The Book and the Author

John L. Spivak comes closer to the popular conception of theace journalist than any other living writer. Combining theinstinct of a detective with the resourcefulness of areporter, and gifted with a hard-hitting, breezy style, hehas time and again "scooped the world," "gotten thestory"—despite powerful opposition and personal danger thatmight well have daunted less hardy souls.

But there is an important difference that sets Spivak apartfrom most other gentlemen of the press. For several years hehas devoted his bright and sharp pen solely to uncoveringevidence of fascist activities in the UnitedStates—evidence that is credited with having set offseveral official investigations exposing un-American,foreign-dominated propaganda.

Secret Armies climaxes Spivak's exposures. His sensationalinside story of Hitler's far-flung, under-cover poisoncampaign in the Americas would seem scarcely credible, wereit not so thoroughly documented with original letters andrecords, citing chapter and verse, naming names, dates andplaces. His unanswerable, uncontradicted facts should go fartoward jolting many of us out of our false sense of security.