Playwright Noël Coward Used His Entertaining Personality as a Cover
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English playwright Noël Coward made a name for himself with productions including Hay Fever, Private Lives, and Blithe Spirit. During World War II, he was involved in the propaganda department of the British Intelligence Service. He traveled to the United States and garnered support for the Allied cause. He also used his fame and charismatic personality to smuggle classified information to people such as President Franklin Roosevelt. Hitler so loathed him; he was placed on the Nazi Black List. Coward recalled in his diary, “I was to go on as an entertainer with an accompanist and sing my songs and on the side doing something rather hush-hush … My disguise would be my reputation as a bit of an idiot.”