Did you know that frogs are cannibals, fashion can be fatal and the dinosaurs never died? Or that redheads were once burned at the stake as witches? Find out why rubbish tips are like lasagna, and how maggots help solve crimes! To Max, Amelia, Dezzy and Rachel, with love from Auntie Sue First published in 2006 Copyright © text Sue Bursztynski 2006 Copyright © illustrations Mitch Vane 2006 Series design copyright © Ruth Grüner All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. Allen & Unwin 83 Alexander Street Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100 Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218 Email:
[email protected] Web: www.allenandunwin.com National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Bursztynski, Sue. It’s true! your cat could be a spy. Bibliography. Includes index. For children. ISBN 1 74114 606 2. 1. Spies – Juvenile literature. I. Vane, Mitch. II. Title. (Series: It’s true; 15) 327.12 Series, cover and text design by Ruth Grüner Cover photographs: Getty Images and G K Kart/Vikki Hart (cat), Comstock (spy) and BrandX Pictures (magnifying glass) Set in 12.5pt Minion by Ruth Grüner Printed by McPherson’s Printing Group 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Teaching notes for the It’s True! series are available on the website: www.itstrue.com.au CONTENTS WHY SPIES? 1 SNEAKY SPIES AND GREEK GIFTS 1 2 WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET – NOT! 9 3 BELLE, BET AND HARRIET: WOMEN UNDERCOVER 15 4 SECRET SERVICE IN THE TWO WORLD WARS 25 5 SPY GADGETS AND SECRET WEAPONS 38 6 COOL CATS AND COLD WAR DISASTERS 51 7 BEST-SELLING SPIES 60 8 CYBER-SPYING 68 9 SHORT NINJA, TALL TALES 76 Thanks 85 Glossary 86 Where to find out more 87 Index 88 WHY SPIES? Spying is the world’s oldest profession, ever since one tribe needed to know what the other tribe was doing. Men, women and children have been spies. During World War II, the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland were fighting the Nazis, who wanted to murder them. Children and teenagers often made their way in secret through the sewers to find out information and bring back weapons needed by the fighters. A boy called Baruch Bursztynski rode a bicycle rickshaw as part of his disguise. One day, he drove a Nazi passenger who had no idea that he was sitting on top of a pile of weapons! Although many spies and agents didn’t survive their missions, Baruch did. He grew up to become my Dad! 1 SNEAKY SPIES AND GREEK GIFTS Spies live in a dangerous world. Their job is to find out enemy secrets and bring this information back to their leaders. They could be killed if they are caught, so they often wear a disguise or go undercover and live among the enemy. 1 Spies have to be very careful and very cunning. In ancient times, soldiers made good spies and so did travellers, because they could go from city to city. There is a story about King Alfred the Great, ruler of Wessex, in Britain, over 1000 years ago. Alfred thought he might do some hands-on spying. The Danes had invaded his country and Alfred disguised himself as a wandering minstrel and cheekily went to the Danish camp. He played his harp and sang