Voices Under Berlin: The Tale of a Monterey Mary (novel)
Encyclopedia
Voices Under Berlin: The Tale of a Monterey Mary is a 2008 novel by an American Author writing under the pen name of T.H.E. Hill. The action of the novel takes place in Berlin in the mid-1950s, at the beginning of the Cold War
, before the construction of the Berlin Wall
(1961). It loosely follows the history of the Berlin Tunnel (Operation Gold
, covername: PBJOINTLY
), which was built and run jointly by the CIA and the British SIS
.
The story, however, is presented from an exclusively American/Russian viewpoint. The novel is episodic, but it is tied together by an element of suspense. One of the Americans is the target of a Russian 'Honey trap'
, sex-for-secrets operation, but while there are clues spread throughout the book, the answer to the question of who is the target of the operation does not become clear until the end of the novel.
The Russian viewpoint is presented as a series of unnarrated transcripts of the Russians' telephone conversations. This is the portion of the book that lends the novel its title. The Russians are the voices under Berlin.
The other half of the title (The Tale of a Monterey Mary) is an allusion to the fact that the author is a three-time graduate of the Defense Language Institute
, located in Monterey, Ca, the alumni of which are called "Monterey Marys". The main character, Kevin, is a Monterey Mary.
The novel is considered "insider spy fiction," and a number of reviewers have commented on the novel's sense of authenticity, which is a reflection of the fact that the author served at United States Army Security Agency
Field Station Berlin
in the mid-1970s. The author's 'insider' status is further reflected by the inside joke contained in his pen name. The Field Station Berlin operations site was referred to as "The Hill" by those who worked there. "The Hill" was in fact a common appellation for SIGINT sites at other locations. The author is clearly familiar with the history of the Berlin Tunnel, as he has written an article on it for the Cold War Museum
.
Dr. Wesley Britton
, author of Spy Television, Beyond Bond: Spies in Fiction and Film, and Onscreen and Undercover: The Ultimate Book of Movie Espionage, writing at SpyWise.net calls Voices Under Berlin "a spy novel that breaks all the molds," adding that "in the tradition of Greene
and Ambler
, Voices Under Berlin "contains many literate qualities that make it a work of special consideration, worthy of an audience much broader than that of espionage enthusiasts or those interested in Cold War history."
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, before the construction of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
(1961). It loosely follows the history of the Berlin Tunnel (Operation Gold
Operation Gold
Operation Gold was a joint operation conducted by the American CIA and the British Secret Intelligence Service in the 1950s to tap into landline communication of the Soviet Army headquarters in Berlin using a tunnel into the Soviet-occupied zone...
, covername: PBJOINTLY
CIA cryptonym
CIA cryptonyms are code names or code words used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to reference projects, operations, persons, agencies, etc. The cryptonyms as described in this article were in use at least from the 1950s to the 1980s...
), which was built and run jointly by the CIA and the British SIS
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
.
The story, however, is presented from an exclusively American/Russian viewpoint. The novel is episodic, but it is tied together by an element of suspense. One of the Americans is the target of a Russian 'Honey trap'
Honeypot
Honeypot or honeytrap may refer to:* A pot used to store honey* Espionage recruitment involving sexual seduction in** reality** fiction* A type of sting operation such as a** Bait car...
, sex-for-secrets operation, but while there are clues spread throughout the book, the answer to the question of who is the target of the operation does not become clear until the end of the novel.
The Russian viewpoint is presented as a series of unnarrated transcripts of the Russians' telephone conversations. This is the portion of the book that lends the novel its title. The Russians are the voices under Berlin.
The other half of the title (The Tale of a Monterey Mary) is an allusion to the fact that the author is a three-time graduate of the Defense Language Institute
Defense Language Institute
The Defense Language Institute is a United States Department of Defense educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers...
, located in Monterey, Ca, the alumni of which are called "Monterey Marys". The main character, Kevin, is a Monterey Mary.
The novel is considered "insider spy fiction," and a number of reviewers have commented on the novel's sense of authenticity, which is a reflection of the fact that the author served at United States Army Security Agency
United States Army Security Agency
The United States Army Security Agency was the United States Army's signal intelligence branch. Its motto was "Vigilant Always." The Agency existed between 1945 and 1976 and was the successor to Army signal intelligence operations dating back to World War I...
Field Station Berlin
Teufelsberg
The Teufelsberg is a hill in Berlin, Germany, in former West Berlin. It rises about 80 meters above the surrounding Brandenburg plain, more precisely the north of Berlin's Grunewald forest....
in the mid-1970s. The author's 'insider' status is further reflected by the inside joke contained in his pen name. The Field Station Berlin operations site was referred to as "The Hill" by those who worked there. "The Hill" was in fact a common appellation for SIGINT sites at other locations. The author is clearly familiar with the history of the Berlin Tunnel, as he has written an article on it for the Cold War Museum
Cold War Museum
The Cold War Museum is a planned history museum in the United States focused on Cold War history.Founded in 1996 by Francis Gary Powers Jr. and John C...
.
Dr. Wesley Britton
Spy fiction
Spy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...
, author of Spy Television, Beyond Bond: Spies in Fiction and Film, and Onscreen and Undercover: The Ultimate Book of Movie Espionage, writing at SpyWise.net calls Voices Under Berlin "a spy novel that breaks all the molds," adding that "in the tradition of Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
and Ambler
Eric Ambler
Eric Clifford Ambler OBE was an influential British author of spy novels who introduced a new realism to the genre. Ambler also used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for books co-written with Charles Rodda.-Life:...
, Voices Under Berlin "contains many literate qualities that make it a work of special consideration, worthy of an audience much broader than that of espionage enthusiasts or those interested in Cold War history."
Selected awards
- 2008: Hollywood Book FestivalHollywood Book FestivalHollywood Book Festival is an annual book festival in Hollywood, California. The festival honors books that deserve greater recognition from the film, television, video gaming and multimedia communities...
- 2009: Military Writer's Society of AmericaMilitary Writer's Society of AmericaThe Military Writers Society of America, also known as the MWSA, is not-for-profit association of several hundred authors, poets, and artists, most of whom are U.S. military veterans or family members of veterans...
's "Book of the Month" for September - 2009: BransonBranson, MissouriBranson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
Stars & Flags Book Awards for Fiction - 2009: Puss Reboots Top 10 List of Books Reviewed
- 2009" PODBRAM Annual Book Awards for Best Historical Concept
- 2010: NIEA Book Awards
- 2011: One of the first ten books added to the Indie 500 Booklist
Sources
- An interview with the author on SpyWise.net
- The Amazon Reviews for Voices Under Berlin
- http://spione.adept-press.com/spionewiki/index.php?title=Voices_Under_Berlin:_The_Tale_of_a_Monterey_Mary
- An Article about Voices Under Berlin in the Cold War Times
- The plot summary from the book's website.
- A summary of the novel's reviews, from the book's website.
- http://www.tuslogdet4.com/days/days120/days120.htm (Monterey Mary)
- Definition of the term Monterey Mary
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/armysecurityagencyvets/message/181519 (Monterey Mary)
- Britton, his website SpyWise.net http://www.SpyWise.net, and his books are listed in the reference section of Spy fictionSpy fictionSpy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...