Black singer and dancer Josephine Baker left the U.S. to live freely in France. When Nazism threatened her adopted homeland, she used her talents to defend it — as a spy. Baker socialized with Axis elite, eavesdropping and reporting back to French intelligence. When the Nazis occupied Paris in 1940, she fled to southern France, rented a chateau, and gave refuge to others. In 1945, General Charles de Gaulle awarded her two prestigious honors for her actions. While the U.S. failed to end WW2 sooner or admit those fleeing Nazi persecution, history shows some courageous Americans helped to save lives. Read about a German Jewish family who tries to escape to the U.S. in the novel One Person’s Loss. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.
Josephine Baker spied to defend freedom in France during WWII
Berlin, 1937. Jewish newlyweds flee Germany for Brooklyn before the Nazi slaughter begins
