The Spy Who Played Baseball

Kar-Ben Publishing

(pub 3.1.018)

32 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor:  Carrie Jones
     and illustrator: Gary Cherrington

C haracters: Morris (Moe) Berg
O verview from the jacket flap: 

     "Moe Berg is not a typical baseball player. He's Jewish - very unusual for the major leagues in the 1930s - has a law degree, speaks several languages, and loves traveling the world. He also happens to be a spy for the U.S. government. When World War II begins, Moe trades his baseball career for a life of danger and secrecy. Using his unusual range of skills, he sneaks into enemy territory to gather crucial  information that could help defeat the Nazis. But he also has plenty of secrets of his own ..."

T antalizing taste:        

     "It was dangerous for any American to be in Nazi-controlled Europe, but for a Jewish American like Moe Berg, it was especially dangerous. The Nazis were arresting hundreds of thousands of Jews all over Europe and transporting them to concentration camps.
     Yet Moe didn't hesitate. On one early mission, he parachuted into the small country of Yugoslavia. His job was to gather information about two resistance groups that were fighting the Nazis there. The American government needed Moe's help to decide which resistance group to support."

 

and something more: The Afterword states that "Moe stayed with the OSS until it disbanded in 1945, shortly after World War II ended. But for the rest of his life he remained a mysterious figure, half hiding behind telephone poles and in the stands of games. He died in 1972. His last words were 'How are the Mets doing today?' (They won.) Moe was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and his baseball card is on display at CIA headquarters."