the story of Aline Griffith in a more accurate light. She died of unknown causes on December 11, 2017 in Madrid.

We can admire her commitment to the cause in a place where every day. Every action was potentially under surveillance, and one wrong move could mean imprisonment and potentially the loss of many lives. A lean story is truly one for the movies, for not only was she a skilled spy that contributed to the Allied victory, but she got married to a count and earned a reputation that would go down in history. I'm Megan. And I'm Alessia.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Undetected. Tune in next week to explore the thrilling story of an American Green Beret and CIA paramilitary operations officer Billy Waugh on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.