Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway - Velvalee Dickinson: The "Doll Woman" Spy by Barbara Casey

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Velvalee Dickinson - The "Doll Woman" Spy by Barbara Casey. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt for you as well as a guest post. There's also a tour wide giveaway. Check out the rest of the stops on the tour here for more guest posts, excerpts, reviews, interviews, and more. Enjoy!

Title: Velvalee Dickinson - The "Doll Woman" Spy

Author: Barbara Casey

Genre: Biography. True Crime

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Velvalee Dickinson was born in Sacramento, California, graduated from Stanford University, married three times, and then in the early 1930s moved to New York City where she eventually opened her own exclusive doll shop on the prestigious Madison Avenue. It was there that she built her reputation as an expert in rare, antique, and foreign dolls. She traveled extensively around the country lecturing and exhibiting her dolls while building a wealthy clientele that included Hollywood stars, members of high society, and other collectors.

When medical bills started to accumulate because of her husband’s poor health and business started to fail with the onset of World War II, she accepted the role as a spy for the Imperial Japanese Government. By hiding coded messages in her correspondence about dolls, she was able to pass on to her Japanese contacts critical military information about the US warships. After surveilling Velvalee for over a year, the FBI arrested her and charged her with espionage and violation of censorship laws. She became the first American woman to face the death penalty on charges of spying for a wartime enemy.

Velvalee Dickinson: The “Doll Woman” Spy is a carefully researched glimpse into the “Doll Woman’s” life as a collector of dolls, and as the highest paid American woman who spied for the Imperial Japanese Government during World War II.

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EXCERPT:

As the country absorbed the shock of the bombing at Pearl Harbor and tried to adjust to the new and difficult reality of rationing and travel restrictions while tearfully watching their loved ones depart for war zones in places unknown, the “Doll Woman,” Velvalee Dickinson, continued sending out her chatty, gossipy correspondence to her clientele and other doll enthusiasts.

One letter about dolls, however, posted from New York and sent to Señora Ines de Molinali in Argentina, was intercepted by wartime censors because of its unusual and somewhat confusing contents, as well as incorrect postage. The letter, dated January 27, 1942, was brought to the Bureau’s attention in February 1942. Purportedly written by Maud Bowman of Portland, Oregon, the letter mentioned a “wonderful doll hospital” where the writer had left her three “Old English dolls” for repairs. Also mentioned in the letter were “fishing nets” and “balloons.”

If dolls were somehow being used to assist the enemy, it wouldn’t be the first time. During the American Civil War, contraband, medical supplies, and messages were smuggled across the Northern lines inside the hollow interiors of dolls carried in the protective arms of little girls. More recently, smugglers from the United States concealed amphetamines inside small, soft “Minion” dolls and shipped them to Israel.

FBI cryptographers, and in particular C.A. Appel, examined the letter and eventually concluded that it was likely the “dolls” in question were possibly three warships and the “doll hospital” was a West Coast-based shipyard where repairs were made. They also speculated that the “fishing nets” referred to an aircraft carrier with antitorpedo netting on its sides, the “wooden doll” was an older battleship, and the “little boy” was a destroyer. “Balloons” mentioned in the letter probably disclosed information about coastal defenses and other critical information on the West Coast.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barbara Casey is the author of several award-winning novels for both adults and young adults, as well as book-length works of nonfiction, and numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Her nonfiction true crime book, Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly, has been optioned for a major film and television series. Her nonfiction book, Assata Shakur: A 20th Century Escaped Slave, is under contract for a major film. In addition to her own writing, she is an editorial consultant and president of the Barbara Casey Agency. Established in 1995, she represents authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan.

In 2018 Barbara received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas. Barbara lives on a mountain in Georgia with her husband, and three pets who adopted her: Benton, a hound-mix; Reese, a black cat; and Earl Gray, a gray cat and Reese’s best friend.

Website * Amazon * Goodreads

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GUEST POST:

If you could spy on any person or company and not get caught, who would it be and why?

Thank you for your interest in my latest nonfiction book, Velvalee Dickinson: The “Doll Woman” Spy. It is interesting that you ask me about spying since the true story of Velvalee is about spying for the enemy.

Velvalee built her reputation as an expert in rare, antique, and foreign dolls. She traveled extensively around the country lecturing and exhibiting her dolls while building a wealthy clientele that included Hollywood stars, members of high society, politicians, and other collectors.

When medical bills started to accumulate because of her husband’s poor health and business started to fail with the onset of World War II, she accepted the role as a spy for the Imperial Japanese Government. By hiding coded messages in her correspondence about dolls, she was able to pass on to her Japanese contacts critical military information about the US warships. After surveilling Velvalee for over a year, the FBI arrested her and charged her with espionage and violation of censorship laws. She became the first American woman to face the death penalty on charges of spying for a wartime enemy.

Velvalee’s crime was based on greed. She never felt remorse, nor did she apologize to the U.S. Government. I don’t think she realized the seriousness of her actions.

If I were going to spy, it wouldn’t be based on greed. Rather, it would be for the sake of curiosity. For example, I would love to be in the room when President Trump meets privately with Xi JinPing, the president of the People’s Republic of China. Or, to be able to listen to the private conversations of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. The nation is in such a state of conflict right now, and politics plays an important role in day-to-day events.

Going back in time to another country and another era, I would have enjoyed listening to the Royal discussions when Edward abdicated the thrown. Can you imagine that conversation? “Hey, guys, I don’t want to be King. I am going to marry an American woman who has been divorced twice.”

Of course, over time, more and more of these things are revealed. But it would be fun to be present at that moment in time.

Thank you again for your interest.

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GIVEAWAY:

Barbara Casey will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. Be sure to leave a comment at a different blog stop each day to increase your chance of winning. A list of participating blogs can be found here. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway