The full story of Josephine Baker’s wartime and intelligence work in France and North Africa
Before the Second World War Josephine Baker (1906–1975) was one of the most famous performers
in the world. She made her name dancing on the Parisian stage but when war broke out she
decided not to return to America. Instead Baker turned spy for the French Secret Services.
In this engaging deeply researched study Hanna Diamond tells the full story of Baker’s
actions for the French and Allied powers in World War Two. Drawing on previously unseen
material Diamond reveals the vital role Baker played throughout the war from
counterintelligence work for the Allied landings in North Africa to serving in the French Air
Force in 1944–45. A woman of colour operating in a white male environment Baker exploited her
celebrity to enable her war work across France Spain Portugal North Africa and the Middle
East. This groundbreaking account is the first to reveal the full significance of Baker’s
wartime contribution.
