This Moment in Movember History Brought to you by the Letter J
November 9, 2011 5:42 PM Subscribe
In 1941, the Special Operations Executive forged documents, including passports, in order to help the resistance. Here's the one they made for Adolf Hitler, with a better view of the photos available on this site.
You know who else they made one for? HITLER!
posted by found missing at 5:53 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by found missing at 5:53 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Does that big "J" on the cover mean what I assume it means?
posted by crunchland at 5:54 PM on November 9, 2011
posted by crunchland at 5:54 PM on November 9, 2011
(Yes. I guess it'd help if I actually read the text instead of just looked at the pictures.)
posted by crunchland at 5:56 PM on November 9, 2011
posted by crunchland at 5:56 PM on November 9, 2011
Does that big "J" on the cover mean what I assume it means?
From one of the links:
This passport shows what the forgers were capable of producing. It also hints at their sense of humour and their opinion of Hitler and his beliefs. They've given Hitler's passport a red 'J' (which stood for 'Jew' on a German passport). He has a visa allowing his entry into Palestine, which was under British control at that time. The passport also describes Hitler's occupation as a 'painter'. Under distinguishing features, they list his 'little moustache'.
posted by NoMich at 5:56 PM on November 9, 2011
From one of the links:
This passport shows what the forgers were capable of producing. It also hints at their sense of humour and their opinion of Hitler and his beliefs. They've given Hitler's passport a red 'J' (which stood for 'Jew' on a German passport). He has a visa allowing his entry into Palestine, which was under British control at that time. The passport also describes Hitler's occupation as a 'painter'. Under distinguishing features, they list his 'little moustache'.
posted by NoMich at 5:56 PM on November 9, 2011
They've given Hitler's passport a red 'J' (which stood for 'Jew' on a German passport). He has a visa allowing his entry into Palestine, which was under British control at that time.
Ho ho ho, what jokers!
We all know Jews weren't allowed into Palestine.
posted by Jehan at 6:04 PM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Ho ho ho, what jokers!
We all know Jews weren't allowed into Palestine.
posted by Jehan at 6:04 PM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
Under "distinguishing marks" they should have put "monorchid". Even if it wasn't true.
ESPECIALLY if it wasn't true.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:25 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
ESPECIALLY if it wasn't true.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:25 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh, great, now I'm going to have the "Hitler, he only has one ball/Goering has two but very small/Himmler has something simmlar/And Joseph Goebals has no balls at all" song stuck in my head all night.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:28 PM on November 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:28 PM on November 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
I wonder what they use today, now that most countries have electronic passports linked to a central database. Maybe they just clone the passports of real people?
posted by miyabo at 6:57 PM on November 9, 2011
posted by miyabo at 6:57 PM on November 9, 2011
Under "distinguishing marks" they should have put "dolphin butt tatt". Even if it wasn't true.
posted by the noob at 7:00 PM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by the noob at 7:00 PM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm picturing this as part of some larger "Do you have an interest in art forgery?" campaign where matchbooks and magazines invited you to forge documents with 'Dolfy, Herman, or a pirate.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:24 PM on November 9, 2011
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:24 PM on November 9, 2011
I wonder what they use today, now that most countries have electronic passports linked to a central database. Maybe they just clone the passports of real people?
It's pretty much impossible to design an identity document and corresponding verification system that is both inexpensive enough to economically issue to millions of individuals that is also capable of defeating the resources of a nation state's intelligence service. The passports carried by the suspects in the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh are a good example of the techniques currently used. In that case the assassins carried passports obtained in a variety of ways. Some were (a) counterfeit (the passports had never been issued, but nonetheless carried genuine passport control numbers), (b) genuine passports that were obtained under false pretenses (including identity theft), and (c) genuine passports presumably used without permission of the passport holder.
posted by RichardP at 7:59 PM on November 9, 2011
It's pretty much impossible to design an identity document and corresponding verification system that is both inexpensive enough to economically issue to millions of individuals that is also capable of defeating the resources of a nation state's intelligence service. The passports carried by the suspects in the assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh are a good example of the techniques currently used. In that case the assassins carried passports obtained in a variety of ways. Some were (a) counterfeit (the passports had never been issued, but nonetheless carried genuine passport control numbers), (b) genuine passports that were obtained under false pretenses (including identity theft), and (c) genuine passports presumably used without permission of the passport holder.
posted by RichardP at 7:59 PM on November 9, 2011
The novel Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy has a really fascinating subplot about two of these agents (one of whom is Jewish) in France.
posted by lunasol at 8:56 PM on November 9, 2011
posted by lunasol at 8:56 PM on November 9, 2011
They should have given him a silly walk.
posted by arcticseal at 1:47 AM on November 10, 2011
posted by arcticseal at 1:47 AM on November 10, 2011
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posted by Renoroc at 5:49 PM on November 9, 2011