WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Undetected: Roald Dahl

Episode Date: January 9, 2025

Megan and Alessia investigate Roald Dahl's works for the BSC sharing American secrets with the British.

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 to Undetected, everyone. I'm Megan, and I'm so excited to tell you all about this week's spy, who also happens to be one of my favorite authors. It's not every day two of my passions, books and spies,

get to come together so perfectly in one person. I'm Alessia, and the spy, we will be talking about this week is Rala Dahl. If you have heard of him before, it is probably for his famous children's books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and many more. Definitely check them out if you haven't yet. But I bet many reader fans of Dahl may not be familiar with the other side of his life, his career as a spy for the British. Let's dive right in. Doll was born on September 13, 1916, in Cardiff, Wales, to a wealthy Norwegian family. But despite his family's money, Dahl had a rough childhood. He was only three years old.

when he lost his sister to appendicitis, followed by his father only weeks later. When Dal turned nine, he was shipped off to boarding school. And in his memoir, Boy, he recounted the severe beatings that masters and older boys at the school administered to him and the other students, so cruel that they drew blood. That is a traumatizing experience for anyone that young. Certainly, many believe his past may have influenced his temperament, which was known to be quite mean. When doll left school in 1934 at 17 years old, he started a job for the chef.

oil company, but after World War II broke out, his trajectory changed to becoming a fighter pilot and the British Royal Air Force. But unfortunately, that changed in September of 1940. While Dahl was stationed in Libya, he crashed his bloster gladiator biplane into a western desert during a non-combat flight. It was a violent landing during which Dahl fractured his skull and suffered severe injuries to his head, nose, and back. Despite his injuries, Dahl managed to pull himself out of the plane before the fuel

tanks exploded. He spent the next six months in the Anglo-Swiss Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. In April 1941, Dahl joined his comrades to defend Greece against the Germans in the Battle of Athens. But in the summer, Dahl had to withdraw from the Air Force. He had begun to experience terrible headaches and blackouts, making it too dangerous for him to fly. Dahl was forced to resign and return to Britain. Although Dahl left the cockpit, he had not left the war. As a handsome charismatic, charismatic former pilot, Dahl was charged with a task of public relations.

Britain sent him to the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. in the spring of 1942 as an assistant heir at Tashay. There, he would deal with the press and deliver lectures about his time in the war. His goal would be to tie America closer than ever to the British cause. At least that's what everyone else saw. It was supposedly at this time that Dahl was charged with another mission to be an undercover agent for the British security coordination of the BSC. While there, Dahl met British novelist C.S. Forrester, who was hoping to learn about Dahl's time in Libya and his plane craft. Let's hear Dahl himself talk about it. He said, my name is C.S. Forrester.

Oh, indeed. And I thought, no, come on, steady on. Rubbish, he's one of my heroes. The story of Dahl's near-death experience was the launch of his career as a writer. While Disney himself purchased the film rights for Dahl's first ever children's book, The Gremlins, and Dahl even dine at the White House with Eleanor Roosevelt. This was where Dahl's involvement with the BSC came into play. Now that America was involved in the war, the BSC's job headed by William

Stevenson was to keep an eye out for anti-British sentiments and ensure America remain Britain's active ally in the war. He spent time with the Roosevelt's at their Hyde Park home, as well as Vice President Henry Wallace, a known anti-imperialist, and Senator Harry Truman. He reported the U.S. his plans to emancipate some of the British Empire after World War II, their efforts to land on the moon, and some false gossip. Doll's life became a mix of cocktail parties' relationships with wealthy and powerful women and political associations. His real talent, lay in wooing the young elites and tracking their attitudes toward Great Britain. He was married to the beautiful actress Patricia Neal,

but he was rumored to have many affairs with women like Millicent Rogers, French actress Annabella, and Congresswoman Claire Booth Luce. His wife was the one who coined the nickname Roa the Rotten, referring to his unpleasant temperament that he hid well around his rich socialites. Sounds like James Bond, a spy leaving many heiress women in his wake. Speaking of Bond, Ian Fleming and Doll were supposed to be. mostly friends, having met through the B.S.C. He later adapted Ian Fleming's novel, You Only Live Twice, into a screenplay for the 1967 James Bond movie. After World War II ended,

Dahl returned to England to author the children's books he would be most remembered for today. He died on November 23rd, 1990. He was 74 years old. I'm not surprised to learn that Dahl lives such a life. The well-crafted, creative, fantastical, and humorous elements of his books point to an author who has seen much of the world. So true. Dahl's legacy remains controversial today. He was known to be anti-Semitic, racist, dark, and inappropriate. His experience in the war has certainly influenced his beliefs, and by default his writings, giving him an outlook on life not often shared by other children's authors. Whatever his character may have been, however, and savory, Dahl remained patriotic toward

Britain, all the while living a life worthy of James Bond. If there's anything these spy stories have told me, it is that truth can definitely be stranger than fiction. I'm Megan. And I'm Alessia. enjoyed our last episode of 2024. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at WRFH underscore undetected and tune in to season three next year. We'll dive into the thrilling stories of the spies who failed their missions on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.