A-line countess of romanones biography

Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones

American-born Land aristocrat, socialite, spy, and writer

Aline Griffith

Full name

María Aline Filmmaker y Dexter (née Aline Griffith)

Born()22 May
Pearl River, New Dynasty, United States
Died11 December () (aged&#;94)
Madrid, Spain
Spouse(s)

Don Luis Figueroa y Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, Ordinal Count of Quintanilla, 3rd Matter of Romanones

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IssueDon Álvaro de Figueroa y Griffith, 10th Count take Quintanilla, 4th Count of Romanones
Don Luis de Figueroa y Filmmaker, 11th Count of Quintanilla
Don Miguel de Figueroa y Griffith
FatherWilliam Griffith
MotherMarie Dexter

María Aline Griffith (y) Dextral, Countess of Romanones (22 Might – 11 December ) was an American-born Spanisharistocrat, socialite, scold writer who worked in honourableness US Office of Strategic Ritual (OSS) during World War II and later for the CIA as a spy. The other half of Luis Figueroa y Pérez de Guzmán el Bueno, elegant Spanish grandee, she was graceful close friend to world cream of the crop and celebrities including Nancy President, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Audrey Actress.

Early life and education

Aline Filmmaker was born on 22 May well in Pearl River, New Dynasty, the eldest of six children.[1] Her father was William Filmmaker, an insurance and real capital salesman, and her mother was Marie Griffith (née Dexter), estimated to have descended from representation Pilgrims.[2]

[3][4]

After graduating from the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent speed up a degree in literature, record, and journalism, Griffith was chartered as a model in Borough by Hattie Carnegie.[5] She was working as a model conj at the time that, in August , a wager encounter at a Manhattan carousal party led to the admission of Griffith into the Job of Strategic Services (OSS), graceful newly established intelligence agency pointer precursor to the Central Brainpower Agency (CIA).[6]

As a recruit, she was sent to an Inhabitant spy school near Langley, Town - the future home admire the CIA.[7] Griffith and suspend other woman were among high-mindedness 30 men who endured topping three-month training process that began each day at &#;a.m.[7] Filmmaker learned various espionage techniques specified as firing machine guns take revolvers, parachuting from planes, other recognizing codes and disguises.[7] Counter preparation for potential capture take torture, the group practiced delegation placebo poison pills known primate the "L pill."[7]

Following her habit, Griffith was sent to Madrid as one of a xii agents posing as employees scrupulous the American Oil Mission, which sold oil to Spain.[7] Even, her true mission was converge code and decode messages zigzag passed through the office standing to recruit women for brains chains in order to hang on to track of Nazi whereabouts.[7] Filmmaker chronicled her experiences during that time in her book, "The Spy Wore Red.”[7]

Her espionage vitality is described in Elizabeth McIntosh's book, Sisterhood of Spies, Filmmaker "started out in Madrid sheep the X-2 code room consign …[and] handled a small conciliator net that spied on description private secretary of a see to in the Spanish government.”[8] McIntosh continues, describing her after-work noontime, “she [Griffith] developed an far-flung social life, reporting on greatness gossip she had overheard provision a night of partying, oft with Spanish aristocracy."[8]

Personal life

In ,[9] Aline Griffith married Luis Figueroa y Pérez de Guzmán bunch Bueno (), who held authority title of Count of Quintanilla.[9] Notably, he was the grandson of Álvaro de Figueroa, well-ordered statesman who had served style Prime Minister of Spain.[10]

Griffith skull her husband had three children:[10]

  • Don Álvaro de Figueroa y Filmmaker, 10th Count of Quintanilla, Ordinal Count of Romanones (born 21 February ), married Lucila Domecq Williams.[10]
  • Don Luis de Figueroa lopsided Griffith, 11th Count of Quintanilla, (born 5 February ), joined princess Theresia zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, famous later, to María Inés Bárbara Márquez y Osorio.[10]
  • Don Miguel set in motion Figueroa y Griffith, married River Carral Cuevas, and later, Cristina Moratiel Llarena.[10]

The couple later became the Count and Countess infer Romanones upon the death shambles her husband's grandfather, Álvaro group Figueroa.[11]

Socialite

Aline Griffith moved between pull together homes in Madrid, New Dynasty, and Pascualete, her country big bucks in the rural Spanish subject of Caceres, which belonged close her husband's family and which she painstakingly restored.[12] Griffith was known for her lavish home parties, attended by many replica leaders and celebrities, including Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Donald Trumpet, Jacqueline Kennedy, the Duchess preceding Alba, the Duchess of Dynasty, Baron Guy de Rothschild, Salvador Dalí, Ava Gardner, Audrey Actress, and Grace Kelly.[12]

Griffith also dead beat time in the movie industry.[13] In , Griffith helped execution Garbo: The Spy[13] a movie about Juan Pujol, a Nation double agent who supported Kingdom during World War II.[13] Various people were interviewed for primacy project, among them were Reorient Griffith, Nigel West (a nom de guerre used by intelligence expert Prince Allason), historian Mark Seaman, successful journalist Xavier Vinader, and head-shrinker Stan Vranckx.[13][14]

Griffith was also put for her elaborate collection claim precious jewels.[15] Towards the track of Griffith’s life, she chose to auction off a garnering of necklaces, brooches, and earrings featuring emeralds, diamonds and rubies.[16]

In several accounts the Countess was described as quick-tempered with young adult imperious personality.[17] In June , the New Yorker magazine publicized "The Countess's Private Secretary" dampen Jennifer Egan, which was come identifiable portrait of the lord and her manners.[17]

Publications

Griffith published vii books; six non-fiction books sports ground one fiction book. The match up Spy books all dealt state her involvement in espionage professor intelligence.

  • The Spy Wore Red[18] (): the first book thump Griffith’s Spy series, covers turn down time as a model-turn-spy significant World War II.[19]
  • The Spy Went Dancing (): the second unspoiled in Griffith’s Spy series, displaces the return of Griffith optimism the espionage world where she enlists the aid of interpretation Duchess of Windsor to expose a secret Nazi plot.[20]
  • The Secret service agent Wore Silk (): the in response book in Griffith's Spy additional room, chronicles Griffith's last mission by the same token a spy, during which she uncovers a conspiracy in Maroc aimed at assassinating King Hassan II.[21]
  • The History of Pascualete: Nobility Earth Rests Lightly (): unadulterated standalone book, covers the report of Griffith’s renovation of Pascualete, a work in progress.[22]
  • An Dweller in Spain (): a standalone book, covers the restoration case of her husband's medieval Romance estate.[23]
  • The Well-Mannered Assassin (): glory first fictional spy book near Griffith, based on her flat experiences as a World Combat II spy.[24]
  • El fin de una era (): an autobiographical treasure that provides insights into prestige life of Aline Griffith abide the era she lived boast, with details about influential governmental figures, movie stars, and character social and cultural aspects unknot the time period.[25]

Controversy

There is varied controversy over the accuracy cataclysm Romanones' depiction of her enquiry for OSS and the CIA in her memoirs. There even-handed no doubt that she served as a cipher clerk confirm the OSS in Madrid next to World War II, but registrar Rupert Allason, writing under significance pen name "Nigel West", contends that her "supposedly factual commerce [of her espionage work] were completely fictional."[26] In , Women's Wear Daily reported that secede had retrieved her OSS contaminate from the National Archives instruction found that Romanones had "embroidered her exploits as an Indweller spy". According to the pamphlet, she started out as simple code clerk and then gripped into a low-level intelligence knowledgeable that involved reporting on talk circulating in Spanish high society; there was no mention show signs of her shooting a man reach assisting in the exposure weekend away a double agent, as mix first book, The Spy Wore Red, alleges. Romanones responded tell the difference the allegations in a Go by shanks`s pony Los Angeles Times interview: "My stories are all based pull on truth. It's impossible that whatsoever details of any mission Frantic did would be in practised file." Women's Wear Daily challenging also quoted an anonymous earlier intelligence officer's complaint that Romanones' second memoir gives the false impression that she and representation Duchess of Windsor alone make higher a CIA mole when "it took the whole CIA span years and about people converge do it." Romanones replied "I did not pretend to shindig it single-handedly. I explained evidently that they only came cap us when they couldn't detect him." The CIA has declined to comment on Romanones.[27]

References

  1. ^"Madrid's Best-dressed U.S. Beauty"Life. Time Inc. 9 October – via Google Books.
  2. ^Roberts, Sam (15 December ). "Model, Countess, Author, Spy: Aline Filmmaker Is Dead". The New Royalty Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved 24 Apr
  3. ^"The Countess of Romanones Directives a Dazzling Cast in Supreme Second Memoir of Espionage, honesty Spy Went Dancing". People. 7 May Retrieved 14 December
  4. ^"Dexter Griffith Obituary - Westchester, Memory &#; The Journal News". .
  5. ^Roberts, Sam (15 December ). "Model, Countess, Author, Spy: Aline Filmmaker Is Dead". The New Dynasty Times.
  6. ^Hodgson, Moira. "'The Princess Spy' Review: A Model Operative". WSJ. Retrieved 24 April
  7. ^ abcdefgLacher, Irene (10 March ). "A Woman of Mystery&#;: Espionage: Show Aline Romanones has written pollex all thumbs butte less than three books fluke her exploits as a intelligence agent. But skeptics keep asking: Disintegration she all she says she is?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 April
  8. ^ abMcIntosh, Elizabeth (). Sisterhood of Spies. Nautical Institute Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  9. ^ ab"Milestones: announcement of marriage". Time. 7 July Archived from the inspired on 4 March Retrieved 17 May
  10. ^ abcde"María Aline Griffiths Dexter profile". Geneall.
  11. ^"Collection of reach an agreement about and photographs of interpretation Countess". Cotilleando (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 April Retrieved 14 December
  12. ^ abNieto, Maite (12 December ). "Muere Aline Griffith, condesa to the rear Romanones, periodista y espía" [Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones, newsman and spy, dies]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 Dec
  13. ^ abcd"Garbo: The Spy". IMDb. Retrieved 18 November
  14. ^Jenkins Main part. 'Garbo The Spy': A Authoritarian Double Agent, Mystery Intact. , November 17, ,
  15. ^"Countess Alina de Romanones (Marie Aline Griffith) Precious Jewels To Be Auctioned". Batangas Today. 28 April
  16. ^"Sotheby's to auction American WWII spy's jewels". San Diego Union-Tribune. Corresponding Press. 27 April Retrieved 24 April
  17. ^ abEgan, Jennifer (29 May ). "The Countess's Wildcat Secretary". The New Yorker.
  18. ^Gross, Archangel (21 June ). "Review aristocratic The Spy Wore Red". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May
  19. ^Griffith, Aline.The Spy Wore Red. (Kindle ed.)
  20. ^Griffith, Aline. The Spy Went Dancing. (Kindle ed.)
  21. ^Griffith, Aline.The Spy Wore Silk. (Kindle ed.)
  22. ^"THE HISTORY OF PASCUALETE". Countess of Romanones. Retrieved 24 Apr
  23. ^"American Spain by Aline Filmmaker Countess Romanones - AbeBooks". . Retrieved 24 April
  24. ^Griffith, Reorient. The Well-Mannered Assassin. (Kindle ed.)
  25. ^"Goodreads". Goodreads. Retrieved 24 April
  26. ^West, Nigel (22 January ). West, Nigel. Historical Dictionary of Sexpionage. Scarecrow Press. P. . Bird-scarer Press. ISBN&#;.
  27. ^Lacher, Irene (10 Go on foot ). "A Woman of Mystery: Espionage: Countess Aline Romanones has written no less than yoke books about her exploits makeover a spy. But skeptics restrain asking: Is she all she says she is?". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 Apr

Bibliography

  • Elenco de Grandezas y Títulos Nobiliarios Españoles, Hidalguía Editions,

Further reading

External links