Inside Figueres Prison (Courtesy Flickr)
A cell in Figueres Prison
Virginia Hall in Prison
Virginia Hall narrowly escaped the Gestapo by climbing over the snow-capped Pyrenees but was thrown into prison for illegally crossing the border.
Days Turn into Weeks
Figueres Prison held a strange assortment of inmates: thieves, murders, and political prisoners.
Virginia was certain British Intelligence would come to her rescue. But days turned into weeks and Virginia had extra reason to be alarmed because she was carrying secret intelligence.
- Would the Vichy government give up or fight with the Allies? Virginia knew the answer and drafted a coded message for London.
London Needed Virginia’s Coded Message
But how could Virginia get this top-secret intelligence information out of Figueres Prison? Virginia’s cell-mate, a Spanish prostitute was about to be released and Virginia had the coded message smuggled out.
After more than a month in jail, the British and Americans showed up and had Virginia released from Figueres. But that’s not the end of the story. Despite the dangers waiting for her, Virginia demanded to return to France.
Help Me Crack Virginia’s Coded Message
See the original coded message unearthed from the British archives in my first blog post, “Help Me Crack the Code”–and the Washington Post article tells how I discovered the coded message.
To see photos and learn more about Virginia’s life of espionage, click here: Virginia Hall blog.
“Hall of Mirrors— Virginia Hall: America’s Greatest Spy of WW II,” has been called:
“A fascinating, electric account of a historic woman.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Riveting . . . A tremendous read!”—Gen. David Petraeus (former CIA Director)
“An extraordinary accomplishment . . . A stunner!”—Peter Earnest, Founding Exec. Director, International Spy Museum
“Enthralling!”—Sarah Megan Thomas, Actress/Producer, “A Call to Spy.”