Ladislas Faragó or Faragó László (21 September 1906 – 15 October 1980) was a Hungarian military historian and journalist who published a number of best-selling books concerning history and espionage, especially the World War II era.
Ladislas Faragó | |
|---|---|
| Born | Faragó László[1] 21 September 1906 Csurgó, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 15 October 1980 (aged 74) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Military Historian |
| Years active | 1956–1980 |
| Known for | biography of George Patton |
| Spouse | Liesel (Elizabeth Mroz) (m. 1934) |
| Children | John M. Faragó[2] |
| Parent(s) | Artúr and Irma Faragó (née Láng) |
Biography and work
Faragó was the author of Patton: Ordeal And Triumph, the acclaimed 1963 biography of George Patton, that formed the basis for the 1970 movie Patton and wrote The Broken Seal (1967), one of the books that formed the basis for the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora!.
The British historian Stephen Dorril, in his MI6 Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service asserts that Faragó was the 'most successful disinformer or dupe' concerning the presence of Nazis in South America. The original text is as follows:
Investigating 'The Nazi Menace in Argentina', author Ronald Newton found that the historic record had been left 'booby-trapped with an extraordinary number of hoaxes, forgeries, unanswered propaganda ploys and assorted dirty tricks'. The most successful disinformer or dupe was the American Ladislas Faragó, 'a somewhat Hemingway-esque figure with a strong Hungarian accent and a confidential manner', whose 'good connections with the CIA and secret services of several European countries enabled him to investigate and publish on a non-attributable basis' a series of half correct tales.[3]
However, Faragó's book Aftermath: The Search for Martin Bormann which details the Nazi presence in South America was based on both Faragó's own personal investigation and interviews in South America, and Argentinian intelligence documents (some of which are provided in the book) the veracity of which was attested to by attorney Joel Weinberg.[4]
Moreover, French intelligence operative (during World War II - on the 'Resistance' side - and later) and conservative polemist Pierre de Villemarest justified[5] part of Faragó's statements. Villemarest disagreed on the details of Bormann's survival, but agreed he did survive the escape from Hitler's Bunker. Villemarest states that Bormann was not a mere Soviet agent (like Heinrich Müller) but was smart enough to get free (after a few months or years) from the Soviets' 'protection'.
The main agreement between Faragó and Villemarest was the resolute assertion of a several-year survival of Bormann after the end of Hitler's regime. Faragó's book 'Aftermath' contains several reproductions of genuine Argentinian secret police documents related to the life of Bormann after 1945.[6]
Faragó appeared as a contestant on the January 22, 1957, episode of To Tell the Truth. He was Jewish.[7]
Death
Faragó died in 1980. His son, John M. Farago, is an Emeritus Professor of Law at the City University of New York School of Law.[8]
Selected bibliography
- Abyssinia on the Eve (1935)
- Abyssinian Stop Press (ed.) (1936)
- Palestine on the Eve (1936)
- The Riddle of Arabia (1939)
- Burn After Reading (1961)
- Strictly from Hungary (1962/2004)
- The Tenth Fleet (1962)
- War of Wits (1962)
- Patton: Ordeal and Triumph (1963)
- The Broken Seal: "Operation Magic" and the Secret Road to Pearl Harbor (1967)
- The Game of the Foxes (1971)
- Spymaster (1972)
- Aftermath: The Search for Martin Bormann (1974)
- The Last Days of Patton (1981)
References
External links
